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Old 04-12-2015, 04:40 PM   #21
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Originally Posted by carver 1 View Post
Life may be grand for you in your power boat, but I wouldn't trade places with you. Oh, how many gallons / hour do you burn?

Fair winds,

>>ron<<

Aboard Serenity Boca Ciega Bay on our way to the Gulf
Oh, oh....blow boaters vs. stinkpotters.....and you thought hitch discussions were bad....or small vs. big TVs.

Don't get 'em going!
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Old 04-12-2015, 05:24 PM   #22
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On my return trip fron Fl I was towing my 30 foot AS with my 09 Dodge 2500 6 cyl Pretty nervous then I pulled into a rest area and there it was A Buick Enclave towing an 34 footer headed to Canada .. I thought it was a bit light but he told nme he had been to Alaska and all over our country with it and had owned it for 5 years . It used a Hensley hitch but he sure had to keep the trailer brakes right up to par ..He said it wasn't too powerful but he did always make it ...It sat just as level as could be and that's important . He pulled out ahead of me and I'm sure we were traveling the same route I never saw him again ... I also figured I should be OK with a bigger tow Vehicle and a smaller trailer .. I don't think I would want to try that stunt ...
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Old 04-12-2015, 06:08 PM   #23
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I'm towing a 22 international in and out of SoCal area with a Toyota Tacoma.

Yeah, it requires patience and a ProPride hitch, plus a lot of time in the right lane. Bigger TV would be nice, but no money, honey, as the DW says...

Someday, going to a Tundra 😀



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Old 04-12-2015, 08:22 PM   #24
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Carver 1

Carver 1,
I think I remember reading a previous post of yours indicating that you were a retired Navy Corpsman. If I am wrong, please correct me.

You have my UTMOST respect. My Uncle Richard was a Corpsman in Vietnam. I am truly honored to call him "My Uncle Richard." There is no finer serviceman in the world, than a corpsman. I personally salute you my friend. You are one helluva human being, and I thank you for your service to this great country!

Now...dznf0g has broken the ice. Blowboats vs Stinkpotters.

I don't have any friends that own blowboats. And really, it's not a question of "How many gallons an hour I burn." but it's a question of "You gotta pay to play." The pic of the vessel you posted, can't be doing more than 3-4 knots, tops. I'd prefer to cruise @ 35-40 knots TY. Sure, a blowboat will use less fuel to get there, but can you tell me how long it's gonna take for you to get from "point A" to "point B"? NO, you can't.

When you invite your friends over for a day of "sailing", doesn't it bother you when you left your dock @ 9am, it's 12 noon now, and you can still SEE your dock? Not my idea of "boating".

Kinda like the 1500 series truck tryna' pull the 34. Is it the right equipment for the job you want to accomplish? A resounding "Heck NO!"

Every boat has its owner & purpose, just like every AS TT has a tow vehicle. Just make sure ya bring the right equipment for the job @ hand.

Please don't take anything I have typed personally. That is not my intention AT ALL. Me n' blowboats never got along, and they never will. Blowboats have their purpose for some folks, just not THIS folk. I'd prefer to know how my day is going to go, my ETA to the fishing grounds & back, not how the wind will determine it's going to go.
While ANY excursion on a vessel, be it powered, or sail is a real treat, I'd prefer to hear twin screws and the blub-blub-blub of a straight inboard than the rattle of a sail any day.

Now let's get back to talkin about this lil 1500 series truck tryna pull a 34 footer.
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Old 04-12-2015, 08:54 PM   #25
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Ahem..........

[QUOTE=SteveH;1606227]They may have made a nice little drawing of a car towing a 35' Avion to illustrate proper hitch setup, but it almost never happened. Please show us an actual picture of it happening.


Didn't you ever watch Lucy and Desi in 'The Long, Long Trailer'?!?!?!?!?


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Old 04-12-2015, 08:56 PM   #26
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Cars were used routinely and a Suburban has barely enough torque to pull itself. Bigger is not always better. You have to look at the total setup. And for braking, the trailer should stop itself it set up correctly. Likewise, vehicle ratings do not tell the whole story.
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Old 04-12-2015, 08:57 PM   #27
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[QUOTE=ole81;1606568]
Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveH View Post
They may have made a nice little drawing of a car towing a 35' Avion to illustrate proper hitch setup, but it almost never happened. Please show us an actual picture of it happening.


Didn't you ever watch Lucy and Desi in 'The Long, Long Trailer'?!?!?!?!?


Yes I did, and I also watched Flash Gordon, Superman, and Batman, but that doesn't make them true.
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Old 04-12-2015, 09:12 PM   #28
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Very Confused

DonDiego, "a Suburban has barely enough torque to pull itself. Bigger is not always better. You have to look at the total setup. And for braking, the trailer should stop itself it set up correctly. Likewise, vehicle ratings do not tell the whole story.

"Barely enough torque." From a Suburban?
"Total setup." What variables are you injecting?
"Ratings don't tell the whole story." What story are we missing?
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Old 04-12-2015, 09:18 PM   #29
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I would gladly use a 3/4-ton Suburban to tow a trailer. My preference would be a Excursion 7.3L PowerStroke, though, if I went that direction.
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Old 04-13-2015, 06:51 AM   #30
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I think it can be done-
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Old 04-13-2015, 07:31 AM   #31
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While the 1500 certainly isn't an optimum tow vehicle for the big trailer (would prefer a 3/4 ton myself) the picture that Sobust has in #12 shows that it is being done with a half ton.
The 1200 lb utv plus the 600 or 700 lb hitch weight is being carried by the truck which is very likely over the "official" capacity of the truck. This stuff is done everyday by people who use their backs to make a living and make do with what they have. Not the best scenario but it happens.
I think the owner of the 35' Avion and 1500 truck needs some more hitch. I'm sure the driver of that rig would realize his limitations as the truck squirms down the road with light springs/p-metric tires.
I'm certain most folks here have seen pictures of the Airstream ad showing the Chevrolet Caprice sedan pulling the 34 triaxle Airstream back in the day. There couldn't be that much difference than the Avion.
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Old 04-13-2015, 07:48 AM   #32
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Quote:
Originally Posted by crispyboy View Post
I'm certain most folks here have seen pictures of the Airstream ad showing the Chevrolet Caprice sedan pulling the 34 triaxle Airstream back in the day. There couldn't be that much difference than the Avion.
If you had ever towed first an Airstream product, and then a similar sized Avion of similar vintage, both with the same tow vehicle, I believe you would not make that statement.
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Old 04-13-2015, 10:20 AM   #33
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While the 1500 certainly isn't an optimum tow vehicle for the big trailer (would prefer a 3/4 ton myself) the picture that Sobust has in #12 shows that it is being done with a half ton.
The key here is Sodbust's comment, "It all depends on how the 1500 is set up.. Our Tradesman is fitted with better springs than the normal town truck.. Its rated for a 10,000 lb. trailer."

It CAN be done, and I applaud Sodbust for going the extra mile to beef up his truck for the load carried. Not many do that, it seems.
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Old 04-13-2015, 11:44 AM   #34
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Your good wishes are requested

I'm picking up my new to me Avion next week and taking it to the shop for renovation, from out of state about a 500 mile trip. With my Ford Eco-Boost F150.

I am not getting another Hensley/Propride to do one trip. I will putter along at the slowest speed I can manage without driving everyone else on the road stark staring mad.

Know how to set up a Reese Dual Cam - any thoughts on what weight bars I should get for the Silver Suppository? (Perhaps to be named "The Winter Queen" since my main focus is to have a warmly insulated place over the winter. It will go to the mountains or Lake Gaston during the summer and to my winter quarters during the freeze - other than that I don't anticipate any long trips. The Eddie Bauer is going to get quite a workout as my mobile office and I'll be all over a 3 or 4 state area in it most of the time.

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Old 04-13-2015, 12:32 PM   #35
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I don't have a Reese Dual Cam, so I'll leave that one to others to answer.

I like "The Winter Queen" much better than the "Silver Suppository"!

Over time, you'll come to understand why Avions are so well-liked. I look forward to following your journey.
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Old 04-13-2015, 02:30 PM   #36
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Personally I think the 1500 would be a lot better off if they'd tighten up the chains.

It may not be great, but it would at least be a lot better...
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Old 04-13-2015, 02:43 PM   #37
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I have the dual cam, also an e-z lift 4 point setup. I'm not a big fan of the dual cam. Even with multiple fine tuning it still feels like it is hunting down the road.


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Old 04-13-2015, 03:02 PM   #38
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Boy I hope my truck is big enough. Airsafe hitch
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Old 04-13-2015, 03:24 PM   #39
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30 years ago I was in Jackson Centre picking up a New 1985 34' with a 1985 Chev Caprice sedan. Stopped in at engineering to see what they were working on and low and behold there was 35' Avion there. They were doing some product comparisons. At that time Avion was out registering Airstream. They said we should hook your car up and see how it tows with the Caprice. So I set it all up and we took it out.

The Avion had a very strange suspension at the time. It was basically a box trailer live axle leaf spring set up with the axles cut off in the middle and hooked to a centre frame rail with a pivot point. It was a cheap independent suspension. (the Avion was about $7,000 less than an Airstream then.

It was not terrible aerodynamically the 155 HP Caprice was able to pull it along at 65 MPH however it was not as directionally as stable as the Airstream as in it wandered a little. I waited on the ramp of I75 until there was no traffic in site and thought I would try some lane changes. The first one I did was pretty mild compare with what I could do with a 34 Airstream. Glad it was mild because the Avion just took off and I used both lanes for a couple of swings, it took the trailer brakes to straighten it out. The three Airstream engineers who almost never towed trailers were a little shaken up. Needless to say I did not try any more quick lane changes with the Avion and I gingerly headed back to the factory.

On the way back they asked how the brakes were so I said well that will be safe enough to try. So I did a panic stop on one of the side roads. The brakes were not a problem but the door flew open and dented the side of the trailer.

They did not ask me to test drive anything for a while after that.

As for the one in the picture the hitch is the problem not the truck.

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Old 04-13-2015, 03:30 PM   #40
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You can fiddle with a 1/2-ton truck pulling a 34' Avion as much as you want.... have fun!
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