Argosy and Minuet Difference

[Rockout]

Hello,
I am new to this forum and like it very much.
A quick question:
What is the difference between a "regular" Argosy and a Minuet?
Is there a place on this site that has specifications for various years/models?

Thank you

[SteveH]

I believe the Minuet was smaller, and lighter. Not only in length, but in width and height also.

Welcome to the forum.

[mutcth]

The big differences:

Minuets are approximately 7' wide while "normal" Argosys are about 8' wide.
Most Minuets are 6.0Metre (about 20') models. 77 and some 78 models have an aluminum/styrofoam composite floor. Later 78 and 79 models have plywood floors.
They also made 6.7Metre Minuets (about 22', easily identifiable by the three streetside windows) and a handful of 7.3Metre (about 24') models.
Minuets have woodgrain-vinyl covered aluminum furniture, unique to the line. They're also lacking some amenities found in other Argosys, like a retractable entry step.
The shorter Minuets are very light - under 2500 lbs for the 6.0Metre.

overlander64, a member here and a fellow Minuet owner, is a prolific Argosy historian. Check out some of his other posts. He also provided links to Argosy brochures; they have the figures you want.

I love my Minuet; it's my favorite vintage Airstream mainly because it's actually a rather modern-in-concept trailer.

Tom

[Rockout]

Thank you mutcth & SteveH,

It appears that what I was looking at was not a Minuet, but a '72 twenty foot model. Now I need to find information on that including weights. The links to Argosy brochures do not go back to 1972. The unit I am looking at is listed as a 1972, 20' and it has a front goucho, not the dinette that is pictured in the 1975 brochure.
Does this sound right?

Thanks in advance.
Dave

[SteveH]

Originally Posted by Rockout

Thank you mutcth & SteveH,

It appears that what I was looking at was not a Minuet, but a '72 twenty foot model. Now I need to find information on that including weights. The links to Argosy brochures do not go back to 1972. The unit I am looking at is listed as a 1972, 20' and it has a front goucho, not the dinette that is pictured in the 1975 brochure.
Does this sound right?

Thanks in advance.
Dave

Yes, Dave, they made them both ways. We had a 70's 20' Argosy with a goucho in the front, I can't remember the exact year model, but I think it was a '73.

It was a nice little trailer, we had a good time with it, but soon wanted something bigger. I do remember the single axle Argosy was easy to tow, but had a tendency to sway. At the time I was just towing on the ball, needed a good hitch, but was too cheap to buy one.

[jungleterry]

Hello Dave,I happen to have a brochure from the original owners of my 1972 Argosy 22 .The brochure was made in early 73 and has all the models pictured,yours too.If you look at my blog i will post a picture of the original owners manual and brochure.I was lucky to be able to purchase off the original family.They kept all the paper work.Take a look and enjoy.My wife and i just finished ours and its great.
Take care
Terry and Tammy

[loudruff]

We have a 6.7 m Minuet, bought originally by my folks in 1978. It has the aluminum floor and is very light weight. We pull it without any sway problems at all. It is super for two people. Has the two gauchos..one streetside and the other in the front, which make down into beds. Good luck in your search.

[loudruff]

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f368...osy-84436.html

Good information from Kevin.

[overlander64]

Greetings Dave!

Welcome to the Forums!

Originally Posted by Rockout

Thank you mutcth & SteveH,

It appears that what I was looking at was not a Minuet, but a '72 twenty foot model. Now I need to find information on that including weights. The links to Argosy brochures do not go back to 1972. The unit I am looking at is listed as a 1972, 20' and it has a front goucho, not the dinette that is pictured in the 1975 brochure.
Does this sound right?

Thanks in advance.
Dave

You are looking at a first year model from Argosy. The floorplans for the Argosy 20 and Argosy Minuet 6.0 Metre were similar if not identical with the major exception being dimensions -- the Argosy 20 is approximately 8" wider than the Minuet and may be a few inches longer than the Minuet 6.0. I don't have the factory specification sheet handy, but I seem to remember that the front lounge was the standard layout for the coach and the front dinette was a $50.00 option in 1972. As can be seen in the Argosy 20 page from the 1975 brochure, the 20-foot coach had a dry weight of 2,880 pounds with a dry tongue weight of 470 pounds:



These little coaches tend to be quite well-behaved under most conditions. Traveling with a full fresh water tank and empty waste tanks can help to insure that the coach tracks well. When a properly installed weight distributing hitch is installed I have heard of few owners reporting difficulty with sway, but I have always utilized a Reese Strait-Line hitch with Dual Cam Sway Control on my Minuet and have never had any sway issues with the coach. The Minuet 6.0 Metre is only very marginally smaller and lighter than the Argosy 20.

Good luck with your investigation!

Kevin