Trailer repair????

[mhbouch285]

So I drove from the Chicago suburbs up to the northwoods tonight for a nice Presidents’ Day weekend sled trip. The roads were shitty and the wind was crazy but we made it (it took us almost 7 hours).

Anyway as I was driving to park my trailer I turned left, the truck slid sideways and downhill on an ice covered roadway and ended up in a snow bank. The trailer jackknifed and the front left corner of the trailer struck the back left of my truck. (This all happened under 10mph) It is a triton tc-167 enclosed trailer that now has a dented/mangled front left corner.

I’m trying not to let it ruin my trip but man am I pissed. I’ve been pulling trailers (boats, sleds, motorcycles etc) for 25 years and never had an incident. I’m still to mad to even take a picture but I will in the morning.

Anyone have experience getting an enclosed trailer repaired? Also does anyone know of any good repair shops (preferably in Illinois or wisconsin) that could fix something like this.? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[snobuilder]

let your insurance co figure that out. I wouldn't settle for a repair. Get a new shell from Triton. Hopefully you are still able to open it for now.

 

[gary_in_neenah]

My advice is Get Out There and RIDE for your stay in the north woods! Try to put it out of your mind for awhile, don't let it ruin your trip. Things like trailers and trucks can be fixed, nobody got hurt and you drove through some hellish weather to get there. Now enjoy!

Oh, and a picture would be helpful.

 

[snobuilder]

yes post a pic ....we will have it fixed by the time you get done riding today....LOL

 

[whitedust]

Usually insurance totals them out won’t quote repair on aluminum enclosure or trailer. Deer ran into mine bought a new one got the salvage rights to damaged trailer sold to my buddy. You should make out well if play your cards right.

 

[mrbb]

I agree, contact Triton and ask them to recommend a repair shop, they have/well HAD, as they did sell there company this past yr, but they should still have the net work of shops that they had doing work for them,
and I also agree turn things into your INS company, the price on trailers right now is insane, odds are your trailer is worth way more than it cost you new, which could leave you with other options , rather than repairing to maybe up grade if you have the notion!, just make sure they work with current prices and not there OLD basic prices from yrs ago! as there is a HUGE difference right now!

 

[racerx]

I feel for ya. Many moons ago we see going down a back road on a hill in Minocqua and it was complete ice and we did a 180, knew I was in trouble when I saw the complete side of the trailer in the side mirror luckily it was icy as it pulled the truck backwards and hit mailbox on th RH side of the road with the left side of truck. The big berms keep us on the road but luckily just a small dent in the truck. And that was not the end of that day as everything was ice except Hwy 51. We had the truck/trailer follow in to eat then had it jacknife again and could not straighten it out. We were so shell shocked after that we just headed back home even after trying to make the best of it, sorry to ramble on but know how ya feel.

You can try RA Adams in Henry as they are a big trailer dealer and if they can't do it I would think they would know who.

 

[blkhwkbob]

I'm in Chicago and I did the exact thing to my 167 last year, but on the other side. I can tell you exactly who to call. Big Rivers LTD in West Bend, Wisconsin. 262-629-5575. They are a Triton distributor and they have a shop that repairs trailers with original Triton parts. Mine was close to $1500.

 

[xsledder]

There is a trailer repair place in Elgin on IL Rt 25. Worth a try.

Grant Truck & Trailer Repair Inc​

Address​

8N034 Il Route 25 Ste 1
Elgin, IL 60120

Phone Number​

(847) 742-6900

 

[maddogg]

I second Big Rivers. I've also had great service from Midstates Trailer Distributing in Sullivan, WI.

 

[mezz]

I agree, contact Triton and ask them to recommend a repair shop, they have/well HAD, as they did sell there company this past yr, but they should still have the net work of shops that they had doing work for them,
and I also agree turn things into your INS company, the price on trailers right now is insane, odds are your trailer is worth way more than it cost you new, which could leave you with other options , rather than repairing to maybe up grade if you have the notion!, just make sure they work with current prices and not there OLD basic prices from yrs ago! as there is a HUGE difference right now!

Only problem is he will get hit with an at-fault accident & his rates will increase. Perhaps a repair from the recommended shop is worth the out of pocket expense in the long run. Just a thought.

 

[mrbb]

Only problem is he will get hit with an at-fault accident & his rates will increase. Perhaps a repair from the recommended shop is worth the out of pocket expense in the long run. Just a thought.

yes a rate increase MIGHT happen, but they typically don't on a first time claim! and he stated he has not had any other accidents trailer related any how
that and well, since trailer INS is pretty darn cheap, most pay well under a 100 bucks a yr, even if they went up say 25% which is a big jump , that is what 20-25 bucks a yr more?
pending what his deductible is, I gather that will be cheaper than paying out of pocket or I would think it would take many many many yrs to add up to cost more than the repairs here!

if nothing else IMO< its worth talking his Ins agent and asking the questions, NO one says you have to file a claim to ge the info /answers and then go from there

but with such huge inflated costs on parts and labor these days, better to ask and see before dismissing and paying out of pocket!
this is after all why we carry INS no, for accidents? LOL

but good food for thought on all sides!

 

[mezz]

I agree, weight out the pros & cons, it was merely a suggestion to consider. Keep in mind, the policy itself gets the rate increase, not just the trailer rate. Replacing could be difficult from the availability stand-point, not to mention the cost to replace.

 

[600_RMK_144]

Re-skinned my TC167 this past Fall due to hail storm. Love the trailer sooooo much, there was no way I was letting insurance total it out!!! New they are $10k+ now days!!!!! Only the side walls had significant damage. The panels I found on e-bay were a perfect match (.030 thickness, color and size). Relatively easy repair actually once you start breaking it down. Pull off the hail damaged panels (heat gun and putty knife from the inside). The new ones slide right into place... No trimming or anything on the full panels if you get the correct size (49X72). Then the front two panels (bull nose and one next to it) require a bit of trimming but tin snips made perfect cuts. Crazy as it sounds, I kinda actually enjoyed the project. It was very satisfying to pull off those damaged panels and see the new ones go up. Pulling off the protective film on the new panels at the very end was one of the most satisfying things I've ever done!!!!!

If you decide to tackle the repair yourself, hit me up and I can give you where I ordered all the parts, etc.

 

[600_RMK_144]

Regarding Triton helping with parts, etc. I contacted them directly several times. They will not sell you anything, but refer you to their certified dealers. They can also provide part#s on most parts. Regardless of what you do, you'll want the manual (attached) that has ALL of the part numbers. Very helpful whether you search for parts on Google / Ebay / Etc. or just using the part# when contacting the certified Triton dealers.

 

[blkhwkbob]

Man, you have a lot of time and patience. I've heard the adhesive is pretty tough.

My insurance rates on my car went up because of the damage to the quarter panel. The body shops don't do us a favor turning a dent into a major project.

 

[600_RMK_144]

Man, you have a lot of time and patience. I've heard the adhesive is pretty tough.

My insurance rates on my car went up because of the damage to the quarter panel. The body shops don't do us a favor turning a dent into a major project.

Adhesive is no joke, that’s for sure! And I’ll give it to Triton, they hit every. Single. Contact. Point. Didn’t miss a one!!!! But honestly not that bad to remove with a heat gun + putty knife. Had all 5 panels off in a hour. I was impressed enough with the adhesive that I paid out the butt to get the same stuff for re-skin.

 

[mhbouch285]

Thanks for the replies. I’m calling my insurance company today and I will give Big Rivers a call for the repairs.

On a better note it was a great weekend riding with my kids and I was able to forget about the trailer until the drive home.

Here is quick pic of the damage

 

[600_RMK_144]

Just to give you an idea... Last Summer my insurance (Progressive) quoted $7700 for total loss on my 2018 TC167. That's $2700 more than I paid for the trailer (used, like new). Feel like I robbed the guy based on what these things are going for now days.

 

[mezz]

OUCH!! Actually, Double OUCH!! Yep, contact your agent or company, that's too much $ to bite off on your own.