Maintenance & Restoration

Petrichor · 02-05-2018, 11:07 PM

I'm new to this community, and finding it a gold mine. Thank you for all the information and education!

Just in the last week or two, I've been having talks with my partner about switching out our old Westfalia for a small trailer and vehicle to pull it with (we're about to buy a 2011 V6 Mitsubishi Outlander). We're looking at Trilliums and Bolers, or any 13 foot trailer. Our reasons for selling the Westy (not an easy decision) have to do with the annual expenses for upkeep/maintenance, as well as our plans and hopes to keep on camping well into our sixties (looming ahead rather quickly).

We just went to view a Trillium this afternoon, and I'm hoping that I could get some feedback; there are some issues with leakage which we're not hugely worried about, and some red flags that we are.

(I apologize if this isn't the correct forum to be asking the following question; I'll look for a more appropriate place to post this if so.)

Lifting the seats of the dinette table, we could see that there have been some wooden "patches" to the underside of the trailer. There are two that have been bolted into place on the left side. On the right, there is a section of the "floor" that is obviously uneven, as if two boards had been laid side to side; it's about an inch higher on one side than the other and there's a large bolt holding it together. This runs about two feet long and possibly longer as that was as far as we get in to look. The large bolt is close to the wheel well.

The door was also out of line with the frame and did not fit well.

Otherwise it looks good, and the price is right. We're just afraid that the frame has been bent or worse. Any advice would be warmly received!

I have a number of pictures if that would help to diagnose the health of this Trillium.

Jon in AZ · 02-06-2018, 06:07 AM

Welcome, Petra!

Those patches worry me, too. The floor in a Trillium is plywood sandwiched inside fiberglass. If water has gotten inside and rotted sections of the plywood, repair is a big job.

There are two common sources of leaks. One is the windows. Resealing them often involves replacing the wood strips inside the shell to which the frame is screwed. The second is the belly band. Sealing it involves removing the trim, fiberglassing over the seam, and replacing the trim. Both are pretty much a given on a vintage Trillium.

The door... Trillium doors often appear to be misaligned because the raised band on the door does not quite line up with the belly band trim near the door latch. That is actually normal, the result of a flaw in the door mold. However it shouldn't have large gaps, and it should sit square in the opening.

There are others who are more knowledgable about vintage Trillium trailers. And yes, good pictures would really help.

Best wishes finding your trailer. Compared to the Westy, it will be nice to have a modern, reliable vehicle to drive. It will also be nice not to have to pack up the camper to go on a day outing or grocery run.

rgrugg · 02-06-2018, 07:53 AM

You’re approaching your sixties and worrying about camping? I’m approaching 82 and camp, travel around the country. Hopefully you’ll have many more years to enjoy. Hope the Trillium works out.

ststefan · 02-06-2018, 09:49 AM

Check out CL vancouver. 2 bolera a

ststefan · 02-06-2018, 09:50 AM

Oops!! 2 Bolers and a bigfoot on it last night.

MurrayC · 02-06-2018, 10:29 AM

Hello Petra
Look for cracks in the fiberglass underneath where the frame damage might be.
Hook the trailer up to a vehicle, put a jack under the expected damage, jack it up, go slow, do not try to lift the trailer but see if the frame bends with light pressure. Good luck
You will find what your looking for.
GO AND ENJOY

Camper Nan · 02-06-2018, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Petrichor

I'm new to this community, and finding it a gold mine. Thank you for all the information and education!

Just in the last week or two, I've been having talks with my partner about switching out our old Westfalia for a small trailer and vehicle to pull it with (we're about to buy a 2011 V6 Mitsubishi Outlander). We're looking at Trilliums and Bolers, or any 13 foot trailer. Our reasons for selling the Westy (not an easy decision) have to do with the annual expenses for upkeep/maintenance, as well as our plans and hopes to keep on camping well into our sixties (looming ahead rather quickly).

We just went to view a Trillium this afternoon, and I'm hoping that I could get some feedback; there are some issues with leakage which we're not hugely worried about, and some red flags that we are.

(I apologize if this isn't the correct forum to be asking the following question; I'll look for a more appropriate place to post this if so.)

Lifting the seats of the dinette table, we could see that there have been some wooden "patches" to the underside of the trailer. There are two that have been bolted into place on the left side. On the right, there is a section of the "floor" that is obviously uneven, as if two boards had been laid side to side; it's about an inch higher on one side than the other and there's a large bolt holding it together. This runs about two feet long and possibly longer as that was as far as we get in to look. The large bolt is close to the wheel well.

The door was also out of line with the frame and did not fit well.

Otherwise it looks good, and the price is right. We're just afraid that the frame has been bent or worse. Any advice would be warmly received!

I have a number of pictures if that would help to diagnose the health of this Trillium.

Since you are in Vancouver have you checked out the Escape Fiberglasstrailers that are built in Chilliwack B. C.

Jon in AZ · 02-06-2018, 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Camper Nan

Since you are in Vancouver have you checked out the Escape Fiberglasstrailers that are built in Chilliwack B. C.

Escape hasn't made a 13' trailer for a number of years, but they used to, and used ones do show up from time to time. The OP indicated they were limiting their search to that size.

A used 13' Lil Bigfoot would be another great trailer if one happens to turn up.

David Tilston · 02-06-2018, 02:28 PM

Please do post the pictures.

Petrichor · 02-07-2018, 12:54 AM

Hello all and thank you so much for your help!

Being new here, I made a protocol mistake for which I'm very sorry-- I made a thread in another forum asking my Trillium questions, and have answers there now, too. Apologies for any confusion-- the thread is at http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...tml#post682826 and I'll keep to that thread now for talking about the Trillium that we let go...

I've been really impressed by how fast and knowledgable your responses are and I'm very grateful. And our saga took a strange twist just last night-- we were debating what to do when we saw a three-hour old ad on Craigslist for a '75 Boler. Long story short: we arranged to see it first thing next morning (today); checked out everything we could using the Boler Buyers Guide; and we are now the owners of a beautiful '75 silver Boler!

I'm thrilled. And can't wait to get out on the road this summer.