Sterling RV

[Raz]

This Great West Sidekick 13' was made with the same mold as my 2010 Trillium. Notice the area below the door. I meet an owner of an Ontario made Trillium who told me that was a cure for a door seal issue on the older trailers. Perhaps David knows more? This "fix" is not seen on a Trillium made during the Escape joint venture.

There is one other improvement. After mine was made they redid the door mold to correct the misalignment with the belly band. Up until then it was impossible get the raised band on the door and the trailer to line up. Both my 2010 and the original Trilliums have this flaw. Raz



My 2010



A 2014 made by Great West

[Alf S.]

Hi: All... I think Tom's the fly in the ointment!!! He may have "Sicked the legal beagle's" on Sterling cause he owns the trademark rights to name logo etc.
This seems to be a systemic problem in the fiberglass world. Takes a lot of capital to get them towing, with or without the "Right's". I wonder which trailer ETI sacrificed to build the first Escape? They have also abandoned the 13-15 foot market!!!
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie:

[Sheryl M]

Chillhowee RV near Knoxville, TN still has a new 2014 for sale: #T98049 - 2014 Trillium Sidekick 1500ST for sale in Louisville TN

It has a toilet / shower in the front corner, and a double size bed (true double size).

[Raz]

Originally Posted by Sheryl M

Chillhowee RV near Knoxville, TN still has a new 2014 for sale: #T98049 - 2014 Trillium Sidekick 1500ST for sale in Louisville TN

It has a toilet / shower in the front corner, and a double size bed (true double size).

The ad says a queen bed but I bet you're right saying a double. I wonder how you get the front screen out to clean it with the shower partition there. At that price I'm surprised it hasn't sold. Raz

[Sheryl M]

I have seen the camper-- the bed is only a double. Chillhowee sales reps brought it to the 2014 Eggscursion in Townsend, TN to show it off - at the time, MSRP / asking price was $22,000 and everyone who saw it thought it was overpriced (including me).
The price has gradually dropped. I you compare it to a new 13' Scamp with the big bed, it's still higher priced for about the same amenities. The difference between it and a new Scamp is you can buy it / take it home right now.

[Raz]

The reason I bought a Trillium is the windows. Here in the north east public campgrounds don't have power so AC is useless. Being able to open a window on each side is very nice. That said a Scamp has a warranty and will be around should you need parts. With Trillium you are on your own. Raz

[Alf S.]

Originally Posted by james kent

Attachment 86764
Full side view. I do like the smooth look of the windows and the
Trillium insignia is on the door.


Sent from my iPad using Fiberglass RV

Hi: james kent... The folks had a roll out screen door and the rain cap over the door added too!!!
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie;wave:

[Sid]

Originally Posted by P. Raz

The reason I bought a Trillium is the windows. Here in the north east public campgrounds don't have power so AC is useless. Being able to open a window on each side is very nice. That said a Scamp has a warranty and will be around should you need parts. With Trillium you are on your own. Raz

Raz,
What parts are you thinking of? Most of the components are off the shelf right?
I only ask because I have a family friend near there that is interested. Since you own one i thought you could offer some insight.
Sid

[Raz]

Originally Posted by Sid

Raz,
What parts are you thinking of? Most of the components are off the shelf right?
I only ask because I have a family friend near there that is interested. Since you own one i thought you could offer some insight.
Sid

You are correct, most parts are off the shelf. The door hinges are hard to find as would be a replacement door or rock guard. Since Trillium Outback is still in business you can get parts from them but it would be pricey. There is very little on my trailer i have not had to fix and all was done without factory support. But Scamp makes it easy. Scamp has a store on their web site. They will sell you just about anything for one of their trailers at reasonable prices. As I recall one member bought an upper shell to repair a trailer with a caved roof.

[Sid]

Thanks Raz!

[David Tilston]

Originally Posted by P. Raz

This Great West Sidekick 13' was made with the same mold as my 2010 Trillium. Notice the area below the door. I meet an owner of an Ontario made Trillium who told me that was a cure for a door seal issue on the older trailers. Perhaps David knows more? This "fix" is not seen on a Trillium made during the Escape joint venture.

There is one other improvement. After mine was made they redid the door mold to correct the misalignment with the belly band. Up until then it was impossible get the raised band on the door and the trailer to line up. Both my 2010 and the original Trilliums have this flaw. Raz

Attachment 86765

My 2010

Attachment 86766

A 2014 made by Great West

Well, I have learned something new today. I have never seen these mods to the door frame before. I went looking online. I found both the 1300, and the 4500, (1500) with this modification. What problem does it solve Raz? I also note that the Louisville Trillium has a different street side mod that makes installing a hot water heater easier. I am starting to wonder if there is more then one mold for the 4500, (1500).

[Mikmay]

Originally Posted by Alf S.

Hi: james kent... The folks had a roll out screen door and the rain cap over the door added too!!!
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie;wave:

Alf that screen door was installed by me and is not a option . Jim brought the trailer to my place with the door he purchased at Home Depot . I dismantled the screen and resized it to fit . I've done it on two trilliums and two bolers .

[Alf S.]

Originally Posted by Mikmay

Alf that screen door was installed by me and is not a option . Jim brought the trailer to my place with the door he purchased at Home Depot . I dismantled the screen and resized it to fit . I've done it on two trilliums and two bolers .

Hi: Mikmay... I knew that they had someone add them as they were non options. They saw ours last year and wanted one too!!!
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[Raz]

Originally Posted by David Tilston

What problem does it solve Raz?

In all honesty I did not realize mine was different until it was pointed out to me by the owner of an original Trillium. As I recall they said it would cure a door seal issue. I seems the mod would allow water to run strait down. It's also not symetrical. The right and left sides dont have the same curve making it easy to spot. I have not seen it done to the 15'. Raz

[Cathy P.]

I read through their FB page before it was taken down. There was a "family" issue having to do with the children and my impression was that their equal to Child Protective Services may have been involved but can't say that for sure. It read like they were not going to be able to take the children involved out of the country and to Alabama. The postings seemed creepy to me, airing personal laundry on a business page, maybe not the place.

So, it appeared to have nothing to do with the trailers themselves except that in some become leery when companies change hands, names, move around, etc. It looked like a beautiful and well-made unit so I bet someone picks up the pieces and gets busy with it in the future.

[Carol H]

Here is the clip from their company Facebook Page before it was taken down. Make of it what you will.
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.p...35579206695811

Posted June 29 2015
*Posted by Carrie-Anne DeBraga with Karen DeBraga
"I don’t usually post all of the happenings of my personal life on social media but I feel the need to draw attention to what has been happening to us lately. As many of you know my husband, Dave and I made the decision to move our business from Canada to northwest Alabama early last year. It wasn’t a decision that was taken lightly as we are very close to our family and friends, but sometimes life gives you opportunities and we have always said throughout our marriage that ‘everything happens for a reason’. I was very hesitant on leaving the only home I had ever known, especially due to fact that my mom had been battling cancer for the past 3 years and I really felt the need to stay close to her. But in the end we decided to take the leap, we thought that life in a small town would be good for us as a family to spend more time with each other and our children as well as growing our family business that we have worked hard at for over 16 years. The move was made a bit easier when Dave’s brother Dan and his wife Karen decided to make the move with us. Dan, Karen and their kids headed down first and Dave spent the majority of 2014 setting up the business in Alabama while the kids and I remained in Canada as I closed out the large portion of the business here and the kids finished the first term of school in preparation to make the permanent move to our ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ as we called it. (The kids and I spent a lot of time listening to this song in the car!). It was difficult to be away from each other for such long periods of time, I think moreso for Dave because he missed the kids (and me I hope!) a lot. But we pressed on because we knew it was temporary and we would all be settled into our new Alabama life by the new year. Christmastime was bittersweet as we said goodbye to family and friends and packed the last of our belongings and hit the road to our new home in the south. After a while the kids became settled into their new schools and after school activities and we all settled into our new ‘norm’. We met some great families who took us in as their own and who our kids referred to as their ‘southern families’, you know who you are and it is those friendships that I will be forever grateful as you all made a difficult move much easier. Don’t get me wrong, it hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows, and lately what we have been dealing with has been one of the most disturbing situations that I have ever personally encountered. Karen and I brought our kids back to Canada to visit family on their summer vacation and we are now being ‘advised’ not to return to our homes, OUR OWN HOMES. Our friends are being threatened, our husbands are being accused of the most ridiculous things we have ever heard. Why? Because of what went down there last Monday & Tuesday. I’m sure you can see it splashed all over the local newspaper and a local tv station. There have been a lot of things that have happened over the last year, nothing of which I’m going to divulge right now. A lot of it we never really paid much mind to or we would have never brought our kids into it. All I know now is that we cannot even bring our children home. We now feel the need to seek federal help, when you fear for the safety of your family this feels like the only option. I would like to personally apologize to the people of Winfield, Alabama. It was never our intent to bring such a negative situation into your community."

[Cathy P.]

That was the post that I had read. Personally, I would never post something like that as a business person or where I had attached my name to it. I figure you either keep quiet or explain in enough detail that creative minds like mine don't fill in the blanks.

I love, love, love Alabama. We lived there 2 years in the SE area. Would not mind retiring there in a tiny fiberglass trailer in the not too distant future. I liked the weather and in the area we were in, there was a low cost of living.

[Raz]

Ron Merritt provided this insight in the Parkliner thread. Raz

Originally Posted by Ron Merritt

You can read all about their drama on the Facebook page and the ClassBForums.com

I've been involved with a business that relocated from Canada to the US South. I think (and it's only my opinion here) that they thought it would be easy to come down there and build on the cheap. All us stupid hicks would be glad to have jobs that pay less than a living wage and they would have the run of the place. The one I was involved with found out differntly and went out of business. Luckily, I wasn't one of the dumb yokels that got screwed out of what was owed him.

What they find out is that we're not so stupid down South. There are alot of parties with their hands out and it costs a TON of money to set up a business and expertise in dealing with the locals without getting royally screwed.

You really must have deep pockets to relocate a business like this. Whether it's Alabama, or Mexico or China. It takes alot of know-how and a big investment and enough time to make it work.

[Alf S.]

Hi: All... Sure must be tough dealing with the "Your not from these parts" mentality!!! Plant closure story in the local newspaper didn't spell Canada correctly or with a capital "C" either.
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[Raz]

Originally Posted by Alf S.

Hi: All... Sure must be tough dealing with the "Your not from these parts" mentality!!! Plant closure story in the local newspaper didn't spell Canada correctly or with a capital "C" either.
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

Hey Alf, I'd like to read that. Do you have a link? I read the welcome to town article and things looked promising there. Raz