How heavy IS a trillium 4500?? - Fiberglass RV
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Old 06-05-2003, 10:59 AM   #1
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How heavy IS a trillium 4500??

I have heard 1200lbs, 1500lbs, 1900lbs. Has anyone taken your 4500 to the scales to find out for sure?

Thanks
Todd



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Old 06-05-2003, 12:11 PM   #2
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The $64,000 Question

I'd love to know too. I am picking mine up in a few weeks and I have searched high and low for a definitive answer. Somewhere out there I found a 1977 Trillium brochure someone had scanned in. It listed the 4500 at "1295 lbs. with icebox." Furnace was standard, as was most of the other equipment. So, I am *guessing* mine will weigh out at around +/-1500 lbs. because of the A/C and a few other non-standard things. I do not know if "icebox" actually means refrigerator or if it means an ice cooled box. Refrigerators were standard from what I could see, so I don't know if they were using the wrong term or if the three-way refrigerator was an add-on. Either way, I think it is safe to guess 1295 as the base weight. However, water, propane, camping supplies and such will quickly bring it closer to 2,000 lbs.



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Old 06-05-2003, 03:56 PM   #3
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Hi JR
Icebox usually means icebox. Trailers are weighed with the bare minumum (icebox) and options like a fridge are listed separately with price and weight of the item. This is because when ordering a trailer customer #1 may want a full blown all optioned trailer while customer #2 may want bare trailer with just a fridge. So you take the base trailer weight and add in all the options to get a true weight of your particular trailer.

Back in 75 when mine was built, even the spare tire was an option, and furnaces were an option. Having the bunk or front dinette was an option. Some even had a rear double bunk or front washroom.
Nancy



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Old 06-05-2003, 08:25 PM   #4
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Just when I was hoping to logic my way into a solution...

Thanks. Spoils my illusion, but very useful info. Does anyone know what a 1300 actually weighs either?



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Old 06-06-2003, 08:25 AM   #5
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78 trillium 1300

weighs in at 1450 everything but a/c and a awning.



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Old 06-06-2003, 10:07 AM   #6
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73 Trillium 1300

Weighs in at 1470 ... no a/c. Includes fridge, stove, furnace, empty water tank, spare tire, propane tank. No supplies, clothes, etc. Took it down the highway to the weigh scales. They are closed on Sundays, but the scales are left on.



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Old 06-06-2003, 11:01 AM   #7
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weight

Linda:

Did you disconnect the trailer from the tow vehicle for this weight?



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Old 06-06-2003, 02:02 PM   #8
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Weight of Trillium

The weight of 1470 lbs was the trailer only. We weighed the trailer separately. We then did attach the vehicle to the trailer and we got a tongue weight of 200 lbs.



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Old 06-06-2003, 03:23 PM   #9
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1300 trill weigh in

1450 to 1470 are pretty close. i had a 190 tongue weight if i remeber right and that was added to my scale weight to come up to 1450



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Old 06-06-2003, 07:27 PM   #10
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Hi
I don't know what our 13' Trill weighs. Someday I'll get real ambitious and empty it out and take it to the scales.
But we do consistently have a 110 lb tongue weight. Very easy to check with your bathroom scales.
Nancy



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Old 06-07-2003, 10:52 PM   #11
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trillium 4500 weight

Hi,
I weighed our 4500 a couple of weeks ago and it weighs 1782 lbs. with a tongue weight of 132lbs. Our 4500 has 3 way fridge,heater,2 burner stove,porta poti,50lb battery and one full propane and one empty on the tongue. The low tongue weight is from a box on the back bumper that I figure weighs a least 80lbs. I am in the process of replacing the 3/4 inch plywood with aluminium and should bring down the weight by half.
There was another 4500 owner that weighed his in at around the same weight as mine. Hope this helps.



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Old 06-08-2003, 12:54 AM   #12
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Wow!

That does help a lot, actually. Yeesh! I am gonna have to work hard to keep this thing under 2,000 lbs. Water alone would put me close to the limit.

Thanks Laurence!



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Old 06-08-2003, 05:28 AM   #13
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Carrying water?

I just gotta ask. Why does anyone carry their own water? Do you drink the water out of the trailers tank? Personally I couldn't even think of drinking water out of an old tank and would be really hesitant to drink out of a newer one. Why? Because those tanks do not completely drain out. There is still a little bit left to go skunky between trips. Sure you can bleach, then rinse and rinse and.... Not for me.

We use bottled water for drinking and cooking. You can buy it anywhere and it certainly cuts down on the weight. We also just have a icebox and coolers so we use frozen jugs of water in them that we can drink once thawed.

Just curious!
Nancy



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Old 06-08-2003, 07:29 AM   #14
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WELL, when you put it that way, Nancy, I don't know. :lol I just do or did, no way will I be caught doing it now. I think I filled mine at home, because it, the tank, was there, so I need to fill it. Last thing we did was fill that sucker. no wonder the MPG on the MH was only about 10. live and learn, that's my motto.



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Old 06-08-2003, 01:32 PM   #15
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Drinking and cooking no. But how about for cleaning counter tops or washing dishes or ... I don't know... that cute little sink and water tank have got to be good for something.



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Old 06-08-2003, 02:32 PM   #16
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Hi Maggie
We use the campground water for everything but drinking and cooking. Unless it's posted as not safe.

We got rid of our water tank shortly after we got the trailer. We added an extra long piece of the clear hose onto the pump (at the sink). We stick the hose out the water tanks fill up and and into a portable water container that sits by the trailer. This way we don't have a water tank that we won't use taking up storage space. Also the portable container gets rinsed out and air dried when we get home. Its also easier to refill at the campsite.
Nancy



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Old 06-08-2003, 04:37 PM   #17
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Wow, they are heavier than I thought!

Well, so much for buying a new Vibe- They are only able to Tow 1500lbs..
:cry

Todd



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Old 06-08-2003, 11:37 PM   #18
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Trillium 4500 weight

I weighted my new to me Trillium 4500 at a BC government weight scale. The reading was 800 kgs (1760 lbs.), this was a pretty much empty trailer, and I had my truck connected.

The rating for the axle is 2,000 lbs, so it may not be hard to exceed. Mine has a 2 way Dometic fridge, a 3 burner stove, Duo-Therm furnace, and a single propane tank and single battery.

Hope this helps.

PS my Nissan Pathfinder has a 5000 lb tow rating, and mountain passes are handled with ease. It appears that my fuel economy is about the same as with the Boler 1300.

Rick B



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Old 06-09-2003, 08:21 AM   #19
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icky water!

Oh, I wouldn't be caught drinking out fo the water tank, that is fer sure. I don't even drink tap water at home (bleck!). But I haven't seen my water system yet, so I don't know how or if I'll use it. But, if I decide to boondock anywhere, I will need washing water. I will need drinking water jugs no matter where I go. Either way, several gallons of water, some food, clothes and bedding (my obligatory boxes of books) and I'm over my limit.

I think I'm gonna have to use some of the creative ideas I have seen here for lowering the weight. Let's see, if I get rid of the particle wood doors, and I remove the top bunk (using cushions for the back of the couch), eat only puffed rice, and I store the water in the tow vehicle.....



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Old 06-09-2003, 12:03 PM   #20
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JR -- Some things I've done to conserve weight -- Since we don't drink water out of the tank, we don't travel with water in the tank. I fill the tank when I arrive and empty it when I leave. We use it only for washing. This works just fine unless we are so boondocked that there is no water available near the campsite.

We bring a limited amount of bottled water to drink and cook with (with which to cook?...)(with is not a word to end a phrase with...), and we carry it in the tow vehicle. We used to bring 10 gallons or more with us, but one day made the brilliant discovery that even in other places, they sell the stuff in stores! So, we carry about a 2 day supply, unless we will be away from any stores for longer.

By cleaning up after each meal, we need to carry fewer cups, plates, silverware, and cookware. Keeps the camper more pleasant, too.

We've discovered that a 20 lb propane tank holds several years worth of propane. If you don't run a furnace, you can cook and run a fridge for several days on one or two little 1 lb bottles. Run on electric when it's available.

As much as I love cast iron cookware, porcelain coated steel is much lighter (aluminum can be very light, too, but food sticks and burns, and there are the health questions).

Frequently survey the cabinets for things you aren't using. Leave 'em behind. Don't carry more extension cords than you need.

Also, if you tend to camp at places with electricity, and can either run the fridge on propane or leave it off while on the road, you can forego having a battery. This will save 50 lbs or so. You can occasionally run lights off the car battery if you are careful, in case you get stuck every now and then without shore power.



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