Community Forums

Defiant530 · 10-09-2013, 05:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by glennwest

Trilogy uses fairly heavy I beam. It is not the lightweight steel that many use. I would not even let this concern me. they will remove the propane tank also if asked. They do lack in insulation though. That is the main issue for me.

I can't seem to understand why people are so turned off by the MH style propane tank , our motorhome had one it really was no big deal to get filled, I can understand the concern if people are in one place for an extended stay , but propane companies will come out do a fill.
The insulation issue I can't compare as Our new Trilogy and our Motorhome (now gone) are both with the ridged insulation but we really have no complaints thusfar but we have only logged 14 days of camping on the Trilogy so far 1 week of 95 deg + weather and a week of 70s during the day and 40s at night

Cypressloser · 10-09-2013, 08:41 PM

I got in touch with another dealership today and got a few answers so far, the frame is constructed from 12" 10.8# I-beam which is a lot more than the 10" used by many others. The walls are insulated with white Styrofoam which is probably not the best choice but I am hoping to get some more info on the weekend. The compartment for the spare propane cylinder is actually big enough to hold at least a 30# bottle. We'll see what happens.

tuffr2 · 10-10-2013, 06:16 AM

The white Styrofoam sandwiched between the fiberglass and interior wall I think is ok. I actually held cross sections of this type of wall. It is actually impressive.

I think if there are insulation issues it will be at the windows, vents and the slide seals.

Insulation is important to me because I end up staying where it is too cold (upper 30's) for a few weeks or too hot (90 and humid) for a few weeks.

glennwest · 10-10-2013, 07:45 AM

Dynamax doesn't insulate the front cap unless it a very current change. I talked with Mike and he stated about a month ago. Several people have posted on different forum that bedroom warm due to this. It is a shame. Very nice unit. One indivitual actually drill holes and used foam spray in insulation. He removed shoe rack and such and drilled behind them so as not to be seen. Stated noticeable difference.

Cypressloser · 10-21-2013, 09:03 PM

We decided to order a Trilogy 3650RL with stackable w/d, onan genny, upsized inverter to run everything except w/d, f/p and Ac, additional fantastic fan vent in bedroom, MorRyde ind. suspension and 17.5" H rated tires plus we'll have our solar system transferred as well as our battery bank. They are guaranteeing 70 deg. temperatures throughout the coach at outside temps between 0 and 100 deg. F. If there is a problem with insulation in the front cap it can be fixed, even though they should have been able to look after this. We also looked at the Lifestyle it had no insulation in the wall above the dining room slide

, so they all are not perfect. For us the Trilogy is the more complete unit and Dynamax is very open to customization. For me personally the incredible headroom from front to back is important since I am 6'3" tall and I am getting tired of stooping everywhere. We can expect delivery in Spring because part of the deal is that the unit shall not be driven through ice, snow and salt to the dealer in Edmonton, Alberta. We think the built in propane tank should not cause problems since it is easy to use 30# propane cylinders and probably even 40# as spare when we modify the bracket slightly.
I would like to thank everybody who contributed with their input. From now on it is just a waiting game

John

Defiant530 · 10-22-2013, 02:47 AM

I just added a video on our 3650RL Trilogy covering some fixes and things I have noticed

The Man Cam of the Trilogy - YouTube

Cypressloser · 10-22-2013, 11:13 AM

Thanks for the heads up, I'm glad you're having mostly minor issues. Fact of the matter is: house or RV, you're going to have issues because people are involved.
When you are planning to install a solar system on yours it would probably make sense to have a roof access ladder installed if you don't already have one, we are getting one as an option.

Defiant530 · 10-22-2013, 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cypressloser

Thanks for the heads up, I'm glad you're having mostly minor issues. Fact of the matter is: house or RV, you're going to have issues because people are involved.
When you are planning to install a solar system on yours it would probably make sense to have a roof access ladder installed if you don't already have one, we are getting one as an option.

We expect problems from time to time ,after all RVs are a rolling earthquake , I feel its important to know your rig and be able to troubleshoot and repair things that pop up.

I have a tele-scoping ladder that I use out on the road and at home I use a padded extension ladder .
As far as the solar the flexible panels are much lighter that the standard panels and much more resistant to possible hail damage, i'm still getting up to speed as far as which type of flexible panel to go with ....but I have all winter to make up my mind, I will most likely do the install myself (it seems to be pretty much plug and play for the most part, just need to do some more research

Jack Mayer · 10-24-2013, 09:55 AM

A "normal" solar panel will provide you more power per meter of panel than the flexible panels. It also is very resistant to hail damage. I've seen panels go through major hail storms that totaled RVs without damage. Size of hail varied from (small) ping-pong ball size to (large) baseball size. No panel damage.

There is a bunch of info on install and planning on my website you might find helpful.

Defiant530 · 10-24-2013, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jack Mayer

A "normal" solar panel will provide you more power per meter of panel than the flexible panels. It also is very resistant to hail damage. I've seen panels go through major hail storms that totaled RVs without damage. Size of hail varied from (small) ping-pong ball size to (large) baseball size. No panel damage.

There is a bunch of info on install and planning on my website you might find helpful.

Jack, thanks for the input ! I am still in the early stages at this point ,as a matter of fact I was talking to a co-worker today about what you mentioned, the other side of the coin is we don't do much boondocking and would not relay on them solely for power. we do have the generator and our inverter only is used for the fridge and there is a good difference in the weights of "flexible" and the normal panels ,but like I said I am still in the early stages of which way to go, I will be hitting your site for sure ,there is a lot of info I need to take in to learn all I can.
It is so nice to have people out there like yourself who has been there and done that , it sure makes our lives easier !

Cypressloser · 10-24-2013, 07:51 PM

If I may chime in, please. I can not give any advice but on our now sold trailer we had a 390 Watt solar system on a 30 Amp charge controller hooked up to 3 AGM batteries. This setup for us is enough to boondock for weeks when AC and W/D aren't used. The main advantage of the AGM batteries is zero corrosion, can be mounted anywhere in any position without venting and they last at least twice as long as wet cells. Therefor we will transfer this exact setup to our new trailer once it arrives. This is my experience others might be different.
John