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Old 11-26-2009, 06:10 AM   #1
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Nissan Armada & 28' Int'l on I 45

I was driving south on I 45 Yesterday at Mile 12 and saw a 28' International being towed by a Nissan Armada. It had 2 Solar Panels on the roof at the back. I was the guy in the red Mustang that drove beside you for a little while.

If you happen to read this your Airstream could tow much better with a little simple tweaking of your hitch. You have likely noticed that the Airstream is running quite low at the front so you are running much higher loads on your front axle.

Because of the shank you are using you cannot get the ball to the correct height. I would suggest getting and Eaz-Lift Brand Shank because it allows the closest ball to bumper mount. With a standard shank you should be able to level everything up.

If you like send me a PM and I can give you some measurements to take and clarify further.

Andy
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Old 11-26-2009, 09:49 AM   #2
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Nice to offer the tip Andy!
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Old 11-26-2009, 07:15 PM   #3
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For sure Marc

Not everybody is fortunate enough to get an impromptu, on the road connection evaluation by Mr T. Hopefully the guy is a forum member and gets the good advice.

Andy's post has got me thinking. Wondering if he was driving that Mustang solo or was he towing something
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Old 11-26-2009, 07:54 PM   #4
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At the time the Mustang was solo but we are towing a 23' on this trip. It works much better than I expected it to. Top down towing is kind of neat. Heading for the Natchez Trace tomorrow.

Andy
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Old 11-27-2009, 05:12 AM   #5
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Very nice Andy. A couple years ago I saw a late model Mustang towing a conventional box type travel trailer here on the QEW. Trailer looked like about a 19-20'. Often wondered how it would have towed.
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Old 11-27-2009, 12:39 PM   #6
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What?? Too cool! Got pics of the hitchup? V8 or 6?
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Old 11-28-2009, 07:25 PM   #7
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Single exhaust, so it must be the 4.0 V6. Plenty of power and torque (210 hp, 240 lbs ft) for a 23' though.
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Old 11-28-2009, 09:42 PM   #8
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It is just an everyday V6 we only needed to custom build a receiver and wire it, it has a large tranny cooler and the suspension is firm with good shock dampening.
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Old 11-28-2009, 09:48 PM   #9
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Here are some pictures.
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Old 11-28-2009, 09:50 PM   #10
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A couple more
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Old 11-28-2009, 09:54 PM   #11
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We drove from the campground at mile 54 on the Natchez Trace to Nashville today. Everyone should drive that road but have more than one day to do it. Most relaxing 400 miles I have ever driven.
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Old 11-28-2009, 09:57 PM   #12
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I guess this qualifies as a "seen Airstream".

Andy, My new to me Sovereign has CANAM stickers all over it and Ontario inspection sticker. I wish I could find out more about it...was sold new by CANAM....how'd it end up here in Texas...where it has a nice loving home.
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Old 11-29-2009, 05:59 AM   #13
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If you would like to send me the serial number I can see if I can find some records in our history. Often once I find a previous owners name I can remember quite a bit about one. Do you know the original owners name?

What year and layout is it?

Andy
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Old 11-29-2009, 06:10 AM   #14
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I should add here that though we did not modify the Mustang for towing we did tweak the Airstream a little. This 23 International has 720 pounds of hitch weight which is a tad high for the mustang. So we changed the LP tanks from 30's to 20's which had the added bonus of giving a storage place for the hitch equipment when parked. We removed the batteries from the A frame and mounted 2 gel pacs under the sofa over the wheels, and I put the tandem bike on the rear. Once loaded hitch weight was down to 560 pounds.

The Mustang has a 2340 lb. front and rear axle ratings. With full fuel and water tanks we wound up with 2300 front and 2320 Rear the trailer axles were 4990. In the trunk we had 2 sets of golf clubs and 3 Zip Dee Chairs. In theory reducing the hitch weight like this should make the trailer less stable but with the Mustang it really was not an issue. On some SUV's with live axles and large tires it might be.

Andy
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Old 11-29-2009, 06:45 AM   #15
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Andy, that Mustang combo looks awesome. I wonder if you get any more cowl shake with the top down from towing.

I'm also curious how many clients start showing up with Toyota Venzas and Honda Accord Crosstours. These long-wheelbase big-V6 powered wagon-thingies seem ripe for towing duty.

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Old 11-29-2009, 07:10 AM   #16
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Andy, that Mustang combo looks awesome.

I'm also curious how many clients start showing up with Toyota Venzas and Honda Accord Crosstours. These long-wheelbase big-V6 powered wagon-thingies seem ripe for towing duty.

Tom
Toy Venza


I was wondering the same thing Tom. Even the R series Mercedes which has been around now for a number of years seems to have all the ingredients to be a very good TV. Wheelbase (126"), short rear overhang, IRS, available Blue tec diesel power, 7 speed auto tranny, and an aerodynamic form.

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Old 11-29-2009, 09:36 AM   #17
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I forgot (as did most of the rest of North America) about the R-Class. I had one for a weekend - it was a very, very, very nice cruiser. What I also like about it is that visibility is better than many of the other recent wagon-ish designs (Magnum, Venza, Crosstour.)

Of course, there's always a minivan, which is cheaper, has the long wheelbase, and big windows all around...

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Old 11-29-2009, 05:13 PM   #18
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The Venza is only a 109" Wheelbase and still has quite a bit of rear overhang. Still it would be better than the Mustang I am driving now. Still in a crossover for about the same price you can get the Flex or the Buick Enclave,Traverse etc with 119" Wheelbase and about the same overhang. The Enclave's 3.6 litre really performs well but I would like to try the Flex with Echoboost, I am thinking that is what I will replace our current Town & Country with when the lease is done. I have not seen the specs on the Accord Cross Tour but the Accord Sedan works very well, comparable to the G35.

The R Class looks like it would be fantanstic 126" Wheelbase, diesel and a low C of G but I am not certain if we can put a hitch on one. We would need to remove the rear body cladding to figure it out and so far I have not had anyone that ready to buy one to make the investigation worth while.

Andy
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Old 11-29-2009, 05:32 PM   #19
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Just checked - Crosstour has a 110" wheelbase. Looks longer in the flesh. That's fine - might as well stick to my Odyssey anyway. Same engine, more room, longer wheelbase, less money.

Andy, don't know if you've driven a Flex with Ecoboost yet. I've driven the Lincoln MKT with Ecoboost, which is on the same platform. It's a very nice drivetrain. Actually, the car itself is rather nice, but looking out of the back when reversing (long car, small windows) is tricky...

Tom
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Old 11-29-2009, 05:57 PM   #20
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Andy, I looked at buying a used R class (gas model) when looking for a new TV recently... however, the rated realiablity was terrible from what I read. I wasn't ready to take that risk....

Really love that Mustang combo... I might have to remember that for the "retirement" years...
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