newly acquired 1965 Tradewind - axle ok?

[JochenML]

Hi there, we just bought our first, long anticipated, vintage Airstream, a 24' 1965 Tradewind. We tried to read up on what to look for but I realized I didn't know abot how to verify if the axle is okay. The seller told me the axle was in good condition and had seen little use. Tires are new and so are wheels. I climbed under the trailer and saw that the struts are at what seems to be at a 10 degree (or more, hard to gauge) angle to the trailer, surface rust only... but that's with the trailer still being supported in the back by stabilizers. Is there any real way for me to know? I wasn't able to drive off with it yet as my vehicle needs to be fixed up with the correct connector cable. What should I be looking for or doing about the axle?


Thanks so much! J.

[Bubba L]

I would be really surprised if the axles were in good condition. You can still tow it, but need to take it easy so you don’t shake the trailer apart. Get it back to Longmont where you can jack it up and properly observe how the torsion arms react. Good luck

[57Vintage]

Suggest you start a build thread (go to the forums tab/trailers and place in appropriate model/years section). Spreading your questions through out the various categories may not get you as much input. More people, such as myself and many others, will subscribe to your thread and give you as much help as possible.