Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 07-17-2003, 12:41 PM   #1
2 Rivet Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 42
Unhappy Holding Tanks on a '99 Safari 25'

On our 25' 99 Safari, both holding tanks are in rectangular boxes under the trailer. They have three or four metal straps going around them, presumeably to provide extra support. They have a habit of coming loose and hanging down to where they will scrape when we go over small bumps or rises going into parking areas etc. It seems as though the tanks themselves are still secure.
Does anyone have experience with a permanent fix? In the year that I've had it, they have come loose or down three times, mostly from the middle between the tanks.
__________________
Elliott B
ElliottBartlett is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-27-2003, 06:50 AM   #2
Moderator
 
jcanavera's Avatar

 
2004 30' Classic Slideout
Fenton , Missouri
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 10,403
Images: 143
Send a message via AIM to jcanavera Send a message via Skype™ to jcanavera
Elliot, mine have not moved at this point and unfortunately I just moved my Safari back to the storage lot so I can't give you much help. I really haven't ever seen how the assembly is secured.

Obviously you need to keep those straps tight and if its a screw bolt type of assembly maybe you can use some type of lock tight compound that will keep the vibrations from backing off the screws. It is possible that you are missing some lock washers. You can always give A/S a call and see if someone can give you a fix to your problem.

Jack
__________________
Jack Canavera
STL Mo.
AIR #56 S/OS#15
'04 Classic 30' S.O.,'03 GMC Savana 2500
jcanavera is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-27-2003, 08:14 AM   #3
Aluminut
 
Silvertwinkie's Avatar
 
2004 25' Safari
. , Illinois
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 10,477
The Bambi/Safari line share many pieces. I have one tank in such a box on my Bambi, but there are no straps anywhere to be found unless I take the box cover off, it could be under the box.
Silvertwinkie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-27-2003, 11:47 AM   #4
3 Rivet Member
 
1999 25' Safari
Edina , Minnesota
Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 183
Elliot,
Mine are bowed in the middle, but have not broken free like yours. I'll check it out the next time I go to the trailer and see if I might have any ideas.
JC
__________________
1999 Safari 25C Six-Sleeper
2021 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali Diesel
JaceBeck is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-03-2003, 07:39 PM   #5
New Member
 
2000 25' Safari
Chattanooga , Tennessee
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 1
Exclamation Beware of the straps

Hi,
I'm new to the forum but this topic is close to home. I bought my Safari used last year and I had a very similar experience. A couple of weeks after we got the trailer I was filling the fresh water tank in order to flush it. I had gotten the tank about three quarters full when I heard a loud noise under the trailer. I was almost too afraid to look. I did look and lo and behold one of the straps had come off on the front of the fresh water tank box. I consulted my father-in-law (an Airstreamer for 30+ years) and he said to try and screw it back in. I did but to no avail. Looks like the threads on the frame are stripped. We got under the skin and found that the bolts are screwed into the joists and only two or three threads at most are in contact. Very poor decision on Airstream's part in my opinion. Upon examination of the strap, it appears that the strap had broken free in transit from Jackson Center. We deduced this because the bolt used to hold the strap is a non-standard self threading job that looks like it had to come from a dealer. The strap was ground down on the front corner from dragging on the road to the point I was uncomfortable using it. We decided that since we do a lot of dry camping and carry 39 gallons of water frequently, the strap situation was not acceptable. I had a new strap fashioned out of heavy guage stainless steel and placed a brass washer and nut on each bolt holding the four straps. I added a drop of Loc-Tite to complete the job. It appears to be very secure. As Elliot noted, the gray water tank has the same construction but since we very infrequently travel with the gray water tank full and it is not as big as the fresh water tank, we decided to take our chances. Just something to watch out for on the 99 Safari.
__________________
David Baker
DavidBaker is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-15-2003, 12:14 AM   #6
Rivet Master
 
Big Dee's Avatar
 
2004 30' Classic
San Jose , California
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 1,664
Images: 24
Yes, beware of the straps. My fresh water tank broke through the straps on its maiden voyage when i was filling it full on ueneven ground. Managed to drain the tank and strap it for the 60 mile drive to Airstream service dealer. They fixed it by going to the hardware store and getting T bolts. They put them through all the straps. Service tech told me that the tank will never fall again lest it take the whole floor with it. No problems since- knock on wood.
__________________
"It's the journey."

NorCal Fall Rally, Jackson Rancheria, October 7-9 2011 Click here for more info

Come rally with us.
Big Dee is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-16-2003, 08:45 AM   #7
Rivet Master
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 1,335
Images: 4
David Baker, a brass nut in contact with stainless steel will suffer from electrolytic corrosion, especially if you are in a salt area for road treatment in the winter. I would want all stainless bolts, washers, nuts and straps. The corrosion may not be visible. Brass fittings sometimes just collapse. I have seen this in sea-going yachts that have used brass instead of bronze for sea-cocks. Nick.
__________________
Nick Crowhurst, Excella 25 1988, Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins Diesel. England in summer, USA in winter.
"The price of freedom is eternal maintenance."
nickcrowhurst is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-22-2012, 06:59 AM   #8
Rivet Master
 
2020 27' Globetrotter
1999 25' Safari
Somewhere , Ohio
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 860
Hello everyone.

We have a '99 25' Safari, and yesterday noticed the cover for the fresh water tank is drooping downward, and a strap on the opposite end is either coming off or is off, I don't recall what my DH said. He later went out and checked it out more and said he thinks the cover itself may be holding water. (The way he discovered this was he tried to drain the fresh water tank, and found the line was pinched and wouldn't allow the water to drain.)

Does anyone know if the water tank inside this cover is held up by straps in the same manner as the cover holding it? It would be nice to have an idea of what is going on in there prior to taking it apart.

Thanks in advance.

Deb
Air Cruiser is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-04-2013, 04:00 PM   #9
2 Rivet Member
 
1999 25' Safari
Durango , Colorado
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 78
Tank straps and covers.

Can outside water or water from internal leakage fill the fresh water tank cover? Can drain holes be drilled in the cover to alleviate this?

(Three weeks 'til I can crawl around under our new/used '99 27' Safari ...)
awryawry is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-04-2013, 08:43 PM   #10
4 Rivet Member
 
dirigible25's Avatar
 
1997 25' Safari
Yakima , Washington
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 424
Images: 2
Blog Entries: 1
This is a photo of the hardware that attaches the tank straps to my '97 25' Safari. There are 4 straps with one of these at each end. They are about 2" in length, but what they "bolt" into doesn't seem all that strong so this is a future project for me to beef it up. I could also see that the tip of these were bottoming out when fully tightened. Bolts, lock washers, nuts and locktite was what was used on my initial repair.
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	DSC_0004.jpg
Views:	154
Size:	98.0 KB
ID:	190209  
__________________
Dennis

1997 25' Safari
2012 Chevy Silverado HD 2500
Duramax/Allison
dirigible25 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-05-2013, 07:00 AM   #11
2 Rivet Member
 
1999 25' Safari
Durango , Colorado
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 78
Holding Tanks on a '99 Safari 25' Reply to Thread

Thanks, Dennis, for your reply. At first glance it appeared as though the water tank cover is bulging, although there wasn't an active drip. Starting to wade through these forums, this seems to be a common occurrence. I expect this will be one of my first projects.
awryawry is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-01-2017, 11:49 AM   #12
New Member
 
2016 27' International
San Marcos , California
Join Date: Apr 2017
Posts: 4
These stories are tame compared to the trip we just completed. Coming out of Zion National park we were told by a passing car e were dragging something. Thought it might be a chain or??? Gout out of the truck to see a trail of water behing us. Yes, the tank fell out and dragged to a point that three of the straps were ground off, the outer tank ground through the foam and inner fresh water tank. Fortunately I had ratchet straps to raise what remained of our tank on the second day of our 15 day, 4100 mile trip to Yellowstone and head on down the road. Oh, the joys of Airstreaming. Now need to find replacement tanks!!!! Any ideas???????? 1999 Safari 25
Dubber is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Dropping Holding Tanks Pans on 31 ft center Bath Excella II perryg114 Belly Pans & Banana Wraps 11 11-07-2011 12:09 PM
'68 22' Safari Holding Tank help please HolyRoller Waste Systems, Tanks & Totes 5 06-12-2011 06:45 PM
Why heat to holding tanks? Breadbug Furnaces, Heaters, Fireplaces & Air Conditioning 12 01-22-2011 10:54 AM


Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Airstream, Inc. or any of its affiliates. Airstream is a registered trademark of Airstream Inc. All rights reserved. Airstream trademark used under license to Social Knowledge LLC.



All times are GMT -6. The time now is 10:16 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.