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Old 12-18-2014, 09:30 AM   #61
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So far, I have not commented on the front hitch solution. Here are the problems I see with it.

1, the road that I will be turning off of is on a fairly steep slope itself. It is also a narrow public road with essentially no shoulders. Although not busy, it does serve many other dwellings.

2. I have a ProPride hitch. (I will not tow this 31 foot trailer without it). So I will have to move the heavy front part of the hitch which also has the rock tamers attached to it around to the front of the truck.

This all means that I will have to unhitch the trailer while it is blocking one lane of a two lane road and chock it very well on a slope, hoping that I have it stabilized enough to preclude the tongue jack from bending or breaking from the trailer moving down hill. I then would have to transfer the hitch to the front of the truck. I envision this whole process taking 15-20 minutes, between parking on the road and being ready to start pushing the trailer up the driveway.

Perhaps I am not thinking this out well enough. However although I can see the front hitch helping to maneuver the trailer into the driveway, I fail to see how it will help with the steep upslope of the driveway. If the driveway and the road were both level, this would be no problem whatsoever. However whether or not the trailer is being pushed with the front or rear of the truck, the problem remains to be whether or not the skid plates on the rear of the trailer will impact the asphalt driveway before the trailer wheels are able to start up the hill.

It may well turn out to be that I need a higher trailer with a shorter distance between the low point of the back end and the rear wheels. Another thing that would help is a way the get the tongue as close to the ground as possible. That's not going to be very close with a ProPride hitch.

Ken
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Old 12-18-2014, 10:26 AM   #62
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Still, that beats getting hit by an idiot twittering I'll ride with you. So buy a hijab for the wife and have her do it.

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Old 12-18-2014, 11:10 AM   #63
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Ken,

Maybe you ought to buy a different house.

I wouldn't unhitch and then turn the truck around and use a front hitch until I had the whole rig in the driveway. I would do just about anything to avoid blocking the road even if it is a quiet street. As it is, you will probably have to use both lanes to turn into and out of the driveway. I hope you have good sight lines for that.

Higher profile tires? Does that bring with it more sway? I know different tires have some differences in tire height, sometimes exclusively caused by deeper tread. Michelin LTX E load range has around 1" deep tread while the Marathons, if I recall correctly, were around 10 or 11/16ths deep. That plus changing from a 15" to a 16" should increase height by about 7/8". My formula is half the tire diameter increase plus all of the tread depth increase. This doesn't take into account how much air is in them. But the profile can be different too—inner and outer diameters of the casing can be different.

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Old 12-18-2014, 11:55 AM   #64
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Ken,

Maybe you ought to buy a different house.

I wouldn't unhitch and then turn the truck around and use a front hitch until I had the whole rig in the driveway. I would do just about anything to avoid blocking the road even if it is a quiet street. As it is, you will probably have to use both lanes to turn into and out of the driveway. I hope you have good sight lines for that.

Higher profile tires? Does that bring with it more sway? I know different tires have some differences in tire height, sometimes exclusively caused by deeper tread. Michelin LTX E load range has around 1" deep tread while the Marathons, if I recall correctly, were around 10 or 11/16ths deep. That plus changing from a 15" to a 16" should increase height by about 7/8". My formula is half the tire diameter increase plus all of the tread depth increase. This doesn't take into account how much air is in them. But the profile can be different too—inner and outer diameters of the casing can be different.

Gene
If it comes to different house or different trailer, there is no contest. We camped just fine in 21 foot Bigfoot. If Bigfoot had made a 28 foot or so trailer we would most likely would have bought that instead of an Airstream when we decided to upsize. An Airstream is a very pretty trailer, but I'm not going to base my home selection on whether I can have an Airstream. It might be a blessing in disguise, because I have some apprehensions about keeping an Airstream where there are tress that can drop limbs on it. I can get covered storage in the area, but the only I've found so far is twice what we pay now. I figured out that I could sell our trailer and buy a brand new 25 foot Bigfoot and walk away with at least $20,000, in my pocket (at least until my wife found out I had it, and then it would be in her pocket). In any case we are going to bring it along on our move so the cats can make the trip in luxury.

I am not going to discuss tire height, because I'm happy with what I think, even if it's wrong.

Ken
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Old 12-18-2014, 01:10 PM   #65
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I am not going to discuss tire height, because I'm happy with what I think, even if it's wrong.

Ken
I too am happy with what I think, whatever it is because I forget it already, and I don't care if I'm right or wrong.

The house is very interesting, much more curb appeal than ours. Location and the interior is what sold us on ours. I needed a place to park near Canada too. Maybe an Airstream MH would work best. Contact Dave (masseyfarm) for advice.

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Old 12-18-2014, 01:26 PM   #66
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I too am happy with what I think, whatever it is because I forget it already, and I don't care if I'm right or wrong.

The house is very interesting, much more curb appeal than ours. Location and the interior is what sold us on ours. I needed a place to park near Canada too. Maybe an Airstream MH would work best. Contact Dave (masseyfarm) for advice.

Gene
Maybe we should get 2 Interstates. One for us and one for the Cats. I'm pretty sure I could teach Kimba to drive.
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Old 12-18-2014, 01:35 PM   #67
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Maybe we should get 2 Interstates. One for us and one for the Cats. I'm pretty sure I could teach Kimba to drive.
Why don't you drive one and your wife drive the other? One can take the cats and the other can take the parakeets. It will work fine so long as you don't have to back up. You don't even have to go to the same places. You each have your own bathroom and kitchen. If you teach a cat to drive, he will most certainly not go where you want to.

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Old 12-18-2014, 10:25 PM   #68
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I am not going to discuss tire height, because I'm happy with what I think, even if it's wrong.

Ken
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gene View Post
I too am happy with what I think, whatever it is because I forget it already, and I don't care if I'm right or wrong.



Gene
Hi, I'm still happy with my 15" wheels and Marathon tires; Which just made it safely home after about another 6,000 miles. Which is more than some people put on their trailers in several years. Now as to the tire argument. The rim size means nothing. Find the Marathon specs for tire height. Find you favorite Michelins specs for their tire height. Take the difference and divide it by two, and you will now know how much the difference in height of your trailer has become.

Simple math. Argument over.
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Old 12-18-2014, 10:51 PM   #69
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Hi, I'm still happy with my 15" wheels and Marathon tires; Which just made it safely home after about another 6,000 miles. Which is more than some people put on their trailers in several years. Now as to the tire argument. The rim size means nothing. Find the Marathon specs for tire height. Find you favorite Michelins specs for their tire height. Take the difference and divide it by two, and you will now know how much the difference in height of your trailer has become.

Simple math. Argument over.
The argument can't be over, because there was none. I did and still do refuse to participate. Simple math can never overcome stubbornness.
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Old 12-18-2014, 11:01 PM   #70
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The argument can't be over, because there was none. I did and still do refuse to participate. Simple math can never overcome stubbornness.
Hi, valid point!
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Old 12-19-2014, 09:36 AM   #71
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It wasn't an argument. It was an exchange of views. No further talks are scheduled.

I once knew the numbers to plug into Bob's math lesson, but it is all vague now plus I have developed the worst cold ever seen on this planet. A cold trumps thinking. I do know the tires are big enough to reach the ground.

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Old 12-19-2014, 11:31 AM   #72
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There is no shortage of steep asphalt in Colorado. Pick out a couple with the trailer in tow.

Find something that is equal or worse than the driveway you are concerned with. Back up and see how it works out. Getting up the drive way can be done using blocks to prevent the rear bumper from dragging. Probably a three foot danger zone for bumper drag....

We use the leveling blocks when we need them for extra clearance. Once you figure out what you need to keep the rear bumper from dragging, you can make a ramp that you pull out when you return. Looks like an easy 25 foot or shorter Airstream driveway. YOU CAN get the trailer up and down... it is just if you want to spend the time to do it. At the worst... it is a good excuse for why you are selling.

I would believe there would be more Airstream buyers on the West Coast than in Colorado. You could line up some interested potential buyers in Washington off of Craigslist and if you are not happy with what you need to do for clearance... there are happy potential owners looking for a late model AS like yours.
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Old 12-19-2014, 12:55 PM   #73
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There is no shortage of steep asphalt in Colorado. Pick out a couple with the trailer in tow.

Find something that is equal or worse than the driveway you are concerned with. Back up and see how it works out. Getting up the drive way can be done using blocks to prevent the rear bumper from dragging. Probably a three foot danger zone for bumper drag....

We use the leveling blocks when we need them for extra clearance. Once you figure out what you need to keep the rear bumper from dragging, you can make a ramp that you pull out when you return. Looks like an easy 25 foot or shorter Airstream driveway. YOU CAN get the trailer up and down... it is just if you want to spend the time to do it. At the worst... it is a good excuse for why you are selling.

I would believe there would be more Airstream buyers on the West Coast than in Colorado. You could line up some interested potential buyers in Washington off of Craigslist and if you are not happy with what you need to do for clearance... there are happy potential owners looking for a late model AS like yours.
Thanks Ray, for the good ideas. Finding a similar hill around here is something that didn't occur to me. After some discussion, we have decided to take the trailer there with us and check out the options when we get there. I also have decided the market may be better on the west coast.

Ken
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Old 12-19-2014, 01:33 PM   #74
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I have just the driveway you need, only 250 short miles west. I'd love to take photos of this. I will need proof of insurance and you'll have to stay away from the well head.

Gene
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