So the wife wants a travel trailer.... what now?

[HBarlow]

... ... ... ... ... ... ... . [snip]

I don't want a 5th wheel, and I like Airstreams (because they look cool), I've heard the pre-before-the-company-was-sold/got-bought-out models are better, but that's about as far as my knowledge goes... ..... [snip].

That information is old and outdated. It refers to the Airstream trailers built in the '60s and '70s before Airstream was sold to General Foods. General Foods (I think that is the correct name) was not an RV manufacturing company and built some trailers in the early-middle '80s on weak frames. IIRC General was blamed for the problems but they were using components that Airstream had also used.

In any case, that old advice is irrelevant now. General ran Airstream into the ground and it was sold to Thor Industries by the '90s.

I owned an '83, an '84, a '93, and a vintage '66 Safari. I gave the '66 to my daughter as a wedding present and she had it beautifully restored. It is stored in my barn.

Airstream operates as an independent company but is wholely owned by Thor Industries as are several other brands.

Airstream went through lots of major problems with clear coat finishes in the '90s and tried lots of solutions. Finally, sometime in the late '90s they went back to using precoated aluminum sheets provided by Alcoa if my memory serves well. I don't think any Airstream clearcoat holds up very well in the southwest. Aluminum expands and contracts significantly during the daily heat and cool cycle and few finishes can expand and contract with the skin so peeling results. In spite of the blisters they are still great trailers for towing.

Airstream still manufacturers trailers in accordance with Wally Byam's original design concepts of the late '40s but the products have improved considerably along the way.

Short to medium-sized Airstreams (22' to 28') are the best towing RVs that money can buy but once they are parked they are not as roomy on the inside as box trailers and are not as well insulated as high quality fifth wheels. Airstreams are usually very well balanced front to rear and side to side and their light weight and great aerodynamics makes them great for towing.

 

[scootergmc]

Thanks for the intel guys and to everyone sending me PMs with the TTs for sale . I'm going to take it slow and steady, and heck, maybe the wife is going through a phase- although it's probably not.

I'll look for that guide and do some more reading. Regardless, the RV market is pretty soft right now, so that makes pickins pretty good. You guys are definitely right about the depreciation. Buying new would be nuts right now. I've seen some 3-4 yr old Airstreams for 40-50% of new. It's tempting, but easy to resist as it's still 30-40k out of pocket!

 

[AMink]

We're on our second trailer and are still learning. If I had my way, our trailer wouldn't have carpet or fancy curtain/drapes. We rarely are in "clean" campgrounds. We stay at lakes (sand), mountains (mud, debris), and the desert (all of the above. It's a pain to keep the carpets clean and dry.



Depending on what you're going to do with your trailer will dictate what you're willing to deal with. If it's just for weekending, you can go with a much shorter unit with a table that turns into the bed. If you're spending a longer time in it, you'll want a bed that is big and comfy. You'll probably end up getting a new mattress since most RV mattresses are made out of one coil spring and a wad of cotton. :-laf



Pay attention to storage for your gear, including clothes and kitchen stuff. Keep in mind that stuff expands to fill the available space and extra stuff=extra weight. Don't be drawn into all the fancy items that Camping World sells. You'll end up leaving most of it at home anyway. You'll quickly decide what you need and what you don't need.



We have bunks in our trailer for the kids. It's nice, but it does make the trailer longer, though it is good to have a place to put their stuff that is out of the way.



If you dry camp, make sure the fresh water tank is big. I think ours is about 40 gallons. We can make that go a long way, but we also carry an extra 5-20 gallons depending on where we go. Personally, I like paper plates so we can burn them in the campfire instead of having to use precious water to clean regular plates. I also carry several gallons of filtered water for coffee. Good coffee is good coffee whether at home or out in the boondocks.



Most units have decent appliances and those are made by a handful of companies. Our microwave spends more time as a bread box, but we do use it occasionally. The oven also doesn't get used much, especially in the summer in the desert. Counter space is usually at a premium; ours is almost non-existent. Makes preparing cocktails a challenge. Give up the stove if it means extra counter space.



You might want to look into a hybrid-type trailer. They have hard sides with pop out tent parts. Again, it depends on what you're doing, how long you're doing it, and when you're doing it. There are also some units that the bed slides out the back so you start with a 19' and end up with a 25'. Easy to tow and park, bigger when you need it.



And get 16" rims and LT tires! The Chinese Willpops suck. Nothing like wondering when the next tire is going to let loose and take the side of your trailer with it. #@$%!

 

[Matt400]

We bought a 25' Fleetwood TT with an 18" pop out new in 02 and it served us well until we wanted to go bigger. We sold it to a family member who uses it often still today and has needed replacement batteries, one water pump and a new awning over those years. Other than that its still a nice little RV.

It has a made up bedroom in the front and the couch & dinette makes into beds.



It has the aluminum siding which is more work to clean so I recommend the fiberglass siding. Towing was a breeze and being a TT left the bed free for hauling dirt bikes. Look for one that has good storage inside and out cuz you can never have enough storage when you start loading all your camp stuff.

Pop outs are a nice feature you really appreciate once your set up especially if you want to sleep 4 in a short TT.



I highly recommend an RV show and to hit as many dealers as you can in your area to compare.

 

[BIGNASTY]

Trailer Sway

The Hensley hitch is nice but if you load the trailer right and drive like a someone with common sense you wont need it. DONT have most of the weight in back of the axle like is seen every weekend going out to the desert. And SLOW down to at least Mach. 1 and a good load leveler hitch with sway control will be just fine. My trailer has alot of miles on it and I dont have a Hensley hitch I have seen them in campgrounds and I thought about getting one untill I found out the price their not that cool.

 

[rotohead]

HEED the Wisdom of the oldtimers
dont buy a forest river !!
or you will suffer Scorn.

have a great day.

Chris

I think your all wet when it comes to Forest River RV's. I've had five different trailers in 30 years and my Surveyor is IMO a quality unit. Maybe not 'Artic Fox' quality but very close. Scorn would be owning a Jayco, at least the ones pre 2001. Not very well built.
To each his own.
P. S. Forest River is owned by Warren Buffet and even though I'm not a fan of his politics I think he makes a point to own quality companies.
Chuck

 

[HBarlow]

I think your all wet when it comes to Forest River RV's. I've had five different trailers in 30 years and my Surveyor is IMO a quality unit. Maybe not 'Artic Fox' quality but very close. Scorn would be owning a Jayco, at least the ones pre 2001. Not very well built.
To each his own.
P. S. Forest River is owned by Warren Buffet and even though I'm not a fan of his politics I think he makes a point to own quality companies.
Chuck

Wishful thinking.

Jayco trailers use quality Dexter springs, brakes, wheels, and American made tires.

Forest River uses cheap Lippert suspension components some of which are made in Communist China and ChiComm willpop tires. Trailers with Lippert suspension and Chicomm tires are very likely to exhibit failures.

A couple of years ago a TDR member who owns a Cardinal fifth wheel made by Forest River posted photos and a write up describing pulling into a rural campground over uneven terrain and had one of the axle perches separate from the frame and one side of the rear axle twisted around under the frame. Lippert junk!

Warren Buffett owns profitable companies. He is an investor, not an RV manufacturer. Thor Industries owns Forest River. Mr. Buffett may own lots of shares of Thor but he doesn't OWN it. Thor is a publically traded corporation that also owns several other RV companies. I doubt Warren Buffett would recognize a Forrest River RV if you pulled it onto his lawn.

 

[rotohead]

Wishful thinking.

Jayco trailers use quality Dexter springs, brakes, wheels, and American made tires.

Forest River uses cheap Lippert suspension components some of which are made in Communist China and ChiComm willpop tires. Trailers with Lippert suspension and Chicomm tires are very likely to exhibit failures.

A couple of years ago a TDR member who owns a Cardinal fifth wheel made by Forest River posted photos and a write up describing pulling into a rural campground over uneven terrain and had one of the axle perches separate from the frame and one side of the rear axle twisted around under the frame. Lippert junk!

Warren Buffett owns profitable companies. He is an investor, not an RV manufacturer. Thor Industries owns Forest River. Mr. Buffett may own lots of shares of Thor but he doesn't OWN it. Thor is a publically traded corporation that also owns several other RV companies. I doubt Warren Buffett would recognize a Forrest River RV if you pulled it onto his lawn.

Oh good, if you like Jayco's then you can have the one I can't use or sell since the right frame rail failed and you can't open the door since it's racked so bad.
My Surveyor came with Goodyears and I haven't had any problems with the torsion axle.
Each to his own I guess, like trannys.
Chuck

 

[HBarlow]

I've never suggested Jayco trailers are top of the line, just normally good value for the dollar.

Tell us about your Jayco. Other members might want to know before they make a buying decision. What year and model is it? Any idea what led to the frame failure? Total frame failures are pretty rare even among the really cheap and flimsy brands.

 

[rotohead]

I've never suggested Jayco trailers are top of the line, just normally good value for the dollar.

Tell us about your Jayco. Other members might want to know before they make a buying decision. What year and model is it? Any idea what led to the frame failure? Total frame failures are pretty rare even among the really cheap and flimsy brands.

Yeah I know you didn't put Jayco at the top but then again you were critical about an entire RV line which I don't think is very accurate either.

My Jayco is a 96 Eagle 240SL, had since new and probably averaged 2-3k miles a year. It started to become junk after the sixth or seventh season when the right frame rail started bending upward. This was caused primarily for three reasons IMO.
1) Frame rails are a cheap metal box design slightly smaller than a 2 by 4 i would guess. It started bending upward from the door frame to the hitch.
2) There is "L" cross bracing running between the left and right rails that had numerous stress 'kink's in many of the one's in the front half of the trailer.
3) The front header rail (one making up the A frame) is such cheap metal and poor design that it is twisted or bowed in the middle.
This has made the door to become 'racked'. The door sil welds broke causing the upright the door hinges on to be tilted. There were times I couldn't open the door.
Of course b/c of our overly litigous (sp?) society I couldn't get anybody to even attempt a repair even if I agreed to sign a release.
Other problems over the years that I consider 'poor design' are:
1) Storage bind running across the front has a all plastic door that's curved in such a way as to always be floppy and break. Replaced twice and very expensive to get from Jayco. Doesn't seal at all on the lower half (a three inch gap) so all contents of storage gets fully soaked driving in any amount of rain.
2) Staples in the interior panels are worthless after the first year or two.
3) Much of the exterior fitting around the aluminum siding ends and where it meets things like drip rails are poorly designed and constantly come undone.
4) Cheap caulking around windows that almost turn to liquid when very hot.
5) More sharp edges on doors, etc than I can count. I have the scares to prove it.

I tried to focus on just the trailer issues and not harp on things like heaters, AC, etc. And I'm sure most all trailers have problems esp one's that are over ten years in service. BUT, I took extra care to maintain, clean and store (in a heated garage when not in use) and I expected the frame to hold up.
So, the Forest River Surveyor I use now has a I beam frame design and don't anticipate a problem like this again.
Thanks for listening.
Chuck

 

[HBarlow]

Wow, that's a pretty bad report.

What is the basic style of an Eagle 240SL? I can guess it was approximately 24' long. Is it an ordinary conventional travel trailer, not a toy box or other special purpose?

Did you carry anything heavy on the A frame or in the front half of the trailer?

 

[rotohead]

The Eagle 240SL is a conventional 24ft trailer, no popouts or unusual features. As you concluded the weight on the front half of the trailer would seem to be problematic with this trailer wide storage bin on the very front. The one thing I really liked about this unit was all the storage space and since I have mobility issues things like roof storage doesn't work for me. I used the front storage bin to storage large, bulky things like sleeping bags, tents, tarps, etc AND stuff that you don't want inside like charcoal bags, etc. I didn't ever make a point NOT storing heavy stuff in there, just the way it worked out. The fabracation shop held in highest regard for trailer repair here in Reno is Kro-Built and when I had them look at it they said it was the undersized rails used by Jayco during those years and they had seen a number of other Jayco's with similar conditions.
When I shopped for a replacement I looked for I beam rails (never got around to looking at new Jayco's) and laminated siding instead of aluminum. Hard to find a trailer with those plus a floorplan with the bed and bath next to each other and 24ft or less. I miss the storage on that Jayco but not much else.

 

[rotohead]

And just a couple additional notes, the only things on the A frame are two batteries, the propane tanks store in a bin front left side of trailer about three feet back of the front header rail. Plus I never took it off road (I'm not a hunter), always on pavement and I've been retired since I bought it so I'm never in a rush to get anywhere. I just wish I could afford a Artic Fox.

 

[HBarlow]

It does sound like you got a poorly designed and built Jayco. I don't blame you for being critical of the company.

The founder, I think his name was Lloyd Bontrager, started out as an employee in a local Starcraft pop up tent trailer. He personally designed a smart and practical folding lift arm set for lifting and stretching the canvas. Starcraft management rejected his idea so he quit and began building a similar product in his own farm. He was an Amish farmer.

Over a short few years his new trailers became big sellers and he became very successful. He bought Starcraft and made it what it became later. I have now forgotten when it happened but he and his oldest son, I think, were returning from a trip in their private plane and crashed. Sadly both were killed.

His death probably left his widow with a large and successful company to run that he had run by himself. She probably struggled for several years as other family members moved into management roles. I think your bad Jayco was purchased during the difficult period.

Personally, the larger and more expensive Jayco fifth wheels don't appeal to me but recent years have been good trailers. I worked for JET which is the transport arm of Jayco for most of a year. I pulled lots of their conventional travel trailers and looked them over. For entry level value I think they are excellent.

I'm sorry you bought a bad one. I know that cost you a lot of money. You may have done other TDR members a favor by warning them about inadequate frame members on mid-90s Jayco travel trailers.

 

[rotohead]

Harvey, I really appreciate that info. Very interesting to me and thank you for the interest in my situation. Things do change in the RV business and your expertise is greatly appreciated. I agree, these issues in RV's can be so year specific that it's great to have this discussion. If my Surveyor has issues I'll be sure to share that info. I'll also make a point, ten years later hopefully, that it performed well. Thanks again.
Chuck