'67 Safari Newbie

[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!

[53flyingcloud]

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!

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

[pinkflamingoes]

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!

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.

see our trip log at http://home.alamedanet.net/~airstream and email me if you have any questions...

good luck you won't regret your purchase! Have any pictures?

[overlander64]

Greetings saahieb!

Welcome to the Forums and the world of Vintage Airstreaming!

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:

Vintage Airstream Transport Services

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

[saahieb]

Originally Posted by pinkflamingoes

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.

see our trip log at http://home.alamedanet.net/~airstream and email me if you have any questions...

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...

[overlander64]

Greetings saahieb!

Originally Posted by saahieb

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:

Reese Trunion Style Weight Distributing Hitch without Dual Cam Sway Control

Reese Strait-Line Trunion Style Weight Distributing Hitch with Dual Cam Sway Control

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:

Reese Friction Sway Controls

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

[saahieb]

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!

[pinkflamingoes]

We want pictures!!!

[71_safari]

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.

-john

[saahieb]

John- Thanks for the info. Spoke with the previous owner, he says the trailer already has a weight distribution and anti-sway system attached to the trailer. I'm going to ask for a pic, as he makes it seem that all I need to do is plug the trailer assembly into my receiver and I'm set. Anyone know if there will be any receiver height issues? From the bottom lip of my 2" sq. receiver to the ground is about 21". From a previous post it looks like I'll be ok as hitch height was listed at 21 3/4". Oh yea, another question...does anyone who the height of a '67 Safari? No a/c or awning. Pics to follow shortly...

[nellie the elephant]

hey saahieb,
Congrats. In my opinion, you just bought yourself the cream of the crop. Perfect size for a small family, a couple of just you. I bought a 66 safari two years ago, and it was in S. Carolina. I live in Los Angeles, so the logistics where simple. Fly to SC, rent a uhaul truck, and tow that bad boy across the country. It was that easy. Uhaul even rigged the lights so they worked from thier truck. I had to rent a 24 foot box truck, since they won't let you tow with a pick up truck. It was stable, had plenty of power, and got me home safely (in three days). It cost me 1000 to rent the truck, and 1000 in gas. Good thing I paid only 4500 for my safari.

Good luck. It will be worth it.

[pinkflamingoes]

Originally Posted by nellie the elephant

Fly to SC, rent a uhaul truck, and tow that bad boy across the country. It was that easy. Uhaul even rigged the lights so they worked from thier truck. I had to rent a 24 foot box truck, since they won't let you tow with a pick up truck. It was stable, had plenty of power, and got me home safely (in three days). It cost me 1000 to rent the truck, and 1000 in gas. Good thing I paid only 4500 for my safari.
Good luck. It will be worth it.

If I had known that, I would have done that too. It would have saved us money and time, but I thought U-Haul wouldn't do that? I suggest calling the U-Haul in the area your trailer is in and giving that a shot. It's better than driving out and driving back. Now THAT was a long drive.

i

[saahieb]

Yes, a good option. Still waiting to see if we can rendevous (sp?) somewhere half-way.

[saahieb]

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...

[Creampuff]

Great acquisition- I agree with Nellie- premo model.
What do you have - the "double' or the 'twin'. Difference is double has 2 double bed 'gauchos' (one up front, one mid streetside). The twin has 2 pullout twin beds in front with a fixed dinette table. I have owned both and prefer the twin.
Here's some specs. for you from the orig. manual:
Overall length 22' 11"
Overall width 96"
Overall height 106"
Weight 3420 lbs
Hitch (tongue) wt. 398 lbs
2" Ball Height 22" (as posted earlier, 21 1/2 "is probably o.k. as axle is old)
Send me a private message (PM) for any specific advice on your model anytime. Welcome to the good times!

[saahieb]

Murray- Thanks! We're REALLY excited and will be even more so once we get our hands on this thing! Anyway, it's a double configuration, supposedly all original and all is good condition and working order. Should be good for our family, we have two little ones 4.5 and 3. Thanks for the specs. I'm trying to figure out if it will clear the opening into our garage...looks like I'll be doing a little work with the sawsall...oh well. I tried to post some pics of the trailer, but could not get'em to show up. I've obviously got a bit more reading to do. If you (or anyone else) knows of someone head east to west to pick up a trailer please let me know. Maybe I can tow theirs west to east and we'll meet somewhere in between for an exchange. Kinda funky but it just may work!

[pinkflamingoes]

Originally Posted by saahieb

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!

[saahieb]

Originally Posted by pinkflamingoes

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!!!

[saahieb]

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?

[overlander64]

Greetings saahieb!

Originally Posted by saahieb

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?

The hitch pictured with the coach is a Reese Strait-Line with Dual Cam Sway Control. It may be very close to the same vintage as the coach. The hitch head appears to be of the "welded" type meaning that the drawbar and hitch head are essentially two pieces that have been welded together to make one - - this was quite common as recently as 20 years ago - - today it is quite rare, and you may have difficulty finding a welder who is willing to separate and rejoin the pieces (it is a little more complex than just separating and reattaching as the hitch head angle must be taken into account as well which requires a welder with hitch fabrication experience). The Trunion style hitch head/drawbar assemblies that are bolt-together are readily available through Reese at: Reese Weight Distribution Ball Mounts. It appears that other than that one small problem the hitch is complete.

Both of my coaches have the same hitch shown on your coach - - only I have upgraded to the adjustable hitch heads to make changing tow vehicles a bit easier. I think that you will find the hitch to be quite functional - - if my suspicion is correct and the weight distribution bars are 750 pound rated, you may find them a bit heavy for use with your F350 - - to get the best operation from the Dual Cam with a heavy tow vehicle a lower rated bar (either 350 or 500 pounds) is usually necessary (I utilize 350 pound bars with my Minuet 6.0 Metre -- 3,100 pounds gross weight/575 pounds gross tongue weight).

Good luck with your project!

Kevin