Driveway too steep for an Airstream?

[NH Streaming]

Hi everybody ... I have been trying to convince my husband (who restores old CJ Jeeps in his free time) that having an Airstream will be great fun. He has the knowledge and tools for a restoration, but the problem is our driveway. Its kind of steep. Does everyone with an Airstream have a flat driveway?

I can research models with the least tire to back-end measurement... but my husband's car trailer scrapes, so this is an issue. Has anyone heard of anyone putting rollers on the end of the frame to be able to get the trailer up a steep driveway without crinkling the body?

[HowieE]

99.9% of the trailers with rollers have the rollers set wrong. If you go that route and I don't suggest it install the rollers so they don't extend more than an inch below the frame at the rear. Most rollers are installed on the bottom of the frame and thus the contact point is 4 to 5 inches lower meaning you will hit every where. In your case it might even lift the wheels off the ground if installed that way.

You say the drive is too steep. I assume you mean the angle formed between the road and the drive not the grade of the overall driveway. If that is the case and you can't change that angle can you offset the drive and form a lesser angle.

[VTSmitty]

We're in the same boat as far as a steep driveway, and found that we scraped a little backing the TT down the first time. We had the top of the driveway widened and regraded so that we could come in and out at a smaller angle, and now it's fine.

[Foiled Again]

Some people have a problem just as they leave the level street - perhaps because the wheels drop into the deeper rain gutter at the edge of the road.

This problem is best taken care of by running the trailer's tires over ramps that bridge the gutter-gap. Plywood with some bracing across the deepest part is good, as are a variety of metal ramps. Anything that is heavy duty enough to hold the weight of the trailer for a short period. The ramps can be stored in the garage between uses.

The best choice - temporary or permanent - depends largely on the size and layout of your yard. If you've got a drive that looks like a switchback highway down a mountain in Arizona, hubby may have a point... unless you've got enough property near the road that you can bulldoze out and create a level pad or carport. If you've just got a big hump near the curb that can be re-graded (without the expense of running new water and sewer lines) then I'd grade the drive. If it's a 25 degree grade all the way up a 300 foot hill?

Another choice? Many people store their Airstreams at a storage facility... or even an RV Park or RV Dealer who offers that service.

Good luck whatever you choose.

Paula

PS: A good piece of advice that is often given to people who are looking for their first Airstream is this - RENT something for a week or two, it doesn't have to be an Airstream, just an SOB (square old box) about the same size as the Airstream you're considering. It won't be cheap, but more than one person who is swept up with the romance of having an RV quickly becomes bored with it and it either languishes in the yard growing algae as "yard art" or is sold at a huge loss. A friend who is a realtor took her Moho (motor home) out for the first time in 3 years. Luckily she'd kept it under cover so it wasn't a moldy leakfest, but after a week... she's telling me, "It's the first vacation I've taken in 3 years and I sure as hell don't feel like I'm having a vacation when I'm fixing drinks, cooking meals, eating husband's grilling efforts (... can you say poof, no eyebrows) and doing dishes. 300,000 moho now for sale for 100,000. Crap investment, is it not so?

[AnnArborBob]

I'm no engineer, but I would think that rollers on the back of your travel trailer would be a good way to bend/buckle the frame if they were ever put to use on an incline such as you describe. You might want to discuss this with someone at the factory (sorry, can't really offer any advice as where to start with that inquiry.) Your best bet would be to re-engineer your driveway so you can get up it without scraping or offsite storage.

Are there any structural engineers out there who can comment more authoritatively on this?

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by NH Streaming

Hi everybody ... I have been trying to convince my husband (who restores old CJ Jeeps in his free time) that having an Airstream will be great fun. He has the knowledge and tools for a restoration, but the problem is our driveway. Its kind of steep. Does everyone with an Airstream have a flat driveway?

Main problem, in Jeep terms, is the approach angle, not the steepness of the incline. If there is a gutter or low area sometimes it can be regraded without a huge expense. You can also use boards to bridge it as described upthread. It is also possible to gain some clearance by deliberately lowering the tongue by slacking the WD bars or using a high-drop hitch receiver solely for parking.

Rollers will tend to lead to damage over the course of years, both to the trailer and driveway

Good luck

[AWCHIEF]

I have a Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland with the adjustable air suspension. When backing into my yard I let the trailer wheels go up and over the curb. I stop and raise the Jeep an additional height of 5 inches. Result, no more dragging of the towing gear.

[Gene]

The trailer has skid plates under the bumper attached to the frame. It is to protect the bumper which is not strong and not for bumping. If the trailer scrapes a little, the skid plates could get you by, but repeated use is not good for the frame. If for some reason you got stuck in the driveway and had to back up, the skid plates would dig into the road, not a good thing and you might unable to go either direction.

The suggestions above are all good so long as they do not recommend wheels or rollers mounted to the frame—or, more likely the skid plates. I'm unsure how you can test your driveway (will a dealer lend you an Airstream?—can't hurt to ask), but if the car trailer scrapes, that's not a good sign.

The best solution is changing the driveway. I now live in a house with a steep driveway and so far I've haven't heard any scraping. The first 10 feet aren't too steep, so I think that helps. Note to me: check bottom of skid plates for scratches.

Gene

[putback]

Its a real problem, but. Car trailers are generally a bit lower than an airstream. For comparison within airstreams a 28 footer can really limit your options. A 22 foot safari with a new axle, optional extra down angle on the arms, and an extra 1 inch lift on the mounting plates will let you into some serious steep angle of attack sites. Rollers on the tail could be the same result as lifting an A.S. by jacking under the bumper and hitch, damaged frame/hull. In an earlier life I was a build-break-rebuild-rebrake jeep guy. Tell him Airstreams are a heck of a lot easier, no drive train!

[TG Twinkie]

You could wrinkle the shell if enough stress is applied to the frame.
Have you tried lowering the hitch ball to where the trailer is higher in the rear. Since you are not towing at high speed, the hitch angle is not important.

[Airrogant]

Originally Posted by NH Streaming

I have been trying to convince my husband that having an Airstream will be great fun.

Your driveway may be the least of your worries if your hubby is already dragging his feet. What do you think is holding him back?

[rodsterinfl]

Steep like this?

[Len n Jeanne]

Can you describe your situation further? Do you live in a rural area on an acreage that would allow some driveway modification, or in town? If you have room to do this, Paula's suggestion for creating a graded parking pad near your road is the one we selected. Our driveway is so steep we generally drive down it in 4-wheel low, especially in winter. It would be nice to keep the Bambi closer to the house, but we would have to do some major earth-moving to create a place to park it and still get vehicles in and out. The parking pad is also used by visitors who don't want to chance getting up the driveway when it's icy.

However, we can see the Bambi from the house, so we can keep an eye on it. Also, we store it at our local RV service place over the winter, to keep it safe from road salt.

[AWCHIEF]

Originally Posted by rodsterinfl

Steep like this?

That is insane. Who would design much less buy something like that?

[Gene]

I know someone who has a driveway almost as steep as the photo above. The contractor admitted they made a mistake and the people had to move right away, so they were stuck. They've lived with it for 20 years or so. They don't have a travel trailer, though they do have a utility trailer and I don't know how that works.

Gene

[HowieE]

Originally Posted by AWCHIEF

That is insane. Who would design much less buy something like that?

This is some of his other work. He specializes in driveway.

[AWCHIEF]

Originally Posted by HowieE

This is some of his other work. He specializes in driveway.

Self taught and does contract work for the government.