69, sorry to see you get your bp up. I am an owner and I read the Airstream forum quite closely. I will agree with some of the statements you made regarding frames but you have painted with a broad brush making it sound like all Airstreams will fall apart.
Towing with a 3/4 ton. There are many who do this and some even use heavier TVs. Hitching an Airstream is important and care must be taken to match the truck to the trailer. A stiffly sprung truck with a heavy duty hitch can shake the trailer and cause problems. This is something that has happened but it is certainly not the norm. You can read the forum and glean that information for yourself. Don't quote the single case and generalize it. There is an ongoing debate about using a half ton is a bad idea and many say you should move up to a 3/4ton.
Weak frames? Yes the frame is weak but an Airstream is not built like a typical white box. The strength comes from the construction similar to an airplane fuselage that you described. The biggest problem with Airstreams is when an owner wants to build a platform on the back to carry their generators and ice boxes. The "frame" will simply not carry the weight. Your white box is simply that. A big box built on a sturdy frame. Have you ever seen the aftermath of a box trailer that has rolled? Small pieces everywhere. I have seen an Airstream just minutes after it rolled and what I saw was a very dented up can on its side. No bits of wood, insulation or other debris visible.
Rusting out? Well, like all trailers you need to maintain them and an Airstream will leak if you neglect the roof. When this happens the water makes its way to the floor and serious damage can occur. Most of the cases regarding rusted outriggers are in conjunction to folks rebuilding a trailer that is 30 to 50 years old. I know of two cases where friends had white boxes that leaked and the rot set in to the roof structure and the walls. Why? They did not maintain their trailers like they should. It can happen to all brands.
Over the years there have been some bad designs, the latest were the 23 or 22 footers in the early 2000s. They changed the layout and something went wrong with the weight distribution as I recall. Earlier, in the 80's they built a trailer with a rear bath that created a similar weight problem. Yes, these were mistakes but again, don't tell people that all Airstreams have poor floors, can't be towed with a 3/4 ton or any other nonsense by citing rare cases as common experiences.
They are certainly not perfect. Show me a brand that is.
