Safari 30 bunkhouse owners club!

[cmrdgrs]

Originally Posted by Minnie's Mate

There is a member of the Four Corners Unit of the WBCCI that owns a 2005 Bunkhouse. That's the only one I'm aware of in Arizona, but there may be others. The FCU member with one is also a member of this forum but hasn't posted in a couple of years.

We aren't members of the WBCCI, but we live in North Phoenix, AZ and have a 2005 Bunkhouse (have owned it since July 2005).

We JUST started posting here. I see someone else on the forum who lives in Chandler, AZ with bunkhouse -- we are practically neighbors!

Carolyn & Allen Rodgers

[Minnie's Mate]

Originally Posted by AZstreamin

Hey Tom, You are right it has been a long time!
I'm still alive and still 'streamin...

Glad to hear it!

My wife's family is having a family reunion in the Denver area and we were thinking of taking the Airstream and squeeze in a trip to the Grand Canyon. Is that doable or is it too far out of the way?

[AZstreamin]

Originally Posted by Minnie's Mate

Glad to hear it!

My wife's family is having a family reunion in the Denver area and we were thinking of taking the Airstream and squeeze in a trip to the Grand Canyon. Is that doable or is it too far out of the way?

"Doable" is relative term...

It's probably 10-12 hours.. to the North Rim.. 15 to the south from Denver.. I would recommend going to the north over the south.. much more remote and beautiful IMHO.

Denver to the Grand Canyon is not really something you squeeze in.. but I would highly recommend the trip it is well worth the time.. if you have a few extra days.. there also are a lot of fantastic things to see on the way....

[Minnie's Mate]

Thanks. I knew it wasn't close, but it is a lot closer to Denver than to Atlanta.

[rluhr]

I had a chance to weigh my Safari 30 bunkhouse's tongue last week. A fellow at the Vintage Trailer Jam was kind enough to lend me his Sherline tongue scale. The tongue of the loaded trailer came to 870 lbs "dead" weight (meaning, without the weight distributing hitch connected to the tow vehicle).

In previous posts I've noted that on a truck scale we see about 760 lbs of weight on the tow vehicle when hitched up. I attribute the difference (110 lbs) to weight that is distributed rearward to the trailer axles when the weight distributing hitch is connected. But the difference could also just be differences in loading, since the weights were taken at different times.

This means we are perfectly within spec. 870 lbs is about 11.4% of the actual trailer weight, putting the trailer tongue weight in the commonly recommended 10-15% range for weight distributing hitches. If we loaded the trailer to GVWR (8400 lbs), we would still be at an acceptable 10.3%.

Minnie's Mate noted a tongue weight (per truck scale) of 1,120 lbs, which seems high, but still puts him at an acceptable ratio of 13.4% for his trailer loading.

This is not a big surprise. Airstream engineers these trailers so that it's difficult to go outside the recommended weight ratios. You have to work pretty hard to get outside the acceptable envelope. But anyone doing wholesale renovation or modification should be careful, because something as seemingly minor as relocating a closet or holding tank can have serious repercussions on weight distribution in the trailer.

On other thing that may be of interest, since it has been touched on in this thread: The front axle and rear axle weights on my SUV change in a non-traditional way due to the design of the tow vehicle. Unloaded, the front axle is within a couple hundred pounds of Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR, which indicates maximum axle weight), and the rear axle is about 1,100 pounds below GAWR. This is much like a pickup truck, where the rear end is very light until the truck is loaded.

When hitched up correctly, the front axle on my tow vehicle gets lighter by 100 lbs, while the rear axle gains about 900 lbs. Traditional wisdom is that this is unacceptable weight distribution. But in this particular case the vehicle is designed to take the bulk of the weight on the rear axle.

This is shown in the GAWRs for each axle. Here's how the weight distribution changes as the vehicle is loaded:

UNLOADED
FRONT/ REAR 52% /48% (very light in the rear)

GAWR
FRONT/ REAR 45% /55% (recommended ratios when loaded to max weight)

In short, some vehicles are not designed for 50/50 weight distribution when loaded, and so you should study your vehicle GAWRs to understand how the manufacturer has designed your vehicle to take weight.

Of course, the bottom line should be safe and predictable handling in all circumstances. Weigh your trailer and tow vehicle, and do the math. It's worth the effort.

[Minnie's Mate]

One day when I have time I'm going to the CAT scales again and weigh the trailer without the truck to see where I am. On occasion, I will add things to the truck bed like satellite dish/tripod, grill, reclining chairs, various other camping paraphernalia, or golf cart. This makes a dynamic loading scenario nearly every time we head out. It makes weight distribution a moving target.

[TommyL]

Hi. We're contemplating one of two modifications and was wondering if anyone had any insight. We want to either:

1. Throw out the captain's chairs---and rip out the table/island between them---to make room for some sort of couch; OR

2. With the 2 single bunks in back, was thinking of ripping out steps/storage, and building frame to make that bottom bed a FULL size.

These configurations were both "options" at the factory of course----but I'm wondering how realistic a change is now.

Thanks!!!

[Minnie's Mate]

I'm not a remodeler myself, but our 30' Bunk has the sofa option in lieu of the chairs and table. It does make floor space a premium, but we watch a lot of movies and it is comfortable for my wife, our younger son, and me to pile up to watch the TV. Our older son always takes the dinette bench facing the TV. Often we will convert the dinette to bed and the boys will use it as a lounge for TV viewing.

Before you think all we do is watch TV/movies when we go camping, we only do this when it is raining, too hot in the middle of the day, or too many bugs outside for us to sit under the awning at night.

As far as swapping the lower bunk for a double, Rich Luhr has this configuration in his. You might send him a private message or wait 'till he has had a chance to read your post.

If you do both changes, you will have sleeping for up to nine. That's a lot of people in a 30 footer with limited walking space between the dinette and sofa. With our cocker spaniel inside, we are constantly climbing over him...he has to be in the center of everything. However, if you need that much sleeping space it's great that you can have it in an Airstream.

[Rick Gillis]

When we first got our Bunkhouse, we considered getting the couch installed vs. the table and chairs. Now, a couple years later, we are glad we did not make the switch. I replaced the chairs with some smaller, but more comfortable chairs I picked up at IKEA. As for the rear double on the bottom, I could consider it as advantageous. We have three children, and not making up the dinette would be a bonus. However, I do find that if I cannot be outside for my early morning coffee, I sit at the side table while everyone else sleeps.

Rick

[funchucky1]

[QUOTE=rluhr;692959]Hi Chuck ... haven't seen you since we met in Jamaica VT five years ago!

Our bunkhouse will be back in New England this summer, so if you want to come up to Vermont or the Vintage Trailer Jam in Saratoga Springs (NY), I'll be happy to show it to you!


Rich (and everyone else)- sorry I've been so bad at responding! Horribly busy, in school full time.

But seriously, Rich - we'd love to check out your trailer! We'd like to go up to Vermont to check it out....next week...? Maybe 9/3 or 9/4. Would that work for you? I am off for a week (last one for the next year) -- and it has cooled off a bit, so it should be a nice opportunity.

Feel free to PM or email.
Thanks!

Chuck, Stacy, Max, Lucien and Colin :-)

[rluhr]

Originally Posted by TommyL

We want to either:
1. Throw out the captain's chairs---and rip out the table/island between them---to make room for some sort of couch;

We modified ours without actually removing the table/island. See this post for details. Tour of America » New countertop!

Originally Posted by TommyL

2. With the 2 single bunks in back, was thinking of ripping out steps/storage, and building frame to make that bottom bed a FULL size.

That seems easy enough. The double bed is just a base frame with a little corner access door for underbed storage. You might have to hunt up a custom sized mattress for it, however. I'm not sure it's a standard "double" width or length, and it has curved corners.

[rluhr]

Originally Posted by funchucky1

We'd like to go up to Vermont to check it out....next week...? Maybe 9/3 or 9/4.

I emailed you. But the short answer is, we expect to be gone from Vermont by then. Back on the road -- heading west! Just waiting for the replacement hitch parts to arrive.

[dbkerrjr]

Hello everyone. I'm a seasoned camper owner, having owned one trailer and two motherhomes in the past. I want to make the move to Airstream and I'm very interested in the Bunkhouse model that Airstream produced. I've missed out on several oppurtunities to purchase one, but I'm actively looking for one now. Hope I'm not breaking any forum rules by posting this here, but if anyone has a bunkhouse that they would like to sell, then I'm intesrested.

[Minnie's Mate]

Welcome to the forums dbkerrjr! It is fine to post your interest. There have been instances where someone knows someone with a Bunkhouse for sale. Good luck with your search.