Airstreams

donn0128 wrote:
Basically a Bambi might be the maximum. That tiny motor is just not enough to overcome the drag of a full size trailer.

Bull dooky. I've towed full size trailers for years with Dakota's with the 4.7 engine. It's got lots of capacity .i

ghostrider421 wrote:
Update: We looked at my brothers unit in SD and sadly rejected it - would need a complete teardown. I saw an Avion advertised in Sioux Falls - that we bought and brought home. It's sweet and needs nothing. It's perfect!

Looking forward to taking it on a trip to the East Coast this winter.

I think that you made a wise decision. The Avions are very similar in the shell, but they used a spray foam insulation instead of fiberglass, and the frame is much stronger. You don't have to worry about where the bathroom is located or whether or not you have water in the tanks when you travel. What is really surprising is that the weight isn't that much different. When was the last time you heard of an Avion having "frame sag"?

Update: We looked at my brothers unit in SD and sadly rejected it - would need a complete teardown. I saw an Avion advertised in Sioux Falls - that we bought and brought home. It's sweet and needs nothing. It's perfect!

Looking forward to taking it on a trip to the East Coast this winter.

Thanks Bro - I'm on the way now

ghostrider421 wrote:
I decided to stay with the horse trailer for the time being. I can spray foam insulation in the nose and put a bed and portapotti inside for less than $1000CA

Y'all come on down here, I've got an old unit you can have for free!

Have pulled an Airstream thousands of miles and can tell you that i actually forget its back there! That being said you can tend to pull it a little faster. Watch your tires and make an investment in some good ones. 10 plys. Try not to speed and make sure your hitch is matched up good and you will be just fine. I pull with a Cummins 6.7, 6 speed with the factory exhaust brake and love it. Pulled for years with an older Cummins and an auto. Mileage and torque are great. As long as your hitch and tires are good you shouldnt have any trouble. Always sweat the little details when it comes to those things and spend a little extra cash to get what is corrrect. Good luck!

When we saw this rig we were parked off the beaten path in Florida. The rig owners were there for bike week and had a couple of vintage bikes in that trailer.

Click Here!

FastEagle

ghostrider421 wrote:

donn0128 wrote:

ghostrider421 wrote:

donn0128 wrote:
Basically a Bambi might be the maximum. That tiny motor is just not enough to overcome the drag of a full size trailer.

Really? It's a class V hitch, not III

Please reread my post. I said nothing about the hitch. You simply do not have enough motor to pull a full sized trailer with much success. Wind resistence is going to drag that thing down to the sllllooooowwww lane anywhere but down hills. And you cant do that all day. You could have a class gazillion hitch on the back of that truck, it still is not going to prevent you from driving with your foot on thhe floor trying to maintain foreword momentum.

I'm not driving in the Rockies, tho they are nearby. It's mainly on the flats. Since I already pull a heavy 16' stock trailer which is tremendously AIR RESISTANT without any problems, I fail to see where you get the idea I can't pull an Airstream. If you have a similar truck and trailer, I would understand.

Donno, an Airstream does exactlly what the name says, it streams through the air.

Wind resistance is almost non existent on them the rounded nose , sides and enclosed under belly creates a very smooth package to cut through the air.

69 Avion wrote:

ghostrider421 wrote:
Thanks for all your input. We are looking at an older 23 - something about classics I like better.

They are both good trailers, but you may want to consider an Avion. They can usually be purchased for less money, they have a much stronger frame and the floor can be replaced without pulling the shell. Just something to consider.

The shell does not have to come off of an Airstream to replace the floor. I had a soft spot at the door, cut that out and slipped in a new piece of plywood no problem.

ghostrider421 if you are going to buy a "classic" Airstream, i would suggest that you look at pre 1980, before the Thor take over.

I gave up trying to count the number of holes in the interior skin, from missing the rib when they mounted the furniture. I everytime we went out with it, I had to put something back where it belonged because it fell off.

It p*^+#% me off so much that we dumped it, the only mistake that I made was that we bought another Thor product.

Also I would suggest that you stay away from the rear bath models, the frames had a tendency to sag from the weight of the tanks.

Yes you can probably pull an Airstream with you truck, we had an F150 5.4l when we started pulling the Airstream it was fine on the prairies, it was getting there the was the killer. We were passed by everything on the road when we got to any sort of a grade.

Like I always say, a TT is like a motorcycle, "it's a hole on the road you pour money into". However, an Airstream is a sink whole in the road that you pour money into.

Been there, done that, burned the t-shirt. Another childhood dream shattered.

I decided to stay with the horse trailer for the time being. I can spray foam insulation in the nose and put a bed and portapotti inside for less than $1000CA