What modifications have you done to your A/S?

[Chas]

Pahaska,

As much as I hate to say it Andy is right.

If I still had my Argosy I would show you what damaging effect those seemingly helpful little wheels cause. It had wrinkles in the lower skin above the rear bumper on both sides above the frame rails. The frame would load up and compress the lower floor channel and transfer all the upward forces into the skin, thus the wrinkles. Any reduction in ground clearance, even as little as 5/8'ths of an inch will make the matters even worse. You are unloading the axles even more so, increasing the amount of weight dragging down onto the pavement, pushing up on the frame and bumper even more. Having the dolly wheels at the rearmost edge of the bumper just gives them more leverage to do their damage.

Chas

[john hd]

i'm not going to go either way on this topic.

i have a dip on the end of my driveway that can cause the end of my trailer to drag.

what i have done in the past to minimize the drag is the following:

no water in the tank until i'm out in the street.

no luggage/supplies until i'm out in the street.

i do not connect load bars until i'm out in the street.

by doing these things i have got it so there is just a light scrape when i go out. (and backing in too)

at one time i had considered mounting nylon "pucks" to the skid bars to aid in sliding. but the no load until i hit the street plan seems to be working.

my street is scheduled for resurfacing soon, i'm hopeful that some of the crown in the street will be removed then. making things better.

john

[john hd]

john

i went back and looked at your pic of the dolly wheels again.

do you have skid bars on your trailer?

by the picture it looks like you do not.

maybe the wheels are not such a bad idea after all!

it looks like if they were not there your tank cover/belly skin would drag!

got any more pics?

john

[Road Ruler]

What do the skid plates look like. Do all A/S's have them?

Why would John's wheels be any worse that draging the back bumper. His wheels are recessed up in the frame.

This is a good topic because it seems like a good idea.

Andy.. Your reasoning and experiance does make sense.

Is it one of those things that one could say that the wheels can help in many cases but could be a problem in other situations?

[Chas]

I agree that any rear end dragging on any Airstream, dolly wheels or not, is a bad thing. That is part of the reason I went with as tall of tires as I could possibly get and is another reason to make sure your axles are not sagged out. Also be sure your hitch heights and equalizers are set up correctly. Now if you could put extended 'wheelie bars" that would attach at or near the rear axle and run them back towards the rear of the trailer you would transmit the force in an area which would not affect the rear shell of the trailer. Sounds far fetched but I am going to check it out.

Chas

[Road Ruler]

Chas... You are da Man!!!

I like it. That idea would satisfy all of the criteria. Just add rotating caster type dolly wheels to the equation. Something like a long leaf spring could be used so there would be some give but not to much.

[Road Ruler]

Chas... Crude pic but is this what you have in mind??

[Chas]

Exactly what I was thinking! The (outrigger?) would have to be very strong and slender, a leaf spring from a good size truck would probably be best because it would "give' a bit.

Chas

[John]

Do the skid plates look like you could slide a drawer between them?

I have two pieces of steel hanging underneath the back of my trailer and I thought it was for optional storage tray.

John

[john hd]

john

thats what mine look like...


john

[3Ms75Argosy]

Ok, so my "mods" were a bit tongue in cheek, but...... the air bag idea isn't so crazy. I was thinking that for being at "speed" (which is higher for some owners than others judging by the 'tow speed' poll awhile ago) that one could lower the trailer for a lower cg with resulting less tendency to sway and lower suscptiblity to cross winds and trucks, then raise up the trailer when at the campsite, going over driveways, etc. It'd probably be a pretty smooth ride for the trailer too.

Wayne, take off that dolly wheel and just think of the flame thrower you'd have!

I am, by the way, thinking of the purple lights for under the trailer. The kids think that would be cool.
Ahhhhh.... slave to youth!
Marc

[Road Ruler]

Hi Mark... Sometimes those kids can be inspirational. Our Safari has the large bright "porch light" that is to bright and harsh for most camp sites. I have thought about mounting 4 small recessed floods under the corners of the trailer pointing towards the ground. Would be a little more casual, yet provide ample light. Wonder if any other owners have tried this.

Flame throwers...LOL,LOL, remember the days when the fad was to drag chains on the pavement. Looked cool at night.

[john hd]

wayne

would low voltage rope lights strung under the perimeter of the trailer get the desired result without having to cut holes in the belly?

one could attach them with cable clamps and pop rivets.

might end up looking like a ufo ready for take off!

lol!!!

john

[Pahaska]

john HQwrote: i went back and looked at your pic of the dolly wheels again. do you have skid bars on your trailer?
by the picture it looks like you do not.

Yes, I do have skid bars. You can see them in the photos. What I did was make the skid bars roll instead of slide at a penalty of about 1/2" to 5/8" of clearance. The dolly wheel axle is up inside the triangular skid bar.

I just came back from Semoinole Canyon SP. Between the park HQ and the campground, there are 3 concrete drainage dips. I didn't get out to look, but I suspect the dolly wheels touched. If they did touch, it was a minimal contact and of course, I was at minimum speed going across them. I would much rather have the wheels roll than drag the skid bars.

I came out of a BBQ place recently a different exit from where I went in. I found I had to cross a shallow concrete gutter. No way to back up ... I was alone and there were cars behind me. I could see where others had dragged on the concrete. I crept across very gently, as straight as possible, and I know the dolly wheels touched. This is the kind of situation where I want to roll instead of drag.

[Pick]

Carry an extra ball hitch, with a lower profile. When this hitch is used, the front end will be lower than the back, giving you more clearance. A pain in the butt in most situations, because you would have to hook and unhook, but if it saves the back of the Airstream it may be worth the extra time involved.

[Pahaska]

Carry an extra ball hitch, with a lower profile.

This would be good to get up a steep driveway or some similar situation, but not very practical out on the roads.

BTW: to get up my driveway without touching, I drive on past the house 1/4 mile, do a U-turn at the cul-de-sac, untension the equalizer chains and sway bar, use up all the opposite side shoulder across from my driveway, and hit the driveway at just the right angle. When I do that, I have plenty of clearance.

I never drag the rear end when it is avoidable. If you tow a lot of back-road miles here in Texas, you will sooner or later drag, though. That is a fact of life in a place where rain, when it comes, comes in torrents and there is drainage to accommodate the flow.

[john hd]

hey pick

never thought of that!

i've got 2 extra hitches i could set one up just for that!

john

[john hd]

"Yes, I do have skid bars. You can see them in the photos. What I did was make the skid bars roll instead of slide at a penalty of about 1/2" to 5/8" of clearance. The dolly wheel axle is up inside the triangular skid bar. "

john,

i thought you had made the entire assembly.

now i understand what you did!

cool mod!

john

[striker]

me and my father hand made these curtains

[femuse]

How many Airstreams do you know with a stainless steel salad bowl siliconed to the roof ?

I gave all the details already, but the picture was not as good. The whole story can be found at antenna/satelite dish