1987 Airstream Sovereign 31 foot axle inspection

[professorbol]

I just purchased a 1987 Airstream Sovereign 31 foot that has been sitting in a Barn for so long the tires have dry rotted real bad.

I had a friend tell me that he thought there were some sort of rubber torsion/suspension items that need to be inspected/replaced before I show up and re-pack bearings, inspect breaks, and put new tires on it and tow it away.

Question! is there some form/type of Rubber part/parts that are key to the suspension of this airstream that may need to be inspected/replaced before towing?

[Jammer]

The torsion axles work using a rubber compression component instead of a spring. They are serviced by replacing the axle assembly. Inspection is a matter if determining whether the suspension still has a reasonable amount of travel. If the trailer is sitting low and the "arm" portion of the axle assembly slopes up from the axle tube to the hub, it's probably shot.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by professorbol

I just purchased a 1987 Airstream Sovereign 31 foot that has been sitting in a Barn for so long the tires have dry rotted real bad.

I had a friend tell me that he thought there were some sort of rubber torsion/suspension items that need to be inspected/replaced before I show up and re-pack bearings, inspect breaks, and put new tires on it and tow it away.

Question! is there some form/type of Rubber part/parts that are key to the suspension of this airstream that may need to be inspected/replaced before towing?

Torsion axles, have rubber rods in them. They are not replaceable.

There is an article in the Airstream Central part of this Forums, about axles, that will teach you how to check them out very quickly.

If the rubber rods are indeed bad, towing it 100 miles or so, won't be an issue.

Andy