Manufacturing Flaws

[smily]

I have heard that the 1995 or 1996 models had a weight / balance problem. Specifically the 34' tri-axle.

I heard that the weight was not optimally placed and this created balancing problems that were evident in the tongue weight.

Does anyone know of this design flaw for these year models?

Smily

[RoadKingMoe]

Here are some weights off the Airstream website. Other than the 96 front kitchen tongue being heavy and subsequent year FK tongues being light, do you see a problem here?

YR MODEL   FT   DRY  TNG GVWR
95 Excella 34   7100 800 8900
95 Excella 34FK 7700 825 9500

96 Excella 34   7855 800 9500
96 Excella 34FK 8140 900 9500

97 Excella 34SB 7710 820 9800
97 Limited 34SB 7950 870 9800
97 Excella 34FK 7840 710 9800
97 Limited 34FK 8080 770 9800

98 Excella 34   7710 820 9800
98 Limited 34   7950 870 9800
98 Excella 34FK 7840 710 9800
98 Limited 34FK 8080 770 9800

99 Excella 34   8070 820 9800
99 Limited 34   8290 870 9800
99 Excella 34FK 8170 710 9800
99 Limited 34FK 8420 770 9800

Trailers since '99 have weighed the same, the front kitchen was dropped in 2000, and the last year the Limited was listed is 2001.

[smily]

I do not know of the exact complaint but I will follow up witht the source of the info.

I was under the impression that there was a problem with the 96' weight issue.

I will let you know what I find out.

Smily

[apple 1]

Smily,

There was a problem with light tongue weight on an earlier model year 34' trailers and the dealers had a kit they were installing in the A frame rails. This kit had several long pieces of steel which were slid into the rails and welded in place to increase the tongue weight.
I learned about this from my dealer when I complained about the tongue weight on my then new 96' model year 30' trailer. The factory published weight is GVW 8300, UVW 6855, hitch weight of 680. When we ordered our trailer we did not want the table on the road side in front of the couch as we had the dinette table. Also left out all the mirrors on the doors at the front and rear of the trailer. My trailer when empty but with full LPG 40# tanks weighted 6860 and had only 630 lbs of tongue weight. The problem is the tongue weight is light to start with and most of the storage area is in the rear of the trailer behind the wheels. I carry no heavy items under the bed or in the back and have moved items such as my tool box and extra power cord extensions under the sofa in the front. Still to get my tongue weight to 12% of the total trailer weight I carry an extra 150# of lead shot in vinyl bags weighting 25# each which are stored around the battery boxes and the univolt under the sofa.
A/S owners manual states tongue weight should be between 10 and 15% and the ideal weight is 12%. I know from years of thriler towing if the tongue weight is below 10% you will have a handling problem. I learned this in 1968 when I got my first car tariler and started racing. The position of the car on the trailer controls the tongue weight.
The reason for trailer hitches like the Hensley Arrow and the Pull Rite is the design extends the tongue to greate a higher artificial tongue weight. Both are good hitches and will over come the light tongue weight issue.