New unhappy Trillium owner

[reetired]

I think it's safe to say all trailers have some bugs to figure out! It's just a bit disheartening when you spend a lot of money.

They just don't make things like they use to! Best wishes to you!

[Roy in TO]

Sorry to hear of your problems Marian.

Are the cracks around the door spider cracks (cosmetic on the surface) or actual cracks in the fiberglass?

Tom from TrilliumRV may not be ignoring you. He is historically slow in responding - one man that wears many hats. I know that he has a lot on his plate right now -e.g. a few RV shows and setting up a new operation here in Canada both involving travel. Response times are typically not like those of the big guys. I'd expect responses to be a little slower than the norm for him right now.

[lonnyda]

Originally Posted by Ice-breaker

Actually, when we bought our new Escape trailer this year, the guys at the factory (when we picked it up) told us to be sure to check the lug nuts after a couple hundred kilometres, as they can loosen on their own. They also recommended that we continue to retorque the lug nuts on a regular (and fairly frequent) basis during our ongoing usage of the trailer.

I am really sorry that you have had the bad experiences that you have described. I hope that you will be able to work through your issues with a minimum of additional trouble.

My Bigfoot has stickers on the wheel well to check the lug nuts on every trip. I was not and found them beginning to loosen. So I now check them every second trip (we only travel 40 miles on a trip) and keep a lug wrench in the trailer.

Hope all works out for you!

[Bob Miller]

Originally Posted by reetired

I think it's safe to say all trailers have some bugs to figure out! It's just a bit disheartening when you spend a lot of money.

They just don't make things like they use to! Best wishes to you!

----------------------------------------------------------------
Yes, and it's fortunate that they don't still make a lot things like they used to make them.

I just sold my 2003 Sonoma pick up, 155,000 miles, original exhaust system, original clutch, even had the original headlights. It didn't use any oil or leak any oil ever. The body was still tight, the paint shill shines, there was no rust and it was such a pleasure to drive that I only sold it when I found a same year 2 dr Blazer (same body) with only 50K on the clock and a higher towing capacity.

Go back another 20 years into the early 80's and you won't find many American built vehicles that could come anywhere near that reliability, much less what we enjoy today.

And most 1980's RV's were pure cr@p for build quality. They were mostly built to last 5-7 years and turned into a leaky bucket by then.

Unfortunately the major problem I see in newer FGRS's is that the builders are, for the most part, under funded and have to start cutting corners as soon as the first units are delivered.

And, if you want to talk about quality in the good old days, just talk to anyone that had 50's & 60's British vehicles. The MG-A's were known to go as long as 40,000 before needing engine work. Anyone that had an MG or a TR for sale also had a long list of parts just replaced and services than had just recently been done.... Need I mention Lucas Electricals & SU carbs.

Been there and done that Thank You

Rant done.....

[marianb]

Originally Posted by reetired

I lived in the east bay prior to moving to NY. Nohrs or whatever they go by now used to be in Castro Valley/San Leandro.

Bought our RV from JC'S out in Livermore. Had problems with it from the day we drove it away! Did I mention JC'S went belly up?

Your Trillium should have a warranty for the problems inside. Cracks in the shell is probably from sitting in the blazing heat near that racetrack! Cracks any where would be unacceptable for something that is brand new!

I'm glad no one was hurt or worse when the tire flew off! Hwy 17 can be tricky with all tires secured.

It would be so simple just to swap it for another...but there isn't another to swap with! I went to look at the bathroom/shower model which wasn't there. There were 3 other models period. Hmmmm
Didn't feel right to me.

I hope this all works out for you and you can enjoy the trailer.

Checking lug nuts should be done every couple of hundred miles...that's just one of your walk arounds.

Great advice. Thank you. I've had so many responses. I've learned a lot. Thanks everyone. marian

[trainjunkie]

Sorry I can't comment on your Trillium specific issues since I have a Bigfoot but as others have said, checking the lug nuts frequently is a must. I have steel wheels on my BF and as part of my hook-up routine, or at the beginning of each day's journey, I check the lugs and the nut holding the ball to the ball mount. I recommend carrying a torque wrench for checking the lugs. You'd be surprised how often the lugs and the ball nut start to work their way loose, especially on rough, twisty roads.

[marianb]

Thanks for the info! marian

[marianb]

So far the dealer has been good about taking care of everything we've brought to his attention. I'm hoping to get the rest of this resolved so we can enjoy the trailer. marianb

[Greg C.]

Do lug nuts come lose because there aluminum wheels? You can drive a truck for ever and they won't come loose.

[BC Paul]

I do a walk-around the trailer after hooking up but I never torque the wheel nuts during a trip mainly because I have never had a nut or lug come loose on any vehicle I have ever owned in the last 30 years. We have dragged our trailer into some remote areas on logging roads that were less than ideal and without the trailer have used 4wd to access some very remote areas in southern Utah/Arizona. Because of the high miles we put on our vehicles I do rotate tires often and inspect/adjust brakes and bearings as needed. Liberal use of anti-seize compound makes this job much easier and may contribute to never having an issue. I'm not saying it can't happen but it seems unlikely, at least in my experience.

Cheers,

[Karalyn]

I would have never thought to check lug nuts. I don't do that on my car so why on the camper? Makes no sense to me that car would be ok and not the camper.
Another thing to add to the list once I get another camper

[Daniel E]

Originally Posted by Greg C.

Do lug nuts come lose because there aluminum wheels? You can drive a truck for ever and they won't come loose.

Happens on steel wheels too. Years ago I was driving my Dodge pu when I felt a weird shimmy coming from the rear. I stopped to check for a flat and noticed the right rear wheel canted at an odd angle to the axle. I jacked it up and found that the wheel had almost completely severed the lugs on the axle and the wheel would have fallen off within a few miles for sure! The nuts had worked loose and the wheel chewed through the lugs, I too had never checked the nuts before on any vehicle. Now, at least yearly on the cars and on my trailer every other trip they are checked with a torque wrench.

When I picked up my trailer at the factory, they told me to check the nuts at 150 miles and again at 1,000 miles.

[Glenn Baglo]

Originally Posted by Karalyn

I would have never thought to check lug nuts. I don't do that on my car so why on the camper? Makes no sense to me that car would be ok and not the camper.

Well, you should do it on your car.
Especially if it has aluminum wheels.
Any time you've had a wheel off and back on, you need to check the lug nuts after about 100 miles/kilometers.

[georgewa]

Sorry to hear about your misfortune with the new Trilly. Having just redone the hubs on our '76 Trilly 1300, I can tell you the steel rims on our Trilly are not going to come off anytime soon. I had purchased a torque wrench and used it to make sure the lug nuts were in torque, after first tightening them manually.

This may sound very negative, but in my short 5 yr experience with rving, I have learned to research and double check EVERYTHING ! Doing this for sure takes a lot of extra work, but is pays off bigtime, and you are reminded of this when you look at your wallet and safety record. There is no one person who can reliably answer all your questions accurately.

Examples on used class B rv:
(1) gas heater does not work, $200 to pull it Fix: set the thermostat correctly
(2) your rv passed safety inspection Fix: smoke, co, propane det not work
(3) you are ready for your long trip Fix: tires all D rated, needed to be E
(4) you need to replace gen fuel pump Fix: carb cleaner and new bowl O ring

1976 Trillium 1300
(1) Tires hardly used, 5.5 yrs old Fix: balance 2 tires, retire one worn
(2) Frame in good shape Fix: weld plates on front & frame jts
(3) Everything works Fix: add ext. tail and brake lights
(4) Shell is very sturdy Fix: light pressure put a crack in top

Good luck! You can do it and have fun like the rest of us!

[dogtracker]

I'm sorry you had so much trouble with your lil' camper. Is very depressing and nerve wracking but don't give in or up.
As for the wheels, I've had vandals actually loosen the lug nuts on my camper while we were out of the campsite. When I left I got 5 miles down the road & the tire almost came off. I was alone with two young children. So I recommend everyone check those lug nuts before getting in and driving to your next stop. It's well worth the time. We always check things whenever we stop or take off from camping.

[georgewa]

• Thank you for this warning about wheel lug nuts getting loosened .

[Bob Miller]

WOW: I hadn't heard of that problem before, more often it's just an issue with them working loose. I wonder what the objective was?

BUT: What I have seen reported is juveniles pulling receiver pins and/or clips from hitched trailers in mall parking lots. For this reason I always check the hitch area after leaving the combo unattended and out of my site for more than a few minutes.

[dogtracker]

I'm pretty sure it was some juveniles running around the camping area. don't even know if they were camping there. Get a bunch together and they can think up all sorts of "unusual" activities. I think they figured the tire would come off as soon as we pulled out. I doubt their thoughts were to hurt anyone - they don't analyze their actions.
I had not heard of the hitch situation before. That's really scary.

[Glenn Baglo]

Just curious. Where did they get the wrench to undo the lug nuts?

[dogtracker]

That's a damn good question. But we know it was done while we were there. If it was a group of kids camping then they probably had one. We carry all sorts of tools when we head out too. Even if just in a car for tire changing.
This was an older camper at the time. We camped in it for years without incident until that time and another when a group decided to steal beer from the cooler while we were inside eating dinner. A side line to that last one - we actually met one of the kids later when he was grown up and we were talking about camping. He admitted it was him and his friends. Small world. He turned out well too in spite of his beer theft.