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I would like to clarify our position on projects such as the one in this post:
We welcome projects of all sizes. However, because most of our projects occupy one of six spaces on the production floor for long periods of time, the smaller projects may take an unacceptable period of time for delivery. Maintenance and repair items such as a water heater or refrigerator change out are better served at a dealer or local repair shop. We do handle a great many panel and segment repairs each month as we have specialists in this field and their work area is set up to take in and return a higher volume of work of short-term work.
Under our agreement with Airstream we do not sell cash & carry parts. That part of the market is reserved for the local dealer network.
In the rebuilding of an Airstream, or any other trailer, particular attention must be paid to the total weight, weight distribution and weight balance. We consider the liability of each project we undertake very carefully. Generally, when we are not building the complete project and maintaining control over the weight concerns, we will pass on the project rather than accept any liability the workmanship of others might impose on the overall project.
While we believe most Airstream owners comprehend the importance of weight concerns; our insurance carriers do not. We are also not in the business of consulting on projects we do not complete ourselves. This stance is again related to acceptable risk for the reward, insurance issues and prior time commitments for our staff.
We have completed many projects individuals or other companies have started. The most common problem we encounter is the improper consideration of weight. Our cabinetmakers utilize weight-saving materials and methods in our interior construction. One of our current projects is to build a custom Airstream based on the design of the trailer we built for the Orvis company Holiday Catalog a few years ago. The owner had another shop attempt to build the replica. No consideration whatsoever was given to the weight concerns. When the trailer was taken out by the owner for a test drive the chassis catastrophically failed from corrosion, metal fatigue and, most importantly, overloading. The interior materials selections and the construction execution are highly questionable in general and certain in terms of weight. The Airstream is a total loss and we will be starting from scratch to build the duplicate.
We want all restoration, modernization, and re-purposing projects to be successful and the owners to be safe and happy for years to come and exercise our best judgement in deciding which projects to undertake.
Thank you for your understanding.
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