Our unit has tears in the outer skin at the lower side of the front storage door. (The same as Rich Luhrs that is leaking). Mine appears to have torn from excess flex in the tongue. My local dealer has seen three others torn exactly the same way and the Safari 30 is unique to this storage door/location. The factory has suggested a powdercoated steel plate to be welded to the frame behind the skin, and a new panel installed on the front.
I think we just found this same problem this week. Small diagonal cracks or tears, emanating from both of the bottom corners of the front compartment.
The fix suggested above by the factory would probably work but it involves removing the front bed and part of the floor. That would get into some major hours. So we decided to try a quick solution: stop-drilling the cracks and sealing them against rain with caulk. I can't see that the cracks would cause a structural problem, and they really can't go much further since they are headed down to the edge of the aluminum.
It probably should be noted that these cracks appeared on our trailer after about 34,000 miles of towing.
I have exactly 6400 miles on my Safari 30, and the cracks showed up. I first noticed mine after a thorough washing. The repair is a couple of days, they are going to remove the front skin cutting it at the beltline. (Adding Classic beltline trim later), install this "plate" that ties the aluminum frame to the steel frame (powdercoated). This is the recomended fix from the factory that my dealer got.
I have to admit that I am a bit concerned that including Rich's unit, that is 4 safari 30's that have the exact problem. I am not an engineer but to test my theory of "flex" I put a two layer coating of foil tape over the cracks and drove from Houston to Gatlinburg TN. Only half way there found both corners had ripped the foil. It could only rip if it had excessive twisting or flex of the frame up there.
I suggested to the dealer maybe installing a classic style rounded corner access door (or heck maybe eliminate the door). The dealer made the suggestions to the factory, but they said they would not pay for the new door assembly.
Ok mine is in storage right now..but this makes me want to go look... You can even see how the door frame corners don’t line up on rluhr's. Does your front hatch door stick when it is jacked on level ground?
We need to document these in detail how do we reach out to more 30BH owners?
I'm starting to see unsettling trends here.. that is a major warranty issue.
__________________ AZstreamin "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."- Mark Twain
We have a 2005 bunkhouse. I've read through most of the postings and see that the cracks in the bottom corners of the front storage compartment are common. We noticed 2 inch long diagonal cracks at each bottom corner after about 10,000 miles of use. A month before our 2 year warranty expired, I took the trailer up to JC for repair. They cut out the cracked area, inserted new sheets of aluminum into the voids, and riveted everything together. No further cracks have developed. My wife, who is a biomechanist and lectures on material properties, says that the reason why the cracks develop is because of the sharp corners which act to concentrate stresses. Airstream needs to redesign the front compartment (on 25FB, 27FB?) and include rounded corners to stop the cracks from forming. I have said as much to management and repairmen at the JC service center. There comeback was that they only repair the trailers; they don't design them. Repair pictures will follow in later posts.
Here's a problem not yet discussed. The metal straps under the trailer retaining the gray and water tanks are inadequate. When viewed from the side, our trailer use to look like a pregnant cat ready to give birth when the tanks were full. I fixed the problem by welding up rigid stainless steel c-channel straps to replace the originals. I was worried the the added flexing of the tanks when going from empty to full would eventually lead to leaks, especially aroung the outlet piping. The fix added about 5 lbs. Again, pictures will follow.
Ok mine is in storage right now..but this makes me want to go look... You can even see how the door frame corners don’t line up on rluhr's. Does your front hatch door stick when it is jacked on level ground?
We need to document these in detail how do we reach out to more 30BH owners?
I'm starting to see unsettling trends here.. that is a major warranty issue.
I just checked mine in storage and have found one small crack at lower left front compartment door. Add one more to the list ,anyone who has contact with the factory or dealer please keep me informed as I may not be thawed out here till May!
Would this be the same storage compartment door in front that the Safari or CCD models (rear door- front bedroom -with twin beds) would have too or is this limited to the 30' models?
__________________ CJ The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.-Eleanor Roosevelt It is never too late to be who you might have been.-George Eliot
Would this be the same storage compartment door in front that the Safari or CCD models (rear door- front bedroom -with twin beds) would have too or is this limited to the 30' models?
I’m pretty sure the front bedroom 27' (Safari SE and Classic) have a door under the queen bed, like the Safari 30' does, but the door is smaller and has radius corners instead of the rectangular shape (with 90 degree corners) that the 30s have, so the design is different.
I really like the 27’ FB floor plan too. The 30’ BH suits us well with three teens, but the dinette+lounge combo in the 27’ looks nice and I like the kitchen too. The master bedroom in the 27’ and the 30’ are similar, but the 27’ gets the wrap around windows that were never offered on the 30’ BH.
The other thing I have noticed with the BH 30 model is most folks that have a front storage door adjustment or leaking problem, it is primarly the left hand side (facing the door). That is the storage doors are sticking out on the left more than the right.
Anyone else's leaking water? Check closely, You will find that it appears ok, but upon further inspection look at the staples that hold the carpet down to the sub-floor. Are they rusty? You kinda have to put your head inside the compartment.
Rich, in all of your travels, have you found that the length has been an issue at any of the camp grounds you either stayed in or wanted to stay in?
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2006 30' Safari - "Changes in Latitudes"
2008 F-250 Lariat Power Stroke Diesel Crew Cab SWB
Family of Disney Fanatics
WBCCI# 4821 streamin across america
I would have to say that the trailer's length has rarely been a real issue. It has many times been a "perceived" issue, in that we've had to work a bit to fit into certain spots, and there have been times when we've been temporarily stuck in a tight spot -- but we've always gotten out without damage.
I think the perception that you might get stuck is what really scares most people. I know it scares me from time to time! We had a tricky incident a couple of months ago in a driveway in CT where we easily got in but couldn't get back out. I had to stop and remind myself that there would always be a way to get out, it just might be time-consuming. We ended up having to knock over part of a stone wall, but we got out...
When caught in a super-tough spot, I also take solace in the fact that we can always unhitch, move the truck to a more desirable angle, and re-hitch. This maneuver basically gives you the flexibility of a forklift. Never had to do it yet, but we came close in CT, and another time at a car wash (I won't go in car washes anymore).
I think in 15 months full-timing we've encountered four or five campgrounds that prohibited trailers over 25 or 28 feet, and about the same number of roads. Only once have we had to skip a campground we wanted to visit because of our length.
We routinely get into campsites that are for shorter trailers. One easy trick is to back up the wheels right to the curb and let the rear end hang over into the sites. Often we'll park the truck sideways in front of the trailer, as we did in Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park in northern CA.
Overall, the real problem with a long trailer is that you have to be much more careful about gas stations and parking lots. Those are considerably more risky than campgrounds, in my opinion. I always look ahead to evaluate the situation before I enter, and if there's any doubt, I don't go in.
It has many times been a "perceived" issue, in that we've had to work a bit to fit into certain spots, and there have been times when we've been temporarily stuck in a tight spot -- but we've always gotten out without damage.
I can certainly relate to that one. On our third camping trip we were at our favorite place in the World...Disney's Fort Wilderness and the road was narrow and curved to the left and our camp site was on the right side of the road. The two sites across from us had long 5th wheel trailers and their trucks were out to the edge of the road. It took several attempts but I made it with only one of the "neighbors" offering to move their TV. For the other I had to lower my driver's side window and fold my mirror in so it wouldn't drag across the hood of the other guy's truck hood when I eased by! But I made it. Probably wasn't the prettiest backing job, but by the time I was backed into the site, I had an audience. I had just as much difficulty getting out of the site as getting in! I guess they didn't have as many 30 footers in 1971 when Ft. Wilderness was laid out as they do now. BTW, my first two camping trips I had pull-throughs so this was my first attempt at backing into a camp site!
Quote:
Originally Posted by rluhr
Overall, the real problem with a long trailer is that you have to be much more careful about gas stations and parking lots. Those are considerably more risky than campgrounds, in my opinion. I always look ahead to evaluate the situation before I enter, and if there's any doubt, I don't go in.
I have had some interesting experiences at these too. Once I had to back away from the pumps because the angle of the trailer was such that I would have hit the bollard with the trailer if I had pulled forward. Another I had placed the safety chains on the outside of the spring-bars (I guess to keep them from dragging the road??!) and while maneuvering out of the station I must have snapped them because they were in tact at the pumps but were both broken and dragging the ground when we reached our destination.
Isn't camping fun!
__________________
2006 30' Safari - "Changes in Latitudes"
2008 F-250 Lariat Power Stroke Diesel Crew Cab SWB
Family of Disney Fanatics
WBCCI# 4821 streamin across america
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