My journey to Airstream 'Mothership'

[THEPILL]

I'm leaving one week from tomorrow. From Texas to Jackson Center,Ohio. I have some needed repairs.

Why not make a small photo/blog of it. I will,take pictures the whole way. Give my Mpg and updates regularly. I will let you know how the repair process goes and will take many many pictures while I'm at the Mothership. First time for me to attempt this,....what do you guys think?

Any interest?

The countdown will start in 8 days until departure.

[SilverRanger]

Originally Posted by THEPILL

I'm leaving one week from tomorrow. From Texas to Jackson Center,Ohio. I have some needed repairs.

Why not make a small photo/blog of it. I will,take pictures the whole way. Give my Mpg and updates regularly. I will let you know how the repair process goes and will take many many pictures while I'm at the Mothership. First time for me to attempt this,....what do you guys think?

Any interest?

The countdown will start in 8 days until departure.

Take the tour. I hope Don is still doing them. He's worked for Airstream for over 50 years, and is a wealth of information about the history and the manufacturing process. The people of Jackson Center are very nice. A blog/journal is a great idea. Can't wait to see the pictures.

[slowmover]

Are you going by way of Joplin, MO or Memphis, TN?

I'd be all over the weather forecasts for either route. And use NHTSA site for road closure information.

Jackson Center sunset time is at 18:21 one week from now. The "rule" is to never drive into the dark (and cheat at the other end by starting no earlier than 1/2-hour prior to sunrise. Which in Arlington is at 0645, for an 0615 departure.)

I believe you may well enjoy working against the constraints of travel speed and departure/arrival times. That Ford has got to be quite comfortable, so records of mpg will be consistent as you're using a set speed (check local temps and winds; temps & fuel mileage have a one-to-one relationship: every 1C drop in temp is a 1% loss in mpg. "Winter fuel" is not the cause folks think it is. This is said for your future comparisons). I use the tachometer rather than the odometer to set the cruise control as it is easier to nail than "speed".

I also like the site Roadfood.com - Your Guide to Authentic Regional Eats to find the best lunch spots. And the AMBest Home independent truck stop directory for fuel. Fast in & out, if I want it to be. I tie those both to my 2 & 4 hour breaks. Makes those 600-mile days easy by arranging trip "legs" in advance (with state rest areas otherwise).

Some basic trip planning like this -- the time & distance of each leg, right down to Interstate mile marker -- relieves the mind of the tedious stuff and allows imagination to work more freely (pics, etc).

.

[THEPILL]

Going my Memphis,tenn..then north. Due to Texas chl laws in Illinois. I am planning on leaving Saturday morning about 6 am. Then drive till I'm tired.

My last long run was pikes peak to home. One day....it was easy. The biggest trip I do and have done twice was Arlington, Tx ..home...to Orlando,Fla. right at 1,000 miles. Gonna slow down and take my time this trip...especially if the weather gets bad.......I'm excited about the trip. I can't wait to start posting pictures.

Shane

[slowmover]

Here it is as an idea. This is a rough draft of how I do it (assuming a two day trip to JC).

Day One

Using IH-30, not 20, to depart 0615

MM-138 Safety Rest Area Facility Location Map Mt. Pleasant, TX
2' 12" @ 65-mph = 140-miles
[0830 - 0845]


IH-30 MM-56 Rest Area Gurdon, AR
130-miles at 2-hours
[1045-1100]


Ed & Kays Restaurant
15228 I-30, Benton, AR
81-miles @ 1' 20"
[1225-1315]


IH-40 MM-235 Rest Area Forrest City, AR
116-miles @ 2' 0"
[1500-1515]


Jackson RV Park
Exit 80A
Jackson, TN
131-miles @ 3-hours
[1800]


558-miles @ 65-mph travel speed = 9-hours +/- drive time. An 0615 departure with stops brings travel time (not drive time) to about 12-hours. Off the road before dark.

I assume you can drive to this point and find a nearby truck stop to fuel with a DEF Ford with a big tank at a reasonable rate of speed. Assuming a burn rate of 15-mpg, then this is 37-gls.

I also like to "navigate" by Starbucks. I want that 4-bux coffee at around 1500. Past Little Rock you won't find one. But you could fill the thermos in LR.

Jackson, TN may be a bit far. But there isn't much around Memphis (and it ain't a great town, either). So I have no idea of this RV park outside of what rvparkreviews said. (Check on AIR).

In all cases I have not used satellite or street views to see if there is room for a TV-TT rig. Nor have I checked state info to see if these rest areas are even open. Or the restaurant has weekend hours. Etc. Etc.

Takes a few hours, sometimes several evenings to lay out a good trip plan. A big part of the pleasure as I see it, the anticipation. Especially as to a fun place for lunches every day. (I avoid the C-stores religiously). I put addresses & phone numbers on the itinerary for my reference, and leave one at home for friends/family.

Certainly I can depart from all this, but it does make life easy when a scheduled arrival is expected at the other end.

Put it in gear and just go is work, IMO. Breaking the day up in this manner keeps me away from the rhythms of other people. I have places to go and people to see . . at my pace.


.

[THEPILL]

Rednax...your awesome!..honestly gonna leave about 5:00 am and drive till I get fatigued,....I dont ever have a plan....I will probably sleep in my stream at night at a rest stop,Walmart or a cracker barrell along the way.

But I can't thank you enough.

Shane

[Lily&Me]

REDNAX has been busy being a good neighbor here on the forums.



Maggie

[slowmover]

(A guilt trip sometimes. Temper, and re-temper.)

And, Shane -- at a given speed -- I think of the above as a way of checking where I am. Not where I have to be. How far I can actually go in a day or by lunch time. And avoid chain stores of all sorts.

Where are the first pics? Got the dog going with you?

.

[THEPILL]

Originally Posted by REDNAX

(A guilt trip sometimes. Temper, and re-temper.)

And, Shane -- at a given speed -- I think of the above as a way of checking where I am. Not where I have to be. How far I can actually go in a day or by lunch time. And avoid chain stores of all sorts.

Where are the first pics? Got the dog going with you?

.

No pup..no wife...just me.

The first pics will be pulling out of the driveway next Saturday...maybe packing on Friday afternoon.

Shane

[wasagachris]

I for one am looking forward to reading about " The adventures of SuperShane and the Pill Stream" while he makes his way home to the Mothership for a reunion of child with it's birthplace.
BTW Shane you never did mention what the repairs are that warrant such a long trip and why you feel that they can only be done at JC instead of your local A/S dealership. Inquiring minds want to know.

[THEPILL]

Originally Posted by wasagachris

I for one am looking forward to reading about " The adventures of SuperShane and the Pill Stream" while he makes his way home to the Mothership for a reunion of child with it's birthplace.
BTW Shane you never did mention what the repairs are that warrant such a long trip and why you feel that they can only be done at JC instead of your local A/S dealership. Inquiring minds want to know.

I have a leak under the dinette with a soft floor and mold. Curbside rear. My warranty ran out 3 days and I saw the mold. In reality my airstream was being serviced for the pigtail propane leak and haven't had a chance to clean the inside. The dealer was also doing other repairs and had my airstream for awhile. One day after getting her back I saw the mold and felt the floor. There is a thread I started with pictures on here. I called and spoke with Jim and he said not a problem and authorized a belly removal to look at it....I got to thinking if this requires a full laminate removal..I don't want a seam in my floor...these dealers are not worthy ,IMO to do the work. Plus if other leaks or problems are detected then I cut out the middle man.

Shane

[wasagachris]

Well no wonder you have mold on the floor, when I have a leak I usually use the toilet. LOL
Seriously though that's incredible that the floor is rotting out so quickly. I had heard that they finally fixed the rear bumper leak issue but I am guessing that it was fixed after yours was built.
Do you think it's from the bumper area or from the rear pano's?
A full laminate removal would require a full gut would it not? I agree with you that kind of job is better left to the factory.
BTW when you do the tour make sure you grill Don about when they are going to restore wally's gold trailer. If enough people ask maybe just maybe they will finally do it.

[THEPILL]

Originally Posted by wasagachris

Well no wonder you have mold on the floor, when I have a leak I usually use the toilet. LOL
Seriously though that's incredible that the floor is rotting out so quickly. I had heard that they finally fixed the rear bumper leak issue but I am guessing that it was fixed after yours was built.
Do you think it's from the bumper area or from the rear pano's?
A full laminate removal would require a full gut would it not? I agree with you that kind of job is better left to the factory.
BTW when you do the tour make sure you grill Don about when they are going to restore wally's gold trailer. If enough people ask maybe just maybe they will finally do it.

Maybe the water damage is from using the rear door and not being too accurate on my aim.......

It's not a huge soft spot,..but I feel the laminate separating from the floor...like giving when pressure is applied.

I don't know where the water is coming from.

I'll mention it about the gold trailer,.....but I am gonna go in low profile, with a great attitude.

Shane

[Gene]

Shane,

The plywood, if not too damaged, can be filled with epoxy and will as strong or stronger than before. Finding the source of the leak is important too, of course.

I don't know what kind of floor the International has other than your statement it is laminate. New Interntionals have "wenge" laminates which would be a dark African wood on the surface. Non-vinyl laminates may swell once the board the surface is glued to get wet and have to be replaced. Ours has a thin, sheet vinyl floor that has bumps in it from cold temps and improper installation. In at least one cabinet, it is curling since the attachment to the floor (staples I think) has failed. I will take out most of the exposed vinyl and what I can remove under cabinets and seal the floor with something. I'm not sure what yet—epoxy paint is more complicated than I want it to be (I haven't detected any soft spots, but I haven't taken the vinyl out either) and am thinking of exterior polyurethane instead. I think you have a different problem though although you may want to make sure as much of the floor is sealed as practicable.

If laminate is interlocking (sort of like tongue and groove), removing it may damage some of the locking parts and make it hard to replace properly. If glued, there is also potential for damage. Floating floors are better because of the glue issue, but the locking mechanism is pretty frail on some of it. I think it is important to clarify this before works starts.

Rednax and you have very different ways to plan a trip. I am more like Rednax and agree the planning is part of the thrill of anticipation. No matter how much planning or non-planning there is, we all seem to get there.

Has Airstream agreed to pick up the cost of this since you were only 3 days out of warranty? Read your warranty carefully. There's something about 5 days after the 2 year term that seems to extend the period for those 5 days. Have they or a dealer worked on sealing the panos? If they did, you can claim they didn't do it correctly, or they didn't check for floor damage at the same time.

Gene

[THEPILL]

Yes, airstream...Jim said they will fix it and Chris also under warranty. I emailed them pictures because my concern was driving 2,000 miles round trip and they deny ther repair.

Pano leaks were fixed but the opposite end of the trailer.....front street side.

All is good.

Shane

[Gene]

That's great Shane. But will they put a sealer on the plywood they expose?

Gene

[THEPILL]

Originally Posted by CrawfordGene

That's great Shane. But will they put a sealer on the plywood they expose?

Gene

I really dont know. I'm just adamant about not having a seam if they want to replace just part of the laminate flooring. Full replacement,....but they are the professionals and will be open to what they have to say or suggest.

I love my airstream and truly understand that these trailers are HANDmand and appreciate the made in America and what they stand for. Makes me proud to be a owner of a great iconic item of American history.

I'm excited and a sponge when I get there to learn and have a rewarding experience.

Shane

[Gene]

Shane,

You can learn at the service center. They allow anyone to come back into the shop and talk to the techs who are working on your trailer. When you get tired of that, there's wifi in the waiting area so you can do stuff on your computer, or you can go into the shop and spend enormous amounts of money. There's free coffee or hot chocolate. I used some of the time to meet some of the executives. And you can take the factory tour. You can drive down to Dayton—we went to the Trader Joe's there. Someday we plan to go to the aircraft museum. But you may want to stick around in case the techs have questions and need guidance on what to do.

I'm assuming when you said laminate the floor is not a sheet, but individual planks. If there are planks, there should be no seam. If sheeting, they should remove it all to do it right. There are transition strips available to cover seams. They are used between different types of flooring or in a very, very large floor when the flooring can expand and needs to have some space between parts; then the strips cover that space.

Gene

[THEPILL]

Originally Posted by CrawfordGene

Shane,

You can learn at the service center. They allow anyone to come back into the shop and talk to the techs who are working on your trailer. When you get tired of that, there's wifi in the waiting area so you can do stuff on your computer, or you can go into the shop and spend enormous amounts of money. There's free coffee or hot chocolate. I used some of the time to meet some of the executives. And you can take the factory tour. You can drive down to Dayton—we went to the Trader Joe's there. Someday we plan to go to the aircraft museum. But you may want to stick around in case the techs have questions and need guidance on what to do.

I'm assuming when you said laminate the floor is not a sheet, but individual planks. If there are planks, there should be no seam. If sheeting, they should remove it all to do it right. There are transition strips available to cover seams. They are used between different types of flooring or in a very, very large floor when the flooring can expand and needs to have some space between parts; then the strips cover that space.

Gene

It's one sheet,....that's my worry. I don't want a transitional seam on the floor.

Thank you for the tips...now I'm even more excited I get to watch the repairs first hand...Cain take pictures while they are working?,,,if so..I'll bring a chair....



Shane

[Gene]

I did take some photos in the shop, but tried to stay out of people's way. I tried to limit my time in there so the techs didn't feel like I was playing cop over them. I wanted, like you, to learn about things and asked them how they did stuff, and then left for a while.

Since it is a sheet, I think they should replace the whole thing. The problem is the factory lays down the sheet before the partitions, cabinets and furniture are in. It is the cheapest way to do it, but if you are in a cold climate, eventually the sheeting will deform because of expansion and contraction. If you full time, you would keep it heated over the winter, but otherwise, there can be problems. Where you live, this may not be a problem because it doesn't usually get that cold. It takes a lot of time to cut a sheet to conform to the all the corners in a trailer and then install trim—usually quarter round—over the spaces that are supposed to be left for expansion/contraction at the partitions, etc. That's why they do it the sloppy way at the factory, but it eventually can lead to problems. When they repaired a hump in the vinyl in the bathroom while still on warranty, they cut a slice out in front of the bathroom cabinet to let the vinyl settle down and put a piece of quarter round over it. They understand how to fix these things at the service center.

If you want to upgrade, discuss putting in laminate planks. I don't know what it will cost. I just ordered some vinyl planks that lay loose if used inside a home. I will use pressure sensitive glue at the edges and seams because of the temperature extremes in a trailer. Otherwise you have to have interlocking planks or glue them down with exterior glue. There has to be a space around the edge of the floor covered with trim. There are a variety of laminates (cork, wood, fake wood, etc.), but they are heavy and that's why we choose vinyl planks. There are a gazillion websites about flooring and you can spend a lot of time looking at all the alternatives. You can see what they cost (anywhere up to $4 and more a square foot, but some are less than $2 especially if overstocked. Our trailer, excluding the bathroom, was less than 60 square feet; yours should be the same. We ordered higher quality flooring because we didn't need much and it was $230.

Gene