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markuscis · 07-27-2018, 09:52 AM

Hi all,

I've been lurking around here as my wife and I are planning our adventure into the airstream lifestyle. We have at least 5 or 7 years to retirement but will likely be purchasing a new airstream in the next year or two so in the early planning stages.

Our backyard is plenty big to park an airstream however to get it there will require backing it up a side yard where I will be installing pavers including where we will be parking/storing it.

Question: There is a section on the side yard that is only 10ft wide and from what I've read the new trailers are all 8.5ft wide but I suspect a few objects on the side of the trailer may stick out a few more inches here and there. One side is a wood fence and the other side is our front porch. If I were to use one of these:
https://trailervalet.com/shop/trailer-valet-xl/

do you think backing it up through this tight section would be much of a problem?

Thank You
Mark

PKI · 07-27-2018, 11:43 AM

There is a couple in our local WBCCI unit that parks their coach beside their house with 2" clearance. A 10ft path, if no turn is required should be great. A miss is as good as a mile.

My concern is pavers. Great proponent of pavers and want to install them for a similar application, but after some consideration, a flat concrete surface with a good support foundation might provide more reliable traction under adverse conditions.

Note - we talked to a lady who parked her vintage 27 beside the house. When hubby parked the new 25 in the same space, it did not fit. Wider by a bit and when the rig turned, it caught the eve board. Tight space and turns are difficult to transition. Take care.

Good luck with your analysis. Pat

hoagy_007 · 07-27-2018, 11:59 AM

I have a similar situation. I will be bringing our 30' AS to our home from storage. We have plenty of room to park it, the problem is backing it in. We have a side street behind our house where the back entrance is for storage and making the turn on the back street may not be possible. I have been looking at the backup dolly as an option. The high end one is pricey but it beats paying $125 a month for storage and I have it at home where I can plug it in and work on it as I like.

markuscis · 07-27-2018, 01:49 PM

Thanks, no turn required,

KK4YZ · 07-28-2018, 07:43 AM

not All AS trailers are the same width. 23’ and below at not as wide, by about 6” I believe. Check the specs.
You’re probably ok in either case as long as you can get trailer and TV straight before you enter the narrow place. Take your time and have a spotter.
Good luck.

uncle_bob · 07-28-2018, 08:15 AM

Hi

I also would strongly encourage you to take a look at doing concrete for the "path in" as well as the parking space. Running a dolly over the inevitable bumps in pavers will become more and more of a pain as time goes by. At least where I live, there is no real cost advantage to one over the other.

Yes, the neighbors will laugh a bit if they catch you doing this .... Make up a "dummy Airstream" out of PVC pipe ( just the footprint, not the whole thing

). It will cost a little bit, but not a lot. Then do some trial runs with the gizmo in from the street to the back yard.

One thing to ... errr ... look into: There may be rules about how close to the edge of your lot you can build this or that. A driveway may (or may not) have different rules than a "decorative patio". Sometimes knowing what to call it is a big deal.

Overall, the plan sounds doable. I'd say it's time to get going !!! There is a lot to be said for getting the AS slightly sooner vs slightly later. Shakeout can be easier when you are mostly doing short(er) trips.

Bob

CRH · 07-28-2018, 08:17 AM

I back through an 11 ft opening at a gate to enter my back yard.

markuscis · 07-28-2018, 09:14 AM

Thanks for the feedback. I could do concrete and will consider it. The long term goal is to have a gate in the back yard where there is a street although I can only pull straight in, can't back in, so I'll unhitch and then pull the truck out the front. When we go camping I use the RV dolly to pull it through to the front.

Again I appreciate the ideas.

Take Care
Mark

uncle_bob · 07-28-2018, 09:23 AM

Hi

If the "street in back" is what some would call an alley, blocking it for a few minutes *might* be an acceptable sort of thing. (I'm guessing here ...). If so, move the trailer over to the dolly / transport gizmo back there. Run it in with the gizmo and leave the truck out of the picture. Back it out the same way it came in. You can buy a pretty neat powered "mover" for the price of a bunch of concrete.

Note: one downside of a small dolly / transport is visibility. That trades off against the much tighter turns you can make with one. Net result, it's likely to be more of a two person job gettin in with one ( or a start / move / stop /go look / move / stop /go look ... sort of thing).

Bob

**DKB_SATX** · 07-28-2018, 09:24 AM

Sport 22: 7'4" wide
Sport 16 and Flying Clouds up to 23': 8' wide
Trailers 25' and longer: 8' 5.5" wide.

uncle_bob · 07-28-2018, 09:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DKB_SATX

Sport 22: 7'4" wide
Sport 16 and Flying Clouds up to 23': 8' wide
Trailers 25' and longer: 8' 5.5" wide.

Hi

Which as far as I can tell, includes everything on the trailer. A 8' 5.5" trailer should fit between two poles 8' 6" apart with a whopping 1/2" to spare ... no, I'm not going to try that

Bob

centennialman · 07-28-2018, 10:03 AM

Mark,

I have used two different versions of the Trailer Valet over the years and they work well. You can pivot it to get into tight spots and it moves the trailer slowly when you use the hand crank method. Some folks us a drill but I never liked having it go that fast. I have an XL for sale if you are interested. It was used one season. I have switched up to a Powertrax dolly because I am getting older and lazier. LOL

Watch for the eave overhang in the space you want to go into and measure several times to be sure your Airstream will go down the path you want it to. I am not sure I would do pavers though...if you can afford the cement, I would put a safe and secure cement pad/path to go down.

**DKB_SATX** · 07-28-2018, 10:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by centennialman

~~
I am not sure I would do pavers though...if you can afford the cement, I would put a safe and secure cement pad/path to go down.

If you can afford the cement, you might as well spring for the aggregate and make concrete. Cement is awfully crumbly.

30air · 07-28-2018, 12:57 PM

We put a front hitch on a small toyota truck just for parking. We were able to park it with 2 inches on one side and a half an inch in the back on the first try. A front hitch seems to make it so much easier to park in a tight space. We have a 30 foot classic. Hope this helps.

GammaDog · 07-28-2018, 01:34 PM

Sinice you are not planning to turn the trailer, a 10' opening for an 8'6" wide trailer should be easy to manage, but it may take a little practice and a spotter for each side is a must. As noted above, house eaves are kryptonte to Airstreams. Teach your spotters to look up if you are dealing with that possible point of interference. The dolly will definitely help maneuverability and keep speed down. If space allows on the street or alley, a tow vehicle should be able to put the trailer into a space that size... with practice and patient spotters.

Two thoughts I didn't don't see above: 1. I put a paint mark on the point in my driveway where the left rear wheel of the trailer belongs. It is placed so an empty soda can sits on it and the can is hit when the trailer is "home". In my setting, the streetside (left) of the trailer, the can and the tires are visible to me as I finish parking. Our driveway is made of pavers and I line up the trailer with the pattern. I can place the trailer within an inch or two with that method. I still prefer a spotter to avoid a few close spots on the way in. 2. You mention a fence. You didn't say whether that's on the curb side or street side of the trailer. When the trailer is parked at home you will probably want to access it to clean, prep, repair, hide from family members, whatever. Consider how the fence might block the entrance door, compartments, water fill, etc.. If space allows I would aim for a placement that allows access to all doors and all four sides for washing and waxing, etc..

NY24 · 07-28-2018, 02:15 PM

Rather than backing in, can you bring the trailer straight in and then, turn it around in the backyard?

BoscoMN · 07-28-2018, 03:51 PM

I would suggest putting a Stainless steel screw-eye into the eve and then when moving the Airstream you hang by a hook a wooden dowel pushed onto one of those water park foam "noodles". The bright color and soft foam alerts one to where the eve is and if it hits the side of the Airstream stop!

guskmg · 07-28-2018, 04:33 PM

I use 4 small traffic cones down the roadside route I want to back up on. I would place them equal distant between the left and right obstructions (roadside and curbside). As you back up favor the edges of the cones. You won't hurt them if you miss a little and hit one. That's better than you or your neighbor fence or your house. Using multiple cones in a straight line gives you something to use as a steering guide. Then if you have a back up camera you can use another for your stopping point. If no camera you better enlist some spotters. Be cautious and go slow.
guskmg

markuscis · 07-28-2018, 05:14 PM

Great ideas and advice. I do have an eve that is 9' 2" and runs length wise along one trailer side where it would back in.

I've been looking at the 28RB and the external height with A/C is 9' 9" which would be in the center of the trailer. Does anyone know what the height is on the side of the trailer say going in about 6" from the side?

Yes, I will likely pull the trailer in from the back alley and then out the front when I take it out. Backing it up into the alley is doable but after watching my neighbor do it with his trailer over the years I'd rather avoid it if at all possible.

Yard is not big enough to turn trailer around in it.