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Coloradobus · 11-20-2006, 06:56 PM

lmjiii, 2 Air, Action.

Checking on the closet door, our Q/S has a net carrying capacity of 84lbs, factoring out water, LP, and all the options.
2 Air asked earlier what I had hoped Airstream would do or say?? Volunteer to upgrade our axle under warranty so we can be assured safety while travelling down the highway. We travel on paved surfaces, only, unless campgrounds roads are gravel, or dirt.
I'll try again tomorrow and stir the pot a bit at Jackson Center.

ljmiii · 01-03-2007, 06:42 PM

After a bit of contemplation I've decided to go for it. I don't really need 4300lbs, but I'm tired of living on the edge at 3480 lbs without water. And wondering if my 1850lb/C rated tires will blow if I have to hit 75 to avoid being smushed between a pair of semis.

And so I'm scheduled to go to Jackson Center to get the axle/wheel/tire/disc brake upgrade on Feb 13th and 14th. I'll let you all know how it goes.

enjoy,
leo

(ps pardon for the multiple postings...the 16' Bambi GVWR issue had a few threads)

RDM16CCD · 01-03-2007, 08:18 PM

leo
I am seriously contemplating doing this also for my 16' CCD - but I will need to wait until at least spring break....

I am extremely interested in your experience at Jackson Center, changes to your hitch setup, and impressions of any towing differences - so please do post back!

You will be the Trail Blazer!
Bob

ROBERTSUNRUS · 01-03-2007, 10:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ljmiii

After a bit of contemplation I've decided to go for it. I don't really need 4300lbs, but I'm tired of living on the edge at 3480 lbs without water. And wondering if my 1850lb/C rated tires will blow if I have to hit 75 to avoid being smushed between a pair of semis.

And so I'm scheduled to go to Jackson Center to get the axle/wheel/tire/disc brake upgrade on Feb 13th and 14th. I'll let you all know how it goes.

enjoy,
leo

(ps pardon for the multiple postings...the 16' Bambi GVWR issue had a few threads)

Hi, I have two questions for you: #1. Are you paying for this upgrade and if so how much will it cost? #2. Will Airstream also upgrade your VIN tag, closet label, and title to reflect your new GVWR so it will be legally rated higher than original information?

Bob

ljmiii · 01-04-2007, 07:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ROBERTSUNRUS

Hi, I have two questions for you: #1. Are you paying for this upgrade and if so how much will it cost?

The axle/wheel/tire upgrade will run about $1750 and the disc brakes another $1710.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ROBERTSUNRUS

#2. Will Airstream also upgrade your VIN tag, closet label, and title to reflect your new GVWR so it will be legally rated higher than original information?

I assume the title and VIN tag won't change - the title lists the unladen weight anyway. A new closet tag might be nice though...I was just going to affix my own update sticker.

3Ms75Argosy · 01-04-2007, 08:44 AM

that's a lot of dough. Just a thought... being on the east coast, have you called GSM vehicles (see thevap.com for a link) for a quote? Or, Colonial AS? Of course, the wheels/rim would add about $400.00, so maybe it's not so out of line for the axle/wheel/tire upgrade. But I can't imagine that those hunks of steel sitting on the ends of the axles + the actuator is that much?

Just a thought.
Marc

ljmiii · 01-04-2007, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3Ms75Argosy

Just a thought... being on the east coast, have you called GSM vehicles (see thevap.com for a link) for a quote? Or, Colonial AS

When I first contacted Airstream they suggested that I have my local dealer do the work. And so I tried emailing Colonial AS a couple of times but got no response. I then tried calling them and I got an actual mechanic who was covering the phones and said he could do it...but that the 'real' service guy would have to call back with ordering info and pricing. After about a week went by I called again. This time I got the service guy but he said he hadn't heard of anyone ever doing that kind of axle upgrade and wonderered where I had heard of it. When I told him 'Airstream' he said OK, he would call airstream to get the information he needed about having Colonial do the work. But he never called back.

Given Colonial's relative lack of interest I dropped the issue - I definately didn't want someone to do an axle/wheel/brake replacement who wasn't experienced and/or didn't feel comfortable doing the work. Which is kind of sad because they were very helpful when I was shopping for an Airstream.

Then I read on one of these threads that someone had seen Airstream do the work at Jackson Center. I emailed them and received a response almost immediately - within a day we had worked out all the details. Hopefully the work will go just as smoothly.

enjoy,
leo

PS I agree that the axle price seems reasonable and the disc price seems a bit high...but since I'm having them do the one I don't really want to go somewhere else to do the other.

Coloradobus · 01-04-2007, 09:56 AM

ljmiii,

Let us know how the upgraded axle and 15 tires and disc brakes work. What rated axle are you going with, 3800 lbs?? After talking with Dexter, I figured all I needed to do was take the Dexter order number off of the axle and they would do the rest. What is the price of the part and install you were quoted??

Thanks, We still haven't used our Quick Silver because of the limited axle rating and we've had the trailer for over a year.

Are you footing the bill or is Airstream?

ljmiii · 01-04-2007, 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coloradobus

Let us know how the upgraded axle and 15 tires and disc brakes work...What rated axle are you going with, 3800 lbs??...Are you footing the bill or is Airstream?

I certainly will...4300lbs...and I am. I've already spent upwards of $48K on the airstream, shipping, taxes, etc...I finally decided that I should just pay the extra $1700 to have a fully functional trailer.

As for why I spend another $1700 on disc brakes I realized that it needed it's own thread (Technology Time Warp).

BamCamper · 01-07-2007, 10:01 AM

On a positive note...I bought my Quicksilver in June 2006 and have driven it everywhere...up the mountain to Lake Tahoe, winding roads to the lake, cruising with the semis on I-5, various camping trips etc. without a problem. I have traveled with water and without it. I have no upgrades and it tows like a champ. I have to remind myself that it's behind me. It is a safe and sturdy vehicle. It seems a shame that you are not using yours.

Perhaps I am driving along in blissful ignorance but I think there is also something called analysis paralysis that we can all suffer from. There has to be a happy medium somewhere. I don't think the Quicksilver Bambi was distributed from the factory as an unsafe trailer. Not meaning to start a huge debate here...I'm big on safety too...just offering another side to the story.

ljmiii · 01-07-2007, 10:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BamCamper

On a positive note...I bought my Quicksilver in June 2006 and have driven it everywhere...

That is good to hear....out of curiosity, what does you closet sticker say your NCC ended up being?

"Am I just being paranoid" did keep me from having the upgrade done for a couple of months. What finally pushed me along the upgrade path was being unhappy with my tires - 215/75R14s, load rated 'C' and 1870 lbs. I do check my tire pressure before every trip, but even so, this seemed a little too close for comfort. Particularly after all I've read about the Goodyear tires' quality issues and the potentially catastrophic failure mode of a blowout. Also, 215/75R14s are relatively rare - if I drove over something that took out both tires I'd have to wait awhile where ever it happened. Which lead me to the 225/75R15s - load rated 'D' and 2540lbs. Which lead me to the axle upgrade which lead me to the disc brakes.

The other deciding factor was my decision to take the family airstreaming down to Florida this April - a little over 1000 mi each way along I-95. And having semis blow by me as I'm going 60 on the freeway is starting to feel more dangerous than going 70. And I didn't want to go 70 in the lower rated tires.

enjoy,
leo

BamCamper · 02-27-2007, 05:34 PM

I understand there are possibly potential problems...but have there been any actual problems/accidents reported because of the axle/weight issue?

ljmiii · 02-28-2007, 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BamCamper

I understand there are possibly potential problems...but have there been any actual problems/accidents reported because of the axle/weight issue?

Not to my knowledge. I expect that the weakest link is the tires - but if you inspect them regularly and inflate them to 60lbs that should help.

Silvertwinkie · 02-28-2007, 09:19 AM

You know, what I find interesting is that Airstrem went to the trouble of increasing the NCC by adding more robust axles to units that I see start at 25' and higher....I wonder what the decision was made not to do even a slight increase on the 23' and lower units......I mean clearly, by reading this thread, one could justify it.

**Action** · 02-28-2007, 11:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silvertwinkie

I wonder what the decision was made not to do even a slight increase on the 23' and lower units.......

Usually it's a $ decision. Just a guess on my part.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Action

Silvertwinkie · 02-28-2007, 11:52 AM

You are prob right with it was a $$ decision, but I can't help but feel that the axles they are putting in have a fair cost to them, and the retail for the new axles is about $1700 from what we've been told. Could the cost difference between the current production axle and one that increases capacity by 1500 to 2000lbs that substantial? My gut, which has been wrong on more than one occasion seems to find it hard to fathom it could be that great of an impact that they couldn't have simply rolled that into one of the annual 5% cost increases, on top of at least a 19% markup that we know about.

I think folks that bought 25' or larger got the goods, while the smaller ones, got the boot. Maybe they thought in a smaller place there wouldn't be such a need for more than a few hundred lbs of cargo because there were limited places to store it.

Eithter way, unlike the brake conversation, the axle conversation I agree with totally. It's just a shame a guy that puts down $45+k on an RV, has to spend near $2k additional on an axle that fits what most lifestyles need, when they already did it to the larger RV lines.

**Action** · 02-28-2007, 12:29 PM

Silvertwinkie,

I bet the cost diff would be something on the order of $100 to $500. However the mind set is in a whole different world. Enter the world of manufacturing and marketing. $500 over a 1000 units is $500,000. Saving a 1/2 mill is kinda a neat deal. AND if the (MSRP) retail pricing is near a thresh hold A/S may have thought gotta trim cost to keep the total reatil price (MSRP) below a certain # so it can be advertised at $XX. Cause more units can be sold at that price than $500 more. And in the final negoiations with a buyer and a dealer, $500 is chump change. However it makes a diff when spread over many units or when marketing to the masses against real or percieved competition.

A bit off topic. In a past life I worked for a company that has a blue oval for a logo. I worked in the divison that focuses on parts and service out in the field. Back in that time frame I was involved in a small project with a 4 cylinder engine in small cars. And pleasing some owners that experienced a shorter than expected life on those engines.
The reason?????? A suggestion was taken on these engines after many years of building these engines to omit drilling an oil hole during manufacturing. The suggestion was made as it was determined it really wasn't needed. Cost savings less than a $1 per engine. May be even pennies. Spread over a several hundred thousand engines in may be 5 years. The suggestion was reasearched and determined it would work. In the end, those engines were prone to failure if the owners were marginal on oil/filter changes or ran the cars under a little harder use. And these were engines used in a low end car line. The kind of car line that doesn't always get the best of care. Result!!! Some of those engines built in that time frame didn't make it to see 50,000 miles. The engine failures started occuring after 40,000 miles and later. It was a marginal call that saved $ upfront and in the end cost a lot of $ and goodwill to make amends. I am sure some previous owners never came back after that experience even though they may have been reimbursed totally.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>Action

Silvertwinkie · 02-28-2007, 01:47 PM

All great points....no questions there. It's funny, they spend the $$ putting in these digital tank sensors because they are better (and I am sure at a cost, however slight, over the previous units). None of the Airstream line, even the Basecamp (for what you get) I would consider entry level. I suppose I just find myself asking how this is a premium product if they too nickel and dime it. The NCC on the shorter Airstreams is pretty meager. I'm sure it's not limited to Airstreams either and that other "premium" models and brands do the same thing, letting the bean counters drive production....to me, that's a scary thought, but a reality as you pointed out.