1st time Airstream on the way

[gpershall]

New members and "soon to be" 1st time Airstream owners. Just put a 2018 international serenity 27 FB twin on order.
Never owned any type of trailer or RV so somewhat apprehensive but excited.
Now the wait begins!!!

Shout out to LeisureTime RV in Oklahoma City and Jason Johns for a great deal and purchase experience.

[FCStreamer]

Great! Welcome and post pics when you get it!

[Hans627]

It's great to have you on the forum and happy to hear that your AS is on order. A little apprehension is normal. There is a lot to learn but this is the place to come to get your questions answered.

We really like our 25 FB twin. It works well for us.

What are you planning to use for a tow vehicle (TV)? Just curious!

I agree on the need to post pics when you get it!

[gpershall]

2017 Jeep grand cherokee summit Hemi v8 is our TV. After talking with some knowledgeable people and people that are towing 27s with new Grand Cherokees we feel it will pull fine

[Rich Jenkins]

Nice Airstream!

What kind of towing do you plan to do? Mostly flat, short distance weekend trips in good weather? Or more long term, all-day, coast to coast extended travel through mountains?

Edit to add: You can ignore the following as an unsolicited comment, but: If you haven't already, I would carefully check the Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit w Hemi published tow capacity (7,200#, I believe) against the GVWR of a 2018 AS 27FB Twin (7,600#, I believe). I would also check the hitch weight of this trailer (791#) with the cargo capacity of the Jeep (1050#).

If you've done the weight capacity checks yourself, accounting for how you plan to tow and your particular circumstances, with what you plan to carry in the Jeep, more power to you.

Good luck!

Rich

[gpershall]

No set travel plans yet. We go over to the White river in Arkansas fly fishing a lot so i imagine this will be our first longer trip. Other than this it will probably just be shorter trips as we get acquainted with the trailer and pulling it. Maybe this fall longer trips.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Congratulations !!!

Since you have time, you may want to think through some stuff. Making informed decisions is always a good idea. Here are some numbers to think about:

The 2017 27FB came in at 7,600 max. Jeep states the max tow is 7,300 on your TV. That's not the end of the world, but you do loose 300 lb of trailer hauling (out of the 1,732 you started with). The numbers for 2018 are not out yet. Best guess is that they will be very similar. You probably will be at 1,432 for max trailer payload.

At 7,300 and 10% on the tongue, you have 730 lb of payload into the Jeep. They claim a 1050 max payload on the Jeep web site. That gives you 320 lb of cargo in the Jeep. Check the sticker on *your* vehicle for the correct numbers. Web based info is often incorrect.

Hitch weight will add a hundred pounds or more to all of this. Some goes on the trailer, some on the TV. Water in the various tanks on the AS also counts against the 1,432. Filling the LP tanks and weight of any options is part of it as well.

None of this is to say you can't go past those numbers. I've certainly done so on other vehicles in the past. I'm still here to tell about it Nothing crazy happened. It was all short run / infrequent sort of use. It *is* worth knowing what the spec limits are. You can stay under the limits with some care, if you watch what you are doing.

Bob

[gpershall]

Thanks Bob for the informative reply. Yes I am aware of the weight limitations that I will be dealing with.
I have spoken to several people well versed in setting up GC's with 27's and we feel as long as the weight limits are observed there should be no problems.

If after delivery I feel I need another TV I can certainly move that way.... my son is the GM at a jeep dealership.

[Jan W]

Welcome to Airstreaming! Look into joining WBCCI. Members will answer questions and encourage you to use your rig. We even had to live in our 27fb with our cat and dog for 8 months. Very comfortable.

We were towing with a GMC Denali. Comfortable truck, but we smoked the brakes coming down a mountain pass (we do not drive fast or aggressively) so now we are driving a 3/4 ton diesel pickup.

[gpershall]

We plan on joining WBCCI as soon as we take delivery. Very anxious to join in the rallys and caravans.

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by gpershall

Thanks Bob for the informative reply. Yes I am aware of the weight limitations that I will be dealing with.
I have spoken to several people well versed in setting up GC's with 27's and we feel as long as the weight limits are observed there should be no problems.

If after delivery I feel I need another TV I can certainly move that way.... my son is the GM at a jeep dealership.

Hi

At least you don't have to worry about getting a good trade in on the Jeep

Unless you got really lucky on one that was already coming in, the AS is many months out for delivery. You have a bit of time to think things through. Try it and see is a fine approach.

Bob

[gpershall]

Hopefully the dealer has some slots to get me into the pipeline soon. Otherwise i wait however months it takes.
Even though I am a "newby" i am not stupid. If i need to upgrade the TV i will. I know the consensus here seems to be that you need 3/4 ton diesel to pull anything i am certainly not changing until i get some tow miles under my belt.
Thanks for all the opinions and I am looking forward to enjoying the AS and AirForums.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

From what I can see, AS dealers order specific models with specific details. Those go into the pipeline and come out as originally ordered. Right now "into the pipeline" will come out this fall. The main ability to customize involves horse trading between dealers to swap one with this trim for one with that trim. Sometimes it works ...

TV recommendations (and actual use) are all over the place. For some fun, take a look at what people tow 10,000 pound boats around with. For more fun, take a look at the tow setups the "pro" delivery guys use. There is no simple single answer to this.

Bob

[gpershall]

My dealer said he had some reserved "slots" that he would try and get my order into. I'll talk to them next week and see where we are at.
Either way I have a new Airstream in the pipeline and thats what matters!

[mpsgolf]

Congrats and welcome to the family.

Have fun and be SAFE!

[Rocinante]

You're going to want a checklist for your pre-delivery inspection (PDI) before you take your new trailer home. Here are a few thoughts to get you started: http://www.casarocinante.com/Blog/Sp...-a-new-trailer

[gpershall]

👍thanks

[Masondood]

Congrats and Welcome!

[BillF95]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi
From what I can see, AS dealers order specific models with specific details. Those go into the pipeline and come out as originally ordered. Right now "into the pipeline" will come out this fall. The main ability to customize involves horse trading between dealers to swap one with this trim for one with that trim.

From my experience, dealers have more leeway than that. We ordered the exact same 2018 Serenity as the OP about a month ago and were able to customize a trailer that the dealer had in the pipeline but that hadn't started production. The model and color combo were the only things the dealer couldn't change - we deleting the 2nd A/C and powered awning that were originally ordered and added the awning package and solar.

We pick it up on the 19th and, like the OP, will also be towing it with a Grand Cherokee V8!

[gpershall]

BillF95 pictures please when you get it and let me know how it tows. Congrats to you for a great choice....