Picking Up 27' International Need Advice

[bolton2197]

I am picking up a 1975 27' International that has been mothballed for the last few years. I know the tires are bad. I have never towed anything that big and trying to get my gear in order for the 12 hour ride home. I am bringing a full tool kit, 4 spare wheels with decent tires (borrowed from a friend's horse trailer), air compressor, floor jack, spare jack stands, bearing greese and "bearing buddies" for each hub. My TV is a Ford Excursion with factory tow kit, I haven't purchased a brake controller yet but have been doing research on the forums (thanks to all!). The drop on my hitch I'm not sure about, anti sway and stabilizers are a bit of a mystery to me, can I do a single trip down I-95 without that stuff safely? Any advice would be great on additional things to bring, or the initial towing gear.

[azflycaster]

Welcome to the forums and congratulations on the 75!

You mentioned bearing buddies, most people do not use them on trailers with brakes, too much chance of getting grease on the break shoes.

As far as towing with the trailer on the ball only, I know folks who do it, I would not. You are going to be dropping around 600 pounds on the ball and chances are your truck will be pointed up in the front a bit. I would suggest a Weight Distribution hitch with some form of sway control.

12 hours on the interstate with a poorly setup rig will seem like a lifetime.

[53flyingcloud]

I question the use of tires borrowed from a friend's horse trailer. Plus, the rims may not have the proper offsets, etc. If you're involved in any sort of traffic accident, your fault or not, you may be cited for contributing to the accident by towing with unsafe equip.
You sound like a person that wants to have all bases covered. Why not extend that to..CYA..
I would recommend that you take a couple of extra days for prep before beginning your trip. (You may even have to spend an extra day or two there to get ready for the return trip)
I don't want to sound like I am raining on your party but, by the same token, I'd like to see you complete the trip in one piece.
53FC
Whatever you do, have a SAFE trip..
BTW, your hitch height is gonna be 19.5 inches and, the size of your ball should be 2 5\16.
You didn't make any references to extended mirrors. You may or may not have that on your TV already?
Double check the umbilical cord between the TV and the trailer. They're not the same for all years.`
Make sure your TV has the proper tires for this towing and, tire pressure as well.
Your last question...
YES, you can do it without..I don't recommend it.

[bolton2197]

Thank you for the feedback, I don't feel rained on, and I would rather be, late, slow and way behind schedule than have any sort of accident. I dont have the extended mirrors on my TV but have been looking at a set of the extendables. What about break away switching, is this something that I need to get immediately?

Repacking bearings can be a couple hour job right?

Thanks for the feedback!!

[welld.geo]

Yes, packing bearings can be a couple of hour job! Take plenty of old rags and solvent (I've used brake kleen with great results) to get all the old stuff off. Read the posts on here how to properly raise your trailer off the bearings to remove them. And...take it slow! Get the feeling for the rig and just keep in mind how YOU feel after sitting or standing in 1 position for a long time! Good luck and enjoy!!!

Erik

[yukionna]

You might want to pick up a pair of utility lights with magnetic mounts (and bring duct tape to ensure the mounts stay where they should). The reason for this is you can't trust the wiring in older trailers so these lights ensure that you can get the trailer home safely without having to work on the electrical system when you pick it up.

[AlbertF]

Originally Posted by bolton2197

Thank you for the feedback, I don't feel rained on, and I would rather be, late, slow and way behind schedule than have any sort of accident. I dont have the extended mirrors on my TV but have been looking at a set of the extendables. What about break away switching, is this something that I need to get immediately?

Repacking bearings can be a couple hour job right?

Thanks for the feedback!!

Repacking bearings involves removing the brake drums; kind of like repacking boat or utility trailer wheel bearings, but a bit more involved, with relatively heavy and truck like components. I wouldn't bother with bearing buddies either because it's not a boat trailer and you don't want to risk contaminating the brake linings if there is excess grease and too much pressure inside the hubs. You'll need a brake adjustment tool to set up the brakes after repacking - just a few dollars at any store that sells auto parts.

Hitch height is supposed to be 19.5. Anything in the 18-19 range should get you close enough. Too high or too low will cause stability issues and overload the front or rear tires of the trailer.

The breakaway switch is on the trailer; you connect the cable to your tow vehicle. The trailer battery provides power to the electric brakes to lock them up if the trailer gets completely disconnected from the tow vehicle. Speaking of the battery, you will probably need a new one. RVs seem to be hard on batteries unless you maintain them carefully, i.e. make sure they don't boil dry and are kept charged up. Something in the 105 amp hour range will do the job. It will be relatively big and heavy.

Yes, you will want a weight distributing hitch at the very least, and at least one friction sway control. Many Excursion owners find they need Hellwig sway bars to achieve acceptable stability while towing, so you will want all the help you can get. The soft rear springs (for a smooth SUV ride) seem to be an issue. However, soft springs are reputed to be much better for the body structure of an Airstream trailer.

I would recommend a Jordan brake controller. I have one, and find it's perfectly smooth. The Jordan uses a cable attached to the brake pedal arm, and trailer braking is related to how much the pedal is moved, regardless of whether the tow vehicle is slowing. Hensley Tru-Control is probably great, but pricey. You might consider a Tekonsha Prodigy, but aside from an initial "boost" function, it's an inertia-based controller, meaning that trailer braking is related to how quickly the tow vehicle is slowing down. Most other controllers are not worth considering, as they represent a safety compromise.

One issue with the Jordan - the company was sold, the controller has been redesigned, and the new model is apparently not yet available. There may be retailers with old stock. Do an online search.

Do some research on weight distributing hitches before making a selection. I use an Eaz-Lift 1000 with a pair of friction bars with my Overlander, and like the setup just fine.

[Jim & Susan]

Do you have another route other than I-95? That road is really rough in spots, and very heavy traffic! When we picked ours up, we had a simuilar to you. We could have towed down I-85 home, but I didn’t want to fight the traffic first time out. Luckily, there are lots of alternates to I-85 from N. Carolina to Georgia.

Jim

[bolton2197]

Thank you everyone for the advice, airstreamers rule!!!

[Frank's Trailer Works]

You might also consider finding an RV dealer near the pick up point. You could tow it only on the ball to then and then they could set you up to safely tow cross country. They could install a controller and proper weight distribution so that you are not guessing. Sizing is important, too much or not enough control is a bad thing. I do not have an Airstream dealer anywhere near me, but I have a local SOB dealer that treats me like family. Just a thought as to you say your new to this. Sometimes, having your hand held is much more comfortable.

[bolton2197]

Final post of the string - Thanks everyone for all your advice. I arrived safely home tonight after a 15 hour trek from Arlington VA to Gainesville, my new 31 year old airstream pulled pretty well considering that I had to pull in on the ball, no other gear except the brake controller. The trailer and I are no worse for wear other than a new small dent that I not sure where it came from but it is to the left of the gas bottles. I think stone guards would be a good addition. Oh I-95 was brutal in South Carolina, major potholes as I was warned. I will be posting photos of the recovery operation tomorrow. - Thanks for all you advice.

[C Johnson]

Originally Posted by bolton2197

Final post of the string - Thanks everyone for all your advice. I arrived safely home tonight after a 15 hour trek from Arlington VA to Gainesville, my new 31 year old airstream pulled pretty well considering that I had to pull in on the ball, no other gear except the brake controller. The trailer and I are no worse for wear other than a new small dent that I not sure where it came from but it is to the left of the gas bottles. I think stone guards would be a good addition. Oh I-95 was brutal in South Carolina, major potholes as I was warned. I will be posting photos of the recovery operation tomorrow. - Thanks for all you advice.

Excellent ! Now the fun begins.

[Frank's Trailer Works]

Arlington is just down the road... would have come cheer ya on, had I known.

[yukionna]

Originally Posted by bolton2197

Final post of the string - Thanks everyone for all your advice. I arrived safely home tonight after a 15 hour trek from Arlington VA to Gainesville, my new 31 year old airstream pulled pretty well considering that I had to pull in on the ball, no other gear except the brake controller. The trailer and I are no worse for wear other than a new small dent that I not sure where it came from but it is to the left of the gas bottles. I think stone guards would be a good addition. Oh I-95 was brutal in South Carolina, major potholes as I was warned. I will be posting photos of the recovery operation tomorrow. - Thanks for all you advice.

Congratulations! Good luck with your restoration...you are in the right place for information. Enjoy!

[Jim & Susan]

That’s the spirit! You got her home, now the fun stuff begins. Next, of course, are the pictures. You know how we love our pictures!.