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**jcanavera** · 07-07-2003, 11:05 AM

Do we have any folks on the forum who own a newer A/S with a slideout? I'm curious about your thoughts now that you have one and if you have any remorse.

Jack

JaceBeck · 07-07-2003, 11:13 AM

Jack,
I have spoken with two s/o owners in the last year...both loved the extra room, but lamented the loss of storage space overhead.
Jace

**jcanavera** · 07-07-2003, 11:26 AM

Good point. We are going to check out a Classic 31' unit with a slide out dinette maybe this weekend. I've ruled out a 34' slide due to the excessive hitch weight. We saw used '34 unit a couple of weeks ago. You do get some extra lower cabinet space due to the fact that they swing the curb side counter top out which creates some additional lower storage. I assume the 31' slide would also have some additional slide out space.

The practical side of my brain says no way do I want to deal the the mechanics of a slide, but the visual side says the inside has more space and livability. What I really wish is that I could see slide and non slide side by side, both with dinettes.

It would be really easy to discount the slide if I ran into a few folks with some remorse or stories of concern. The owner of the local dealership told me that the last couple of years have produced some very good slide units. According to him the early models were a different situation.

Jack

Bill Price; · 07-23-2003, 04:19 AM

We had a slideout on our 34 ft. It was great with NO problems. Airstream did a fine job on the slide seal and mechanism. I think it is the best I have seen on the market. I like it well enough I have a 2004 34 ft on order with a slide. This is a very good system and the added space is great. Just remember to level the trailer before deployment. Simple enough!!

**jcanavera** · 04-05-2004, 02:47 PM

Well what 9 months will bring about. It's interesting to sometimes go back and reread the older posts (this one in particular for me) and see what is changed.

I did my research and ended up with the 30' slide out. Our first trip is about 10 days from now so we will find out how things perform. Its been a long winter and it's been agony to buy a new trailer and have to wait for the warm weather to use it. Can't go south 'cause I'm still working to pay the bills.

Jack

Big Dee · 04-05-2004, 05:48 PM

Oh man Jack- I didn't know you haven't been out in your new Classic yet! Man, that has to be some kind of special torture. I thought I had it bad just waiting a few weeks. I can't imagine how excited you are for the spring. Well, can't wait to hear about your maiden voyage. Have Fun!!!

**jcanavera** · 04-06-2004, 07:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Dee

I can't imagine how excited you are for the spring. Well, can't wait to hear about your maiden voyage. Have Fun!!!

Nine days and counting!

Jack

Silvertwinkie · 04-06-2004, 09:59 AM

I can't wait to see it in person in June.

Eric

ctdair · 04-06-2004, 04:01 PM

Wow that has got to be killing You ive had mine since August 2003
4 seperate trips and loving it. Just back from FLA.

ctdair · 04-06-2004, 04:11 PM

Tried to put this with last post. Try again.

**jcanavera** · 04-06-2004, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ctdair

Wow that has got to be killing You ive had mine since August 2003
4 seperate trips and loving it. Just back from FLA.

What happened is that we placed an order knowing well that the trailer wouldn't show up until December or January. Problem is I went up to the dealer to arrange for a hitch change and I walked out on the lot. There I found a duplicate of the trailer I ordered. The only difference was this one had a leather sofa, (which my wife and I both liked but didn't order originally). So the day after Thanksgiving we take delivery of that Classic, so I've had another 45 days to deal with. The one I ordered showed up mid January.

Jack

**jcanavera** · 04-28-2004, 07:33 AM

Well the first trip ended up well. We did discover a leak which was in a threaded water heater connection. Since our rally was at the dealer's we had that taken care of promptly. We also needed some recaulking of the shower door which probably needs additional attention. It also looks like the water pump is allowing water to feed back into the fresh water tank when we are connected to city water so we will need to revisit the dealer.

One question for you all, I noticed that three of my kitchen drawers had slid open on the trip to the dealer's. I chauked it up to the fact that I had not pushed the drawers in tightly since there is no locking catch like my Safari had. These drawers are sort of a lift and pull out. For the trip home I rechecked the drawers to make sure they were all pushed in. When I got home I found a different drawer had slid out partially. This drawer was not one of the three I found open on the trip up.

Have any of you new Classic owners seen this?

Jack

ctdair · 04-28-2004, 07:07 PM

Yes I had several drawers that did this. Some we loaded differently and the problem has went away. Several we had complained about when in for warranty work and Airstream put latches on.

Silvertwinkie · 04-28-2004, 08:53 PM

Sounds to me like it might be a possible future production change. For example, in 2003 they had these horrible kickstands as roof locker door holders...by mid to late 2004, they had some awesome self supporting units that really do the roof lockers justice. I suspect the '05s might see latches as standard fare?

**jcanavera** · 04-29-2004, 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ctdair

Yes I had several drawers that did this. Some we loaded differently and the problem has went away. Several we had complained about when in for warranty work and Airstream put latches on.

If you could spare a picture, I'd be interested in the latch they put on.

Jack

myrna · 05-14-2004, 10:05 PM

Our first trip was to Texas in April. Pulls great with the Hensley hitch.

We had a little trouble. Found that we had no electricity in the gally, and bath outlets. When we got back home we found that the GFI breaker was bad. Everything seems to work fine now. Also, the connection for cable was missing. The factory had just missed putting on the end connection. My husband finally found it and fished it out with a wire. Also had trouble with the electric jack. It just quit working when we got home. Couldn't get anyone here to work on it so our dealer promptly sent us the parts to fix it ourself. We will take it to the dealer when we get around to it to check it for us. Also we couldn't get it leveled like they showed us when it was delivered. We don't know if we need a refresher course or if it needs adjusting. The gap between both sides is to be equal before extending the slide. It seems to extend just great but the gap isn't as equal as I think it is supposed to be.

Don't misunderstand...This is an awesome trailer. The slide is well worth it. We travel with my mother and the extra space really helps. We had plenty of room. Bill Thomas Camper service is great and they are ready to help in a minute. I would buy it again with no changes.

**jcanavera** · 05-15-2004, 12:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by myrnaw

Also we couldn't get it leveled like they showed us when it was delivered. We don't know if we need a refresher course or if it needs adjusting. The gap between both sides is to be equal before extending the slide. It seems to extend just great but the gap isn't as equal as I think it is supposed to be.

I'm curious about your statement that you couldn't get your trailer leveled. Was this due to the jack being out of service? Or were you having problems with the leveling gauge on the front of the trailer? I know we had a minor problem with the front to rear bubble level on the leveling gauge. The screw that adjusts the front to rear level wasn't holding that level tight and needed some adjustment.

If the gap around the slide isn't equal it could mean that you are putting to much pressure on the stabilizer jacks when you extend them. They shouldn't be lifting the trailer. If you allow this to happen you will torque the frame which can affect the gaps around the slide out.

Since you have electric stabilizers you can hear the motor change pitch as soon as the stabilizer jack begins to bear any weight. You should immediately stop the stabilizer once you hear that pitch change. I've not had any torquing issues using this method.

Jack

ctdair · 05-23-2004, 05:34 AM

Ok , it's been busy but here are latch pictures. looks like the stadard rv type cabinet latch that is on the dinnette storage area and the doors to the wardrobes in bedroom. Airstream put these latches on the drawers in the bedroom wardrobe and the top galley drawer.

wflorencejr · 05-23-2004, 01:29 PM

Hi, I saw your post with the latch pictures. We had the same problem with our new 28' Safari with slideout. Before we left the selling dealer, (Turner Airstream) we caught it. They replaced the latches with some from inventory from older classic models. They latch in from rear. Work fine. As for the comment on the Slideouts. Our new one was balky from the start. Would go out an inch or so and then stop dead about 25% of the time. The dealer had his techs working on it for several hours. Turner had Power Gear send up a new control switch (located next to lounge under armrest on street side) as a back up. Found out from Power Gear that the voltage control on the control (small white,round) next to wiring could be adjusted to compensate for voltage change. It needed to be turned to "increase" and so far so good. As I write this, we are on our first trip with trailer and about 600 miles from home. I've got my fingers crossed! Also, no matter what th adjustment made by the techs at the dealer, the S/O does not go back in exactly the same on each side but close enough to look OK. We have been generally pleased with the A/S other than the usual finishing touches that everyone seems to overlook.

Best regards,

judithd · 10-26-2004, 07:25 PM

I am wondering how you are liking your new unit. We are currently looking at the 34' SO
Limited. Any words of wisdom you want to share with us?
My husband and I, live in Alaska and will be leaving it in the lower 48 states, most likely in Washington or Oregon. We are will be purchasing a new truck to pull it with.

I noticed something about the Henseley arrow hitches. Anything you can do to help us out would be appreciated. Thank you Judithd