New member in Switzerland

[Cosmas]

Hello out there

I recently bought an Airstream and now I'm a proud owner of a 1971 Globetrotter 21' trailer. I always admired these shiny things! You can imagine there are not many of them around in Europe not to mention in Switzerland so it was a long search. The AS is empty and the frame was bent and rusty. I had already made a new frame with an European axle. At this occasion I moved the axle slightly to the front to have less weight to the hitch which is common in Europe. Of course that means to replace some of the outer panels as well. I'm looking forward to build a new interior with new appliances throughout ( I'm a cabinet-maker). Some of you might wonder why I do all this as there are Airstreams for the european market available today. The european AS models are really nice but I still prefer the proportions of the elder models! And it's a fun job!

I'm super happy to have foud this forum! There is so much information which really helps me doing this job! THANKS!

Cosmas Studer,
Switzerland

[azflycaster]

Welcome to the forums Cosmas!

Interesting that you have lightened the hitch weight of your trailer. Please share some pictures with us as you progress on your trailer.

[moosetags]

Welcome to the Forums. We're glad to have you with us. I, too, would love to see some photos.

Brian

[CanoeStream]

Originally Posted by azflycaster

Interesting that you have lightened the hitch weight of your trailer.

Location of this discussion may come to me later. Caravans in Europe have a different proportion of axle location related to hitch. This is from the Airstream Europe website.

Welcome aboard Cosmas! Can you post a picture of your Globetrotter after the modification? Thanks!

[Lance M]

Nice work on your GT. Quality craftsmanship for sure.

[FreshAir]

Really glad to have you with us. You can be our 'expert' on mountain road towing!

Neil

[timzog]

Cosmas,
Your work on your trailer is beautiful. I'm planning a renovation on a 1980 Caravelle and I am inspired by your work both in design and execution. Your finishing is especially impressive. Your trailer is already a piece of fine furniture. Please continue to post your work.
Thanks,
Tim Herzog

[timzog]

Cosmas,
I am also interested in learning about what appliances you are using. I've read that there are different options in Europe that are higher quality than those in the US so I'd love to hear about your choices and if you could comment on the advantages. I don't want to do things twice so I'd like to spend a little more and install quality systems the first time. Any information you could share would be appreciated.
Thanks again,
Tim

[Cosmas]

Hello Tim

I'm glad you like my Globetrotter. Unfortunately the renovation takes so long as we also bought a house which needs renovation too. But I will sure post more photos when the job is done!
I can't really compare the quality of european and american appliances. I guess things are more expensive here but that's may be the only difference!
Anyway, here are the main things I installed:
Heating: Trumatic C 6002 EH by TRUMA ( A warm welcome to Truma ) it's a one piece unit for heating and hot wather and can be used with propane or alternatively with electricity (less output though). The model I installed is not the newest model anymore but it is round in shape and perfectly fits in the rear "corner" of the trailer.
Toilet: vac toilette VT2500 by DOMETIC ( Accessories for Toilet VT 2500 - Dometic ). The big advantage is that the tank has not to be close or under the toilett itself but can be installed up to I think 8 meters (approx 24') away. The tank is removable which is an advantage in europe where you don't have so many sanistations.
Stove: It's a Cooker Series 400 by SMEV ( SMEV - Enjoy your travel) I like the apearance with its stainless steel and glass parts. It is Italian but should be available in the US.

I hope these informations are of any help to you. Have fun with your caravelle!
Sorry for my english. It's not my mother tongue but I hope you understand what I wrote anyway.

Cosmas
Switzerland

[timzog]

Originally Posted by Cosmas

Hello Tim

I'm glad you like my Globetrotter. Unfortunately the renovation takes so long as we also bought a house which needs renovation too. But I will sure post more photos when the job is done!
I can't really compare the quality of european and american appliances. I guess things are more expensive here but that's may be the only difference!
Anyway, here are the main things I installed:
Heating: Trumatic C 6002 EH by TRUMA ( A warm welcome to Truma ) it's a one piece unit for heating and hot wather and can be used with propane or alternatively with electricity (less output though). The model I installed is not the newest model anymore but it is round in shape and perfectly fits in the rear "corner" of the trailer.
Toilet: vac toilette VT2500 by DOMETIC ( Accessories for Toilet VT 2500 - Dometic ). The big advantage is that the tank has not to be close or under the toilett itself but can be installed up to I think 8 meters (approx 24') away. The tank is removable which is an advantage in europe where you don't have so many sanistations.
Stove: It's a Cooker Series 400 by SMEV ( SMEV - Enjoy your travel) I like the apearance with its stainless steel and glass parts. It is Italian but should be available in the US.

I hope these informations are of any help to you. Have fun with your caravelle!
Sorry for my english. It's not my mother tongue but I hope you understand what I wrote anyway.

Cosmas
Switzerland

Thanks Cosmas,
Thanks for translating your thoughts into my language. I understand the issues with the house project taking over the Airstream project. I made a deal with my wife that I would finish the projects I have started in the house before I really dive into the Airstream. As a result my Caravelle is sitting in the driveway collecting drips through a few leaks as well as dust. I am hoping by June I'll start work on it. I really like the look of some of the appliances you are using. Some of the US RV appliances seem very low end to me and if I am doing this much work to my Airstream I feel like it deserves higher quality appliances. I've been looking into marine appliances as well and they also are much more impressive but also much more expensive!!
Vielen Dank! (Is German your native tongue? I don't know much but know that there are several languages spoken in Switzerland depending on the region. My father's native language is German. I wish I had been a better student as a boy since my Opa offered me free German lessons but I just wanted to play baseball)
Tim Herzog

[william Haym]

You just can't wait to get your hands busy!!!
I know the feeling well . These trailers are addictive.
You get one, you want another!!! HE!! He!!
Welcome to this Forum!! You will learn alot, just like
I did.

[Silver Man]

hi,
Good to know that sombody have a 71 AS around here!!!!!!
I did pretty the same job on my 71 sovereign,
moving the axles, patched the body on the roadside replace the whole pannel on the other side.... very long but funny work!!!!
(10 month of restoration)
were are you located? i am based in Fribourg, check www.thesilvercompany.ch
i would love to see yours!!!
cheers!
Lionel

[Cosmas]

Hi Lionel
Very cool and professional your AS!!! I wished I have taken a longer version for the restauration the way you did! If you did it in 10 month you were fast! Mine took for ever but of course I also had other jobs to do in the meantime I am located in Wilchingen SH. If you are in the area you are welcome to come by. I am trying to sell my AS but it's not easy as I ve spent a lot in material and time. But for me and my family (didn't have one when I started the project) the trailer is to small and I need the space to eventually build an other one. Are you german or french speaking?
salutation Cosmas

[Silver Man]

Hi Cosmas,
thx for your answer, i am from the french side of the "röstigraben"
i gess i saw your trailer on autoscout24 few months ago, it does look beautiful! does it come from airstream4u? you should keep it an tow it with a van if you need more space!!!
i couldn't make my restoration in 10 month if i had another job... i have calculated that i have spent around 2000 hours on my trailer....
i gess the next one will take halftime, because now i have got more experience in aluminium work, polishing, isolation sealing etc...
i'll let you know if i come around schaffhausen, it would be great to meet you!
cheers
Lionel

[Cosmas]

Hi Lionel
Yes, it's the one you saw on autoscout24 and no it's not from airstream4you. I bought it in Zürich from a guy who inteded to fix it himselfe. It was only a emty shell on a rotten frame. I am also positive that fixing the next AS will thake only halfe the time as I learned a lot during that restauration. Sorry, my french would be even worse than my english...
Cosmas