Re: [A/S] Cummins, Credenza & Brake Controller

["Terry Tyler" <tylerbears@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

In our 1977 31' side couch with credenza across the front, the area was open when we got it. Since
then, matching wood and aluminum extrusions have been scavengered from Airstream bone yards around
the country and I now have matching shelves on either side of the TV for our VCR and satellite
receiver. 

Beneath the TV (13") are two smaller areas to hold atlas size books. I rotated the am/fm radio to
convert a long vertical bookcase area into a long horizontal bookcase for the smaller reference
books we carry. On one side of the TV, the combination CB and weather radio is installed vertically
to allow space for both the TV and CB speakers to be heard. 

All shelves are carpeted from remnants left over from when I re-carpeted the floor. The nicest part
of the entire project is the credenza tambour doors (which work perfectly) close for travel and all
electronic equipment is secured safely. Plus, the interior of the trailer always looks neat and
picked up when the doors are closed.

In our 1986 32' which we used last winter, it was just the opposite. All equipment had to be set up
and repacked each time we moved. That got old fast. And, the interior always looked cluttered with a
rat's nest of three wires and the TV cable going to the sole electrical outlet (which made me
cringe) and TV antenna/amplifier face plate on that one wall. 

Plus, there was no counter space similar to the full front credenza space. For us, with our needs,
this '77 31' side couch floor plan is profoundly more space utilization friendly than our '86 32'
front couch with dinette floor plan. There are other significant advantages (for us) with the '86
32' that this '77 31' does not have, but those are not important to us this winter like they were
last winter. All four of our Airstreams have their own personality with differing advantages and
disadvantages. We simply use the one that best matches the type of traveling we intend to do. Being
retired and free to play with my hobbies any way I choose is the cat's meow.  

Your needs are different from ours. If you haven't already begun using your high school mechanical
drawing skills to rough out a blueprint, this winter is a good time to start.

Good luck,

Terry 

PS - You also asked about a brake controller. There are several that get the nod from members in
this email group and each controller has variations that may or may not suit you. I've used four and
liked the first one the best (hydraulic). My last one was great for most applications, but it had
one annoying feature, so I did my homework and changed. The one I'm using now is convenient in that
respect. It also happens to have all the good features I liked in my previous one. But - I only have
two months on it and in a couple years, there may be something I will like better. It's the same old
story. The only thing that's constant is change and technology becomes obsolete more quickly than
most things. Keep an open mind and avoid getting locked into black and white thinking.