Hello, newby looking for airstreams.

[SethJ]

Hello, I am from southeast Texas and have been searching for air streams for the past few months for a family camper. We have been camping for years and have had many campers from an avion, a fifth-wheel, and a truck camper. It has been a few years since we have owned a camper and have been looking at air streams heavily. We are looking for a 25 to 27 foot trailer. The vehicle we will be towing with is a toyota 2010 4Runner. The argosy and excella models look like they will fit our needs, but we are looking for a little bit newer trailer, around the 80's or 90's. What we have noticed though is that 25 foot trailers in the 80's and 90's are not very common. we have been searching on craigslist all across the united states but have found very few of these trailers. Are we not looking in the right places or were not many trailers in that length produced then? We have also looked at the air stream classifieds with limited results.

[SethJ]

Also we are looking for a trailer with twin beds and the front pullout couch rather than a full bed. Not interested in rebuilding a trailer or remodeling, just something to go camping in with minimal work.

[Rich W]

Hi, SethJ, welcome to the forums and hello from central Kentucky. I wish you luck in your search.

The 4Runner you have will not safely tow those long AS models you're thinking about. I think your 2010 V6 4Runner towing capacity maxes out at 5,000 lbs. My 23' 2006 AS GVWR is 6,000 and my 2004 V8 4Runner has a 7,000 lb. capacity. While my AS is quite steady behind my TV (tow vehicle) I wouldn't want to pull anything any larger.

Looking at the specs for the '87 Sovereign, 25'-27', the hitch weight is 700 lbs. (dry). The trailers are 5,000 and 5,300 lbs. (dry). My hitch maximum is 700 lbs. Go here and check out some of the specifications for the older trailers and match to your specifications.
https://www.airstream.com/service/document-archive/

I suggest you look for something smaller, about 19-20'.

[SethJ]

Thank you.

[AWCHIEF]

Don't forget to check out the Airforums Classifieds daily. Trailers in high demand do not last long once posted. Good luck finding your dream Airstream it will be worth the effort and wait.

[SethJ]

What makes up the weight difference from an argosy of the same length to a sovereign or excella of the later year models?

[SethJ]

Anyone?

[SteveSueMac]

Originally Posted by SethJ

What makes up the weight difference from an argosy of the same length to a sovereign or excella of the later year models?

I believe some (all?) Argosy trailers have all aluminum fixtures inside (cabinets, furniture frames, floors, etc) and that could account for the difference.

Someone more knowledgable than I can give you a real answer. This one was worth everything you paid for it [emoji23]

[SethJ]

Originally Posted by SteveSueMac

I believe some (all?) Argosy trailers have all aluminum fixtures inside (cabinets, furniture frames, floors, etc) and that could account for the difference.

Someone more knowledgable than I can give you a real answer. This one was worth everything you paid for it [emoji23]

Thank you, I wasn't aware of any interior pieces being aluminum that is interesting. I have noticed the later models have more hardwood throughout the interior which I'm sure adds weight. Scrolling through the airstream archives show that even the longer models like the 31 footers were still only around 5000lbs dry in the 70's

[TG Twinkie]

My '74 Argosy 26' has a dry weight of 3,800 pounds with a GVW of 6,200 pounds. The cabinets are constructed with an aluminum frames and the cheap looking paneling of the '70's. The floor is wood. Only the Minuets had aluminum floors and not all of them. The 70' units of the standard Argosy were 8' wide where the Minuets were narrower.

[SethJ]

Originally Posted by TG Twinkie

My '74 Argosy 26' has a dry weight of 3,800 pounds with a GVW of 6,200 pounds. The cabinets are constructed with an aluminum frames and the cheap looking paneling of the '70's. The floor is wood. Only the Minuets had aluminum floors and not all of them. The 70' units of the standard Argosy were 8' wide where the Minuets were narrower.

Thank you, what do you pull your trailer with?

[Minno]

'70's trailers had (have) interiors using wood look laminate for cabinetry. We went with wood when we remodeled ours, and increased the weight from dry weight of 4,900 to 6400lb (with new axles too for the added weight). You want to keep in mind that "dry weight" of trailers means no fresh or grey/black water, no propane, no possessions in the trailer. Water weighs approx. 8 lb per gallon, and propane tanks are usually 30 - 40lb apiece. Overloading your vehicle's tow capacity is generally not a good idea as it increases the wear and tear on your vehicle and decreases your control and stopping power. We always look for a tow vehicle at least 1000lb higher tow capacity than the trailer's top weight or thereabouts.
Good luck in your search!

Kay

[TG Twinkie]

Wow Kay. You put 1500 pounds of wood in your coach!

[TG Twinkie]

SethJ
My TV is a 2008 Tundra 5.7 ltr V8. fWd Double Cab.

[Minno]

Well, probably not that much. I think we weighed it with propane in tanks and some possessions in trailer. Cork floor weighed about 500lb and we put it throughout before we started building cabinets. We used red alder for building with basswood framing that doesn't show. Lighter weight woods but still weighing more than laminate. New frig, new stove and oven. Dry weight of 4900 is what AS said it weighed originally. We didn't weigh it before starting to deconstruct - some had already been removed. We also added 2 grey tanks that it didn't have originally. So, yeah it weighs more than original trailer did. Worth every ounce.

Kay

[SethJ]

We almost purchased an airstream yesterday. Last Thursday we won a bid on ebay for a 1987 25 sovereign in Nebraska. From the pictures and info we were given from the seller it looked to be in good condition, but once we arrived to look at it/purchase it we quickly realized it was in poor condition. The frame was rusty, pieces of the floor plan were missing and replaced with tin like you would see on the side of a house. The black underbelly pieces were rusted and there were multiple holes in some of the panels underneath. The carpet was pulled up and poorly replaced with laminate flooring and the couch would need to be replaced. Much of the interior plastic was cracked or molded. We decided the trailer needed too much work and did not purchase it. Fortunately the seller refunded the $500 deposit required by eBay. We have also decided that we will be shifting directions in our search for a tt. Finding an airstream that is in good condition that is affordable has been a hassle; also we would have to replace the 4runner with a full size truck to pull it so we are looking into a camplite travel trailer. These trailers are all aluminum including the frame and are within the tow rating of our 4runner and tacoma. Thank you for your replies.

[lonewolf1977]

I found our '57 Overlander by putting an ad on Craigslist stating that I was looking for a trailer pre-70s. Lo & behold....a guy contacted me about the one his dad had that had been abandoned in a field for a few years & they were using it as storage. Just a thought!