educate me on boler/trillium trailers

[crushers]

my wife has been bugging me about these for a couple years now and this year has been the worse. last night i come in and here she is surfing boler porn on the web.
"honey, look at this one,"
"oh, isn't this one sweet?"
"look at the layout in this one"

anyone own one of these? do they tow nicely?
are they worth their money?
what size do you recommend for 2 adults and a huge dog?
if you went for a 2 week putz would these be adequate or is there features that are frustrating to work with?
thanks guys.
cheers

 

[Scamper]

The Boler, and Scamp are essentially the same trailer except that the Boler is made in Canada and the Scamps are made in Wisconsin (I think...or Michigan?) and by different companies, but I think they cross-licensed the designs. Both are cut from the same design which is why they look so much alike. Don't know much about the Trillium, but heard it was similar.

A friend of mine has a 13' Boler--I don't think they made a 16. Scamp makes a 13, a 16, and a 19 foot fifth wheeler. Bear in mind that the size includes the tounge, so there is a lot more than a 3' difference between these models in terms of interior room.

I bought mine about 5 years ago (an '86 I think) for $3K with A/C, heat, and bath. I don't know what a new one would cost.

If I were going to spend 2 weeks in it, I'd steer clear of the 13 (no bath available, though you can get a portable)--it's surprising how much more room that 16 foot gives you over the 13. The 16 would be fine I think, but if you have something to pull the fifth wheeler with, the 19 would be ideal.

They tow pretty well since they're quite light for their size. My 16 fits nicely behind the Cruiser, so there's almost no drag caused by the front of the trailer.

The most frustrating aspect would be to have to break down the dinette each nite to make up the bed in the 13 or 16 (which is why the 19 would be nicer). That, and in any of these, moving around with two people in it is not going to be super easy--you get in each others' way. But for a place to stay, sleep, and get out of the weather, it's the schnitz.

 

[crushers]

excellent thanks for the feed back Tom...
cheers

 

[Scamper]

Wayne - I don't know if there are many in Alberta, but when I drove thru Quebec and Nova Scotia, I saw a Boler in every other driveway it seemed. I would think you could find one easily in those areas, though perhaps not in your area if they're not popular. BTW, I think every one I saw was a 13...whhich is one reason why I suspect they make none bigger.

But if you're in Alberta, you're actually closer to Wisconsin/Michigan than I am, so you probably have a better chance of finding a Scamp where you are. Good luck with the hunt... For what it's worth, the reason I ended up in a fiberglass box was because of the too; I was quite happy laying on my back in a puddle of muddy water that was supposed to be a tent.

 

[crushers]

there is a trillium dealer in Red Deer and there are tons of the boler type campers here.
i have a sprung over tent trailer that i like but she is tired of setting up and taking down...
hey, if this keeps her wheeling and camping then i am all for it...
thanks again

 

[ductape]

Hi Wayne,

I got a 17' Boler last year and used it to camp in different settings, pulled it with 3 different trucks and the neat hing is that it is light, very light compared to other travel trailers. Only problem, they are usually old... Ours in a 77, it has all the camping equipment plus a little furnace for colder nights.

Only bad thing, they are very low for off road and the frame is usually worn out and needs some work. We killed the tongue going to Alaska and back last May, and that was mainly highway, but very bad roads between Tok and Glennallen and that nice section non paved between Dawson City (Yukon) and Chicken (AK) called the top of the world highway.

We have 2 y.o twins and the two of us plus gear, so plenty of room for you 2 and a dog. When it was only us two and the St-bernard, we still had the 77 VW van...

You could manage with the 13' easily, they are roomey for stuff and all. Look at some of that boler porn, you'll see some nice units with a raised suspension too...

Cheers

JF

 

[crushers]

i haven't showed the wife this thread yet, i know she wants one bad, she was yappen again last night and she even hogged the computor to further her searches...
i am leaning towards a longer one but she wants the shorty. they pop up in the paper every week or so.
there would be no "off roading" in this trailer, i built the tent trailer for off roading with the swivel pinto and 28" of ground clearence and all it sees is highway.
thanks for the advice to look at the frames, anything else that is a common problem with these?
cheers

 

[Scamper]

i haven't showed the wife this thread yet...

Coward

...anything else that is a common problem with these?
cheers

The brakes on mine are electrical, not surge. So check that they're working. When I got mine, I found one of the little magnet gizmos was shot and needed to be replaced. I'd also check that all the plumbing is working properly and the lines are in good order since it's usually a PIA to dive in and fix these. I once had a hot water line come off under the sink as I was doing some washup.

 

[crushers]

Coward
I once had a hot water line come off under the sink as I was doing some washup.

coward... hummm. yah probably scared of the " hey Honey, what are we doing this weekend?"
"wheeling with some buddies"
"not anymore, look what i want to go look at"

then it starts...

a cleanup during a clean up...yep that sounds like a blast.

a buddy of mine Herb bought a small boler for "cheap" and when he was done with the renos to it he could have bought a new one... this is what i am thinking, do i need another project or do i drop the cash and just buy what we need right up front...
cheers

 

[Scamper]

Just bustin on ya

But if you really don't have the time to work on it and do have the money, spend the bucks and get one ready to go. You'll be happier. It can take a lot of time (and money) to do it right if you have to mess around with all the internals.

 

[crushers]

let's see i HATE plumbing but i excell at cabinates and most of the other stuff i can do easy enough.

it is the time thing... i will price one out and see if i fall over or not.
cheers and thanks

 

[gladly]

friends of ours have one that they towed all over western canada, through the rockies, etc. behind a saturn wagon, absolutely no problems. which made me think that the 40 could handle it, which makes me want one. I didn't think I'd ever want a camper, but then we had kids.

 

[Discipher]

i have a 13 ft boler from 76. behind my 92 4runner on 35's w/ 4.88s and the 22re i get 21 mpg, in town i average 21.5 mpg without the boler. i also have no O2 sensor of any kind hooked up as the wiring is messed.

anyways with the 13 foot you barely notice its there, cept when stopping but mine has no assist braking. with being a 5speed the gearing down is the assist i need for it

spend 10 days camping in the bushes with it last year, its not huge. you need to set up many things outside the boler to enjoy, but with camping you dont wanna be inside anyways. it gets crowded, but have also enjoyed nights with 4 ppl inside playin cards/drinks

but it needs lift. i dragged it into the bush almost to get to our campsite. that was this winters project but then i just bought a BJ42 which is how i ended up here

jeff

 

[bkfj40]

i haven't showed the wife this thread yet, i know she wants one bad, she was yappen again last night and she even hogged the computor to further her searches...

cheers

you might want to delete the above from your message before you show her this thread -

but now that I quoted it, I think we've got you!


bk

 

[lowenbrau]

you might want to delete the above from your message before you show her this thread -

but now that I quoted it, I think we've got you!


bk

Yeah well done. If she hasn't found the two year old thread yet and she still wants one, he's so busted.