Proud new owner of a '67 Safari (as of today!). Only problem is that it's 2200 miles away! So, one quick question. Has anyone ever used any of the transporter companies listed on airstreamtrailers.com? If so, any thoughts (other than I should just take a week off of work and make the trip from Reno, NV to Pontiac, MI before the snow starts flying)? Anyone back east heading west to pick up a trailer? Any other '67 owner tuned in? Thanks!
Proud new owner of a '67 Safari (as of today!). Only problem is that it's 2200 miles away! So, one quick question. Has anyone ever used any of the transporter companies listed on airstreamtrailers.com? If so, any thoughts (other than I should just take a week off of work and make the trip from Reno, NV to Pontiac, MI before the snow starts flying)? Anyone back east heading west to pick up a trailer? Any other '67 owner tuned in? Thanks!
saahieb,
I have not used any of the hauling services listed but, based only on what I've seen at a A/S dealership..I'd say, choose your company based upon a solid list of excellent references that are verifiable..
Not all drivers are as careful with their charges as we'd like to think..
Even with new units, let alone a used vintage A/S..
Just a word to the wise..
Good luck to you~!!
ciao
53FC
__________________ WBCCI 5292 AIR 807 NEU #64 New England Unit
Proud new owner of a '67 Safari (as of today!). Only problem is that it's 2200 miles away! So, one quick question. Has anyone ever used any of the transporter companies listed on airstreamtrailers.com? If so, any thoughts (other than I should just take a week off of work and make the trip from Reno, NV to Pontiac, MI before the snow starts flying)? Anyone back east heading west to pick up a trailer? Any other '67 owner tuned in? Thanks!
Hi,
We hauled ours home from Wisconsin to California in June. Here's what we found out:
Hiring someone else to do it is as expensive as you going to get it yourself and yes, they might not be as careful with it.
Make sure ahead of time that the axles, wheels, and tires are good, if not, get them fixed. Bad axles will be a bad thing on the trip, repacking the bearings of the wheels and/or getting new tires isn't a big deal.
Definitely get weight distribution and sway control equipment, if you're going to own this trailer you'll need that stuff anyway. Boy were we glad we had that stuff when we went through windy Utah.
It's not as hard as it sounds to tow it home. Just a looooong boring drive.
Hi,
We hauled ours home from Wisconsin to California in June. Here's what we found out:
Hiring someone else to do it is as expensive as you going to get it yourself and yes, they might not be as careful with it.
Make sure ahead of time that the axles, wheels, and tires are good, if not, get them fixed. Bad axles will be a bad thing on the trip, repacking the bearings of the wheels and/or getting new tires isn't a big deal.
Definitely get weight distribution and sway control equipment, if you're going to own this trailer you'll need that stuff anyway. Boy were we glad we had that stuff when we went through windy Utah.
It's not as hard as it sounds to tow it home. Just a looooong boring drive.
good luck you won't regret your purchase! Have any pictures?
Pinky- I'm going to check out your homepage here shortly, but have a couple of other quick questions. You've mentioned wieght distribution and sway control equipment. I thought that this was stuff that was attached to the trailer, apparently I've got a lot to learn. Anyway, what would you recommend for a Ford F350 diesel TV? Any previous threads on this that you can direct me to? I've got some pics, just need to figure out how to get'em on here. The kiddies are callin' so I'll be back later...
Pinky- I'm going to check out your homepage here shortly, but have a couple of other quick questions. You've mentioned wieght distribution and sway control equipment. I thought that this was stuff that was attached to the trailer, apparently I've got a lot to learn. Anyway, what would you recommend for a Ford F350 diesel TV? Any previous threads on this that you can direct me to? I've got some pics, just need to figure out how to get'em on here. The kiddies are callin' so I'll be back later...
Weight distribution won't be a significant issue with an F350 towing a Vintage Caravel, but sway control is of benefit on any setup (IMHO). If the Caravel has a typical Reese Hitch, there will be two snap-up brakcets on the hitch, the ball mount that goes into the 2" receiver hitch on the tow vehicle has privisions for the weight distribution bars to slide into, on the ends of the weight distribution bars you will find chains that are hooked onto the snap-up brackets and locked into place with a pin. It is possible to have a sway control built-into this arrangement (Dual Cam Sway Control), and in this instance there will be two "U" shaped brackets with chains attached on the tongue of the trailer in addition to the snap-up brackets, the weight distribution bars will have steel saddles rather than chains and these saddles will ride in the arm that is attached to the "U" bracket on the tongue of the trailer (the effectiveness of the sway control is goverened by the tension on the weight distribution bars in large part). You can find information about these two types of hitches at:
Many use a friction sway control with their weight distributin hitches that do not have built-in sway control. You can see the friction device that Reese sells at:
With a truck as heavy as your Ford F350, the challenge will be to find weight distribution bars light enough for the coach. The lightest Reese weight distribution bars that I have encountered were rated at 350 pounds, and I don't believe that they have been available since sometime in the 1980s. A second challenge may be finidng a ball mount with enough drop to meet the requirements of the Caravel - - according to the Airstream Weights and Measures page, it looks like your '67 Safari requires a ball height of 21.5" - - it was a real challenge to locate the deep drop drawbar that my 3/4 ton 4X4 Suburban required to achieve the 19.5" ball height for my Overlander.
Good luck with your adventures!
Kevin
__________________
Kevin D. Allen WBCCI (Lifetime Member)/VAC/Free Wheelers #6359 AIR #827
1964 Overlander International/1999 GMC K2500 Suburban (7400 VORTEC/4.11 Differentials)
1978 Argosy Minuet 6.0 Metre/1975 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible (8.2 Liter V8/2.70 Final Drive)
Overlander, PinkFlamingos, 53FC...Thanks for all the info., PF, thanks again for the links to all the previous posts. I'll keep you all 'posted' on our new trailer, I hope we can make arrangements to get it soon! I'll be in touch!
I bought my 71 23 ft. Safari from a guy in Wisconsin and pulled it back to the West Coast in April with my 3/4 ton Chev 4x4 pickup. Just dropped it on the ball, and went, but in retrospect, I could have used a WD hitch to help balance the heavy tongue load and dampen some of the ferocious cross winds across the Dakotas and Wyoming. Never anything scary, but the old girl needed some attention on the steering, and I could feel it over bumps and grade separations.
I recently pulled the Safari all over the West for several months with a new F250 Super Cab and it pulled like a dream without any WD or sway control. The newer Super Duties pull really well and are quite heavy, so the trailer does not push the truck around much at all. I would suggest that you try it first with a simple hitch insert of the appropriate height/drop. Your Safari, being the earlier generation, is also a bit lighter than mine (4800 lbs wet) and should pull really well behind that big diesel. If you have not had much experience towing, then you might want to consider a setup with sway controls.
For comparison, I have recently been pulling with a new Ford Explorer and it needs a full WD hitch setup to balance out the load on the lighter tow vehicle.
Welcome to the Forums and the world of Vintage Airstreaming!
Quote:
Originally Posted by saahieb
Proud new owner of a '67 Safari (as of today!). Only problem is that it's 2200 miles away! So, one quick question. Has anyone ever used any of the transporter companies listed on airstreamtrailers.com? If so, any thoughts (other than I should just take a week off of work and make the trip from Reno, NV to Pontiac, MI before the snow starts flying)? Anyone back east heading west to pick up a trailer? Any other '67 owner tuned in? Thanks!
While I haven't had any contact with the companies/individuals listed on the site you mentioned, there is one gentleman who is an independent contractor (regularly transports new travel trailers from manufacturer to dealers) who has transported Vintage Airstreams for a number of owners and is also a past-president of the Vintage Airstream Club. I found a posting in the Vintage Airstream Club discussion list archives that addressed this transport service, and you can find this message at:
I do know that from what Mr. Davis has said, much of his regular work is East of the Mississippi. You never know, he may consider a Western delivery - - it wouldn't hurt to contact him for a possible estimate.
Good luck with your investigation!
Kevin
__________________
Kevin D. Allen WBCCI (Lifetime Member)/VAC/Free Wheelers #6359 AIR #827
1964 Overlander International/1999 GMC K2500 Suburban (7400 VORTEC/4.11 Differentials)
1978 Argosy Minuet 6.0 Metre/1975 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible (8.2 Liter V8/2.70 Final Drive)
Well, I tried with the pics, but must have done something wrong as they don't seem to be showing up. Maybe there's a delay in uploading process or maybe I just need to read the thread on adding photos...
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1967 Caravel
2007 Toyota Tundra Yea! Great to be Back!!!
Well, I tried with the pics, but must have done something wrong as they don't seem to be showing up. Maybe there's a delay in uploading process or maybe I just need to read the thread on adding photos...
Your pictures are probably too big. When you go to "manage attachments" on a post, it gives you a browser menu to choose which pics to upload, and the message that your photos exceed the max size allowed before you click "close" is small and hard to see. Try resizing them to smaller and uploading again!
I wanna see!!! I'm so excited for you!
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ingrid
1967 24' Tradewind #19104 ~ Forums #4449
Your pictures are probably too big. When you go to "manage attachments" on a post, it gives you a browser menu to choose which pics to upload, and the message that your photos exceed the max size allowed before you click "close" is small and hard to see. Try resizing them to smaller and uploading again!
I wanna see!!! I'm so excited for you!
OK, looks like they're on! (in the member's section?) The pics are the same that I e-mailed you, so nothing too exciting, but feel free to check'em out! Just got to find the time to go and get it now!!!
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1967 Caravel
2007 Toyota Tundra Yea! Great to be Back!!!
Just got some additional pics of axle condition see attached. From previous thread info. everything looks to be ok to me... any thoughts? I have also attached a couple of pics of the weight dist./anti-sway equipment. Looks complete. One thing that I have realized is that I will need to get a lowering extension? as the ball height show on the trunion? will add about 4" to the 21" I currently have from ground to bottom lip of receiver. Again, any thoughts?
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1967 Caravel
2007 Toyota Tundra Yea! Great to be Back!!!
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