Jackson Center

[ArtStream]

Hey all,
Just a heads-up. I'll be hanging at the Terra Port in Jackson Center, OH for a few days.
Any forum members in the area?
Anything I should keep my eye out for?



Michael

[2airishuman]

hi michael.....

nice 2 read from you...
there are several threads on things to do while in jackson center....
search jackson center, or the factory tour or other combos....

my favorite thing to do while in jackson center,
is to go over to new bremen, ohio
just west of jc
lots of interesting things there...
the highest point of the erie canal...
many transportation things to visit...
and my favorite...
the bicycle museum of america...
this place is amazing for anyone interested in bicycles,
or the industrial era, or design, or mechanics, or engineering,
or art...
llke you

also there are more food choices over there....

but the best thing about the terra port......free wifi!
so it's time 2 catch up on your forum reading!
and say hi to don on the tour.....he's great too.

also you might give us a report/update after the factory tour,
like what's new on the assembly line,
are they really putting bubble foil in the walls now?
try to get in and watch base camp assembly too....

cheers
2air'

[Minnie's Mate]

My 30' Safari is there getting some body work done. I brushed up against a guard rail coming out of a campground the first week end we had her and the third week we had her a deer ran into the front curb side corner. Say hey to the "Changes in Lattitude" for me.

I didn't realize that there was free wifi or I would have taken my laptop when I dropped the Changes off.

[Zeppelinium]

if they are putting in bubble foil, can you get some photos? thanks.

[AZstreamin]

MM,
First trip to JC and that's it...nothing else to report? Did you do the tour? I want to go there sometime hopefully not for your reason. I hope you feel better knowing 'Changes' is in the most capable hands....she'll look like new next time you see her. My in-laws live about 45 mins east of there in Indiana so maybe next summer a little tour of JC will be in order.

[ArtStream]

Just arrived after 5pm. The place is wall-to-wall Airstreams.
Wally's gold AS along with a bunch of flash Gordon style trailers are parked out front.
Tour tomarrow,Pic's to follow...

I gotta calm down

Michael

[2airishuman]

hi artlink and others wanting factory details....

the folks on the assembly line are absolutely amazing,
and they just keep working and smiling
as the tour group gets in the way!

i hope you are able to take your camera...
seems i read here last fall that taking photos was now forbidden...
which is a rotten deal if true,
i've been on the tour several times
and shot a load of pictures,
but i've still got some building details un-photo'd

if ya can't take a camera artlink, find out why not!

did someone shoot a flash at the wrong time?
did he have big ears?
it wasn't me!
i swears.....

cheers
2air'

[redoverred]

Yes, Artlink...please! Keep your eye out to see if they are working on a Classic 31. If it has bubble-wrap in the walls...it's probably ours!

If you can't sneak a picture, could you at least give her a little pat? Her name is MoonRover!

[redoverred]

2air - Bubble wrap in the walls is an option on the 2007. Yep!

Your post's from Salem were a hoot!

[Safari Tim]

No cameras on the tour. But some how they overlooked cellphones with cameras

I was there last month. The tour was a lot of fun. Very nice workers on the tour. They even let you go into the trailers on the line while they are working on them.

They introduced one guy who had been working there 50 years!

Get there early so you get your Airstream pen! I got a red one

[Minnie's Mate]

Originally Posted by AZstreamin

MM,
First trip to JC and that's it...nothing else to report? Did you do the tour? I want to go there sometime hopefully not for your reason. I hope you feel better knowing 'Changes' is in the most capable hands....she'll look like new next time you see her. My in-laws live about 45 mins east of there in Indiana so maybe next summer a little tour of JC will be in order.

We arrived on Sunday afternoon and I had to be back at work Tuesday. With 594 miles back to home, we didn't have time for the tour. Maybe another time. Won't have time for the tour when I go back to get her either. They open at 7:00 and I was out by 10:00. They are about 7 miles from the interstate and I fueled up at the Shell station next door and when I got to the interstate I set the cruise on 75 mph and left it there 'til we stopped in Cincinatti for lunch. Set her on 75 again 'til we stopped for dinner in Chatanooga and fueled up again. Didn't stop again 'til I got home. Will be doing the same on the retrieval trip in a couple of weeks.

I must say, I'm still having a little trouble with sway at highway speeds. In tow/haul setting, the transmission shifts into final gear about 64 and I start to get sway at 65 and it continues until just about 75. I feel so much less out of control at 75 that is where I set the cruise. I asked to have the alignment checked out while she is there. They said they would and if I would schedule enough time they would hook her up to my truck and we could take it out for a road check so they could see it in action.

My PSD handled the Tennessee and Kentucky mountains as if the trailer wasn't even there. There is one mountain that has a 12% slope and she maintained 75 all the way with the A/C temp set on 68 degrees! I kept an eye on the transmission temp and the engine temp and both stayed right in the middle where they stay at highway speed without the trailer. And, I managed 12.7 MPG's! I love my PSD.

[HHP]

I set the cruise on 75 mph...

Yikes!!!

How does your AS ride at 55-60? The difference between going 55mph and 75mph is that you loose 10 min an hour going 55...

[Zeppelinium]

Originally Posted by HHP

How does your AS ride at 55-60? The difference between going 55mph and 75mph is that you loose 10 min an hour going 55...

Actually, you lose 22 minutes. It takes 1 hr 22 minutes to go 75 miles at 55 mph. Or, alternatively, you gain 16 minutes, since it takes 44 minutes to go 55 miles at 75 mph (decimals having been rounded, since the beatings will be severe enough, as it is ).

I used to go 75 and the TV and AS loved it. I slowed down to 65 just to smell the roses and I have to admit, it's much better.

[HHP]

On paper, in a vacuum, you are correct.

Let me explain the reasons that I feel supports this claim:

I based these figures on an article written by a traffic engineer (and friend) who conducted a study regarding the time it takes to get from point A to point B, 55 v 75. The study was conducted over a year, and took into account stop overs, fueling, eating, and average traffic flow (and other factors I can't remember), most people tend to take longer breaks when driving over 70mph, over a 72 hour period, each trip.

The results were a loss averaging 10 min an hour for the driver who maintained 55mph.

I have more or less confirmed this claim with friends at various times when taking a trip.

[Minnie's Mate]

Actually, the RPMs are about the same at 75 as they are at 55 because of the lower gear at 55. With the AS in tow, the ride in the 3/4 ton F-250 isn't that much different between the two speeds as long as the interstate is fairly good.

The biggest thing I have found as far as ride goes is that the right lane gets really beat up by the semis and is extremely rough. The middle lane is usually considerably smoother since it doesn't get the heavy loads as much. By going 75 it gets me out of the right lane and consequently I don't get passed by semis as often. With today's drivers, going 75 means you just don't get left as far behind. Most drivers stay in the left lane and seem to like 80+!

Oh yeah, that 594 mile trip home from Jackson Center would probably have taken about hour if I had slowed down to just 70 MPH. (5 MPH. X 10 hours = 50 miles; 50 miles/70 MPH = 42 minutes)

[HHP]

As an example:
We have all seen a "slow poke" that we thought we left behind two hours ago, only to see us passing him again on the freeway after pulling over for a bite to eat....now you know why...


MM: I was thinking more of the safety aspect of speed and towing an AS. Swaying is not good.
However, that being said, I am a firm believer that you should go to hell your way, and I will go to hell my way.

[2airishuman]

hi jackson center junkies........

minnie's mate has reported the mishaps and
sway/instability/tracking issues well in this thread...

http://www.airforums.com/forum...ighlight=hitch

there is also lots of good advice on the hitch set up...

if the truck needs alignment, symptoms should be present when not towing also....no mention of this....and going faster doesn't improve this either...

using tow/haul or not on my 05 superduty the 'sweet spot' for towing seems to be 1950-2050 rpms.....this translates to 69-72 on the speedo......with wider variation for larger inclines, or winds...

don't fret so hhp...
the speedo is so 'off' on the superduties that real speeds are usually 3 mph or more UNDER the gauge reading.....with greater errors as the tires wear!

...now back to the regular thread programing...

it's great that the folks at jc will hook up and take a test drive...

what better way to convey the handling issues?

perhaps the a/s dealer who sold the trailer and installed the hitch? should have done this already? perhaps they did...

maybe the pdi should include a test tow always...
i think ALL first time tow'rs would appreciate this,
and maybe the ol'e salts need it too.....

i'll be waiting for a followup report and the solution...
tracking well above 75 and below 64 is strange,
so i can't wait to read the rest of the story....

and how frustrating will it be IF they cannot reproduce the issue?

cheers
2air'

[AZstreamin]

Originally Posted by Minnie's Mate

I must say, I'm still having a little trouble with sway at highway speeds. In tow/haul setting, the transmission shifts into final gear about 64 and I start to get sway at 65 and it continues until just about 75.

MM, You got my stumped on that one.. You and I have talked about the tire thing previously which is where I thought the problem may be. Have you had all of your tires balanced? What is the load rating on your tires? If I remember right I think you said you have BF Goodrich. Can you describe the sway.. Is it dramatic or just ever so slight? Is it pushing and pulling as trucks pass? Or is it up and down with the rough road? As far as speed goes, I base my speed on road and traffic conditions. Interstates in AZ have a speed limit of 75 which means most drivers go 75-90mph.. When I'm NOT towing I set cruise at 80 or 81..you can blow by Highway patrol and they won't look twice at 5 or 6 over as long as you're moving with traffic and not driving erratically.... However when I tow, I rarely go 75. I just stay out of people’s way and motor along at 65-72 max. This way I get to see more and it gives me a little more cushion for stopping this 15,000 lb rolling beast. You really do see more when you slow down just a little. What you first notice is what any truck driver will tell you. Most people (particularly those on their damn cell phone) are bad drivers they swerve in and out and they pass on both the right and left lanes, which is legal in Arizona, but not in most state...So just stay out of their way and let them pass..

[ArtStream]

Ok, me thinks me has experienced me first hijacking

Michael

[Zeppelinium]

Originally Posted by HHP

...The study was conducted over a year, and took into account stop overs, fueling, eating, and average traffic flow (and other factors I can't remember), most people tend to take longer breaks when driving over 70mph, over a 72 hour period, each trip.

The results were a loss averaging 10 min an hour for the driver who maintained 55mph...

Oh, my Gosh--empirical data! Or, as Paul Harvy would say, "and now for the rest of the story!" Thanks for the big picture.

Hey, how about those perfect vacuums we all know about--the stretch from El Paso to Ft Worth, Grand Junction to I-15, US 50 across Nevada--heck, there ain't no place to stop! Sooo, creeping back towards 22 minutes, here...

Artlink, you're not alone, of course. I have started what I thought were bullet-proof threads and they still have a life of their own. Love this forum!