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12-03-2014, 08:33 AM
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#1
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Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 33
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Has anyone towed a 70's Airstream 31ft trailer ?
If so what did you think about how it towed? What MPG did you get towing? Would this be easier to tow than a fifth wheel at same length?
Thanks..
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12-03-2014, 04:21 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Huntsville, AL/Helen, GA
Posts: 1,566
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Yea, they're high quality trailers.
Yea, they're aerodynamic.
Yea, they're water tight.
Yea, they're really, really heavy.
I don't see that an Airstream would be any cheaper to tow than a fifth wheel trailer. A 3/4 ton truck would be preferable with a first class hitch like a Hensley.
Difference is that a fiver owner is not part of an exclusive club/cult.
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12-03-2014, 04:44 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Missouri City, TX
Posts: 1,309
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Quote:
Originally Posted by desertratt
If so what did you think about how it towed? What MPG did you get towing? Would this be easier to tow than a fifth wheel at same length?
Thanks..
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I have a 1976 Airstream Sovereign 31'. I have towed the trailer coast to coast on all types of roads and it tows great. I have a Suburban 1500 and I have plenty of power for my needs on the highway and hills. You need a good hitch and I have used a Hensley Arrow for over 10 years, would never go have to a standard hitch. As for as an Airstream or 5th wheel it just depends on what you want and and how much room you need. Forget about good gas mileage with whatever you tow, ain't going to happen. Check out the iRV2 sister Airstream forum, Airstream Forums - Powered by vBulletin. You can get all of the details from actual Airstream owners.
good luck.
__________________
Don
2003 Forest River Cardinal Platinum 37' 5th Wheel
1976 31' Airstream
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12-04-2014, 08:54 AM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Oregon
Posts: 6,657
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A TT will never ever tow as well as a 5er tows. Using a Hensley or ProPride will mimic what it's like with a 5er. But in reality it won't be 100% the same. Maybe 95%.
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01-03-2015, 03:09 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Winnebago Owners Club Vintage RV Owners Club
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Texas 76036
Posts: 152
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It sure tows nice if you have the title, rather than the payment book on a 5th wheel. Vintage Avion 30p (1984) F150 ECOBoost. gps
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01-03-2015, 03:29 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Palm Coast Florida
Posts: 12,995
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Water tight? There are way too many rivits in aluminum which is considered a soft metal. In time the soft metal with rivits will leak. Don't let anyone tell you airstream trailers do not leak.
Check out 'Long long long honeymoon' on YouTube.
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01-03-2015, 04:34 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Mcdonough, Ga.
Posts: 5,932
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tuffr2
Water tight? There are way too many rivits in aluminum which is considered a soft metal. In time the soft metal with rivits will leak. Don't let anyone tell you airstream trailers do not leak.
Check out 'Long long long honeymoon' on YouTube.
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I have owned three airstreams. None have ever leaked at the rivets. I can't say that Airstreams don't leak,because they can leak at any opening. The doors, windows' and refrigerator vents are all places that water can intrude, but I never had rivets leak or heard of a major problem with leaking rivets unless they sheared(the head breaking off.)
__________________
1998 Pace Arrow 35 ft. F53 Ford V10 2014 Honda CRV toad
32 years mechanic at Delta Air Lines 15 year motorhome service manager. 3 popups....2 travel trailers....5 motorhomes....loved them all.
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01-03-2015, 07:01 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 996
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My folks towed one all over the US with a Mid 70's suburban, It was the 3 axle Land Yacht. Never had any issues that I knew of, then yet I was in the back row of the suburban looking at the trailer for 1000's of miles.
__________________
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01-05-2015, 10:06 AM
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#9
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: HillBilly country, Smokey Mtns
Posts: 4,171
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cumminsfan
A TT will never ever tow as well as a 5er tows. Using a Hensley or ProPride will mimic what it's like with a 5er. But in reality it won't be 100% the same. Maybe 95%.
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Disagree. I've towed my 8,000-pound 5er with a 5er hitch and my 5,000-pound TT with a ProPride hitch. No difference. They're both great if properly installed and set up.
The problem is that the ProPride hitch (and the older design Hensley Arrow) cost over $2,300 plus installation and adjustment, while a good 5er hitch such as the Reese Classic with 4-way tilt costs about $1,000 installed. But 5ers cost more than TTs of the same interior space and quality, so you can tow a TT with a ProPride hitch for about the same cost as a 5er.
TTs with 30' box length average about 13% hitch weight while 5ers with 30' box length average about 18%. That difference means you'll exceed the GVWR of the tow vehicle with a 5er when you could tow a TT without being overloaded. So a TT is almost always the better choice for folks that tow with an SUV or half-ton or even a three-quarter ton pickup. (My '99.5 F-250 was overloaded when towing my 8,000-pound 5er, but the GVWR of F-250s has increased since then.)
__________________
Grumpy ole man with over 60 years towing experience. Now my heaviest trailer is a 7'x16' 5,000-pound flatbed utility trailer, my tow vehicle is a 2019 F-150 Lariat 3.5L EcoBoost SuperCab with Max Tow (1,904 pounds payload capacity).
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