nccamper
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1962 Forester- 1956 Shasta
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Post by nccamper on Feb 25, 2014 21:31:36 GMT -8
Hi Everyone, The Guru of Youtube, Mobiltec, suggested I check out this forum. There are a lot of great posts here. I thought I'd introduce myself and our camper. After about 5 months of searching I bought a 1962 Forester in Illinois last summer. As you can see it was covered in 5 gallons of house paint (brushed) and Christmas lights with the usual AC hanging out a window. After a very toxic two weeks stripping paint I started a toxic week of polishing. The weather turned cold so I never made it to the final round of polish. I sanded and refinished the interior and we went on the road. My only disappointment in our camper is the weight. The Forester is not 2000 pounds as the title stated, it's closer to 2600. And my V6 truck can't tow the 3500 pounds as the manual says, but closer to 2600…with effort. We are enjoying local trips but for any long haul vacations we will need something lighter. Maybe a Shasta or an Aljo. Any other suggestions? We're in NC and, as anybody on the forum knows, vintage campers East of the Mississippi are hard to find. West coast members seem to have them on every street corner. So I may have to take a road trip out west to find something lighter. Thanks for all the info I'm finding here. FULL DISCLOSURE: My wife says I have the vintage bug and I'm using the weight issue as an excuse to buy another camper.    
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SusieQ
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'62 Shasta Compact
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Post by SusieQ on Feb 25, 2014 21:42:49 GMT -8
 Love your trailer. What a transformation! The interior wood is beautiful! I think you might just have "the bug, " trailer bug that is. Edit: bug not but, lol.
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Post by vikx on Feb 25, 2014 21:53:08 GMT -8
Keep the cool camper and sell the truck???
Is it the engine or the size of the pick up that is the problem? I know our Trailblazer is rated at 5000 pounds and it does pretty well with all the trailers except the Deluxe. (Shasta 19 feet)
Our Aljo was 1500 pounds empty, so would be at least 1800 loaded. Compacts are less, but aren't everyone's favorite floor plan. Not sure you will be able to find a trailer as nice as yours.
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mobiltec
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1954 Jewel In Progress...
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Post by mobiltec on Feb 25, 2014 21:53:27 GMT -8
Glad you made it! The interior really does have that warm look and feel to it. I'll be very interested in seeing how the final polish job on the outside comes out.
Shastas are so light they hardly exist at all. Matter of fact if you get one and tear into it you will see why that is not a joke. LOL. You can stil add framing to them though and beef them up without adding too much extra weight to them. So that may be one way for you to go.
I think the harsh weather is one of the main reasons there aren't as many vintage trailers around on your side of the country. Weather has a way of killing these babies off. That and tree limbs. |
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mobiltec
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Post by mobiltec on Feb 25, 2014 21:54:21 GMT -8
Keep the cool camper and sell the truck??? Is it the engine or the size of the pick up that is the problem? I know our Trailblazer is rated at 5000 pounds and it does pretty well with all the trailers except the Deluxe. (Shasta 19 feet) Our Aljo was 1500 pounds empty, so would be at least 1800 loaded. Compacts are less, but aren't everyone's favorite floor plan. Not sure you will be able to find a trailer as nice as yours. Come on Vikx you're blowing his cover story.... SHHHH....
The way I see it, get the smaller trailer that the vehicle you have now will tow and then when she says well what do we do with the big one now THEN you suggest the Tahoe to pull that one with.
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Post by vikx on Feb 25, 2014 21:57:28 GMT -8
Shopping for a vehicle it just too fun! Well, not counting the salesmen.
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nccamper
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1962 Forester- 1956 Shasta
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Post by nccamper on Feb 26, 2014 7:14:52 GMT -8
Keep the cool camper and sell the truck??? Is it the engine or the size of the pick up that is the problem? I know our Trailblazer is rated at 5000 pounds and it does pretty well with all the trailers except the Deluxe. (Shasta 19 feet) Our Aljo was 1500 pounds empty, so would be at least 1800 loaded. Compacts are less, but aren't everyone's favorite floor plan. Not sure you will be able to find a trailer as nice as yours. Are you happy with the Aljo? 1500 pounds is better than 2600. I love the Forester. My plan is to get a smaller camper and beg my wife to keep both. Quote from my wife: "It would be a shame to replace a truck with 27,000 miles just to tow a few weeks a year." Plus my favorite...which is like a warning sign outside a mine field..."Do what makes you happy, but I wouldn't do it." Enjoy your day. |
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nccamper
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Post by nccamper on Feb 26, 2014 7:20:32 GMT -8
Glad you made it! The interior really does have that warm look and feel to it. I'll be very interested in seeing how the final polish job on the outside comes out.
Shastas are so light they hardly exist at all. Matter of fact if you get one and tear into it you will see why that is not a joke. LOL. You can stil add framing to them though and beef them up without adding too much extra weight to them. So that may be one way for you to go.
I think the harsh weather is one of the main reasons there aren't as many vintage trailers around on your side of the country. Weather has a way of killing these babies off. That and tree limbs. Do you see many Shasta 1400s out west? I noticed online that they weigh 1150 pounds. Could that be right? Are they the same floor plan as the AirFlyte or more like a compact? You're right about the weather here being rough. Even in NC, I need cover. That's my next project...build covered parking when I get back from Haiti. Enjoy your day. |
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Post by bigbill on Feb 26, 2014 7:24:33 GMT -8
You might want to check what ratio rear end gear your truck has. You may be able to pull your trailer with the proper ratio rear end . Many people see that a given year or model vehicle will pull a given weight but that doesn't mean yours will, for example a Chevrolet with 3.73 rear gear might pull a certain weight but the exact same vehicle with a 3.08 or a 3.43 ratio won't pull near as much. Also tire size can have an adverse effect on towing. those monster wheels and tires that look so mean on a truck can kill its towing capacity because the diameter of your tires changes the effective overall ratio of the vehicle.
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mobiltec
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Post by mobiltec on Feb 26, 2014 7:40:50 GMT -8
We see our share out here. The floor plan is pretty much the same as the AirFlyte. Just a little smaller. Not like a compact at all. Once you fill it up with a mattress and bedding and other stuff it will be around 1400 or 1500 pounds.
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kathleenc
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Post by kathleenc on Feb 26, 2014 7:59:49 GMT -8
Maybe you can rent a truck whenever you want to pull the Forester, similar to how some people rent a trailer when they want to go camping. Or, work out a trade with a friend who has a bigger tow vehicle - let them borrow camper in exchange for borrowing tow vehicle.
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mobiltec
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Post by mobiltec on Feb 26, 2014 8:16:19 GMT -8
Personally I wouldn't loan any of my trailers to anyone else. Trailers are kinda personal to me. Vehicles too. But I like the idea of renting a truck when needed. It's cheaper than owning on full time especially if you don't need a truck on a full time basis.
So far, my favorite tow vehicle that also works great as an all around vehicle whether towing or picking up the kids from school or going out four wheeling is the Exterra. It's strong, has a strong drive train and will tow a 5000 pound trailer just fine up hill, down hill or anywhere you need to go. And of course I have a video to prove it.
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nccamper
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Post by nccamper on Feb 26, 2014 8:45:37 GMT -8
You might want to check what ratio rear end gear your truck has. You may be able to pull your trailer with the proper ratio rear end . Many people see that a given year or model vehicle will pull a given weight but that doesn't mean yours will, for example a Chevrolet with 3.73 rear gear might pull a certain weight but the exact same vehicle with a 3.08 or a 3.43 ratio won't pull near as much. Also tire size can have an adverse effect on towing. those monster wheels and tires that look so mean on a truck can kill its towing capacity because the diameter of your tires changes the effective overall ratio of the vehicle. Thanks. I'll definitely check it out. Enjoy your day. |
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nccamper
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Post by nccamper on Feb 26, 2014 8:57:17 GMT -8
We see our share out here. The floor plan is pretty much the same as the AirFlyte. Just a little smaller. Not like a compact at all. Once you fill it up with a mattress and bedding and other stuff it will be around 1400 or 1500 pounds. I'll keep my eyes open for a 1400. My truck can definitely handle that weight. I have a thing for the 1954-1962 rounded style. I also really like the wood interiors. I've realized that as you look more and more at campers for sale, the number of campers you're interested in gets smaller and smaller. Which means the odds of finding one gets lower and lower. An example of East Coast demand: A 1958 Shasta recently came on Craigslist. No Title. Floor rotted out. Sitting for 30 years and "not safe to tow in it's present condition". Asking $1200. When I called (a few hours after the ad came out) he said 4 people were racing to him "with cash in their hands". He told me not to bother coming to see it, I was "too far away to win the race". Enjoy your day. |
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nccamper
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Post by nccamper on Feb 26, 2014 9:09:43 GMT -8
Maybe you can rent a truck whenever you want to pull the Forester, similar to how some people rent a trailer when they want to go camping. Or, work out a trade with a friend who has a bigger tow vehicle - let them borrow camper in exchange for borrowing tow vehicle. Thanks for the advice. Renting for long trips is a thought. |
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Love your trailer. What a transformation! The interior wood is beautiful! I think you might just have "the bug, " trailer bug that is. Edit: bug not but, lol. 
