Trillium 1300 Modifications

[Booker B.]

Hi All,

I had a few modifications done on the trailer this week.

First I had a battery box plate put on - the trailer came with no battery and no apparent place where it originally was. My backyard mechanic wanted to figure out a way to make sure there was clearance for the hand crank on the front leg so he fabricated a box that sits inside the frame instead of on top. It works great and there is room in the box for chocks etc. It looks low in the picture but it's because the trailer is on a slope. The back of the box lip tucks over the propane plate.

[Booker B.]

Second, I asked my mechanic to figure out a way to use our bike rack that's usually on our Focus wagon so that we can use it on the trailer too. I know there are some people who believe weight that far back can be an issue but I did just add 80lbs to the front =). We couldn't get the rack any lower for the spare to come off easily so in a blow out I will have to undo the rack and slide it out, no biggie, same size nut as the lug nuts on the spare.

[Booker B.]

Only 3 things left to do now:

1. I need to get my new 3 stage power converter installed. My mechanic threw his hands up at that as a previous owner had doing some hackish wiring at some point. Thankfully I know a lot of electricians as 12V isn't my strong point either.

2. I need to rebuild the front screen, not for any reason other than it looks poorly put together.

3. Poliglow the trailer - or go camping, all depends on our crappy BC weather.

[Tim Ryce]

First I had a battery box plate put on - the trailer came with no battery and no apparent place where it originally was. My backyard mechanic wanted to figure out a way to make sure there was clearance for the hand crank on the front leg so he fabricated a box that sits inside the frame instead of on top. It works great and there is room in the box for chocks etc. It looks low in the picture but it's because the trailer is on a slope. The back of the box lip tucks over the propane plate.

Hi Booker, the battery box looks great! I've been debating with doing the same thing for my 13' Trillium, though I noticed that a previous owner had the battery installed under the seat in the dinette area at the back of the trailer. I was thinking of doing the same, using a sealed battery to reduce the chance of off-gassing. Think I should forget about that and keep the battery outside, like you've done?

Thanks,
~Tim

[Booker B.]

Hmm, that's a tough one. I actually moved it outside because of concerns of outgassing from the battery as it would have been below the kids bunks. It also frees up some space inside while balancing the additional weight of the bike rack.

[Roy in TO]

I had a few modifications done on the trailer this week.

They look good Booker

[Daniel V.]

Great pics, Booker. Balancing the extra weight sounds like a great way to deal with these additions. Any idea what the total tongue weight will be with the bikes loaded at the back?

[Booker B.]

No, not yet. This trailer is much lighter on the tongue then our 1972 with the dual propane tanks. I think the added weight is around the same front and back but the two boy's bikes will be an additional 50lbs. I am trying to figure out a way to store the BAL leveler on the front - maybe an additional mount in front of the propane tank.

If we were planning on keeping our truck or buying another truck I would have just put the bikes in the pickup. However, after much (too much) deliberation we have decided to get a Pathfinder for a TV and for the snowy days we have here - they are around 1/2 the price of a small truck of the same year. My endless TV search is a topic in itself =)

Great pics, Booker. Balancing the extra weight sounds like a great way to deal with these additions. Any idea what the total tongue weight will be with the bikes loaded at the back?

[Daniel V.]

I think the added weight is around the same front and back but the two boy's bikes will be an additional 50lbs.

From what I've read, having more stuff at the front than the back is certainly not a bad idea, to help prevent any potential sway problems. But you could also fine-tune it a bit by putting heavier luggage in the front storage compartments if necessary. I've never had sway problems, but know people who did. Hence my question about tongue weight.

[Booker B.]

Yes, I have read the same. The other concern I have read about is having too much weight both in the front and back so that the trailer tends to rock back and forth.

I was more concerned about tongue weight because we were looking at Subaru's and they have a limited tongue weight restriction. However that's not a big issue with Pumpfinders so I think I will be moving weight to the front.

[Booker B.]

Ah, I found the picture I was looking for - it's a new Trillium that has been extended both forward and back. Don't know if you have seen this Daniel but it's fourth down on this page:

Trillium Extended

I think rocking would be an issue on this sucker.

[Daniel V.]

I think rocking would be an issue on this sucker.

Rockin' for sure.

Strangely enough, I haven't read much about the rocking effect yet. I suppose it makes sense, though - trailer acting as a see-saw.

As for tongue weight, it seems to me that too much weight on the tongue (even slightly beyond specs, within reason) is better than not enough.

[Pete Dumbleton]

Check the bike rack carefully and often, esp if the trailer is rocking, because as the bike and rack rock back and forth, they will put torsional stresses on the bumper.

Consider putting a grommet in your tire cover to allow a bolt between the rack and tire mount hardware (or the tire) to stop that movement.

[Booker B.]

Hi Pete,

Great idea. The bike rack tends to rock on just the focus. What i can do is run a pull down strap through the top of the tire mount, over the tire and onto the top flange of the bike rack - I actually do it the same thing to my roof rack on longer trips.

Booker

[rlazenby]

Booker, where did you get the straps that hold the single propane tank down? I recently took my second tank off and rigged a tie down using pipe strapping, but haven't tested it on a real run yet. Can you tell me more about the tie down you used in these photos?

rhonda

[Booker B.]

Hi Rhonda,

The tie down came with the trailer. I just did a quick web search and did not find any single tie downs but I am sure your local RV dealer should have something. It's a bit of a pain to use as the nuts are threaded on quite a bit so it's a 5 minute job to pull it off and put it back on. However, I haven't seen anything better out there.

[CarolnJim]

We have a Hollywood Bike Rack on the back of our Casita and it's great. It weighs about 24 lbs.. and with our bikes each weighing about 30 - we carry 84 lbs on the rack.

Jim made a way for the rack to become attached to the trailer with no back and forth movement of the bike rack.

[Cyndivg11]

I just bought a trillium 1300- would like to see what you've done to the inside of yours.
Cyndi

[Booker B.]

HI Cyndi. We haven't done a lot to the inside as the upholstery was in pretty decent shape when we got it. We have just added some new flooring and a new power converter.

Flooring:
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/index.ph...st&p=282487

We are probably going to replace the cushions around the table this spring and maybe the curtains. We are in pretty good camping shape right now and it was an expensive trailer year for me last year.