Newbie from Minnesota- 70's Land Yacht

[thejake]

Greetings from Minnesota. Just pulled home our first Airstream. '72-'73? Land Yacht. I looked at a few and this one by far was not the largest nor the cheapest but was the most unmolested and original. I have a set of hubcaps on the way. Every thing is operational. Curtians and clips are in very nice condition. Would like to shine it up a bit. The restored '68 GMC 3/4 ton family tow vehicle with a 305E v6 motor boasting a late model 700R4 pulled nicely at low rpms at highway speed. Looking for Airstream events.

[azflycaster]

Welcome to the forums!
Nice looking Trade Wind. The VIN will tell you the year of the trailer. It will be located on the plate near the door that says Trade Wind on it. It will be something like (I or L)25(T or D)(2 or 3)(J or S)xxx.
It's the 2 or 3 that will tell you the year.

[CanoeStream]

Howdy from St. Cloud -- Welcome to the Forums! That looks like a honey of an Airstream and tow vehicle. How'd you find it? Congrats anyway. The closest Forums rally on the radar is near Bloomington, IL in mid June. There has been some talk of having a Minnesota rally ... 2009 seem ripe for that?

[utee94]

Congratulations, it looks great, and matches your TV beautifully.

Welcome to the forums.

[thejake]

thank you for the kind words of welcome. A friend had this tucked away. It needs some things i.e battery etc. I have no clue how to operate the thing but the original manuals are inside. Makes for good rainy weather reading. I also found the original load leveling towing hardware.

I found a 31' Sovergn? on Craig's list and went to look at it yesterday morning. It was not road worthy but had two awnings in great condition!!. A host of other things that turned me off. After comparing the two I think I opted for the right unit as the brakes work perfectly and tires are in excellent condition. I priced the Zip Dee awnings and WOW they are not cheap!! THus if anyone has a used 15ft Id be interested. Moreover, pulling this out of the lake lot we have up one heck of a hill might be a little easier.

[azflycaster]

ZipDee awnings are not cheap, but are a quality product that the company stands behind. Forums members Lewster and InlandRV both offer them at a discounted price. I put one on my Trade Wind two years ago and except for one problem (my fault) it has worked perfectly for me. The install is quite simple and can be done in a couple of hours.

[Lumatic]

You may have figured this out already but FYI "Land Yacht" specifies a line of bells and whistles for different size Airstreams. The Land Yacht was the middle ground, above it was the International line and below was a statndard line. That being said most models, including the Tradewind were only made in one line. I have never seen a "standard" Airstream which were lacking some basic appliances etc. Just to further confuse us further Airstream has switched lines and models now and then and also has also made a MoHo called a Land Yacht.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by thejake

thank you for the kind words of welcome. A friend had this tucked away. It needs some things i.e battery etc. I have no clue how to operate the thing but the original manuals are inside. Makes for good rainy weather reading. I also found the original load leveling towing hardware.

I found a 31' Sovergn? on Craig's list and went to look at it yesterday morning. It was not road worthy but had two awnings in great condition!!. A host of other things that turned me off. After comparing the two I think I opted for the right unit as the brakes work perfectly and tires are in excellent condition. I priced the Zip Dee awnings and WOW they are not cheap!! THus if anyone has a used 15ft Id be interested. Moreover, pulling this out of the lake lot we have up one heck of a hill might be a little easier.

Welcome to Airstreaming.

From your 1st photo, it looks like you may have bad axles.

The following article will teach you how to check them out in 30 seconds,

Dura Torque Axle

Also, please post the serial number. Many of us can ID the trailer for you.

Andy

[CanoeStream]

If it sat as a stationary trailer the rubber rods in the Dura-Torque axle will be deformed and hardened -- not a good situation for road running. Replacing axles on a 30+ year old trailer is very common.

Good tread on low mileage tires doesn't count. Sorry. Please replace them if they're over 5 years old. The damage a disintegrating punky tire can do to an Airstream wheelwell is unbelievable. Manufacture date is on the sidewall -- here or here.

[cameront120]

Welcome to the forums. It looks like you got a fine looking trailer. One piece of equipment I would recommend you install before doing too much towing is a rock guard to protect your front window. Do you have any interior pictures?

[ts8501]

Welcome to the Airforums! You stated "Looking for Airstream Events". Come check us out at the Airstream Park in Clear Lake, MN. Minnesota Airstream Park This years Open House is scheduled for June 7th and June 8th. Or call the Park and schedule another time. Your "new" '72/'73 and you would fit right in!

[Bethy Ann]

Hello, and welcome to the forum. You will get all your questions answered here! What a beautiful Tradewind! It looks great with your tow vehicle . Good luck!

[Nuvite-F]

Jake,

Congratulations on your "new" vintage Airstream! From the pictures it looks like it's in great shape!

You have a great location for Airstreaming, too, in "God's country", as my Swedish ancestors used to call it--and I still do--and in WBCCI Region 7, a hotbed of Vintage activity in the midwest.

By all means you should make it to this years Region 7 Vintage Rally, which will be Sept 5 - 7 in Osceola, WI, practically right around the corner from you. For details see the WBCCI Region 7 web site, Region 7

With your location you would be well served by either the WBCCI Minnesota Unit WBCCI Minnesota Unit or the Wisconsin Unit, WBCCI Wisconsin - Region 7, Unit 116

Both units, and Region 7 have a full schedule of activities planned for this year. Hope you can make it to some of them and meet your Airstreaming neighbors!

See you up the road,
Nuvi

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by thejake

Greetings from Minnesota. Just pulled home our first Airstream. '72-'73? Land Yacht. I looked at a few and this one by far was not the largest nor the cheapest but was the most unmolested and original. I have a set of hubcaps on the way. Every thing is operational. Curtians and clips are in very nice condition. Would like to shine it up a bit. The restored '68 GMC 3/4 ton family tow vehicle with a 305E v6 motor boasting a late model 700R4 pulled nicely at low rpms at highway speed. Looking for Airstream events.

From your photo's I don't see a load equalizing hitch in use.

To properly and safely tow your Airstream, you must use a proper rated, properly installed, full sway control load equalizing hitch.

If not, you are asking for an accident that you, and your passengers, may not survive.

Not to scare you, but that's a fact.

Andy

[thejake]

Wow, thanks for the fabulous replies. You guys sure know your stuff.

Andy, yes I have a load leveling hitch, found it inside the unit when I got home. I will check the axles tomorrow for the positive/negative angle but curious how you can tell from pictures that the axles are bad?

Will also check date on tires and am curious where one would find a rock guard for the front as recommended?

We spent the day cleaning the inside of the unit thoroughly!! No signs of rodent anything. I still have to learn how to use the the thing, lol. Thanks again.

[cameront120]

Originally Posted by thejake

am curious whereonewoudl find a rock guard for the front as recemended?.

You can get one from Inland RV

http://www.inlandrv.com/parts/34943-rockguard.jpg

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by thejake

Wow, thanks for the fabulous replies. You guys sure know your stuff.

Andy, yes I have a load leveling hitch, found it inside the unit when I got home. I will check the axles tomorrow for the positive/negative angle but curious how you can tell from pictures that the axles are bad?

Will also check date on tires and am curious where one would find a rock guard for the front as recommended?

We spent the day cleaning the inside of the unit thoroughly!! No signs of rodent anything. I still have to learn how to use the the thing, lol. Thanks again.

A good axle will allow you to see 2 to 3 inches of tires, "above" the top of the wheels.

Also, prior to 74, the rubber rods, because of the wrong composition of rubber, simply gave out.

We have the correct rockguard for your Airstream.

Andy

[AlbertF]

Originally Posted by thejake

The restored '68 GMC 3/4 ton family tow vehicle with a 305E v6 motor boasting a late model 700R4 pulled nicely at low rpms at highway speed.

A very interesting tow vehicle. Those 305 V6 truck engines seem to be rare, and matching a high-torque engine with a 4 speed automatic sounds like a great approach.

[thejake]

Al. The GMC Pickup with the V6 is quite the rig. The V6s were known for their very high low end torque while being economical. I have done a few upgrades, i.e HEI Dist etc. Heritage is very key for me as this was a family truck. Restoration story & pics can been seen here **Past Project----1968 GMC 2500 305EV6 4x4. | jakesgeneralstore.com

Take a look at some of the other muscle car restorations I have done. The nice thing about the switch to the Airsream is I can include the entire family. Looking forward to many years of enjoyment.

[musketeer]

Thejake,

Does your new trailer have blue checkered cushions? Does it have the Univolt relaced with an Intellipower Converter? This looks exactly like the 1972 Tradewind I sold about five years ago! I sold it because it didn't have a gray water tank, but loved the trailer. I live near St. Cloud and did a fair amount of work on your trailer or one just like it. Let me know if you have questions.