My wife and I have been obsessed with learning everything we can about Airstreams over the past month as we move into the next phase in our lives (well I have been obsessed, but my wife is excited!) We live most of the year in Las Vegas and have kids in college in Flagstaff, AZ and Arcata, CA. We travel several times a year to swim meets throughout the southwest and most of our family is in Oregon. So, we have found ourselves driving all over the western United States the past couple years staying in cheap hotels, timeshares, tent camping or sleeping on inflatable mattresses with relatives! We needed a better option and an AS seems like the perfect fit. I have spent about 30 hours a week reading through these forums for the past several weeks and have learned A TON about the options available and what is likely to work best for us. We visited an RV show in Fontana, CA and spent hours climbing around all the AS trailers they had at the show. We visited two AS dealers in Oregon doing the same thing asking every question we could come up with.
I know most owners say to select the trailer first and then find a suitable tow vehicle, but with two kids in college we are going to be limited to our current Nissan Xterra at least for 2-3 years. So, with a 5000lb tow rating we were pretty much limited to the single axle bambi models. After looking at all the bambi models we pretty much decided that any of them would suit our needs for the next three years, but we were leaning toward the 19' or 20' flying clouds or internationals. We have our youngest 13 year old daughter at home with us for a while longer and felt the three of us would be comfortable in either of these floorplans even if she brought a friend with her.
So our search led us to a gently used 2014 19' International CCD through a private party (they bought too small for their needs and are upgrading to a larger AS) about eight hours away from home. They added the awning package, inverter and a small (85 watt) solar system. We pick it up a week from Saturday and are very excited to begin traveling in a new way for us.
I still have a lot of questions about the trailer, where will we enjoy staying the most (commercial campgrounds, state & national parks, etc.), boondocking, what changes to we need to make and how all the systems work on the trailer. We will figure those out over time I am sure. My immediate concern is getting the trailer home safely next week. I will probably post my questions in more detail in the towing forum, but my basic concerns are:
1. Will my 2010 Nissan Xterra have adequate towing capability to safely pull the 19' AS? The tow rating is 5000 lbs with a WD hitch.
2. The previous owners had an Equal-i-zer installed so it seems we should be okay. However, they pulled with a F150 pickup and I will be pulling with an Xterra. Does the hitch need to be adjusted or any parts replaced for it to function properly with my TV? How do I ensure the appropriate amount of weight is transferred to the front axle and trailer axle?
3. I have made many aftermarket modifications to my Xterra (so we can reach remote trailheads) and am unsure how these changes will impact my towing ability. I have replaced the front & rear suspension with high quality, aftermarket coilovers and a-arms (front) and a custom leaf pack with upgraded shocks (rear). The Xterra is lifted about 2" all around as a result. I have also put on larger tires (33" vs 32") with a more aggressive tread (Goodyear Wrangler Duratracs). I have steel bumpers front and rear, steel rock sliders, steel roof rack replacement as well as steel skid plates protecting the underside. This all adds up to a lot of weight over stock, although the coilovers custom leaf pack were designed to carry additional weight over the wimpy stock springs.
4. How much weight in passengers & cargo can I safely load into my TV?
I need to have a trailer brake controller installed this week as the trailers I have pulled up to this point have been in the 1500-2500 lb range and were without brakes. From what I have read the Tekonsha P3 sounds like a good option.
If anyone else has thoughts to share with a newbie Airstreamer I will take any suggestions with much appreciation. We are looking forward to meeting the fine people on these forums in the days and months to come!
I know most owners say to select the trailer first and then find a suitable tow vehicle, but with two kids in college we are going to be limited to our current Nissan Xterra at least for 2-3 years. So, with a 5000lb tow rating we were pretty much limited to the single axle bambi models. After looking at all the bambi models we pretty much decided that any of them would suit our needs for the next three years, but we were leaning toward the 19' or 20' flying clouds or internationals. We have our youngest 13 year old daughter at home with us for a while longer and felt the three of us would be comfortable in either of these floorplans even if she brought a friend with her.
So our search led us to a gently used 2014 19' International CCD through a private party (they bought too small for their needs and are upgrading to a larger AS) about eight hours away from home. They added the awning package, inverter and a small (85 watt) solar system. We pick it up a week from Saturday and are very excited to begin traveling in a new way for us.
I still have a lot of questions about the trailer, where will we enjoy staying the most (commercial campgrounds, state & national parks, etc.), boondocking, what changes to we need to make and how all the systems work on the trailer. We will figure those out over time I am sure. My immediate concern is getting the trailer home safely next week. I will probably post my questions in more detail in the towing forum, but my basic concerns are:
1. Will my 2010 Nissan Xterra have adequate towing capability to safely pull the 19' AS? The tow rating is 5000 lbs with a WD hitch.
2. The previous owners had an Equal-i-zer installed so it seems we should be okay. However, they pulled with a F150 pickup and I will be pulling with an Xterra. Does the hitch need to be adjusted or any parts replaced for it to function properly with my TV? How do I ensure the appropriate amount of weight is transferred to the front axle and trailer axle?
3. I have made many aftermarket modifications to my Xterra (so we can reach remote trailheads) and am unsure how these changes will impact my towing ability. I have replaced the front & rear suspension with high quality, aftermarket coilovers and a-arms (front) and a custom leaf pack with upgraded shocks (rear). The Xterra is lifted about 2" all around as a result. I have also put on larger tires (33" vs 32") with a more aggressive tread (Goodyear Wrangler Duratracs). I have steel bumpers front and rear, steel rock sliders, steel roof rack replacement as well as steel skid plates protecting the underside. This all adds up to a lot of weight over stock, although the coilovers custom leaf pack were designed to carry additional weight over the wimpy stock springs.
4. How much weight in passengers & cargo can I safely load into my TV?
I need to have a trailer brake controller installed this week as the trailers I have pulled up to this point have been in the 1500-2500 lb range and were without brakes. From what I have read the Tekonsha P3 sounds like a good option.
If anyone else has thoughts to share with a newbie Airstreamer I will take any suggestions with much appreciation. We are looking forward to meeting the fine people on these forums in the days and months to come!
0 commentaires:
Enregistrer un commentaire