New Driveway - Good News Bad News

[pteck]

Having a functional driveway is one thing. Have you considered how the aesthetics might be affected by grading the driveway to taper the rise? Will it look better? Worse?

I say make lemonade out of lemons. Get a nice beautiful new driveway at a discount. And a discounted trailer lift. It's truly freeing not having to stress about approach or departure angles of the trailer.

Check out all the clearance


In case you're curious how else you can take advantage of a lift to gain more storage:
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f444...ml#post2000532
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f480...od-172654.html

[PharmGeek]

Originally Posted by pteck

Having a functional driveway is one thing. Have you considered how the aesthetics might be affected by grading the driveway to taper the rise? Will it look better? Worse?



I say make lemonade out of lemons. Get a nice beautiful new driveway at a discount. And a discounted trailer lift. It's truly freeing not having to stress about approach or departure angles of the trailer.



Check out all the clearance

Attachment 314837



In case you're curious how else you can take advantage of a lift to gain more storage:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f444...ml#post2000532

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f480...od-172654.html

This is my plan now - awaiting a quote from local rv repair come Monday

[gator.bigfoot]

Maybe it's time to get one of these https://www.trailervalet.com/shop/rvr/ not sure it can climb the grade but if it can it sure would be cool.

[J. Morgan]

Originally Posted by pteck

Having a functional driveway is one thing. Have you considered how the aesthetics might be affected by grading the driveway to taper the rise? Will it look better? Worse?



I say make lemonade out of lemons. Get a nice beautiful new driveway at a discount. And a discounted trailer lift. It's truly freeing not having to stress about approach or departure angles of the trailer.



Check out all the clearance

Attachment 314837



In case you're curious how else you can take advantage of a lift to gain more storage:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f444...ml#post2000532

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f480...od-172654.html

If I were to say that I think a lifted Airstream looks better than a stock sitting Airstream does that make me a bad person?

[rmkrum]

Nope. They are BOTH Airstreams...

[Foiled Again]

Originally Posted by r carl

Didn't you see the bottom pic in post 31? The truck height doesn't come into play here.

So, if you let half of the air out of your truck's rear tires wouldn't the front of your trailer go down, and the back end go up?

Super simple to re-inflate with a hand held battery operated pump... much easier than my old 12 volt corded one.

PAULA

[r carl]

Originally Posted by Foiled Again

So, if you let half of the air out of your truck's rear tires wouldn't the front of your trailer go down, and the back end go up?

Super simple to re-inflate with a hand held battery operated pump... much easier than my old 12 volt corded one.

PAULA

Why would you want to let out air of the rear truck tires and have the wd bars scraping the road in front of the driveway?

[PharmGeek]

There are two low points in play for bottoming out

1) the skid things under bumper

2) the propride WD bars

Lowering the truck rear end or the hitch will lower one of the problems and it will contact...now - if you could by a remote control instantly add and replace air to the tires or raise or lower the propride stinger - I could lower the hitch to avoid skid low spot - then once it clears and before truck hits the rain gutters raise it up a good bit

This thought had been fun but won’t actually help

[A W Warn]

Adding wheels to the skid plates will help slide over an obstacle, but the best idea is not to drag the rear of the trailer. If the trailer frame flexes upward when dragging, the skin has to flex too. Rivets and skin are the weak points.

My 34' has a big horizontal wrinkle in the skin on curbside rear corner, from the skid plate dragging.

[djarrett]

I've read through all 10 pages here with much lip biting.

I love Airforums, and I do online community for a living for a large music instrument concern, so I get people having myriad opinions.

What I can't understand is Pharma stated in the initial post that he only had his drive repoured originally to solve the very issue he has ended up having. He stated he didn't want to have to drag wood around (reading into it that he could have done this with his original drive and saved the $5K he spend on a new drive- but I digress).

So, why is every other post people recommending wood ramps? (shrugs shoulders)

Nonetheless a couple of thoughts -

This seemed like a possible solution recommended back on page 4 (
http://www.bridjit.com)

I wouldn't hesitate for one moment to do the lift. I cannot understand the folks at Dixie RV stating that they aren't taking on new work - I purchased my Tommy Bahama at the Celina location and they were great. I'm not certain how their home office in Hammond LA would feel about them turning away work (especially a lift install which is a relatively easy job). The lift kit not only solves your driveway problem but potential drag issues while traveling.

Regarding your hitch. I use an Equalizer hitch - My torx bars do not hang down like yours do. Perhaps a different hitch could be a possible solution. I'm not saying this to start a "my brand of hitch is better than yours" war (which almost any mention of hitches does around here), but it would solve a drag problem that is always going to be a challenge with that specific brand.

And finally, my grandparents had a 1968 Overlander when I was growing up. I'm not certain if the frames on Airstreams were built differently back then than they are now, but their frame was stout. Stout enough that the two main members had two upside down "U" channels that extended to the back of the rear bumper and in that U channel was mounted a steel roller on each channel. When they were backing and met with a situation where there was drag, these two steel wheels lifted the rear of the trailer and rolled it long enough for the main tires to catch up. Those rear lift wheels bridged a gap. Wondering why this is no longer done on modern trailers?

Pharma - Good luck with your solutions. Pulling for you in Nashville!

D

[pteck]

Originally Posted by djarrett

And finally, my grandparents had a 1968 Overlander when I was growing up. I'm not certain if the frames on Airstreams were built differently back then than they are now, but their frame was stout. Stout enough that the two main members had two upside down "U" channels that extended to the back of the rear bumper and in that U channel was mounted a steel roller on each channel. When they were backing and met with a situation where there was drag, these two steel wheels lifted the rear of the trailer and rolled it long enough for the main tires to catch up. Those rear lift wheels bridged a gap. Wondering why this is no longer done on modern trailers?

Pharma - Good luck with your solutions. Pulling for you in Nashville!

D

As an engineer, let me help you guys walk through this thought of roller on the frame.

What is your goal or outcome? What problem does the roller solve?

Does it roll easier once contacting the road? Sure.

Does it protect the road as it rolls over it? Sure

Does it lesson the upward load or force on the airstream structure? No.

It will still apply whatever vertical force upwards as it contacts the road. And therefore, it does not mitigate potential structural (skin) damage. Wrong solution to our problem. A metal skid slides over the road just fine, and I'm not particularly concerned about protecting the road.

If anything, a roller just takes more clearance increasing the potential for contact and forces on the trailer.

[PharmGeek]

Fact - people have experienced the force on the skid upward pressure and body damage.

The rollers will not stop that

Maybe the old frames were sturdier but it appears a force upward can/will result in damage

I won’t be touching something to reduce clearance personally!

To be clear djarrett - before the driveway was poured my only issue was not clearance - no. The issue was once very blue moon crazy amount of rain would result in inability to back in...clearance was close but not an issue.

Ramps are only interesting to me as a proof of concept or temporary solution - not a long term solution.

Filling the gutter and raising the trailer I’ll be fine I suspect - just waiting on quote from the local rv repair

I was befuddled about Dixie RV response - started to wonder if their management should be alerted - I asked the shop managent that and he seemed comfortable that his policy following is from above him..

[J. Morgan]

Originally Posted by PharmGeek

Filling the gutter and raising the trailer I’ll be fine I suspect - just waiting on quote from the local rv repair

I think the odds of success with this proposed fix are in excess of 100 to 1, it’s the path of least resistance, and it has benefits that will extend beyond the driveway.

Your solution is a 100% win/win.

[Rocinante]

Thanks for sharing this experience. One thing I've learned for sure: If I ever get a driveway done, I have to be there every minute, Airstream at the ready, to make sure they put it in as discussed vs. changing things on the fly to avoid excavation I expected them to do as part of the deal.

Also, since we are currently house-less: Pick a house with a driveway that will work for the trailer. Our last home had a steep slope down from the street to the house. It worked out better than expected because the rear of the trailer was up high and the nose was on the ground once we got it off the TV, but it was still not ideal.

[gator.bigfoot]

I think that if you have a questionable driveway you are best to just have them fill the driveway with A gravel to the final height so that you can check it and then remove 6" once you have it finalized for the concrete. May cost more but then it's right in the end.

[joe celano]

If you clearly described your needs and the contractor was able to review your AS to build the driveway for the needs of your trailer then he should correct the problem. If you want to be somewhat accommodating to him as him what extra work is involved and how much duplication of effort is being done to make it right. Then budget some extra money to pay him not to exceed whatever you believe is appropriate. It's just like any other contract work on any home. jc

[PharmGeek]

Originally Posted by gator.bigfoot;

I think that if you have a questionable driveway you are best to just have them fill the driveway with A gravel to the final height so that you can check it and then remove 6" once you have it finalized for the concrete. May cost more but then it's right in the end.

Note that my native grade was fine - no clearance issues albeit very close though...as was discussed.

[Daquenzer]

Looking at the pictures I really don’t know how the contractor can solve this one since there is no way to feather the drive out to the street. The best solution would be first try loosening the WD bars on the hitch. That would clearly give at least an inch to an inch and a half clearance. Advantage of the Propride since you don’t have to disconnect. In fact you could back up to about where it would hit then drop the tension on the bars slowly and see what happens to the back of the trailer.

The second option (maybe in combination with the first) is to “feather” that entrance with a ramp of some sort. I think 2 or 3 3/4” plywood (8’) long on either side would do the trick. It would be a hassle, but it probably would work. And they aren’t that expensive.

The third option of the lift kit is the most expensive and the slickest.

Has anyone heard of an airlift kit for an Airstream axle? That would be one sweet set up.

[Tyvekcat]

Good Lord Pharma, just saw your thread. Killer.
Yeah, the contractor should have started cutting just past the curb to the top, gee whiz. You can tell by the pic you took, it needed more cut and some fill at the bottom. AS is long and low. He should have seen that when it was parked there and you described what you wanted & they were working on it.

There are campgrounds I don't attempt. ( Douthat state park), although they have a new campground that eliminated the 'dragway' to the older campground.
Hate to throw good money after bad, but you can't use the driveway as it is.
I liked liked one post earlier, about grinding the concrete, because as soon as your truck goes up, the AS goes down in the rear. ( you already know that)
You could get a Cub Cadet or Kubota diesel tractor and unhitch in the cul de sac and hitch to the tractor to pull up the hill, maybe lower the tractor hitch enough that the front 'A ' frame doesn't drag on the AS and the rear wont drag. That's the more equipment solution maybe.

You could always lay 2x4's at the curb end of drive way, to fill the dip and lay plywood over the 2x4's ( if you don't care what the neighbors reactions are) . That's cheaper than hurting the AS.
I have empathy for your pain. I have done things to try and make it better, only to have the effort go sideways. Not your fault.
Best regards

[Skmcclure]

so the first picture shows the creases made in driveway before improvement. I use to use 2x8 ramps that bridged the gutter from street to driveway. Real hassle every time I had to back into driveway. The second picture shows the little casters I had installed on the back that engage before the trailer bottoms out and then disengage as soon as trailer clears the driveway.