Forum Discussion

tamnjeff's avatar
tamnjeff
Explorer
Apr 18, 2013

1976 24' Swinger Samoa

Hi. We're new to this and would like a little help. We are purchasing (picking it up in 3 days) a '76 24' swinger samoa travel trailer that is in surprisingly great condition for it's age. The seller is 2nd owner and has all the paper work- original manuals, a sales flyer of models available, etc. But we could not find anything that lists it's weight. And I can't find anything besides a newspaper advertisement about swinger trvl trlrs- only rvs 1979 newer. Hoping someone out there would have some more info and maybe even pics of what the interiors looked like back in the day. Thanks much!
  • beemerphile1's avatar
    beemerphile1
    Explorer
    Apr 18, 2013
    Look at the left front area of the trailer. You may find a metal plate that has the GVWR on it. It could be on the body or could be on the frame.
  • CavemanCharlie's avatar
    CavemanCharlie
    Explorer III
    Apr 18, 2013
    beemerphile1 wrote:
    Look at the left front area of the trailer. You may find a metal plate that has the GVWR on it. It could be on the body or could be on the frame.


    It's a good idea to look it may be there. But, a 79 might not have one. The older trailers didn't. If you can't find a plate then you will have to tow it to a weigh station at a truck stop or some other place and weigh it. Do a search of this site to get directions on how to weigh.
  • westend's avatar
    westend
    Explorer
    Apr 18, 2013
    There is a GVWR plate somewhere on the vehicle. It was law, even in '79.
  • MetalGrand's avatar
    MetalGrand
    Explorer
    Apr 19, 2013
    My 1978 Prowler has a plate on the front left of the body, so I don't see why yours shouldn't either.
  • westend's avatar
    westend
    Explorer
    Apr 19, 2013
    This ad from Australia has a couple of pics of a 1976 Starcraft Swinger:
    Ad here

    If your Swinger is a Starcraft, I had real good luck calling Starcraft Customer Service and asking for any documents for my '71. Within minutes I had the owner's manual and sales brochures in my email inbox. The folks at Starcraft were friendly and helpful.
  • squires5's avatar
    squires5
    Explorer
    May 02, 2013
    All trailers since at least 1970 (maybe even earlier) have a small plate mounted on lower drivers side front which details gross vehicle weight and carrying capacity including the axle capacity. The newer models since the 90's have since moved this info inside a kitchen cabinet or closet.

    Good luck with your new purchase--- 70's vintage trailers are the last vintage to be built to last. Because they are built stronger than newer models they tend to be heavier.

About Travel Trailer Group

44,029 PostsLatest Activity: Jan 13, 2025