I found a 1975 Trade Wind!

[CMSmith]

And it looks pretty good. The current owners are the second owners and have not been able to use it for a few years. I spent about an hour in it last night looking around, opening doors, tapping the floor, inspecting windows... There is a leak in one of the windows (the one straight in front of you when you walk in) and the floor was wet underneath it, but the floor did not seem soft. The outside looks great, as well. It does not have a lot of the rusted front belly that I have seen on most of them that I have looked at. Honestly, the only rusting that I found was in the bumper storage shelf. I have put a slideshow gallery here to share the photos that I took with my phone. Looking at the photos, I would really like to hear what some of you seasoned ASers have to say about it and what more I need to look for. I am going tomorrow night to see it "camp set up" to test all of the plumbing, electrical and so on.

[FreshAir]

Nice find. Of course always expect to spend more to make some repairs and updates to make to old trailers. It appears, considering your purchase price, you probably have a nice coach.

Neil

[CMSmith]

Sorry, forgot to mention the $. They are wanting use under $4000

[CMSmith]

Also, I have a 1999 Suburban with a 5.7L, this is well within the tow capacity rating, but is it a good fit for my tow vehicle?

[inTransit]

Hey Collin. Overall not in bad shape but if this has lived in the south a long time the frame rust and rot may not be limited to those areas you can see. It looks like someone sprayed that undercoating stuff on the rear frame areas. That material does not convert the rust and will peel and flake off as it looks like it has already started to do. It looks like there was a bit of PO tinkering also as I dont think that fluorescent fixture coming from the A/C is original.

Citing the frame and the potential for hidden PO mods, Id use that as a basis to get that price down a bit. Definently test the systems also and if that cant be done, recognize the risk and price accordingly.

Good luck!

[azflycaster]

This is the same trailer I have and my serial number makes it a few months older.

It's hard o tell from the pictures, but there seems to be some frame rust towards the rear. The other issue is the fact that the original refrigerator was replaced with an electric unit. The plumbing appears to be a combination of copper and patches and an upgrade to PEX would be something to consider in the future. The body appears to be in excellent shape which is a real plus for a trailer of this age.

I tow mine with a Tundra with the 5.7 engine and have lots of power.

[Splitrock]

Buy it

[CMSmith]

Well, I did it! I am now an Airstream owner! It is a really nice Trade Wind that is ready to camp, but we have some personal work to do. One of our first things will be new flooring. Right now it is peel and stick tile and we want to know what is a good option for replacing it. Is a sheet laminate better, or is it best to go with a the peel and stick? The other thing is the thought of opening it up a bit without ripping everything out. Is it possible to pull the wall out between the kitchen area and the rear bed/storage area? Would love to get some ideas and suggestions on materials that are good to use.

[kevin242]

Love your new Tradewind. We have enjoyed ours for a while now and love it as much as when we first got it.

[Wabbiteer]

I'm kinda sorta envious seeing yours & the great 25's here - Collin, such great potential and great price too!! I lost out on a Californian 25' twin-axle before I leapt at the '27 I've been slooowly rebuilding.

If its close to my '72 & '73 don't be timid with pulling the belly skins at the bumper & beneath the BW tank to peek & confirming the frame metal is righteous and the plumbing spotless and the primary electric ground is bright and tight. If the toilet has age on it at all it's a relatively cheap upgrade - inspection of mine showed it 100% until I removed it only to find a hairline crack that had allowed a metered slopage to dump in hidden areas & fire up some healthy rust and softened the flooring to help crack the BW tank. Everything is connected! Get on the caulk at the rear bumper trunk if its looking a little dried out too, that's another spot you don't want to let go a day too long without preventative maintenance..

If you pull the wheels mark the wheel (LF, LR, RF. RR) location AND each wheels location on the drum - if it's had the running gear balanced you can then return each assembly to its exact spot, and at worst case any running gear imbalances won't get worse after bearing/brake/tire service.

EDIT: "mark the wheel (LF, LR, RF. RR) location AND each wheels location on the drum" Should be "AND each wheels location relative to the drum..

How does the control/command center look?

[CMSmith]

the control center lights up and registers the battery level, the tanks are empty so they are not registering anything. We do not plan any boon docking (for now) so we will always be hooked up to water and sewer.

I think I am going to start a new thread with all of my questions that come up. A simple one is how the ZipDee awning works. I know it seems simple, and it pulls out great and rolls up great, but how does it get fixed in the open position. The side polls I assume are supposed to adjust, but they have not been used in a couple years so they are "frozen" in place. Any suggestions on freeing up the adjustment polls?

There is an Airstream service center a few miles down the highway from me. I will most likely get an appointment set up to bring it down to have them check it out fully. I just hope they don't need to keep it too long.

[azflycaster]

This is an excellent video:

Zip Dee Patio Awning Operating Instructions For Airstream - YouTube

[Wabbiteer]

Side rafter arms can get stiff all on their own as sand/dust and a little corrosion will bind them up. I had to massage mine out, a little spray lube and going inwards before outwards would register, etc. etc..

If the canvas has ever held a kiddies' swimming pools worth of rain water when they were extended they may have a little bow to the support arms that can be overlooked (cough) if you can use a scotchbrite scouring pad lightly on the telescoping parts and keep them lubricated. Ask me how I know

[CMSmith]

great, thanks!

[CMSmith]

What is your method of massaging it open? This one seems pretty stuck. I have the side arms out, pull out the locking pin and put about all of my 185lbs into it. Is there a safe way to tap on it to loosen it? Can you tap from the base of the outer arm sleeve or is it better to keep working from the outside part at the awning roller?

[CMSmith]

Got one side free, but the other is a bear right now

[Wabbiteer]

argh - been a while and thats blurred together with eleventeen other things at the moment, your muscle memory is being programmed correctly about now I'd be willing to bet.. .

There is always the bend it over your knee trick as your hand cramps will allow for

[CMSmith]

SUCCESS!!! With the awning, at least.