New member considering a North Trail T20 Hybrid

Hello all,
I am considering purchase of a North Trail T20 hybrid. We currently have a 2011 Aerolite 185E but would like to have the few extra feet of room we can gain with the extra length and slide out on the T20. I am limited to a hybrid due to storage concerns. I was considering another Aerolite but my dealer is most likely not going to carry them because of a redesign going on. He has carried North Trails for awhile but not the hybrids. I am looking for any info from owners of a T20 hybrid such as problems, likes, dislikes, things we should look out for etc. My dealer did not have any T20's on the lot but I looked at a few North Trail TT's he had in stock. I was sort of impressed with the build quality.

Thank you
John
 

jimtoo

Moderator
Hi John,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and hopefully to the family. We have a great bunch of folks here with lots of information and all willing to share their knowledge when needed.

Hopefully some of our members will jump in soon with their opinions.

My wife was born in Mon City,, has cousins in West Newton and Donora area. We will be there next summer.

Enjoy the forum.

Jim M
 

wdk450

Well-known member
My advice to any prospective owners (especially those financing the purchase):

Work with the dealer to get the upgrade items NOW, where you can afford them by getting them in the financed price.

Suggested items:
1. Premium Tires
2. More than 1 battery
3. Wired in AC Electrical system Protector
4. Shock absorbing pinbox
5. NeverLube suspension bushings
5. Premium Shock Absorbing Suspension (like TrailAir Centerpoint)
 
John,
My wife and I have that exact camper and we simply love it although there are a few things that we would have liked to seen added like drawers, there are NONE, only cabinets. But i would have to say there is a bunch of cabinet space. The first thing I did was moved the spare tire from under the tounge to the rear bumber ($30.00). The coushions on the fold outs are a little soft but that nothing that a 3 inch mattres pad couldnt fix. We had a problem with the touch screen radio wich was replaced with out question under the warrenty. other then that we love it. I would say buy it. we were able to get our for XXXXXX brand new as a 2012 demo. Good luck
Marc
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hello, I figured I'd post back, thanks for the advice and suggestions. After looking at the unit in person we decided to pass on the T20. After having a smaller hybrid for two years we knew what we were looking for in a larger one with slide, and The North Trail T20 just did not have it. The specific turn offs were.
1, The unit the dealer had in stock had sat on their lot for quite awhile, in fact they have yet to sell it. It was a 2012 model. The black streaks looked like they would have been impossible to remove as it appeared the unit had not been washed once in the 10 months it was on their lot. I did not make note of this to the salesman, as the floor-plan turned me off instantly when I seen it in person. Also it was very evident that the unit had seen its share of walk through's, possibly had a few RV shows in its past.
2, The floor plan, No drawers. The wardrobe cabinet is narrow and located at the end of the slide resulting in the door only being able to be opened partially even with the slide extended. The kitchen is not located in the slide. Other manufacturers who locate the kitchen in the slide along with the sofa, and the dinette opposite, are a much better layout. It gives you more cabinet and counter space and allows a larger dinette and sofa. Then the bathroom can be located curbside allowing for a large wardrobe.
3. Limited outside accessible storage compared to some other similar units. The front pass thru has limited space due to the way they construct the interior bulkhead under the bunk, and the rear outside storage is only large enough for a sewer hose.....maybe. This was a big deal. I do not like to have to drag chairs and other stuff through the camper every time we are setting up or tearing down.
4. Now it looks like North Trail has eliminated hybrids from the lineup per their latest website revisions. Either they are not continuing to offer them or redesigning them although I think if they were doing a redesign they would note it somewhere at this point in time. I would think if they are being discontinued the dealer I visited would have known that when I looked at the unit in October but did not mention it. In hindsight I sort of have a problem with that.

Your never going to get everything you want in any unit from any manufacturer, and build quality can vary greatly from one unit to another even from the same manufacturer. The issues above were minor, just not what we were looking for overall. And possibly purchasing a lost unit would have been a real bummer, if we would have bought that and then found out its discontinued without the dealer telling me that up front, I would have had a real problem with that.

Thanks again for the comments and advice
John
 
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