'86 Argosy (Newbie, please be gentle)

[Arrow782001]

Hello,
My wife and I have just purchased an 86 33' Argosy trailer (we call her "goose"). We really love it, but it had been sitting for a while (inside and outside a bit). We live in the Great PNW and have to deal with rain. I have a couple of questions. 1) I will need to live in this for at least a year for a job that I got (FINALLY!!!!! LOL) and, sadly (or happily, depending on ones point of view), at the end of this the wife and I might have to go "full-time". Can anyone tell me whether or not this trailer is a good candidate for this? This trailer was well cared for and we are on the hunt to seal and clean all areas inside the "home".
2) I need to remove the two end tables at the rear of the trailer, but all I see are rivets, and smooth sections to contend with. How do I remove the end tables? also, how do I remove rivets and reinstall them? What size rivets do I need for replacements? thank you for your help. I will attempt some photos here, but, I am new here, if they dont come up, please accept my apologies. Thanks

[Bex]

Hello there and welcome!
I believe you have what has been affectionately called a "squarestream"
Thats the sum total of what I can offer you. There are far more knowledgeable folks here that will guide you.
Just keep asking, use the search facility (I use the Google option) and check out some of the vendor web sites.

Bex

[TG Twinkie]

I lived in a 14' Shasta for 11 months in Richmond, BC thru the winter. Pulled the trailer from Denver, CO in late October over Snoqualmie Pass thru 2 feet of snow with a 4 cylinder Toyota pickup. Quite a trip. It was much nicer returning home in September with a tail wind. LOL So in my opinion you should do well in a 33 footer.

[Argonaut20]

You drill the rivets out to remove them. The heads have a dimple in them that makes it easy to center the bit. Most of the rivets are1/8 inch and you use a 1/8 inch bit to drill them out. Get a pop rivet tool (Harbor Freight has them) and a collection of rivets (Harbor Freight, Home Depot, Lowes). The rivets come in different lengths and colors. The short length handles two sheets of aluminum (wall panels and the like) and the medium and long lengths are for thicker material. The boxes of rivets usually give the grip range. Your tables should not be difficult to remove, just be looking for rivets in strange locations. There are 3/16 inch diameter rivets available but most of the time you are dealing with 1/8 inch.

[mandolindave]

Keeping the incoming water line from freezing takes some doing.
Waste removal ....same
Dealing with condensation in a airtight trailer is an issue.
You will either need a few backup propane tanks, or a very large propane tank,
or use electric heat.
Even " Four Season RVs " ( which your trailer is not) have these issues.

Please note that I have only spent a week at a time wintering in my trailer.
I used a porta potty, jugs of water, and electric heat. The trailer had to be winterized to pull it off.

In Pennsylvania, living in a trailer under 50 feet long is prohibited. In N.J.
the town gave me trouble for even having my trailer in my driveway.

[Skatiero]

Cool trailer!!! We have an 89 Excella, and to remove furniture from it we had to crawl around and under and find hidden screws. A Phillips head screwdriver was all they took to remove. I know it us a different rig, but look very very carefully with s strong flashlight in case your end tables are similar. Only the overhead cabinets were actually riveted in in ours. Your camper seems plenty large enough to full-time in with only two of you as long as you really really like each other. I lived jn Japan for a little while and many apartments in the big cities are about that size!

[Djmclean]

Nice trailer. We have recently acquired a 33' fifth wheel. I could live in it very comfortably. Ours has a great shower/tub in a huge walk thru bath. There are some photos of ours in the snow here someplace. They were posted by the previous owner, so winter living can be done. He had a hose with electric heat tape around it in the compartment, so I guess that kept the water from freezing.

I'd love to see more interior photos. Ours has a slide out, so I know the floor plans are different, but I like looking at originals to get some idea of the changes that were made in ours.