What have you done to your 25'SS Airstream.

[Devoman]

Wondering what everyone does with a vehicle this big?What do you all do to keep it fresh inside smelling new?Now that I have dual axles what is the upkeep for these?How often do I grease the bearings,Rotate the tires,What about the green mold around the A/C unit or the trim pieces?What type of cleaner does everyone use to treat this?
Whatever advise you have please let me know so I can do this right the first time.All your help is greatly appreciated.Thanks.

[cammur]

Devoman,

Enjoy your posts.

Can't answer all your questions, but here are some of the things we quickly did: dumped the Airstream bedspread - it is bulky, hard to store, and blocks the bathroom door (replaced it with a nice comforter, with notches to accomodate the odd-shaped bed and room); washed and walbernized the exterior; got an indoor/outdoor thermometer for kicks; started log book kept in trailer, but also used to build fix-list for dealer; added a vent cover to the rear vent so it can be left cranked open in storage for air circulation (considering doing same for front vent); started looking (so far without success) for bath door latches that would install flush, replacing conventional door handles that snag clothing and impede door clearance; began lusting for a larger trailer .

[Silvertwinkie]

I don't have any green mold, but I washed and Walbernized the coach as soon as it hit 50 degrees. Washed the dead bugs off the front ASAP, did general cleaning of the inside, and also Walbernized the inside areas where there was alum skins exposed. I wash and Walbernize about 2, maybe 3x a season and wash a bit more frequently if it gets dirty. I did put a lock on the fridge vent and battery compartment with the same type of lock as found on the potable water fill. I plan on placing a power feed switch in the battery compartment to the electric jack so that kids can't crank the coach up or down when I have the stab jacks down.

Re-packing the bearings I haven't had the Safari long enough really. Ours got repacked under the factory recall last year. Folks have told me that every other season is good, but if you put many thousands of miles on it a year, maybe every year.

Basically there isn't a whole lot of difference between how you treat the Safari and how you treated your Bambi. In the end they are all made the same, out of the same materials.

[Devoman]

You are right about them being the same,I guess it will just take longer for me to wash and clean it inside and out.It will be sitting in the hot sun most of the summer though.We are going to try to take it out at least once a month to keep its gears and such in check until November 1st when we can start going on our longer trips.Should a humidifier be the next thing to get for something like this?Will it do just the same if I were to open a vent to keep it fresh?

[jimmickle]

Originally Posted by cammur

Devoman,

started looking (so far without success) for bath door latches that would install flush, replacing conventional door handles that snag clothing and impede door clearance; .

I removed the complete latch. Installed a magnet cabinet catch on the top of the door to hold it closed. Got a cabinet knob for the outside and mounted it with a stack of washers to one of the original rings. On the inside, I mounted a folding ring type pull. The entire system works well for us as there is nothing to catch on when entering or leaving the bathroom. We have had no trouble with the door coming open during travel.

[cammur]

jimmickle said:
I removed the complete latch. Installed a magnet cabinet catch on the top of the door to hold it closed. Got a cabinet knob for the outside and mounted it with a stack of washers to one of the original rings. On the inside, I mounted a folding ring type pull.

Sounds good, but not clear on what you mean by cabinet knob and how you attached it. Any pictures?

Cammur

[jimmickle]

Originally Posted by cammur

Sounds good, but not clear on what you mean by cabinet knob and how you attached it. Any pictures?

Cammur

I used a standard cabinet pull knob from the hardware store that would mate with the ring from the original lock so that the large hole in the door would be covered.

The trailer is in storage in Iowa, and we are in Florida till spring. I didn't take photos when I did it about three years ago. (no digital camera) I don't remember the details of the attachment, but I bought several sizes of washers and different length machine screws so I would have the right length when I got back to the trailer. It took some fooling before I got everything together. Since then, I have never had to look at it.

Sorry that I can't be of more help with the detail, but a lot of water has gone over the dam since then. If you haven't come up with something by the end of April, drop me a pm and I will go out to the trailer and get some more detail.

Sorry that I can't be of more help at this time.

Jim

[Silvertwinkie]

The only thing I ever did in the Bambi and Safari when it sat not being used was to take out the perishable food items, drain all the tanks and keep the fridge and freezer doors propped open (with baking soda boxes inside) during the camping season.

I never needed a humidifier or dehumidifier, of course some areas are different, in Chicago however, the summer is a humid heat, but if the coach is in the sun, it'll get more warm inside then humid. You could crack the roof vents and the windows ever so slightly to let air move around inside...without any of the fantastic vents running as the heat inside rises drawing air from the windows yet still keeps the coach dry if it rains.

In the winter, I think you'll find that winterizing the Safari is a bit easier than it was on the Bambi. I say that because the pump is far more accessible through the access doors located under the curbside closet and pantry. In our Bambi, the pump was right up against the seatbase wall making it hard to disconnect the feed line and attach a hose to a RV antifreeze gallon.

One thing you hit right on about is that it does take a bit more time to wash and Walbernize. One thing I can recommend is that you (very carefully mind you) unbolt the rock guard shields, allowing them to swing away, and wash and Walbernize behind them. It takes some playing around with to get them back, but you'd be glad you did as dirt just camps out behind them.

[cammur]

Originally Posted by jimmickle

I removed the complete latch. Installed a magnet cabinet catch on the top of the door to hold it closed. Got a cabinet knob for the outside and mounted it with a stack of washers to one of the original rings. On the inside, I mounted a folding ring type pull. The entire system works well for us as there is nothing to catch on when entering or leaving the bathroom. We have had no trouble with the door coming open during travel.

Following jim's theme, I replaced the original door latches (right in photo) with drawer pulls mounted vertically (Lowes $2.50x2). I used a chisel and a 5/8" drill bit to remove the core from the door for about 4" vertically at the latch, glued in its place a 4"x4"x3/4" piece of wood scrap, and glued the edge strip back in place. I then installed the drawer pulls, which are of a hard-to-find type where the screws go in from the outside. My 4"x4" new core makes a solid anchoring point (the original core couldn't have been much over 1"), and blocks the 2" hole needed by the original door latch. (Unfortunately, my drawer pulls cover slightly less than half the hole, so my new core board is visible from certain angles. Generally, a desirable compromise to gain toilet privacy .)

I couldn't figure out how to neatly install a magnetic latch, so I bought a button-latch (Ace Hardware $4.50) and installed it in my new core board.

Not great craftwmanship , but a real improvement from the original door latches, which constantly snared clothing and impeded passage.

[Devoman]

Thats looks to be a good Idea as I have gotten stuck on the door knob with my shirt a few times.Also when closing it when in the bathroom would be easier also.no door knob jamming into your side.I think I am going to look into this also.

[CanoeStream]

It might be worth your time if you bit the bullet and bought the same model for "Pahaska" John Irwin. Though not posting as much these days (what happens to mods??), he has been the the master of making his 22' CCD and 28-footer a personal palace.

[gotohatteras]

Colonial Airstream told me a "flush handle/lock" assembly from Airstream would be $350 including labor. So, we removed the door completely. When you want privacy...close the "accordion" door across the aisle. See my Safari thread "removed the door" for pictures.

[Silvertwinkie]

Well, lately, I've become obsessed with the crappy HEHR windows. I actually found that my front windows had ZERO gasketing. I have been systematically adding or replacing the gasketing with stuff I bought from Home Depot. Why you say? The last few times I've been camping in the Safari, I've noticed sounds from outside as if I left the windows open.

I have narrowed down the gaps to 3 areas. The door....doesn't seal properly. The windows (non SE), we all know blow, and the fridge. There are ever so slight gaps in the flush mount edges of the fridge that allow sound from the outside to get into the cabin.

I have been able to keep more heat (fall--- since I just started this) in the Airstream and the outside noises have been reduced so far by about 50% and I haven't gotten all the windows resealed. In the coming weeks, I may post a post with materials I used and some pics.

My biggest gripe are these POS windows. I was totally floored that a $40k coach could have such POSes installed.

I am considering 3-4 things for my SS.

1) The SE/CCD/Classic windows. Sure it would cost about $2 plus grand, but if I got a new or used one, I'd have more depreciation to eat and I've already taken the major hit.

2) Better stereo. The Sony blows....it distorts way too easily, even with the sub installed taking most of the bass away

3) WFCO upgrade from bestconverter.

4)Maybe a video screen if I dare slide the fridge out, even partially.

The flush door mechanicals were on my list until I saw $300 bucks.....That's one SE/CCD/Classic window.

[Garfield]

Hi All! We just signed the papers for a 2001 Safari 25 SS - we pick it up in two weeks. Here's a few things were having done as part of the sale.

The dealer is going to steam clean the broadloom, apolstery and wall fabric and I paid extra to have all the surfaces treated with a fabric protector made by Diamond-Kote. Our experience with RV's is that keeping things clean is a challenge, and I'm particularly concerned about the fabric walls so anything we can do to help keep it clean will help. If we're still happy with the trailer after the first two years we'll likely replace the carpet with vinyl flooring. (Why Thor decided to put carpet in travel trailers is beyond my understanding!)

BTW, for maintenance of the Alcoa skin, the dealer recommeded a wax based product by Socar (not sure of the exact one yet) instead of the Walbernize product.

As far as repacking the bearings, its my understanding as well that typically once every two years is usually sufficient unless you're doing a lot of travelling.

Other mods that were written into the deal was to install a Tornado tank flush system for the black tank, install a quick release gas connector so we can use our outside stove, install a second fantastic fan at the rear w/rain sensor, install a custom designed rear bumper mounted bike rack and a flat panel TV holder on the refrigerator wall beside the dinette (need confirmation that is possible).

From an initial inspection of the inside of the trailer we have plans to make the shower into a linen closet (we only use campground showers), and remove the magazine rack from the the wall beside the stove and attached a wall mounted garbage pail.

We're also going to look for two small tables for each end of the couch. The table by the door will be used to hold keys'n stuff and have a place to store boots/shoes below, and the other just to place drinks on. We'll mount a much larger book/magazine rack on the back of the dinette seat as there's no pull-down table in our unit to interefere.

We need to spend some time in it but I'm sure we'll come up with other ideas over time, and will advise accordingly.