trillium 1300 door

[rjannunziata]

Hi the door on my 1300 hundred need to be fixed .
It does not sit right on the body and will not stay closed over bumps.
What is the process to repair it?

Thanks,

Rich

[Francesca Knowles]

Poorly fitting Trillium door is a birth defect, they all came from the factory that way and most of us me included apply all kinds of attempted fixes many of which only make things worse. There's a mistake in the original molds that prevents the belly bands from aligning and there is no fix at all for that so don't even try. It's mostly just a cosmetic problem anyway.
There are fixes for other door problems but it's hard to recommend one without seeing exactly what yours looks like now- if you can post a picture that would be most helpful. You also might try Googling search terms "Trillium door" right here on the site, there are literally hundreds of posts on the subject.

[Raz]

Beyond the cosmetic flaw in the mold Francesca mentioned, there are two door issues that may cause the door to not stay closed. The door latch is probably a Bargman L300. These are no longer made and replacements are very expensive, so do treat it with great care. Check the striker for wear. Next the hinges are Kason model 139 with a 3/8" offset. These are a freezer hinge and are still available. In many cases the problem is not the hinges but the wood mounting blocks they screw into being rotten. To properly repair this requires cutting into the door pillar. Some have performed temporary repairs using bolt anchors or tooth picks and glue. Lots of threads on the subject. This site has a search feature that should produce lots of good information. Click on search and use the Google search option. Good luck.

[thrifty bill]

Door locks on Trilliums changed every couple of years or so. So lots of different locks were used, none are interchangeable as they are different shapes (won't fit in the hole in the door).

+10 Door hinge problems come first, endless threads on it. Chances are HIGH that the wood that the hinges attach to inside the fiberglass body is rotten. The hinges may well need replacement as well.

Use google to search this forum. Most if not all the common defects on Trilliums have been discussed in great length. Its a resource I use a lot.

[Francesca Knowles]

Originally Posted by thrifty bill

Door locks on Trilliums changed every couple of years or so. So lots of different locks were used, none are interchangeable as they are different shapes (won't fit in the hole in the door).

For clarity: While it's true that later versions of the much-duplicated Trillium came with a variety of doorsets, the originals only used two (both Bargmans) :
B300 on the 1300 like the model here and B400 on the 4500, Jubilee, and the little known Sportsman.

[thrifty bill]

FWIW my 1977 1300 came with a Bargman L-400.

[Francesca Knowles]

Originally Posted by thrifty bill

FWIW my 1977 1300 came with a Bargman L-400.

Really? Interesting, maybe by 1977 Trillium just used it for all trailers? I don't know why they'd have used the other one anyway, it seems likely to me the doors themselves are interchangeable.

In case this OP doesn't know which one he has here are images of each, the smaller one being the L300.


^ Bargman L300


^ Bargman L400

[TomA]

After 1972 (before my time), Trillium used the L-300 only.
Bargman developed the L400 when they ran into trouble with the very old L-300 tooling. They suggested ending the L-300 back then already. Since they were occasionally out of the L-300 locks, we changed all the molds to accept the L-400.
These are the only 2 locks the factory used on the 1300 & 4500 models.
Lubricate the inside parts. That will extend its life.



Door: Yes, the center seam didn't always line up properly on the door. We had a variety of molds, and couldn't take the time to match them all up.

Keep in mind, that in the 70s, there wasn't the drive for 'perfection', as we have today. Even though we were ahead of every one else in quality, we overlooked this in our strive for market share.
Hinges can not create door sag, unless the screws are so loose to the point of falling out. Over the years many have tried to adjust the door by moving the hinges, but this didn't work out well. Each trailer would have a unique solution.


Catch not holding: The best way to analyze, is to stand inside the trailer. and look closely at how the catch and door lock overlap. Usually, the tongue doesn't mate well with the catch. This can be adjusted by carefully bending the catch so that it will stick out further. It's not the easiest thing to do. It requires patience and trial & error with vise grips. The factory workers adjusted every trailer like this.


Hope this helps.
Tom