Re: [A/S] $$$Bambi?

[Roy Lashway <rlashway@xxxxxxxxxx>]

The difference in price is directly related to methods of construction 
and the quality of materials that go into the body of the trailer.  The 
airstream aluminum skin is heavier/thicker then the paper thin coverings 
on most other trailers.  The skin is riveted to an aluminum  frame 
structure whereas others are everything from glued to stapled to nails.  
Most of the box type trailers use 2 x 2 wood for frames.  What happens to 
these trailers if you travel much is they  fall apart or come apart.  
When looking for a trailer look at construction.  Some, like Holiday 
Rambler, are fairly well built and again use a metal frame structure, 
usually aluminum.  All the better trailers will have at least aluminum or 
metal framing.  The outer skin on better trailers are very often 
fiberglass or some plastic composition  type material.  Most aluminum 
skin trailers, except airstream, are so thin they have little or no 
supporting structure, damage easily, and hard to maintain.

 The Airstream also has a special axle system which use rubber tube 
cusions around the axle and with the axle housing.  This elimintes the 
need for springs you see on most trailers and contributes greatly to the 
ease and stability when pulling.  Of course the shape of the Airstream 
contributes a lot to its ease of pulling.

Another feature of airstream is that the interior skin  is also  riveted 
aluminum sheet goods which makes it still stronger.  Skin on new A/S are 
covered with various materials but the metal is under.  Most other 
trailers  use a thin wood  or compostion paneling of some type, often 
glued, stapled or nailed which doesn't add to stability and of course is 
a greater fire hazzard.   Interior fixtures in most trailers, such as 
refrigerators, furnaces, hot water tanks, stoves/overns, are getting to 
be pretty uniform in the last several years.  

I have a 1956 small airstream which I have rebuilt inside but the body 
and structure after all the years was in very good shape and it will 
probably be in use for another 44 years by someone.  You will find a lot 
of older Airstreams, some as old as 1948 still being used regularly.  
Very few other brands  exist this long and the ones that have were built 
very much after  the Airstream model.  So you get  what you pay for.  But 
if you are just looking for an occasional week end camp out, the lower 
end trailers might serve you well.  I encourage you to do what you have 
already started with this message.  Study whats available and learn for 
yourself the quality features if various brands. 

Roy Lashway
'78 Argosy,'56 Bubble
rlashway@zianet.com
web site: www.zianet.com/rlashway