theresa
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from Northern Maine ~ Proud new owner of Lola, a 1960 Shasta Airflyte and Pearl, a 1962 Mobile Scout
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Post by theresa on Aug 12, 2016 18:03:28 GMT -8
So, suffice it to say that every single step of this restoration has been a learning process to me. The three things that scare me the most are electrical, propane, and towing. The electrical and propane systems I haven't gotten to yet, so I'll have to knock the towing one of my list very soon. Right now, my 1960 Shasta remodel is currently down to the frame. I'm at the point where I am ready to scuff off the rust, assess the condition of the frame and address the tongue/hitch/coupler. And I'm lost. These are the issues I want to address: A) I don't know what my tow vehicle will be when this trailer is finished, and in the event I ever decide to sell, I'll need to have a system that will "appeal to the masses" so to speak. I don't know if the is addressed at the trailer level, or at the tow vehicle level, or both. B) Based on the look of what's currently there, I doubt most of this is original to my 1960 Shasta Airflyte. C) Safety and security are paramount... I want to be sure that what is put on my trailer is absolutely safe, and given all the stories of thefts right out of people's front yards, I would like to make incorporate whatever technology is currently available to make it harder to just hook on and steal. Here are photos of what's currently there, and if anyone is so inclined, I'd like to know what needs to be replaced, and what it needs to be replaced with, and if it's not too much to ask, links to where these things are available. I know Agri-Supply and Tractor Supply are typical places to purchase these types of things, I just wouldn't know where to start. And I also know that if changes are necessary, cutting and welding will need to be done, and I'm confident I can find a competent welder in my area, I just need to be able to tell them exactly what I want done. Thanks in advance for any help!
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girlandcoconut
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Post by girlandcoconut on Aug 12, 2016 18:07:39 GMT -8
The three things that scare me the most are electrical, propane, and towing. The electrical and propane systems I haven't gotten to yet, so I'll have to knock the towing one of my list very soon. Are we twins? Sharing a brain? Ha, my thoughts exactly. We can do this! Save
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theresa
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from Northern Maine ~ Proud new owner of Lola, a 1960 Shasta Airflyte and Pearl, a 1962 Mobile Scout
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Post by theresa on Aug 14, 2016 6:18:33 GMT -8
Nobody wants to chime in on this one? I'm at the point in my project where if anything needs to be done here, this is the time to do it before the wood flooring starts to go back on. I know in RinTin 's project, (I think it was) he ended up having a bunch of new stuff done to the tongue and I'm just now sure how you know if you need new, and what is needed.
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ladywendolyn
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Post by ladywendolyn on Aug 14, 2016 6:40:28 GMT -8
Your hitch looks good to me. Has it pulled without issue. Does it have a locking capacity? What is the condition of the jack and handle? Does it go up and down without issue? Those are the things we have inspected on our trailer and they both failed, so we have to have a new front welded on. I do know that people have the frames spray painted/ powered coated. I assume you are doing that.
Your chains look O.K. are they long enough to criss cross under the hitch if it falls off the ball? We criss cross out chains to provide a catch area in case of an accident. That may mean adding longer ones.
Does your trailer have leaf springs? Are they in good condition? Do you have power brakes? Do you want power breaks?
All of these things above are things we would do while the frame is exposed.
I hope that helps. Thats all I can think off.
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theresa
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from Northern Maine ~ Proud new owner of Lola, a 1960 Shasta Airflyte and Pearl, a 1962 Mobile Scout
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Post by theresa on Aug 14, 2016 7:02:09 GMT -8
The only time we towed it was the 45 miles home. It did tow just fine, but it was all secondary roads and no obstacles. It does have electric brakes that aren't currently hooked up, but will gone over this week, as well as the leaf springs, hub, etc. The jack and handle do work without issue; the handle appears to be ceramic and has a crack in it, which doesn't affect the proper function of it at all. (evident in the third photo). The jack appears to not be original, based on the crappy welding/cutting job (also see in in the third photo). The chains looked very inferior to me, as in small links, but maybe that's all that's necessary?
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azshastanut
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1957 Kenskill 16T
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Post by azshastanut on Aug 14, 2016 9:18:07 GMT -8
My observations from your photos are (1) the front outrigger is bent out of alignment and needs to be straightened or replaced; (2) the jack has been "Mickey Moused" and I would replace it. That may be difficult, as the person who did the "Mousing" welded the jack onto the formerly perfect coupler. They probably did it to accomplish raising the jack so it wouldn't drag. Many different jacks are manufactured and you need the correct one for your trailer that raises it high enough that it there is no danger of it draging. There is no direct replacement for your Shasta, and originals are hard to come by. originals are bolted to the coupler using 4 bolts, whereas all of the replacements have a 3 bolt mounting plate. The replacement I like is the Bulldog 155033 which has a 15" lift and raises and mounts high enough that it won't drag. If you can't get the jack off without ruining the coupler, you may have to replace it also. The local utility trailer dealer in my area did one for me and only charged $30 labor plus the about $80 for the jack and coupler. They can also supply new safety chains and install. (3) You can remove the old equalizer hitch brackets if you don't have the rest of the parts. If you do use an equalizer hitch, new brackets will come with it and they are a better design then what you have. I do recommend that you tow with an equalizer hitch as it is safer and will eliminate sway.
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azshastanut
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1957 Kenskill 16T
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Post by azshastanut on Aug 14, 2016 9:44:48 GMT -8
I might also mention that the time to straighten or replace the outriggers is when you have the floor removed as they should be welded in place if you replace them. I worked on a Shasta that had damaged outriggers and they replaced/repaired by drilling holes and bolting them in place. Several welds were broken and a couple of the bolts had come out. I would not recommend the bolt/nut fix. The outriggers are an important component of your trailer as they support the 2x4s that your walls are attached to. I have one Airflyte that I have parted out as a result of a PO pulling it off road and damaging all of the outriggers, destroying the floor heater, tearing the step off and breaking the rear bumper welds and eliminating it and putting a 2" puncture in the rear skin on each side. It may be that the trailer came loose and this was the result.
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theresa
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from Northern Maine ~ Proud new owner of Lola, a 1960 Shasta Airflyte and Pearl, a 1962 Mobile Scout
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Post by theresa on Aug 14, 2016 9:58:50 GMT -8
Thank you very much azshastanut ; exactly the type of information I needed to know. Yes, I could tell that the first outrigger on the frame itself was bent up a little, as well as the smaller part that spans between the tongue (not sure what that part is called?). Also, what would the other parts look like that go to the equalizer hitch?
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chickenfarmer
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Post by chickenfarmer on Aug 14, 2016 10:47:50 GMT -8
I took mine to a company that builds utility trailers, Lone Wolf. They welded on a new 2 inch hitch, chains and installed a jack with removable wheel. They greased the bearings replaced one race and inspected the springs. It cost $150, with tax an the 80 dollar and hour shop rate.
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azshastanut
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1957 Kenskill 16T
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Post by azshastanut on Aug 14, 2016 14:12:57 GMT -8
Hi Theresa, The 1" angle that you are talking about is where a single propane tank sits. There are two of them and you could actually remove them since you have dual propane tanks. Incidently, I have the following Shasta's; two 59 Airflyt's; a 59 Deluxe, and a 61 Airflyte. I have been shotgunning on these up until about a month ago when I decided I needed to concentrate on one at a time. I am working exclusively on one of the 59 Airflytes. I hope to have it ready to go to the Spooktacular Rally in Tucson October 20th. We also have two 1957 Kenskill 16T's. One of them has been in my wife's family since new but left outside in an almond orchard un-attended for about 20 years prior to its rescue four years ago. Fortunately nobody else in the family wanted it and I saw the potential. It is'nt finished, but it made its debute at last years Spooktacular and we had a blast. The equalizer parts starting from your tow vehicle would be the draw bar which goes into your vehicles hitch. The draw bar has your ball mounted to it and has a left and right attachment point for a long steel bar which go back to the two brackets mounted on your frame rails. I have not seen brackets like yours before so i don't know how the bars attach. Our Kenskill came with the original Ezalift set up installed by the dealer in 1957 and the literature came with the trailer. The bars on mine have a short heavy chain on the end which attaches to the bracket and is pulled up under tension and locked into place with a foot long tool. I purchased a new assembly from some folks who sold their trailer and was fortunate to see it on craigslist an hour after they listed it for $125.00. That was about a year ago and the new assembly was exactly the same as my my old one with one addition of a sway bar and ball mounts on the new unit. Some people are foregoing the equalizer bars and just using the sway bar and are reporting improvement in stability and sway control. There are three manufacturers of equalizers and they are all about the same design and perform the same. Prices are all over the board, but you can buy on line brand new for about $250 or less. I probably would not buy a used set-up that had seen heavy long use as they do wear. Hope this helps. You're a ways from needing sway control at this time , so watch for the right deal. Gary
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glg72
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Post by glg72 on Aug 14, 2016 14:20:14 GMT -8
I would agree that the jack looks bad and needs to be replaced.
The coupler is a really standard type from that era. I've had the exact one on two trailers, and they work fine. But, as has already been said, getting the old jack off may ruin the coupler.
As they say, "if it's not one thing . . . it's two things!"
- Greg
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azshastanut
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Post by azshastanut on Aug 14, 2016 14:21:53 GMT -8
One other thing i forgot , equalizers come in different trailer weight capacities. The one you would need is the lightest which I think is 6,000 pound, but don't quote me on that. The lightest unit made is actually far greater then is needed for the weight of an Airflyte.
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azshastanut
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Post by azshastanut on Aug 14, 2016 14:52:27 GMT -8
If I were you I would try to save your coupler since it is the original. If i were doing the job, i wouldn't concern myself with saving the jack. I would cut the jack off parallel to the top of the coupler so as not to damage the coupler. I would then cut the jack out with a cutting torch to the size of the new jack tube. It appears like whoever did the job used a jack with an outside tube larger then the hole in the coupler and welded it to the top of the coupler. Explain to the welder exactly what you want to accomplish and make sure he understands. If he opens up the hole to large in the coupler it might require a plate to be welded on top of the coupler to bolt a new jack onto. Make darn sure he understands that you don't want to have to do that. Hope this helps Theresa.
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chametzoo
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Post by chametzoo on Aug 14, 2016 15:22:37 GMT -8
Hi Theresa… everything azshastanut is advising is correct, esp. the part about the "outriggers" being an essential part of the foundation for the cabin components you are going to attach. The frame on my Mobile Scout, when exposed during rebuild, was slightly bent so I had a shop add another steel angle outrigger just forward of the wheel wells. Welded and with tap screws. They were very experienced with these travel trailer frames and knew just where to reenforce. Most of the rest of your concerns, leaf springs, brakes, axle and coupler/jack can be addressed even after you start or even finish your rebuild. I agree with azshastanut, that you can definitely salvage the coupler and get a new jack to mount after removing the scary rigged one. In reality the much older couplers are worth saving for the simple reason that the steel is much better than something you might buy for cheap at eTrailer. If it's lasted 30, 40, 50 years, it'll remain solid for an even longer time, barring any demands put on it beyond its design capacity. But prepping your steel frame and running gear lays a good foundation for the success of your trailer and you're smart for thinking about all of this.
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theresa
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from Northern Maine ~ Proud new owner of Lola, a 1960 Shasta Airflyte and Pearl, a 1962 Mobile Scout
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Post by theresa on Aug 14, 2016 16:10:18 GMT -8
Thank you all so much for the good advice, explanations, and suggestions. I will be ordering a new jack this week and taking it to my local welder to do his magic.
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