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switz · 09-23-2013, 05:59 PM

Changed our open Airstream order today from a Classic 27FB to a Classic model 30 with the same build date and six digit production number. The only option on the price list we selected is the 50 amp service with second A/C unit. Then while still at the factory, the trailer will be fitted with electric/hydraulic disk brakes with a Dexter brake controller on the trailer.

m.hony · 09-23-2013, 06:06 PM

That resembles our trailer.

andreasduess · 09-23-2013, 06:12 PM

When we started looking, we were all set on a 25' model. Yeah, right...

Also, when I read the thread title, the first thing that came to mind was: "That's what she said".

Yes, I have a juvenile sense of humor.

casarodante · 09-24-2013, 09:44 AM

Very good!

We moved up from a '92 25' to a '12 31' and the difference in space is amazing!

We were looking at 27's and 28's but we plan on semi-fulltiming (oxymoron?) upon retirement and knew we wanted more space.

We also went with a 31 since the entire bathroom is on one side and not split across the hall.

Have fun with it!

PacificNW · 11-27-2013, 12:44 PM

Just upgraded from a 2003 Bambi 19'to a 2013 Classic '31. Indeed the decision point for the 31' vs 27' was the single bathroom and the roomy closet on the other side. On top of the wheels.

dznf0g · 11-27-2013, 02:00 PM

I don't think you'll regret it....as well as the disc upgrade.

m.hony · 11-27-2013, 02:59 PM

The Classic 30 floor plan has always been my favorite- but I should have gotten twin beds- more storage and easier to walk through- if there ever is a "next time"...

time2play · 11-27-2013, 04:17 PM

I also love our Classic 30' floorplan. I was a little leery of the bathroom being so "open". But I love the extra room! I just shut the doors on both sides and I have privacy and enough room to move around. It's great!

I also like the 31' floorplan as well.

Right now, our Airstream is winterized and parked. Darn!

I miss taking it out for the weekend. Our next trip is going to be to the Oregon coast. can't wait!

m.hony · 11-27-2013, 04:24 PM

I picked that floor plan based on the center bath. I do not like side bath models- too claustrophobic for me. Also, when traveling with the camping kitty we put the litter box in the bathroom- not possible in a side bath-
Our previous sob trailer had a center bath as well.

m.hony · 11-27-2013, 04:27 PM

I picked the 30 versus the 31 because of the center bath, but the 31 has more closet space and I like the location of the microwave better. In my 30 I have to sit down in the dinette both to use the microwave...

switz · 11-27-2013, 06:26 PM

The factory declined to install the disk brakes until the vehicle is delivered to the dealership and titled. So that part gets delayed until we drive it back towards Indiana and beyond..

We are having two upgrades or modifications for a $450 up charge: since our homes have real wood plank flooring, the Classic wood look linoleum will be exchanged for the International Serenity flooring that we like and an aluminum backsplash behind the bathroom sink will be installed in lieu of the "fuzz" wall covering.

The five 16" SenDel T03-66655T wheels are in my storage unit and the Michelin LT 225/75R16E LTX M/S2 tires will be ordered the first week in January so they are fresh. They will be mounted along with the Dill TPMS 1503-453 tire valves. After the trailer gets here, I will personally install them using the Centramatic wheel balancers and McGard lug nuts.

The forum folks provided input for most of the ideas we have used on the 25Fb, we are using and will be implementing even after the trailer gets here.

Thanks to you all and Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow.

42 days to build date - 9 January and finishing 15 January. I will be there and will be taking as many photos as possible.

Ag&Au · 11-27-2013, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PacificNW

Just upgraded from a 2003 Bambi 19'to a 2013 Classic '31. Indeed the decision point for the 31' vs 27' was the single bathroom and the roomy closet on the other side. On top of the wheels.

The same reasons we picked the 31 over the 30. I like the larger area in front of the couch on the 30. However' if you want that and the large wardrobe, you get a 34. I'm not ready for that extra 3 feet to tow. We have been very happy with our 31 and for us it was the best choice. We take 3 cats with us, so we got the cloth upholstery instead of Ultra "leather". The cats make a few marks on the upholstery, but they would get a big thrill from shredding leather, real or not.

Ken

m.hony · 11-27-2013, 07:31 PM

If they still made a 34- or if they made a 34 with a pass-through center bath- or if they made a 34 with no carpet-
Even when they still made the 34 I liked the layout of the 30 better.

cwf · 11-28-2013, 12:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by m.hony

If they still made a 34- or if they made a 34 with a pass-through center bath- or if they made a 34 with no carpet- Even when they still made the 34 I liked the layout of the 30 better.

Our 34' is great!

Now, as we walk amidst this land-o-giant 5ers, megaslabsided behemoths, my wife remarks, "oh look at our tiny, puny trailer!!"
Haha

**GCinSC2** · 11-28-2013, 05:59 AM

switz,

Congrats on the trailer and your running gear mod's and upgrades sound darn good. Experience is taking action. Good luck and enjoy.

Gary

switz · 01-04-2014, 10:30 AM

On 20 December 2013, the frame came in the door at Jackson Center with our serial number on it for a Classic model 30 with twin beds and dual A/C units with 50 amp power service. While the inverted frame was being filled with tanks, plumbing and axles, the metal for the end caps and sides was being cut and shaped. The side and roof panels were on the router table getting the openings precut and the rivet holes drilled. Each side panel was then carried over to the frame jig and after careful alignment was riveted to the ribs giving the side metal the curve shape. Two pieces of metal were riveted together to make the center roof section.

A large piece of plywood arrived precut as the floor with appropriate openings and the edge groved enough to be visible about 2" in from the edge as a reference on how far in the aluminum edge had to be forced onto the plywood. The two end caps were put in position on the plywood which was now on the elevated shop floor and the side panels were carried over. A single screw at the top of the side panel held the piece to the end cap while the pieces were coerced into the proper location. Then two chaps, one inside and one outside, proceeded with the start of the installation of the 1,400 rivets used on the trailer.

Meanwhile the frame has been turned over and the wheels are attached to the axles and the brake wiring along with the umbilical cord are put in place. It has moved forward to be beside a set of rollers that the body will use to come along side the frame. The frame is put onto a device that makes the top surface of the steel frame absolutely level.

The side and end cap rivets completed and the roof in place, the shell and floor unit is hoisted via the fantastic fan openings and lowered onto the frame. While the units are being fastened together, the external part of the windows and door frame arrive for installation. The unit moves forward to an area with overhead working spaces and the two A/C units, the two skylight frames, and the fantastic fan are mounted and all the side hatches are carefully sealed along with the refrigerator opening and toilet vents. The trailer gets it's first bath as a pressure test for leaks. Evidently there were no leaks or they were quickly fixed.

The trailer is then pushed to the next stop where all the wires are installed into the walls and ceiling along with the PEX plumbing rough in. The inside surface between the ribs is coated with a contact cement or glue and 3" batts of brown insulation are in the process of being fitted inside the trailer. (The brown stuff is not fiberglass, but a mixture of recycled wood and paper that has a one to two number increase in insulation "R" value over fiberglass batting but is safer and easier to work with). The glue will keep the insulation in place instead of sliding to the bottom of the space (as happened in the past) and creating cold spots in the walls.

I then showed up in the factory on 2 January around 2:30pm, which is late in the second day of work, and all the above had been completed. The photos show this progress. My unit was currently third from the exit door of the "initial build" pair of assembly lines. The next stop would be the paint shop (in a separate building) coating the "A" frame with gray paint and installing the manual Classic ZipDee awnings on three sides.

I showed up the next day, 3 January, and my unit was MIA from the floor on either pair of assembly lines so by default it was in the paint shop which is not part of the tour.

After the paint shop, the units come back onto the "finishing" pair of assembly lines on the other side of the factory floor. I saw some of the Hickory cabinetry for Classic units with a few digits lower serial numbers on the 3rd of January. The Hickory wood work has been done by an external third party cabinetry shop for the last several years.

This weekend's entertainment here in central Ohio appears to be a blizzard with sub-zero temperatures. If the factory opens on Monday, 6 January, I will make my best effort to be there and get more photos and watch the progress.

The service area was very busy with a large number of units spending the winter there to get service.

The goal is to squeeze out 51 units per week and average five days per unit for assembly. I think the extra work of the Classic models may push over to six days.

Ag&Au · 01-04-2014, 10:37 AM

The insulation is no longer pink?

It also looks a lot more substantial than our flimsy pink stuff.

Ken

rodsterinfl · 01-04-2014, 11:32 AM

Don't you just want to run in there with a caulking gun!

That is neat to watch it being built.

rodsterinfl · 01-04-2014, 12:02 PM

hmm, never thought of the bathroom in the 30 vs 31 but I see what you mean. The 30' is more self contained but from the floor plan it looks like there is an option to use the hall too with a privacy screen. They both are very nice. I like the twin option with the free standing table on that 31' wow.

dkottum · 01-04-2014, 02:00 PM

Thanks for the good report and photos, we hope to see some more. We were there in October at the Service Center and took the tour twice and enjoyed it very much.

As we were at the end of our two year warranty, one of the things we did at the Service Center was have a leak test by pressurizing the interior and soaping the exterior, then look for bubbles. Leaks were found at two awning arm bases through the rivets that hold them to the shell (we had found them earlier with a Moisture Test Meter). This was the optional street side awning.

Back to your factory tour. Note that they install awnings AFTER the leak test, bypassing this quality check. I suspect this is a common water entry point. As a matter of course I would recommend resealing all the bracket rivets at the center hole and edges, as well as the bracket edges, leaving a drainage opening at the bottom.

These brackets rest directly below the ends of the awnings, where the awnings act like rain gutters collecting water and channeling it down over the support arm brackets. Highly vulnerable area. We found a large amount of moisture in the plywood subfloor directly below the front bracket.

The other leaks were at the lower entry door hinge and a rear window corner where the window lock was too loose. We paid for the leak test but they fixed leaks under warranty without question.