To lift or not to lift

[kb0zke]

That is the question.


One of the big attractions of an Airstream for us is that it is low to the ground. We recently had a visitor to our park who has his first Airstream, a 30' trailer. He said a 4" lift is an absolute necessity, as otherwise it would drag the tail when going in or out of a fuel station.


I didn't argue with him, as I don't own an Airstream - yet. I've taken our current trailer with me when I've gotten fuel maybe three times in the 15 months we've had it, and we're full-timers. On the other hand, we do plan on doing some boondocking, so additional ground clearance would be nice. Most of our camping is in COE, State, county or city parks, with a few commercial parks tossed in the mix. Our first real boondocking will happen next month.


So, should we have a lifted Airstream? If so, how much? I've seen people mention 2-4" lifts.

[S1njin]

Just went through this:

Another Dexter Axle Lift Question

[sfranklin]

I would suggest anything 30', it should be standard equipment at the time of construction:

https://www.airforums.com/forums/f43...ft-242708.html

I could easily be convinced that 28' might be the starting point. I had a 26 for years and only drug the butt 1x, but I think the risk goes up exponentially with trailer length.

[Action]

The shorter the trailer, the less need for lifting because if gas station driveways.

If buying a used unit, towing it a few times may be a good way to understand the towing dynamics before making decisions about lifting.

Action

[1StreamDream]

I have a 25’ airstream, bought it used (stock) and after roughly 9 months of use, a couple of fuel station drags, and some white knuckle uneven grass field parking maneuvers, I decided to have the dexter 3” lift installed. Zero regrets, and I could not detect any change in towing behavior or performance. Been several years now, still would say it’s well worth the trouble, and it gives me much greater peace of mind. The longer the (airstream) trailer is, the more impactful those factors become.

[FMSports]

Keep in mind being lifted will cost more energy in aero-drag. And raises COG so reduces stability.

I have a welded hitch that has plates extending an inch or so below the frame on the back of the 30'. I fully expect contact!

What I am going to do is make Acetal "sliders" so the back-end will just glide over pavement. Acetal is a tough plastic, low friction.

It doesn't make sense to me to do axle surgery for those brief contact events.

I'll post a pix when the parts are done and installed.

[baggs]

we tour outback australia...and bugger me dead do we need the lift!....no drive ways out here

[Thiss]

We have a 28’ and drug a few times with various approaches.

We lifted and are happier.

[Dspchef]

I put on a 3" lift kit on our 76 Excella 500 when I replaced the axles. The rear dragged on a dip on the street we live on and could not be avoided......other trailers do the same thing. It made all the difference in the world with the dragging. I have not noticed any difference with towing, gas mileage, center of gravity. Everyone will have a different opinion, and I just shared mine. Not pushing it, but happy with the decision I made.
To each their own.

[sfranklin]

Originally Posted by FMSports

Keep in mind being lifted will cost more energy in aero-drag. And raises COG so reduces stability.

I have a welded hitch that has plates extending an inch or so below the frame on the back of the 30'. I fully expect contact!

What I am going to do is make Acetal "sliders" so the back-end will just glide over pavement. Acetal is a tough plastic, low friction.

It doesn't make sense to me to do axle surgery for those brief contact events.

I'll post a pix when the parts are done and installed.

If I have any additional aero drag, it's not calculable compared to what I was at without it. COG? Are you serious? You think 3" is going to throw off an 8,000lb-10,000lb RV and contribute to instability? You'd better let the factory know this as I believe the lift is standard equip on some top end models along with 16" wheels which will raise the trailer about another inch.... oh and by the way, the factory installed my lift kit. You think they'd install that if it made the trailer unstable?!
Speaking of aero drag, there is prob a lot more drag from all the accessories mated to the body, AC units, awnings, antennas, etc.

Tough low friction plastic is not in any way going to counter the forces placed upon contact with the frame to the pavement. Sure it may slide better, but it will not negate the upward force placed on the frame, and with an additional inch of welded hitch, I can't see that being any better, but hey, it's your Airstream.

[BGClassic]

We are so glad we had the dealer install the lift kit before we took delivery, has paid off since we started using Harvest Hosts.

Keep Your Daydream just discussed this topic on their latest episode last night, with their 30" GT.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_jbq4GXDBM

[AgBullet]

3" lift is a good add. No noticeable difference in MPG, and the rig tows exactly like it used to.

[rideair]

I’ve been towing Airstreams for 25 years, everything from a 1956 22’ Front Kitchen, to a 1996 34’ Front Kitchen, using everything from a 1962 Galaxie Convertible to a 2005 Ford SD Dually and have only dragged the butt-end of the trailer once. That was my 1966 Overlander being towed by my 1968 International Travelall and even consider that my own fault.

Just don’t see the need for lifts, prefer just learning how to tow better and don’t go places I shouldn’t be going in the first place.

I might consider a lift on the 1996 34’ footer, but three inches to much, maybe 1.5 inches would be the max.

Oh well,

[xpcdoojk]

Just lift it. It is far easier to deal with lifted. Not just gas stations, any campground that is not perfect…. Etc.

[Wanderings]

I have a 2023 25' RBQ FC with no lift kit. I haven't taken a hit on the rear end (yet), but I'm always careful if I'm in a situation where I might. And yes, I boondock frequently.


One advantage to a lift kit that no one seems to have mentioned is raising the height of the waste drain outlet. I've been in a few RV parks that have the inlets for their sewer connections positioned at almost the same height as my outlet. And most of the larger portable waste tanks are too tall to fit under the outlet. A 3" lift would have a clear advantage in both of those situations.

[kb0zke]

"One advantage to a lift kit that no one seems to have mentioned is raising the height of the waste drain outlet." I hadn't thought about that, but I've been wondering about it. Our site here at The Ranch has a pretty tall sewer attachment. I've gotten a treated 2x10 to put the hose support on and that works well. I've been meaning to talk to the neighbor about measuring how high the sewer outlet is off the ground. A lift would certainly help in that respect.


Now if someone would only figure out how to make all of the connection points about 3-4 feet off the ground while keeping all tanks at ground level and having 18" of ground clearance with only a six inch step inside... <grin>

[skucera]

I lifted our 27' 1982 Excella because backing into our driveway the first time I came within 1/4" of dragging the tail just as the wheels crossed the dip at the curb and went up the gentle slope up the driveway. It was nerve-wracking as a newbie that day in general.

So, the 3" lift was the first item on my list of tasks for our local Airstream dealer's tech to install, even ahead of finding why propane wasn't making it to any of our propane appliances. I haven't had any problems with dragging my tail since getting the lift.

Keep in mind that my trailer went 40 years through four owners without getting a lift. There was evidence of scrapes on the bottom of the rear bumper mounts, but no major damage from that to the trailer. So, did I need a lift, really? Probably not, but it does give me some peace of mind, especially since I like to boondock.

Scott

[CLOUD9WYO]

We custom ordered a 30RB and based on the experience and recommendations of others, had the 4" lift installed by the dealer, with Airstream's technical endorsement. Has been a great decision and never a regret. No issue on handling or appearance. Highly recommend it.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

It's not just about gas stations. Various weird campgrounds can be a problem. The same can be true of some railroad crossings (some of those are "don't do it" even with a lift). As noted above, roads can easily get to the point that you need a lift.

Once you put one on:

1) Your hitch needs to move up a bit to match up. You might need a different shank.

2) As noted above, the waste outlet is higher ... yup, a good thing.

3) The bottom of the step at the door is now 2,3,4,12" higher (depending on the lift you do ...) off the ground. You may well need some sort of "step stool" to supplement the existing entry setup. Indeed this is a good idea regardless of lift or not.

4) You have a little more clearance at the rear and the front. Angle wise it's not all that big.

5) The tires have more clearance to the trailer in the vertical direction. Might make changing one a bit easier.

6) Crawling under the trailer to get at this or that is easier.

As far as drag or stability we haven't seen a noticeable impact. I suspect that if you went to some insane lift (12" ....) things would get pretty weird.

One of the "normal" things folks do when setting up a hitch is to have the trailer just slightly "nose down" on a level surface. You only have a finite steps to adjust your shank. Typically you pick between nose down and nose up. "Dead level" happens in-between two holes on the shank .... With "nose down" you get a slight bit more clearance at the rear end.

Crazy

Bob

[tjdonahoe]

1331’ classic 3” lift Very satisfied