How many 34' Airstreams?

[CBWELL]

I snapped an axle on our 34' when backing into a camping spot. Heard a "snap" and the front axle on the curb side broke off. This was on grass, and not a sharp turn. Just got off the highway and real glad that it happened in the campground.

[rmkrum]

Wow. Any sigh of corrosion or a bad weld? That could have been a serious hazard to the trailer body or others in traffic on the road. Glad it waited until you were moving slowly! Yikes!

[Wrjch]

My bad. My truck is a 2012 - Trailer a 2011 built in January.
Old mind syndrome. Lol

[streamon]

....just for "fun"....ran across this gorgeous exterior 3 axle EXCELLA in Eugene OR last month

[A W Warn]

Originally Posted by CBWELL

I snapped an axle on our 34' when backing into a camping spot. Heard a "snap" and the front axle on the curb side broke off. This was on grass, and not a sharp turn. Just got off the highway and real glad that it happened in the campground.

If that photo was taken at the time the wheel fell off, the rust on the break indicates it was partially broken before that moment.
Breaks like that can happen after one major shock (like hitting a curb or pothole) that creates a crack in the metal. Then it will continue to break over time when stressed. IMO, that twist on the axle when you were backing in was the final "straw that broke the camel's back".

[CBWELL]

The pictures were taken within 1 hr. of the break. Yes, you can see a small amont of rust on one edge of the axle, so I suspect that there was an incident prior to me owning the trailer. Interesting that the main and largest portion of the break looks as though it just happened. I was very lucky and the only damage was a small relocation of the banana wrap ane a bend in the wheel well moulding. All have been bent back into shape and almost not noticeable. All 3 axles were replaced with #3500 Dexter units with auto adjust brakes.

[VernDiesel]

FWIW and another option the new 33s tow excellent. They are heavy but I have only towed a couple and they were all Classics. Not sure if you can order one without all the heavy options. I transport them a couple years already with a 1/2 ton diesel 535,000 miles. Not recommending towing that trailer camping with family and a Half ton just saying they tow well, better than the 30 Classic IMO.

[AtomicNo13]

A 33 is not a 34.... Different animal all together!

[2000 Excella]

If you find a 34 footer and this is what you want, you will never be sorry. I found my 2000 back in late 2009 and it was in near perfect condition. There are mixed messages out there about a triple axle 34 but I find that it is quite easy to manage and the extra room is wonderful to have. My friends also wanted a 34 footer and they searched over one year until they found one. I tend not to want to "gut" a trailer and find that having a trailer from a specific era is comforting in itself. You can customize it any way you want. The 34 foot was only made until 2011 and in that year, they only made 25 of them. It is a wide body and the floor plan in my opinion (minus the slide) is the best ever. To have a curb side booth with large windows is perfect since that is typically the most private side of any campsite. In comparing to the new 33 foot, another very interesting and distinct feature is the under bed storage accessible from the rear. The trunk holds all of the outdoor items we use. The new 33 footer queen bed model has a trunk but it is behind the propane tanks so forget putting folding chairs and a table in there from the outside. Good luck on your search and I hope you find that perfect 34 footer. It actually measure 34 feet 10 inches from the back to the a-frame.

[LiamG]

We just bought a 1993 34' Airstream Excella from Can Am RV in London Ontario. Last time I checked, they had another 34' excella still available.
You're a long way from London ON, but it might be worth contacting them and doing a road trip. They're fantastic to deal with.

[kb0zke]

It sounds like there isn't a publicly-available answer to my original question (how many 34' Airstreams were built in the early 2000's?). Reading between the lines, though, it sounds like there weren't very many - which explains why I don't find many.


I've been told several times that Airstream had troubles with the clearcoat in the late 90's, but the problem was finally solved with the 2000 models, which is part of the reason we're looking at the early 2000's. By contrast, there are quite a few late 90's 34' trailers available, and at fairly low prices.


We've looked at some of the "smaller" Airstreams, and we could make a 28' or larger work, but the ideal would be the 34' model. I think that it is time for me to start making my charts that compare various years and models.



FWIW, two years ago we had our Foretravel sold and had a truck and trailer picked out. Then we had to rebuild the engine, and the buyer had to back out. Now we've got another party that is very interested and can't find the trailer. Oh well, one day it will all come together.


There are two 34' Airstreams here at The Ranch, but no one seems to be home at either one.

[mdyeargin]

I just sold a 34' a few months back and will be selling my other 34' (yea some of us had a hording problem) once some of the renovation is complete, unless I find someone who wants to do it their own way first. After full timing and having several great years we down size to a 22' for just weekend or short time.

[66Overlander]

Originally Posted by kb0zke

It sounds like there isn't a publicly-available answer to my original question (how many 34' Airstreams were built in the early 2000's?). Reading between the lines, though, it sounds like there weren't very many - which explains why I don't find many.


I've been told several times that Airstream had troubles with the clearcoat in the late 90's, but the problem was finally solved with the 2000 models, which is part of the reason we're looking at the early 2000's. By contrast, there are quite a few late 90's 34' trailers available, and at fairly low prices.


We've looked at some of the "smaller" Airstreams, and we could make a 28' or larger work, but the ideal would be the 34' model. I think that it is time for me to start making my charts that compare various years and models.



FWIW, two years ago we had our Foretravel sold and had a truck and trailer picked out. Then we had to rebuild the engine, and the buyer had to back out. Now we've got another party that is very interested and can't find the trailer. Oh well, one day it will all come together.


There are two 34' Airstreams here at The Ranch, but no one seems to be home at either one.

Airstream does not generally publish production numbers. 34's were VERY common in the late 80s and 90s as already noted. In the 2000s the numbers of 34s dropped as the market shifted toward shorter units, so 2000s 34s are harder to find (25' and below were more common at that time). 2009 was the last year 34s were part of the normal model line, but a special run of 25 34s occurred in 2011. Even 30s and 31s were relatively rare at that time.

Since the 2008-9 recession the trend has again been to larger Airstreams as 30' and now 33' have become more popular, 27' and 28', too.