My understanding is that CA safety/environmental standards were considerably more defined in '59 than those in Ohio. CA Tradewinds also have a vent pipe running vertically through the bathroom countertop to exit on the roof.
My understanding is that CA safety/environmental standards were considerably more defined in '59 than those in Ohio. CA Tradewinds also have a vent pipe running vertically through the bathroom countertop to exit on the roof.
Mark
Local environmental standards, yes that would make sense.
Local environmental standards, yes that would make sense.
Actually, they were California mobile home regulations that, in their broad sweep, also applied to travel trailers built in California (hence the unusual vents found on the heater chimneys as well as fully vented gas refigerators). Airstream didn't have its lobbying act -- $$$$$ -- well enough together to win an exemption from the politicos. Look for a small black background plaque next to the VIN plates on California built Airstreams from ~ 1959 to ~1963, which state the trailer was built to the standards imposed by the California Division of Housing. No such plate appears on Ohio built trailers from those years. Instead, the Ohio trailers voluntarily were built to MHMA approved standards, and usually had an oval plate to prove it.
__________________
Fred Coldwell, WBCCI #1510, AIR #2675
Denver, Colorado - WBCCI Unit 24
Charter Associate Member FCU
Vintage Airstream Club Historian
Airstream Life "Old Aluminum Adventures"
Mine also is an ohio trdwnd with the vents in the floor under the furnace .
The MHMA is an roundish winged type ensignia and then the dataplate has
jackson center ohio and below in the other corner gives the Los Angelese
address as well seemingly advertising that airstreams are made in both places .No vent pipe on the counter as mine went in the wall from the toilet up to the roof thru a small pipe .It has the shipswheel and the tradewind
placard rivited on also ,alot of badging on it .
Mine also is an ohio trdwnd with the vents in the floor under the furnace. The MHMA is an roundish winged type ensignia and then the dataplate has jackson center ohio and below in the other corner gives the Los Angelese address as well seemingly advertising that airstreams are made in both places. No vent pipe on the counter as mine went in the wall from the toilet up to the roof thru a small pipe. It has the shipswheel and the tradewind placard rivited on also ,alot of badging on it. Scott
Hi Scott:
The California built ~1959 to ~1962 trailers had the bathtub/bathroom sink vent pipe come vertically right up through the lavanette countertop just inwards of the tub. I believe this location was used to stay under the maximum distances betweeen the vent stack and the traps allowed by the Calif. mobile home regulations. Ohio built trailers did not have to conform to those regs, so their bathroom floor plans were different and the vent pipe was hidden in a wall.
The MHMA plate was the RV industry "Seal of Good Trailerbuilding" that certified the trailer meant certain "better" construction standards, and smart shoppers looked for it as the mark of a well built trailer.
The ships wheel "Land Yacht" plaque announces your 1960 Tradewind has the self-contained "Land Yacht" intermediate level trim package. The base model "standard" Airstreams from 1958 to 1962 had mostly 120 vac appliances (refrigerator, water heater, interior lamps) and no 12 vdc electrical system; they were designed primarily for park use as opposed to "off grid" use. That trim level desingation was moved to the serial number plate by 1962 and became the new base model standard in 1963, when the all 120 vac "standard" Airstreams were dropped from the line up in favor of producing just self-contained travel trailers.
__________________
Fred Coldwell, WBCCI #1510, AIR #2675
Denver, Colorado - WBCCI Unit 24
Charter Associate Member FCU
Vintage Airstream Club Historian
Airstream Life "Old Aluminum Adventures"
I've exchanged 3 emails with Dometic USA Technical Service Dept and think their info is incorrect. This began when I asked about how to remove the door hinges, and thus the front door, so my refrigerator would fit through the Tradewind's door. I sent the photos below to them, with the reply: "This is not a Dometic refer and I checked with other tech here and no one have a clue as to how to remove the doors on your refer. Sorry we could not be more help to you."
Two questions:
1. How do I remove the refrig door without doing damage to components?
2. Is this not a model 75A Dometic (the front door reads "Dometic - Made in Sweden")? Is it some other brand with a pirated front door?
Thanks!
Mark
Oh yes, Mark, yours is a Dometic. Mine looks nearly like yours, hinges on opposite side, but interior shelving and design is the same. The door, interior and exterior, is a bit different than mine. Since you have a 59 TW, it could be just a model year older. You also have the old Klixon valve set-up. I've seen your photos. I'm led to believe yours is a model 75A based on your pic. I think mine is an M50a. I don't have an answer on removing the door, never tried on mine. I'm sure you've looked but do the hinges have removable pins?
I'm willing to bet the service technicians you corresponded with have never seen a model as old as yours, hence it doesn't register as a Dometic in their minds. Maybe one of the forum members, RVCool, can help. He has offered very helpful info on some other threads regarding refers.
Sugarfoot -
I share your opinion - the technical service dept has not encountered this refrigerator before today. I recall your photo, and the hinges on opposite side. I'm perplexed about how to pull the hinge pins without causing structural damage. The alternative is to remove approx 60 steel rivets holding the 4 trim pieces in place around the refrigerator perimeter. I thought that perhaps Dometic made refrigerators sold as another brand, e.g. Princess, but I see no other logo on mine.
Mark
I have a nearly identical Dometic, the hinge pins really DO come out, pretty much like a normal door hinge. But I agree, looks like they won't.
Then, even with the door off, we had to have the box lined up PERFECTLY square with the entry door to get it out--really a tight squeeze. I backed a pickup right up to trailer, then we just kind of scooted it/crammed it thru doorway onto tailgate of pickup.
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Look for a small black background plaque next to the VIN plates on California built Airstreams from ~ 1959 to ~1963, which state the trailer was built to the standards imposed by the California Division of Housing. No such plate appears on Ohio built trailers from those years. Instead, the Ohio trailers voluntarily were built to MHMA approved standards, and usually had an oval plate to prove it.
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