Got our new 20' Safari SE

[Wayne&Sam]

And we like it! I'd post a picture, but you probably have a pretty good idea of what it looks like- kind of round and shiny. We'll spend some time this week getting it packed up and the we start heading out on a series of trips with it- a couple of dog agilty trials for me and a week of fishing in Cape Cod for Sam.

I ordered the Yamaha EF2400iS generator today.

[Silvertwinkie]

Congrats. Make sure that after you get some use out of it that you post the overall QC you find on the 2007 model year QC thread:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f142...ity-21553.html

Also did you get the propane/natural gas/gasoline powered generator or did you go with straight gasoline?

[Wayne&Sam]

Yes, I'll follow up with a QC report.

And yes, I ordered the tri-fuel generator- I though it would be great not to have to deal with carrying gasoline when I've got 60 lbs of LP sitting there.

[moosetags]

Congratulations on your new baby. Does she have a name Yet. Yes, we know what she looks like, but we'd like to see a picture anyway. Best of luck and wonderful Airstream travels.

[sd90mac]

Wayne and Sam,

Congratulations on your new coach.

Have a safe and fun trip and let us know how it is going.

Marie

[Wayne&Sam]

Originally Posted by moosetags

Does she have a name Yet.

Well our last SOB was a Travelstar and we called it the Travel Dog because of my dog trials. The AS is called The Troutstream for my wife, who is a flyfishing guide.

[subfan1]

I know this an old thread but, can you describe how it towed? Some people say that single axle tend to sway more and bounce around a lot.
We want a 20 foot but if they are a handful towing, we'll look at a dual axle model. Any input from your towing experience will be helpful in our making up our minds.
Thanks

[Chief]

I'll try and answer this for you. We purchased a 2007 20' SE in October 2007. We traded it for a 2008 25' FB SE last month. Our reason for trading was based solely on size requirements/desires.

We towed both trailers with the same TV (2004 Dodge 1500 QC w/5.7L hemi) and same Reese equalizer hitch (no sway control). There were no differences in towing characteristics for either trailer, other than the 25' being heavier and requiring a bit more acceleration time. Neither rig has any sway problems, and we pulled the 20' in some 40 mph winds. The main difference between the 20' and 25' is in backing......the single axle is a bit quicker to turn on you, and therefore, a bit harder to back into camping spots....but, then it is shorter. Interestingly, towing the 20' averaged 11 mpg, and the 25 averaged 11.1 mpg over the same route.

Chief

[Stefrobrts]

I've heard the nasty rumors that short, single axle trailers are harder to tow, and I don't believe it one bit. Ours is as short as they get, and it tows great. It has never swayed on us. If they bounce around more, it's because the little ones weigh thousands of pounds less than the big ones.

I also don't mind backing it up (though my husband is better at it than I am). Probably because we learned on it, we appreciate it being short and easy to park, and it goes where we're expecting it too. I imagine if you started with a big trailer then switched to a small one it might seem like it was hard to tow and back up, but I think if you start small, it will seem perfectly normal.

[Wayne&Sam]

We tow ours with a Mercedes ML500 and Reese dual cam. We've never had a problem with sway and we can get into some pretty small campsites. Backing has never been an issue for either of us, but maybe that's because we learned on short horse trailers.

[jstermer]

We towed our 20' Safari SE, bought used in '08, with a 6 cyl 2003 Chevy Blazer! Bought, trying to match tailer to TV, in Spokane, WA. Traveled South on Hwy 101 over 8 months to San Diego, CA. The Equalizer hitch is a must. I later bought a transmission cooler to ease strain on the transmission. Overall, the towing experience was fine. However traveling on extended grades, The Grape Vine in CA or the Sikiyou Pass, was difficult.