It's Here!

[khollister]

Picked up our 05 Safari Special Edition yesterday and she's sitting in the back yard (photos to come later). Everything went well except for a little late start on the PDI and some last minute drama when one of the service guys at the dealership claimed I couldn't tow the trailer home without a WD hitch. He was looking at the bumper hitch rating on my 1 ton PU and I had to get his boss to explain that the receiver hitch was a class 4. I didn't go with a WD/sway control hitch due to uncertainty about required drop as well as the dealer not selling what I really wanted (Equalizer), so I got a Rapid Hitch adjustable ball mount and went for it. My reasoning was that the long bed, QuadCab Dodge 3500 dually would probably not have any problems towing the 25' trailer due to wheelbase, weight & dual rear wheels. Also wasn't too worried about unloading the front wheels since the diesel is very nose heavy anyway. And the results were ...

Thing towed great. Absolutely no sway or control problems whatsoever even when getting passed by multiple semi's with a concrete barrier wall on the other side. Never would have known the trailer is back there except for the view in the mirrors. Great power too - can accelerate smartly even up a grade.

The only issue I have is the deadbolt engagement of the door. It appears the striker plate/pocket was set too far back in the jamb, and I can't engage the bolt. Regular lock works fine. Since the striker appears to be riveted in, it's not clear what the adjustment process is. Everything else works fine (checked everything on gas & electric). The dealer (Bates RV in Tampa) was good to work with, and the PDI was done by the service tech that actually prepped the trailer, so he knew exactly what had been done (had to replace the toilet due to a problem they found). The list of cosmetic issues I had given them when I purchased it was taken care of also.

Also, the 25' Safari's & Internationals are now 7300# GVWR with GAWR of 3800# per axle. The dry weight with options (spare tire & full A/V) listed is 5427#. Nice upgrade on the GVWR for 2005.

Can't wait to take her out :-)

[eljay]

Congratulations! and we'll be expecting photos...

[67caravel]

Wow! You must be so excited, congrats!

I think lots of folks have deadbolt striker problems - I do. I have to slam my door (I mean slam) in order to use the deadbolt. Have meant to have it checked out but haven't yet... Been almost a year now.

Can't wait to see your pics.

[Tarheel]

The deadbolt issue is a good excuse to buy yourself a dremel tool. Congrats on the new unit, and do yourself a favor and get a weight distribution hitch, the whole shooting match shouldn't be over $350 and less if you do some shopping.

[Silvertwinkie]

Congrats.....sounds like the Special Edition also got the upgraded axle systems as well....

[khollister]

"The deadbolt issue is a good excuse to buy yourself a dremel tool."

I have my own ideas about how to fix this (grind a bevel on the outside edge of the bolt and on the edge of the striker. What I don't know is how much material thickness I have to work with on the striker/pocket piece. I assume it's probably only 1/16" or so. I need to put some lampblack on the face of the bolt and see how misaligned things are.

[khollister]

"sounds like the Special Edition also got the upgraded axle systems as well"

I think it's across the board for 2005. The booklet & individual spec sheets list 7300#, but I was expecting 6300# since the order sheets still list that. It appears the ad material is correct - the 25' models all have 7300# GVWR now as indicated by the Airstream booklet

[crazylev]

On our 2004, there seems to be two positions of cloesd-ness. A lite slam just engages the door closed, but a real slam closes the door solidly. If you want to do this in the middle of the night, it is probably loud enough to wake the whole campground.

Interestingly, when I do this, you can hear a metal sort of echo.

AS or the dealer can probably adjust this, but I'd want to make sure that the door latches securely before hitting the road.

Joanthan

[crazylev]

...and congratulations on the new unit. I see it in my dreams!!!

JL

[Porky Pig]

Congratulations on your new Safari.

Hard to believe just one year ago we lived through the same joyous moment. My how time flies!

Let's see some photos!

[Foiled Again]

I've got the keys for my 2005 22' CCD. It's sitting under 3 feet of snow in NH waiting for a thaw. WAH!

Anticipation is keeping me waiting.....

I'm gonna kill that groundhog!

Paula, soon to be united with Tin Lizzie

[rseagle]

Congrats on your new Safari.

I had problems with my deadbolt and my screen door closing. I noticed that a bead of welding on the bottom of the screen door frame was catching on the wooden threshold. I filed it smooth. The screen closes easily now and the door and deadbolt seem to be fine.

It sometimes just takes a little tweaking to get things right. I just can't understand why they don't do it at the factory as part of the QA.

Bob