Looking at 24 ft. Argosy

[crunch27]

Hello members;

I have been working on a road reconstruction job in a city in Ontario this past summer/fall and there is a 1977 24 ft. Argosy Double Bed Model that has been parked in one of the driveways during my time there. The older couple who own it, only took it out once this summer. When they returned home from their little trip, they got stuck backing into their driveway. It had rained all weekend and it was very wet and muddy at the end of their driveway. They called me to help them out and somehow my Contractor and I got their Argosy back into their driveway. They were very thankful.

Talking to them over the summer, I found out that they were thinking of selling their trailer. I have always admired the Argosy brand, but never thought about buying one. We camped when our kids were small, but we always "tented" it. Now the kids have grown up and have moved out and are living on their own.

The more I saw of this Argosy, the more I fell in love with it. I asked them this week if they were serious about selling their Argosy. They said that they might want to use it one more summer and I told them that if they had any second thoughts, to give me a call. I was interested. They took me through the inside yesterday and WOW, is it ever in good shape. The outside appears to be in good condition too. They are the second owners of this 24 ft. beauty and have had it for about 15 years. Everything inside looks original. They had replaced the carpet last year. They said that they would probably ask for $3,500. Looking at similar Argosyes for sale, this seems to be the going rate.

I have been searching for as much information as I can gather and I decided to join your forum to get more knowledge and confidence that I am making the right decision. My wife and I have often talked about doing some more camping trips, but I don't think we want to sleep on the ground anymore.

I currently have a 2011 Ford Ranger FX4 (4.0L), which is rated for towing 5,400 lbs., but reading this forum and the Ford Ranger Forum, it seems that it might be on the small side, even though the 24 ft. Argosy only weighs 3,700 lbs. It might be OK for some small trips, but I am getting ahead of myself. Geeez, I don't even have a trailer yet.

[idroba]

Go for it, you will like the Argosy very much. At least I like mine. You probably will eventually need a lot of updating, it is an older unit, and hot water heaters, refrigerators, furnaces, and electrical systems usually need replacing, along with tires, and probably axels in the long run. The decor of the 70's can be a bit grim too (usually avocado green, and wood) but again, after 34 years, probably could be replaced at any rate.

Check for floor rot, which can be hard to deal with and quite time consuming.

Your Tow Vehicle might be a bit marginal, but enough to get started with. I used a 4 L Jeep Grand Cherokee as a TV for my Argosy for a lot of miles. A bit slow, but always got me there, even over mountain passes.

Is it a full sized Argosy (almost 8' wide) or a Minuet (about 7 1/2 feet wide). The Minuet's are somewhat lighter and some have Al floors rather than wood, although the AL floors still have issues on the Argosy, they have less rot problem.

[overlander64]

Greetings crunch27!

Welcome to the Forums!

Originally Posted by crunch27

Hello members;

I have been working on a road reconstruction job in a city in Ontario this past summer/fall and there is a 1977 24 ft. Argosy Double Bed Model that has been parked in one of the driveways during my time there.

Airstream produced the first generation Argosy travel trailer line from late 1971 (Introduced as 1972 model) through the 1979 model year. Minuets were introduced in 1977 as a light-weight line with a number of innovative features. The Minuets were only 7' wide while the standard Argosy coaches were 7' 8". Available in three lengths, the Minuet could be had as a 6.0 Metre (20 ft.) single axle, a 6.7 Metre (22 ft.) single axle, or a 7.3 Metre (24 ft.) tandem axle coach. In 1977, an Argosy travel trailer registered as a 24 ft. could be either a Minuet or a standard model. Minuets have a model badge in the belt-line molding, but the floor width is the best evidence of which coach is being viewed.

The Argosy coaches were built using the same procedures and techniques as their Airstream siblings so the caveats about checking careful for moisture damage applies to Argosy coaches as well. Should the coach happen to be a Minuet, you will also want to be aware that the side windows were acrylic rather than glass so they may suffer from crazing/clouding if they have seen excessive amounts of sun exposure. The front and rear windows are the same glass as utilized on other Airstream and Argosy coaches . . . only the center window on the front of Minuets is narrower than the standard. The deep-wrap wing windows are something to inspect as well. While replacements are available from Airstream, the replacements are solar gray tinted (the original clear glass windows are no longer available new), and a new replacement wing window is quite expensive. The three-piece Airstream rock guard is a wise investment for Argosy owners who want to protect their original wrap windows.

Should the coach have its entry door behind rather than in front of the axles, you have stumbled upon one of the more unsual Argosys. This was a floorplan only offered during the last few years of the first generation Argosy production. With this floorplan, there were twin lounges in front with a center kitchen and dinette area with a rear bath. It seems that very few of this particular floorplan were produced.

Originally Posted by crunch27

I currently have a 2011 Ford Ranger FX4 (4.0L), which is rated for towing 5,400 lbs., but reading this forum and the Ford Ranger Forum, it seems that it might be on the small side, even though the 24 ft. Argosy only weighs 3,700 lbs. It might be OK for some small trips, but I am getting ahead of myself. Geeez, I don't even have a trailer yet.

In 1977, the Argosy 24 foot coaches had the following specifications:

• Standard Argosy 24' (Twin and Double)
  • Dry Weight -- 3,610 pounds
  • Dry Hitch Weight -- 560 pounds
• Standard Argosy 24' (Rear Door Model)
  • Dry Weight -- 3,750 pounds
  • Dry Hitch Weight -- 475 pounds
• Minuet 7.3 Metre
  • Dry Weight --3,820 pounds
  • Dry Hitch Weight -- 510 pounds

Something to keep in mind with the dry weights is that they do not reflect the weight of any optional equipment/accessories that have been installed, the weight of fluids such as water and propane, nor do they include food or personal possessions carried in the coach. It doesn't take long to add 1,200 pounds between options/accessories, fluids, and personal possessions. I suspect that you will find that your truck will be marginal for a coach of this size particularly in regard to loading of the truck's rear axle and possibly in regard to the truck's payload.

Good luck with your investigation!

Kevin

[TouringDan]

Crunch

I have a 66 Tradewind and love it. The floorplan is about the same as the 24ft Argosy double bed model. This model is easy to tow, has two seperate sleeping areas and a large bathroom- a very desirable and flexible floor plan. It also has lots of storage.

Sounds like this particular Argosy has been gently used and been reasonably well cared for. Buy it! There will be issues with it as you will find with any used trailer. Again buy it! You will not be sorry.

Dan

[crunch27]

Thanks everyone for your responses. Overlander64, that Argosy 24 Double Bed Model is exactly the one I was looking at. The owners put a larger frig/freezer unit in near the front door. They had the work done at CanAm trailers in Lambeth (London), so it has been well looked after.

[DKB_SATX]

Greetings crunch27, and welcome to the Forums. It's always nice to have new Argonauts join.

If you want to try keeping your brand-new Ranger for a while, go see the people who've been maintaining this Argosy already. CanAm are reputed to be masters at making tow combinations work that don't seem great to start with. You will still have some limitations, but it could get you a few seasons to spend money on the Argosy before you think about spending on a new tow vehicle.

I initially set out to find a silver trailer because that seemed to be what most of the available inventory was. I knew a little about Argosies from reading these forums to find out more about Airstreams in general, and it just happened that I found The One a scant 12 miles from my house. I'm still learning new useful things here on the forums, the information is invaluable.

David

[crunch27]

Well guys and girls, I'm back. I dropped into to see the owners of that 24' Argosy last week after I noticed that they had brought it out off winter storage and parked it back in their driveway. I wanted to know their plans for the year and if they were thinking about selling it.

Well, they are and I told them that I was still interested, but I didn't want to rush them because I could see they were still fond of their trailer. They are ready to part with 'her', but only after one more trip next month.

I still have my 2011 Ranger FX4, but I am looking at trading it in for a 2011 F-150 XLT 4x4 with the EcoBoost V6. Generally, I have heard good things about the EcoBoost.

Thanks for 2 years of reading about Argosys, tow vehicles, remodelling and fixing things up, etc. in this Forum.

Here is a picture of that 24' Argosy, that I took 2 years ago. She hasn't aged a day!