[A/S] New Airsteam Owner

["Harvey Barlow" <harveybarlow@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Doug,

Congratulations on the purchase of a new lifestyle and traveling adventure
and welcome to the cult.

A couple of quick replies to your questions:

>
> 1) Carlos, the Toscano RV technician, adjusted our Tekonsha brake
controller
> before we left and it seemed to work OK, but I'm not sure I'd know it it
worked
> well or not at all. How really do you know?

The answer is a subjective one and a little difficult to describe.
Shortly, with a little more experience you will know instantly whether your
trailer brakes are adjusted correctly.   Your Suburban-A/S rig should stop
about as well and quickly when towing as when unhitched.  If the Suburban
has a hard time stopping the load, your brake controller is probably not
adjusted correctly.  You might try adjusting the gain slightly next time you
tow....... try more gain and then less gain.  Trial and error will quickly
show you the difference and you can set it yourself.

> 2) Best brand/installer of towing mirrors?

This is a very subjective answer and others will probably promptly disagree.
The only, repeat only, truly effective and durable mirrors are the factory
RV swing-out mirrors that must be special ordered with a new pickup, van, or
Suburban.  Every other mirror is a compromise, will not usually be wide
enough to see clearly down each side of the trailer, will usually vibrate
and blur your rear vision, and may fall off from time to time.  Aftermarket
add-ons are an adequate compromise if you can't tolerate the unattractive
factory mirrors.  The factory RV mirrors can be ordered from your dealer and
installed later.  They are large, ugly, and protrude substantially from the
side of your tow vehicle.  They provide full vision of the trailer and
vehicles approaching from either side at the rear.  The mirrors are
constructed of stainless or chromed steel tubing with a three point mount to
each door.  The mirror head is large, and mounted on an inverted "L" shaped
arm which allows swinging out for full extension or swinging back in to
reduce non-towing width.  These mirrors will require drilling three holes in
the doors and are permanently mounted but could be simply unbolted after
each towing trip and a chrome or stainless screw could be temporarily
inserted into the holes.  I use them on my Ford F250 and leave them fully
extended when not towing.  They have many times prevented me from changing
lanes into a speeding car or truck overtaking on the right.  They will also
give you full safe vision for backing into tight spots or maneuvering when
an obstruction is out of sight on the right side of the truck or trailer.
They are essential if you don't have an experienced assistant standing
behind your rig to call out (confusing?) instructions as you try to back
into a slip on your blind side.  Extended, they are ugly, may hit the sides
of your garage, and pedestrians in parking lots may walk into them.  Their
purpose is to allow you to see behind you and they perform this function
very well and better than any other choice.

> 3) With out Eaz-Lift hitch, I didn't encounter much side-to-side movement
or
> turbulence when semi's passed by but what did bother me was the up+down,
> back+forth yo-yoing that occurred when we drove over slightly uneven slabs
of
> concrete on the highway. Can this movement be prevented or is it
unavoidable?

You didn't mention a friction sway control device.  I would suggest
installing one, or possibly two.  The friction sway control is a 36" steel
sleeve device with a fixtures for mounting to the hitch head on one end, and
the trailer A frame on the other.  One end is a flat sleeve lined on the
inside with friction material like brake pads or shoes, the other end is a
flat steel bar that is inserted into the receiving sleeve.  When tightened,
the sleeve clamps down on the flat bar and resists its movement.  One or two
of them will effectively damp the side to side sway.  As to the "up and
down" motion, some unfamiliar movement is inevitable with a trailer until
you become accustomed to it but the dealer tech may not have put sufficient
tension on the trunnion bars and the trailer's tongue weight may be shifting
and raising-lowering the Suburban's rear end.  Does the rear of the Suburban
squat when the trailer's tongue weight is rested on it?  It should remain
essentially level when the bars are adjusted properly.  Trial and error and
experience will help you decide.  You might enlist the assistance of an
experienced Airstreamer in your area who can take one look and offer
assistance.

> 4)Pro's and con's of using cruise-control when towing?

Use of cruise-control is closely related to the question of whether to tow
in ovedrive or third gear.  I have towed a 34' A/S in overdrive using
cruise-control almost 100% of the time for about 40k miles and recommend it.
The decision will depend on the Suburban's engine and rear end gearing.  If
you have a big block 454 (Vortech 7.4) engine you will be able to tow in
overdrive gear using cruise control as desired.  If your Suburban has a 350
ci engine, it may not tow comfortably in overdrive with the cruise control
except on flat terrain with no head wind.  In this case you can lock out
overdrive and still use cruise-control in 3rd gear.  The situation to avoid
is towing in overdrive with cruise control engaged if engine power, load,
terrain, or head wind causes frequent full torque forced downshifts to a
lower gear.  The frequent forced downshifts will overheat the transmission
fluid and cause early transmission failure.  Up until the '94 model year, GM
owner's manuals prohibited towing in overdrive and encouraged towing in 3rd
gear with overdrive locked out.  Transmission improvements in '94 and
subsequent years allow towing in overdrive but caution to lock out overdrive
if frequent downshifts occur.  Check your owner's manual to determine what
is correct for your Suburban.  I turn off the cruise-control when towing
over hilly terrain to avoid the forced downshifts but tow in overdrive with
cruise-control at all other times.

The old adage about practice makes perfect applies to towing an Airstream.
Try going to an Airstream rally and talk to the old-timers.  You may meet a
lot of new friends and discover new activities.

Harvey Barlow
WBCCI 1171, WDCU, VAC
'94 Ford F250HD, '93 Excella 34', '66 Safari 22'