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Old 10-28-2015, 06:48 PM   #1
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Palomini undercarriage questions

I picked up a new 2016 Palomini 177bh with the off road package (not the toy hauler). I was inspecting the undercarriage today and noticed that the frame cross-members have two 3" holes on each side by the frame rails cut out. I assume this is to run the hoses, lines and wires through. However, most everything is not run through these holes, they are zip tied to the bottom of the frame or held in place with brackets. Seeing that this is the off road model and I have the extra 4" of ground clearance and big tires, to me it would make sense to run everything through these holes so I won't snag the wires, lines, and hoses on the terrain. Is anybody else's camp trailers set up like this?

I love the trailer, but this has me scratching my head.

Thanks,
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Old 10-31-2015, 11:14 PM   #2
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Anybody......?
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Old 11-01-2015, 07:01 AM   #3
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I don't have your camper, but I think you are correct. The frame probably was designed for the lines to go through it.

Here is what happened according to Dave. FR routed the lines through the hole unsecured. (cost saving) Less than a year after purchase (warranty period) owners found a leak at that point from chafing.

FR solution was to change the routing of the lines, solved poor design.

From your pics it looks like if you wanted to, you could take a couple of clamps off then reroute the lines trough the frame. Either use a rubber grommet or a clamp and stand off to eliminate the possibility of chaffing.

Just like we do on aircraft. (Heli911)
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Old 11-01-2015, 11:36 AM   #4
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Thanks for an explanation. I called FR and asked the question. Albeit, very nice folks on the phone and a pleasure to talk to. I got very grey answers. I was told that "they don't make their trailers (chassis) in house, and thats a separate manufacturer. So those holes aren't necessarily to run things through". Really??? I told them i'm pretty sure those holes are specifically cut in the cross members to run stuff through. They followed up with, "well, thats YOUR assumption"...Seriously???. They also said that they are doing some "cleanup revisions" on future models so the lines don't hang down. Thats great for anybody else buying a trailer. I asked about using the warranty to fix this. They stated that it would be up to my dealer to submit the paper work and get it approved. I will be going down that road and see if I can get things fixed. Otherwise I'll probably buy some 3" grommets and re-route the lines myself.

I'm a Flight Nurse, not an engineer. Your are probably right, i've stared at too many aircraft and things are nice and neat and placed properly. I would have thought that the simple solution to the line chafing problem would be to add rubber grommets, not reroute everything under the frame. I just can't believe how sloppy things are on the bottom. There is no pattern to why they did what they did. Same goes for the electrical, is just as a mess. An extra 30 seconds of conversation and teamwork could have prevented this on the assembly line.

I like my 'Mini, it's the perfect size and space for me and my wife. I'll just have to work through the issues.
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Old 11-02-2015, 11:45 PM   #5
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I have a 180 FB and as with yours. A few more minutes and a little pride in their work and the undercarriage would look a lot better.
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