Trillium 4500 SURPRISE at belly band removal !need help - Fiberglass RV
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Old 04-18-2020, 03:00 PM   #1
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Name: Dom
Trailer: Trillium 4500
Québec
Posts: 7
Trillium 4500 SURPRISE at belly band removal !need help

Hello everybody!
I removed the belly band today and found something unexpected...on the rear side, the belly band was held by wood screws instead of rivets.!SEE PICTURE!I found a piece of wood between underneath the joint instead of some rusted metal plates as i found everywhere else!
Its stuck there with some caulking...
There IS NO FIBERGLASS BANDAGE all along this wood piece...i can stick my fingers inside...see pics please
My question:Is it made like that or somebody put it there doing a funny repair???
Need help

I wonder how i will be able to remove this if I have to...

If i do it will have to be by the inside...but its over the table...
I will discuss removal of this wood piece latter if needed...
First lets see if its original...by the way its not the window frame wood...
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20200418_134054.jpg   20200418_130333.jpg  

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Old 04-18-2020, 04:01 PM   #2
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Name: Kelly
Trailer: Trails West
Oregon
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When renovating my campster there was a solid block of wood adhered to the interior wall. The support bracket for the original table was screwed into that piece of wood. Of course the table was long gone. That wood piece was in my way so I chiseled and ground it off on down to the surface of the fiberglass shell.
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Old 04-18-2020, 04:57 PM   #3
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Name: Dom
Trailer: Trillium 4500
Québec
Posts: 7
Thank you for your input K .I apreciate.
Let's see if somebody who has removed his bellyband on his Trillium has to say since campster are a different animal.
Best regards in those special times.
Dominic in Québec,Canada.
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Old 04-19-2020, 04:57 AM   #4
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Name: Kelly
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Oregon
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dominico View Post
Thank you for your input K .I apreciate.
Let's see if somebody who has removed his bellyband on his Trillium has to say since campster are a different animal.
Best regards in those special times.
Dominic in Québec,Canada.
Taking a glued in piece of wood out of a channel is not brand specific.
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Old 04-19-2020, 06:45 AM   #5
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Name: Dom
Trailer: Trillium 4500
Québec
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Hello K!
I agree! I just need to know if its part of the original construction or it has been put there later by a previous owner.
I took good notice of your tricks.
Thanks again
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Old 04-19-2020, 07:01 AM   #6
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Name: Larry
Trailer: trillium4500
New York
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yes it is original it is easer to get at with the window out
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Old 04-19-2020, 07:16 AM   #7
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Name: Dom
Trailer: Trillium 4500
Québec
Posts: 7
Thank you Lables!
If you look at the pictures,you can see that the top half of the trailer is not held anymore all along this wood piece...was it glued there?or fiberglassed?
Any idea how to fix it again?
What was the purpose of this wood piece ?
Why is it different at this location than on the sides?is it like this underneath the front Window too?
Thank you soooo much!
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Old 04-19-2020, 07:56 AM   #8
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Name: Larry
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it was not fiberglass in place maybe glue i have taken the wood out and fiberglass in the belly
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Old 04-19-2020, 09:13 AM   #9
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Name: John
Trailer: 1979 Boler 1700
Michigan
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Dom, I re-did my 1978 Trillium 4500 last year. You can read about it and see my photos of the bellyband repair in the link at the bottom of this post.

On my 1978 Trillium 4500, fiberglass tape seam tape and square metal plates were applied along the belly seam everywhere except directly below the rear window.

If you read my thread in the link at the bottom of this post, you will note that I did the following:

- removed the rear window
- cleaned out the rotten plywood strip and old glue that held it along the seam below the rear window
- used construction adhesive to glue the seam back together after inserting a new strip of wood wedged between 2 pieces of aluminum c-channel
- re-sealed/re-installed the window

Then for the rest of the belly seam on the trailer, I cut out all of the square metal plates (40 or 50 of them) using a dremel with a cutting disc, then fiberglassed the seam together all the way around.
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Old 04-19-2020, 10:38 AM   #10
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Name: Dom
Trailer: Trillium 4500
Québec
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Hello John!
Thank you very much for your explanation.
Why was That piece of wood there ?any other use?
Why is it different at this exact location than all around?

***Do you think I can that back without removing the piece of wood as its not rotten?
I'd rather not remove the Window since they have been resealed lately...
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Old 04-19-2020, 04:02 PM   #11
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Trailer: Former 1978 Trillium 4500 owner (now 2010 R-pod)
Ontario
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My 1977 Trillium 4500 was exactly the same as you described with the wood behind the belly band under the rear window. I took the rear window out and spent many hours digging out the rotten wood before putting a new piece of wood in that was sealed with epoxy.
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Old 04-19-2020, 04:16 PM   #12
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Name: Dom
Trailer: Trillium 4500
Québec
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Removing the window ...and Many hours digging! Oh nooooo!!!��
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Old 04-19-2020, 08:32 PM   #13
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why the wood strip below rear window?

Dom, to respond to two of your questions (why was that piece of wood there?) and (why wood ONLY in that location?), I don't know. Possibly to provide rigidity for the small shelf below the rear window, or possibly a necessary part of the fabrication process.

Note that while the Trillium 4500 has this strip of wood along the seam below the rear window, the Trillium 1300 does not. However the Trillium 1300 also does not have an interior fiberglass panel (double shell panel) below the rear window, but instead ensolite lining.

Also note that the strip of wood is glued to both the outer shell AND to the interior fiberglass panel.
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Old 04-20-2020, 06:04 AM   #14
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Dom wrote:

***Do you think I can that back without removing the piece of wood as its not rotten?
I'd rather not remove the Window since they have been resealed lately...

Response:

Dom, if the wood strip is not rotten, then don't remove it. Just seal the seam (gap between the upper and lower shell).
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Old 12-31-2020, 06:26 PM   #15
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Name: Sylvie
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St-hippolyte
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Just found the same thing in my 1980 4500!
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