Little Guy Silver Shadow Issues

[Cirque Peak]

Just another teardrop greenhorn here. Anybody out there have issues with their new Little Guy Silver Shadow trailer? Having second thoughts recently about the quality of this 2008 model, or maybe I just got one built by a untrained employee?

1. Windows that leak, soaking the mattress, but only while I'm pulling it on wet roads. Extra drain holes haven't helped. Turbulence?
2. Speaking of windows, one glass pane let go of slider; can't open window now. Do I re-glue or replace?
3. Rear galley hatch shocks beginning to pull out of the wood to which they are mounted. Re-mount, or cover in epoxy or other material?
4. And why can't I open the hatch while it's raining without water pouring into my galley, and eventually into the sleeping area?
GGGRRRRR!!

[BillandMarijo]

Wow
Did you buy it new? Is there some type of warrenty. Sorry for all your troubles. I too am a newbie. I built mine. Hope you get everything straightened out.
Good luck to you.
Bill and Marijo

[hiker chick]

Have you contacted the manufacturer, Little Guy?

Would also be a good idea to post in the manufactured teardrops section of this forum.

Such aggravation. Best wishes getting it all resolved.

I have an '08 Little Guy 6-wide. No problems. Lots and lots of severe thunderstorms and no leaks.

[skulli69]

first off welcome
we got ours in Feb 2009 and have 0 problems. if you got it new i would take it back to the dealer and have them repair it.

[Cirque Peak]

All kidding aside, I had some heated discussions last summer with the folks @ Little Guy, during our "Maiden Voyage". Although they were helpful, it was ultimately my dealer that eventually did the warranty work. The leaky windows (stock, or horse trailer units) are apparently manufactured for Little Guy by another company (talked to them as well), and are mounted vertically in these trailers, rather than horizontally, as they should be.
I don't know if that contributes to the leaking, but it must have led to the window falling out of it's slider. I still don't know if the windows leak, since this year's journeys have been on dry roads so far.
We love to pull the unit, but I am not so sure of keeping it now. We were drier in our tent!

[Cirque Peak]

I appreciate the responses from all you friendly trailer people.
How do I get this posted in the new trailer section? Since I'm obviously not a builder, I should change my profile to show that.
I'm trying to get excited about pulling our unit again, but these ongoing issues keep propping up, and since I have trouble discerning one end of a screwdriver from the other, I rely on the builder to rectify problems.
The water leaking into the galley from rainwater is an issue with ALL Silver Shadow models, and is NOT covered by Little Guy. I demonstrated this at my dealer, and they couldn't believe the water pouring in. They subsequently rigged up a canvas cover over the top of the hatch to divert a large portion of the water, but we still tarp off whenever we camp.
Any other Silver Shadow owners with similiar issues?

[caseydog]

There is a Little Guy rep on this forum.

I had a Little Guy for 3 camping seasons, and not one leak. I bought Little Guy doors for my new TD build.

As for the hatch, I generally have an EZ-Up over my galley area when I camp. so I can cook in all weather, so I never experienced any problems there. I believe the Shadow series hatches are different than the LG hatches.

I hope you get things fixed.

CD

[Mark S.]

We Have a Silver Shadow as well from Little Guy. We are from Oregon so we know all about rain and have never had a problem with leaks from the windows while towing or camping in the rain. We have camped in the trailer every other weekend since April so we have seen our share of rain.

I have experienced the rain coming in through the hatch on one occasion however when I moved my EZ up more over the hatch it stopped right away.

Sorry to hear about you problems and I would definitely follow up with the dealer for warranty work if it were me.

If you post in the teardrop manufacturer area you will probably get a quick response from a little guy rep.

I hope you get all your issues worked out and start enjoying those campouts again real soon.

Mark

[Cirque Peak]

My personal theory as to why the trailer windows leak is due to turbulence from our tow vehicle; they only give me grief when I'm towing the trailer on wet roads, not while we are camped/parked. No issues there. We pull with a 2008 Saturn Vue XR AWD, and the rear end of the vehicle is rounded off quite a bit, maybe causing a particular airflow that pushes rain UP into the windows, rather than letting it drain out.
As far as discussing this with a Little Guy rep: been there, done that. Basically got told that's as far as they would be willing to go.

Thanks again, folks, for your suggestions and concern. Cirque Peak.

[Roly Nelson]

Oh boy, lots of bad customer relations stuff going on here. If I were the owner of Little Guy, I'd contact you and solve the problem right away. There are many folks who log onto this board, looking for a "quality" teardrop that they can remain dry in. Right now, these potential buyers are getting mixed messages, and most of them are bad.

Come on Little Guy manufacturer, help this TD owner out. Leaking, and possibly improperly installed windows and water running in through hatchlids are gonna hurt your business and if you are shining him off, it could be a big mistake. I hope it all turns out well, and I, for one, am waiting with baited breath to find out what can be done.

Great things have been said on this board about various builders, and hopefully the Little Guy company will take action.....soon, so cudos can come their way once again. Good luck.
Roly

[caseydog]

I towed my Little Guy in the rain behind a dozen different tow vehicles, ranging from full-sized pickups, to mid-sized SUVs -- and even my own wagon/crossover. It had the same doors, and they never leaked. Something else has to be wrong.

Do they open and close smoothly? Any sign that they are installed wrong?

BTW, my doors were clearly designed to install vertically, so it's not a case of the windows being designed for one application and used in another.

As for the hatch, most of us use EZ-Ups over our galley areas, or most of us would let water in when it rained.

There has got to be a solution to the doors, though.

CD

[caseydog]

Oh boy, lots of bad customer relations stuff going on here. If I were the owner of Little Guy, I'd contact you and solve the problem right away. There are many folks who log onto this board, looking for a "quality" teardrop that they can remain dry in. Right now, these potential buyers are getting mixed messages, and most of them are bad.

Come on Little Guy manufacturer, help this TD owner out. Leaking, and possibly improperly installed windows and water running in through hatchlids are gonna hurt your business and if you are shining him off, it could be a big mistake. I hope it all turns out well, and I, for one, am waiting with baited breath to find out what can be done.

Great things have been said on this board about various builders, and hopefully the Little Guy company will take action.....soon, so cudos can come their way once again. Good luck.
Roly

I guess one of the reasons I am surprised is because I got stellar customer service from Little Guy when I had one. I'm at a loss.

CD

[Cirque Peak]

Thanks again, especially you Little Guy owners backing up your brand.

The window manufacturer told me last summer that these are windows made for stock (horse) trailers, and those are mainly mounted horizontally in that application. The Canadian Little Guy rep also was perplexed that they leaked. Bottom line: no-one has been able to pinpoint my particular problem. I am at the point of trying to solve my trailer issues by myself to avoid getting more frustrated.
I fell in love with the concept of teardrops, but may be in danger of falling out of love because of the wet mattress syndrome.

[lisasweetie]

We towed mine home in March this year during a rain storm and I had no leaks. I also use an easy up and have camped in the rain twice so far this year. I don't think the hatch of the galley was designed to keep you dry so much as cover the galley. All my dealings with the Little Guy guys has been stellar, but I haven't had any problem. They have answered my question right away when I've contacted them. Sorry for your problems, I hope you get everything resolved. I love my little guy.

[iplay10us2]

I have a Silver Shadow and have towed it in very rainy conditions and it has never leaked at or near the windows. I did have a few minor issues with some water leakage in the galley near the fenders, but I think that was due to some bad caulking around the fenders.

I am not sure why you say they ALL leak around the hatch area, though. Have you checked to see if the caulking is adequate in that area?

I have had great service from Little Guy on the few minor issues I have had. Camping World as a repair place in my town is a whole 'nother story, though. I will never go back there for any reason.