Best Years

[Brad Hunt]

I am new to this forum and am perfectly satisfied with my 07 25' SE but am curious about buying an older trailer and my question is whether there is time period when AS was really on top of their game quality wise? I have read a lot of posts here re: leaks, Beatrice years and floor separation etc. and I would just like to see if there is any consensus on the best years to look. I am thinking the next one will be a longer model. Thanks.

[azflycaster]

Welcome to the forums!
Tough question and there are no wrong answers.
Every size and year will have pros and cons. I love my 75, but I love the real wood of the 60's. A big factor for me was to have gray tank and that did not happen until 74. The 80's had real wood again, but the weight of the trailers went up with it.

I think a better way to find a trailer is to see what you need as far as size and options and go from there. It will be interesting to hear what others have to say.

Good luck with your search.

[2airishuman]

hi ghost and welcome to the forums...

longer AND older become problematic when combined.

yes there are pre 70s units longer than 25 feet, but they are narrower too, and don't 'feel' very spacious inside.

and did not have 3 holding tanks, many gadgets or much carry capacity.

so making an oldie 'modern' or using a 50s or 60 longer trailer for LOTS of travel are issues...

here is a recent thread on this issue...

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f161...why-38293.html

and much more info on the topic from the other end of the looking glass...

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f468...oid-40020.html

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f353...oid-36858.html

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f187...oid-31944.html

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f141...ears-8242.html

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f156...void-2283.html

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f142...ars-40462.html

so it seems this issue has come up a few times....

i would not want a LONG pipe frame trailer except for shows unless totally rebuilt....

same with the early rail frame units, frame beams are stronger now, but still NOT strong enough, as the weight crest 11k.

cheers
2air'

[bobkelly]

Silver ghost----First, let me add a welcome to the forums.

From all the reading I have done here, my sense of build quality is that it is not very sensitive to the year it was built. The factory seems to lean on the selling dealer to be the final 30 feet of the assy line. Just my sense.

So, when buying a used trailer, whether 5 years old or 15 years old, the importance of inspecting the individual unit cannot be overstated. Clearly you want one where the selling dealer cleaned up all the little stuff and the first owner was diligent in chasing down any issues with leaks, etc. Once that is done, you should have a good quality trailer.