Is The Trifecta Made By Worksman?
 

The trike I ordered from Worksman (Port-O-Trike) arrived today, but a few things about it bothers me. There are some relatively minor discrepancies when comparing the photos on their website to to what they sent me, but foremost is the fact that while it carries the Worksman name in a couple of places, it boldly is labeled Tri-Fecta on the down tube of the frame, along with a red triangle, which is the identity of a cheaper trike sold at Walmart. The box it came in says that it is a Port-O-Trike, but it doesn't say so anywhere on the trike itself.

Other little differences is that instead of the handle bars, seat post and pedal crank being chrome, they are all a flat black color. Also, the seat doesn't have springs under it, like shown in the photo, and as I was told on the phone it would have. According to Walmart, the Tri-fecta is made in the USA, but with imported parts. Did I pay about a hundred dollars more than I could have gotten it for from Walmart?

According to WalMart's website, the Tri-fecta is made by "Generic." Worksman's website identifies their tricycles as the Port-O-Trike, Executive, and the Eagle and the industrial brands of Mover and Adaptable. There is a review for a "Port-O-Trike" bike on the WalMart website. If you purchased the bike from Worksman then you need to call or email them and ask specifically. If it is one of their products, the frame I know was made in the U.S. They've had a factory in New York City since 1898 and take a particular and justifiable pride in it. However, there are a lot of bicycle components that are no longer made in the U.S. and that forces companies to purchase elsewhere. These days it is probably impossible to buy a product that doesn't have some foreign parts on it, but it doesn't necessarily make those parts inferior.

Yes, I fully intend to call them in the morning, not only because of this, but because the hinge pin that the locking clamp bolt threads into seems to be wrong. When I move the pin so that the clamp bolt fits through the slot on the front portion of the frame, the pin protrudes out the side to the point it prevents the the plates from coming together. If I center the pin so that doesn't happen, the clamp bolt misaligns with the slot. I'm guessing that the pin was just mismachined.

It's odd that the video I found on YouTube for assembling this trike has the Tri-Fecta name in the same fashion, instead of Port-O-Trike also. As it is, it looks to me that the Worksman and Tri-Fecta both come from the same place, regardless of what Walmart says.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpSgNAsbXVo

I just got off the phone with Worksman, and the rep. seemed as confused as I am. I just emailed them a couple of photos of the hinge, which I think that they will be able to see the problem and offer a solution. BTW, she confirmed the the Walmart Tri-Fecta and the Port-O-Trike are exactly the same trikes. When I suggested that their website misrepresents the trike, she balked, saying there was no impropriety. Personally, I expect to get exactly what I paid for, especially when I paid more than I had to. Don't know how this is going to work out yet, will just have to wait and see.

Ugh! we've discussed this enough that I now better understand the problem, but not enough to fix it. She just sent an email asking me to call here so that she can arrange a replacement, but that is a hassle that I really would like to avoid, if possible. I would attach a copy of the photo that I took of the hinge, but it complains that the file is too big. Since I imagine that it is like most any other folder I doubt it would help anyway. I now know that the problem isn't with where the bolt is threaded into the pin, but the fact that once the hinge is closed, the pin should drop down, so that a nipple on the bottom of the pin would fit into the hole on the hinge plate...it won't, short of me getting a bigger hammer or crowbar. She thinks the problem is due to the paint from being too thick, but I fail to understand how that could be? Thick paint could cause the pin to fit too tightly, but not totally blocking it's movement into the hole.

The pin will slide down sufficiently when the hinge is open, but not when it is closed. When inspecting the pin/hole alignment from the bottom, they are not exactly centered on each other, but it appears that there is sufficient clearance for it to work. What else might cause it to be physically blocked?

If the holes are misaligned then returning it is probably your best bet. Friction might be preventing the pins from falling. If so, a little bit of grease might help.

The grease was a good idea, but I had already tried it without any luck. We have already agreed to an exchange, but exactly when is still up in the air, because as luck would have it, the owner's brother is also in the city where I live, and she said that she would have him pick it up and send me another from the factory. but she hasn't setup a schedule for it yet.

The brother just picked up the trike. He seemed quite nice...unlike a couple of their people in New York. Maybe it's because he has been living here for 30 years, and the New Yorker part is starting to wear off. Apologies to any New Yorkers on the Forum. :)