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Old 09-29-2013, 06:59 PM   #1
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Question New Owner Questions

Our 25' International arrives Tuesday. and 'whoa' do we have questions..seemingly this forum has some experience AS folks. Here goes:
Last week poured concrete at our home so it has a permanent 'home' place.
I need two things answered please...
1) since it will be stored here at our home over winter, should we put the two axles on jack stands for tire's sake?
2) Concerned about 'theft' - it hasn't happened near where we live but I don't want the idea to cross anyone's mind. Is there any advice on how to keep your AS safe from theft?

One more:
We are within 60' of our home where we have WiFi..how do I 'stretch' my home WiFi signal to get to the motor home?
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Old 09-29-2013, 08:03 PM   #2
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Hi Kirt,
I am not sure where home is, but if you are keeping your airstream on a concrete pad, do NOT leave the tires in direct contact with the concrete. Concrete does unpleasant things to rubber. If you are going to leave it like that, park the tires on small pieces of plywood on the concrete.
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Old 09-29-2013, 08:06 PM   #3
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Don't put jack stands under the axles! If you want to raise the tires off the concrete, put the jack stands under the frame at the axle mounting plates.
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Old 09-29-2013, 08:27 PM   #4
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#1 ditto on the plywood
#2 hitch lock, parking boot, Rhino Wheel Boot Immobilizer and Tire Lock, 12 inch Wheel Cover, RHINOWHEELBOOTH12, Orange Traffic Cones or BAC that threads from wheel to wheel with a good padlock
#3 there are boosters available, go to Best Buy and talk to a Geek
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Old 09-29-2013, 08:39 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kirt View Post
Our 25' International arrives Tuesday. and 'whoa' do we have questions..seemingly this forum has some experience AS folks. Here goes:

We are within 60' of our home where we have WiFi..how do I 'stretch' my home WiFi signal to get to the motor home?
I'll jump in on the Wi-Fi question. Typically most Wi-Fi routers will have a range of almost 300 feet. Now that is in a situation where you have nothing to block the signal. Walls, and location of your Wi-Fi router will affect the distance that your Wi-Fi will travel. For example my router is on the extreme side of the house. I've been to my neighbor's house on that side and can pick up my Wi-Fi perfectly anywhere within his house.

So one thing you can consider is the location of your home wireless router and possibly adjust that. The other thing you can consider is adding a second router in a location in the house that is closer to your trailer. For example I have an Apple Airport Express wireless router than can run in pass through or bridge mode. Your current wireless router can wirelessly connect to the Express in another area of your home which in turn allows the Express to operate and pass the connectivity wirelessly to your devices in the trailer. You might even be able to put that router in your trailer and its antenna may be better equipped to pick up your wireless router inside the house. Again you run that router in a pass through or bridge mode.

There are other possibilities in upgrading the antenna(s) on your home wireless router that will provide more signal strength.

I can tell you that my driveway is a good 60' from the spot where I park my Airstream when it's home. My main wireless router is an Apple Airport Extreme and I can easily connect from within the Airstream.

Jack
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Old 09-29-2013, 10:05 PM   #6
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Sitting by a window in your AS near the wifi source also helps signal strength.

Depending on your "need" to be connected there are other "options" like external antennas.

Lifting your AS is not extremely complex... Unless you have no experience safely lifting vehicles. There are NO shortcuts to safety. You CAN hurt or kill if done wrong. Anything you do, understand well before trying... Please!

Seeing it done properly will help.. But, safety is all on you...

So, if "storing" and not using for months at a time, and your capability, will influence what steps you take. Some steps are "absolute.

For instance...
- PrOperly stabilize,
- NEVER, ever "jack" on an AS axle. You will damage them, permanently.
- Cost $2000 or more to replace.
- When you "jack" the AS, do so at the steel plates or the "jack" locating locations specified in your "owners manual"... It will give specific locations.
- Usually one jack location aft of rear wheels and the "tongue jack" for the bow. You then lower the "stabilizers" to secure. Add wood blocks or stepping stones to minimize distance to extend.

I lift mine and use 6 jack stands rated for 3-4 tons each (our "baby" weighs in over 8k dry, nearly 10k loaaaaaded. So, spreading the load is important. It also helps increase stability. Not something I worry about...but do not want one failing jack stand (never happened yet) to mess things up.

I use a 10 ton bottle jack to lift one side high enough to place jack stands. Then repeat on other side.

You can "lift" one wheel off ground by rolling up on a wood ramp. This keeps things stable enough to change the tire off the ground. There are Youtubes on most of this...
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Old 09-30-2013, 03:59 AM   #7
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Awesome advice. I didn't know that but am going to cut some marine based plywood today - we're in Ohio where weather changes are famous from day to day
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Old 09-30-2013, 04:02 AM   #8
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Just looked at this, this is the kind of thing I was looking to do. Something that would be very discouraging to a thief. Big thanks
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Old 09-30-2013, 04:03 AM   #9
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I travel a great deal throughout the world and use my Airport Express extensively - love that product. I will try to make this work at home. Thanks for the advice and yep..Best Buy's Geek's are not far away
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Old 09-30-2013, 05:40 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by summerp View Post
I am not sure where home is, but if you are keeping your airstream on a concrete pad, do NOT leave the tires in direct contact with the concrete. Concrete does unpleasant things to rubber.
Actually, that's not as true as it used to be back when tires were made exclusively of natural rubber. Here is what Bridgestone Tires has to say on the subject (and they ought to know):
Quote:
Concrete is not the tire enemy some people think it is.
We would recommend the following steps in storing a vehicle:
1. Make sure the floor / ground surface is free of any petroleum product contamination (Oil, grease, fuel, etc.) since petroleum products will attack rubber and can cause significant damage to compound characteristics.
2. Thoroughly clean your tires with soap and water.
3. Place a barrier such as plastic, cardboard, or plywood between the tires and the ground surface.
4. Cover your tires to block out direct sunlight and ultra violet rays.
5. Do not store the vehicle in close proximity to steam pipes, electrical generators or animal manure since these accelerate oxidation of the rubber.
6. Make sure your tires are fully inflated with air.
7. When the vehicle is ready to go back into service, inspect the tires for excessive cracking in both the sidewall and tread area and check all tire air pressures. Tires will normally lose about 2 PSI per month so you should expect to find the pressures lower than when you put the vehicle into storage. Re-inflate the tires to the correct air pressure before operation.
That bit about petroleum products means that storing tires on concrete is FAR better than storing on asphalt, which uses petroleum products in the binder.
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Old 09-30-2013, 08:22 AM   #11
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tirea and concrete

Quote:
Originally Posted by Protagonist View Post
Actually, that's not as true as it used to be back when tires were made exclusively of natural rubber. Here is what Bridgestone Tires has to say on the subject (and they ought to know):


That bit about petroleum products means that storing tires on concrete is FAR better than storing on asphalt, which uses petroleum products in the binder.
Kinda contradicts themselves because they say concrete is not the enemy but then they tell you to put plastic or cardboard or something between tires and ground surface
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Old 09-30-2013, 09:40 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by panheaddale View Post
Kinda contradicts themselves because they say concrete is not the enemy but then they tell you to put plastic or cardboard or something between tires and ground surface
Ground, they say, not necessarily concrete.
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Old 12-21-2013, 06:14 PM   #13
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What about a "California Immobilizer" coupler lock?

Just saw this today as I was looking for something to help make it a little harder to hitch up to my new Airstream and take in an unauthorized adventure. Does anybody have experience with this device? Airstream Trailer Coupler Locks - California Immobilizer
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Old 12-22-2013, 07:46 AM   #14
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Highly recommended to jack up your trailer when storing for long periods, like a month or more.

Letting the suspension hang prevents the rubber suspension from collapsing. It also saves the tires from getting flat spots.

In extreme cases, if you have a slow leak and a tire goes flat it can be permanently weakened. This may not show if someone pumps it up, until the tire blows out on the hiway.

So yes, jack it up if you can. The main support should be next to the axles with support front and rear for stability.
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Old 12-22-2013, 07:49 AM   #15
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As you have found out, there are certain jacking points you can use to raise your Airstream but there are other places ( axle tubes, belly pan) that are a big No-no.

What some people do, is to mark the jacking points with reflective tape and even write on them "Lift here" or "jack here". This makes them easy to find, and may save your trailer from damage if someone needs to jack up your trailer, like for changing tires etc.
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Old 12-24-2013, 01:26 PM   #16
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I have read that a heavy chain through the wheels at their closest point, and locked with a heavy duty lock, will be a great theft deterrent. The trailer simply won't roll, the lock and chains will not break easily. Thieves look for easy targets, and bypass the ones that need time and will make noise....
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Old 12-30-2013, 10:27 PM   #17
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FWIW, We ordered the Airstream-specific California Immobilizer coupler lock that I mentioned above, and it arrived today. It looks very impressive, just like the video. We'll take it around and put it on the trailer in the coming days to see how it fits. http://immobilize.com/airstream-trailer-coupler-locks/
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Old 12-31-2013, 05:54 AM   #18
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Here in WNY 'Cloudsplitter' is on stands every Winter, wheels/tires in the basement. Usually use 4 stands all on the axle mount plates.

...no wheels=no lock...

Bob
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Old 01-01-2014, 05:58 PM   #19
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Installed the California Immobilizer, Airstream Edition, on our trailer today. It took all of 10 seconds. I feel our Silvery Moon is much less likely to go on an unauthorized ex-po-tition with this gadget attached to her nose.

And it's made in Canada!
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Old 01-01-2014, 08:20 PM   #20
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A trailer thief worth his salt brings bolt cutters, grinders, wheels, and ignores coupler locks while wrapping your safety chains around his receiver.

Multiple systems help. Location matters. Back it all up with good replacement insurance.
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