moving a trailer after a long sit

[Streamster]

Hey folks,

I'm new here, and pretty excited to have a reason to be. I'm soon to be the proud owner of a '76 land yacht. Thankfully it is in very good shape for its age, however, it has been sitting for a long time on a concrete slab.

I have about a 5 hour drive to haul it home from the seller's location. What should I do before putting it on the road? I have it booked in now to have the bearings repacked. Anything else? How do I check the brakes?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Duug

[Ahzmyrah]

When you say you have a 5 hour drive to pick it up I am assuming that it is about a 250 to 300 mile return trip at highway speeds to your home. Which means that the trailer will have to be capable of sustaining that kind of travel. Bearing repacking is a great idea. The brake drums will have to be pulled to pack the bearings so at the same time you can check the condition of the brake linings and drums. You will need a 12 volt auto battery with a good charge for the trailer. With the battery hooked up you can check that the brake magnets are working by listening for a "humm" at the trailer wheels by pulling the pin on emergency brake connector at the hitch. The tires should also be checked for cracking and dry rot and inflated to the proper pressure as indicated on the tire sidewall. If there is any problem with the running gear now is the time to replace it before it fails on the road and possibly wreck the trailer. Unless the brake backing plates were replaced they will have the old style round magnets. If the brakes have problems it it easier and in the long run cheaper to replace them with a whole new backing plate assembly with the newer oval magnets already installed. The brakes work much better by the way. In the states you can buy these assemblies for about $35.00 each with new linings and magnets and it is a simple unbolt and bolt on and connect the two brake wires installation. If you will be running after dark check that the running lights function and at minimum check that the brake and turn signal lights work. Another handy bit of knowledge to know is the ball heigth of trailer and the type of equalizing hitch that is installed. I don't know the ball height for your rig but mine is 19.5 inches to the top of the ball. You will need to adjust the hitch height so the trailer rides level and you maintain both good weight distribution on the trailer tires and proper hitch weight on the tow vehicle. When I picked my A/S up I had to install a new equalizing hitch and trailer hitch. My tow home was only about 20 miles fortunately mostly on city streets a low speed. Had problems stopping and found that on two wheels the brake wires were broken. So be careful, enjoy your new toy and congradulations.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by Streamster

Hey folks,

I'm new here, and pretty excited to have a reason to be. I'm soon to be the proud owner of a '76 land yacht. Thankfully it is in very good shape for its age, however, it has been sitting for a long time on a concrete slab.

I have about a 5 hour drive to haul it home from the seller's location. What should I do before putting it on the road? I have it booked in now to have the bearings repacked. Anything else? How do I check the brakes?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Duug

You cna only determine the ball height by measuring "THAT" trailer.

Any torsion axle equipped trailer, that has sat for a long time, can have the rubber rods within the axle tube deteriorate, which in turn, lowers the trailer and of course the ball height.

The lower the trailer becomes, the more road shock it can experience, if indeed the rubber rods have either hardened, or softened from their original composition.

There is an article that can perhaps be of some help to you in the Airstream Central portion of this Forums, regarding axles.

Andy

Andy