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Old 10-20-2013, 09:53 AM   #1
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1986 34' Limited
1975 27' Overlander
1969 21' Globetrotter
Conifer , Colorado
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'66 Tradewind Observations

I've been cleaning house on our new to us 66 Trade Wind. I've noticed some nifty details as I clean up cob webs, stains, grime, dust accumulation, etc. It's fun to see "how it was made" so many years ago.

The single pane Corning window glass and regulators are neat and work good.
The bathroom design was quite good for its time. The padded seat for a toilet cover is clever.
There is a lot of storage in the bathroom.
The bifold door works well. Better than the sliding door on my 86.
The floor tiles are tough stuff. 47 years and still looking pretty good.
The vinyl clad interior sheets are very robust and clean up nicely. Better than my 86 zolotone paint.
The cabinetry is well built. My 86 is nicer except for the raised panel doors.
The metal locker door latches are robust. Mine are corroded some, but work well. Much better than my 86.
There is not much hanging wardrobe space.
The galley sink porcelain is still in excellent shape.
I love those little drain catch baskets that fit inside the drains in the galley.
The counter tops are still in excellent shape.
The plastic wheel wells are thicker and stronger than my 86.
The gaucho slide mechanism is very robust.
The bed frames and mattress supports are made much stronger than my 86.
The vinyl accordian door hanger is so robust I could do chin ups on it. My 86, no way.
The door knob latch and deadbolt are still working. My 86 was replaced years ago, and is starting to wear out again.
There is not much food and utensil storage room in the galley.
All the overhead 12v lights work, and the 4 position rotary switches still work. My 86 rocker switches fail from time to time.
I don't like pulling the shore power and water connections through the port on the rear bottom of the trailer. Unhandy and an open invitation for mice.
The black water tank drain is clumsy, but unlike my 86, you can get at the blade valve to service it if necessary. Mine looks original, my 86 has been replaced.
The roof vent covers are robust. Mine are not dented. My 86 had lexan skylights that broke up and leaked.
This 66 appears to have fewer leaks than my 86. I do have leaks at the vent pipe exits that I need to address.

My point is "they don't make them like they use to." This 66 seems better built than my son's 69 Globe Trotter. His cabinetry is flimsy and braking up. And his trailer layout is not very good in my opinion.

Maybe better built is why there is a strong following of 60s Trade Winds.

David
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Old 11-18-2013, 06:37 PM   #2
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1986 34' Limited
1975 27' Overlander
1969 21' Globetrotter
Conifer , Colorado
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I continue to be amazed how this trailer is built. I have removed the bathroom furniture and rear belly pan. More observations:

-Three drain vents seem excessive. The drain system could be better laied out. But it didn't leak.
-The black tank foam support is quite a piece. It is molded to fit the tank and has structural cups on the bottom. My 86 had 1" styrofoam sheeting only.
-The belly pan intallation is robust. There are significant overlaps by the banana wraps and sheets covering the outriggers. I've seen only a few corroded pop rivets.
- I've learned the frame channels are structural steel, not press breaked sheet steel.
-The black water steel pan completely rusted away. Thus the tank was hanging on the toilet flange broke apart. I believe this was the main cause of my floor rot.
- Four 12" brakes. I throught Trade Winds had brakes on the rear axle only.
- Propane lines are riveted in place with aluminum clamps. My 86 has clamps held to the belly pan with a single screw. They tend to work loose.

It's fun for me to see the differences between the two trailers. I'm impressed with the 66 Trade Wind

David
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Old 12-04-2013, 03:45 AM   #3
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1966 24' Tradewind
1995 34' Excella
Lynchburg , Virginia
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David

Thanks for posting your observations about your 66 Tradewind. I completely agree with all of them.

- An unbelievable amount of storage. Not so much in the kitchen, so we store some food stuff in the middle gaucho area.

- The three vents may be overkill, but it is based on the horizontal distance between fixtures. Since you have brought it up, I may look into removing the shower vent since I removed the toilet and have installed a porta-potty. I can easily test the performance of the shower drain and how well it works without the vent by putting a temporary cap on the shower vent. I will wait until spring to do this test. If I can remove the vent, this will mean that I don't have to repair the plastic cracked vent cover and one less hole in the roof to leak.

Dan
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Old 12-04-2013, 04:20 AM   #4
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Very good post. Remember you are comparing a 45 year old trailer to a 25 year old one. My Avion is 50 years old, but I still consider a 25 year old trailer old. Now what would be nice is if someone could continue your comparisons with a new 2013 trailer. A lesson in history. These three comparisons in one post would be great. Thanks again for your thoughts. Jim
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Old 12-04-2013, 03:45 PM   #5
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1986 34' Limited
1975 27' Overlander
1969 21' Globetrotter
Conifer , Colorado
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 8,291
Images: 1
We were in Jackson Center in October 2012 and took the plant tour twice. I found it quite interesting since I spent my career working in manufacturing. I thought Airstream is building a better trailer now than in 86. The aluminum is .040 thick and pre-coated. The new machine that does exterior sheet cut outs looked very accurate. The cabinetry in the trailers we saw on the line was quite nice. The door latch and steps looked a lot stronger than my 86.

I felt Airstream is trying to re-gain the high quality position they once had. They are very expensive trailers, and very special. The engineering and construction must have 50 year life in mind. The sales brochure with the 66 Trade Wind talks to the robust construction and light weight, as well as all the amenities.

We had a family member with an Avion years ago. It was heavy, but very well built. It looked like it would last 50 years.

David
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