Thor Annual Report

[robert claus]

I just received my Thor stockholder's 2013 Annual Report, and found a couple of things of general interest. Thor has divested itself of its bus manufacturing businesses, including some that had been acquired fairly recently, so that it is now solely dedicated to the RV industry with towables and motorhomes.
An interesting acquisition in the past year was Livin Lite, manufacturer of a number of brands of light weight trailers made entirely of aluminum and composites "without a splinter of wood". Maybe this technology will migrate to Airstream, and we'll see wood floors become obsolete.
Overall, Thor is pretty damn healthy.

[bolerama]

I just went to the Livin Lite website.. Now, why cant Airstream have a composite floor instead of the plywood floor which rots over time.. We pay enough for them..

[robert claus]

They just acquired them, so it will be interesting to see if this feature of the Livin Lite line is transferred to Thor's premium product line - Airstream.

[SteSpot]

Originally Posted by robert claus

They just acquired them, so it will be interesting to see if this feature of the Livin Lite line is transferred to Thor's premium product line - Airstream.

Or, would they send the plywood floor over to Livin Lite?

[rivet-rivet]

Been searching on line for the Extruded Aluminum Interlocking Plank flooring in our CampLite. Found this link:

Extruded Aluminum Interlocking Plank Floor ALM1705 | Heavy Hauler Trailers & Truck Accessories

Here's some shots of the aluminum floor & frame in our CampLite TT:

[switz]

That aluminum floor would need a thick pad as insulation under the carpet!

[AtomicNo13]

I'm all for this but I wonder how much insulation yous need to offset the effects of cold and condensation....beer that's a huge surface area with no air gap like the shell.

Personally I'd like go see a light composite along the lines of trex.

In Europe one can buy a 4x8 sheet of trex like plywood.

[rivet-rivet]

We use a carpet while camping and roll it up before towing in the rain. When towing in heavy rain, water will sometimes seep between the planks. One guy I met uses a water hose to wash the floor of his LivinLite Toy Hauler floor after a trip. Thinking a sheet metal skin could be placed on the bottom to prevent water from getting in while towing, and then place an insulated mat inside. The floor is tough.

[AtomicNo13]

Tough is right! I wish I could hose out my Excella and panamerican.

[rivet-rivet]

When I find a vintage Airstream project, my idea is to install an aluminum plank floor like the LivinLite CampLite, with sheet metal skin on the bottom of the floor and insulated mat with carpet on top.

[masseyfarm]

For living trailers, why not turn it upside down, fill the cavities with wiring/plumbing, etc. and spray insulation and cover the top with light composite or wood flooring? Finished top and bottom and strong.


Dave

[Silverflames]

The cost of this floor may be a problem for AS. On a 30' trailer you looking at $400 for plywood vs $3600 for the interlocking aluminum floor. It would be a nice upgrade when buying new. Totally worth it.

[ROBERT CROSS]

There are options available....

Bob

[Wingeezer]

I have enjoyed our Airstream very much since we bought it a few years ago - it is our first.

If AS could somehow get a handle on filiform, and would get rid of the wooden floor I would certainly be considering treating ourselves to a new one as our last RV.

Then I would feel I was getting half decent value for money - assuming these features didn't have a dramatic impact on price

Otherwise not - we'll just make do with the one we have!

I wonder how many other folk feel the same way.

Brian.

[rivet-rivet]

Just finished a very nice Thanksgiving dinner with our Children and Grand Children.

We purchased the LivinLite CampLite TT because it's mostly aluminum and our's has painted aluminum skins for interior/exterior walls, too. The walls and ceiling have aluminum tube frames welded together with insulation laminated between the skins & tube frames. It's a very rugged camper. Our 1500lb 2010 CampLite 11RD (11' long box) was one of the early "basic" travel trailers built by LivinLite. It's not aerodynamic and later models have a rounded front with less wind resistance. We leave the dinette down 100% of the time set up as a 60X80" bed with a memory foam mattress. It has a roof mount 13,500BTU AC and can be very cold during hot weather, if someone needs to be refrigerated. We call it our aluminum tent with heating and cooling.

We want to move up to a larger TT. Have been reading threads about wood floor repairs on Airstreams, and considering a 19 to 25' Vintage project with the goal of installing an aluminum floor. Talked to one vintage Airstream rebuilder, but would like to give it a go myself. Saw some good ideas earlier in this thread, so this is a good place to be with a project.

Since I've liked airplanes for a long time, appreciated the first Airstream I saw going down the highway. Could move up to a larger & better equipped CampLite TT compared to the 11RD, but Airstreams are beautiful travel trailers.