| February
22, 2011
My son Michael took his JAYCO trailer out of storage and went
to Pigeon Forge for the weekend. It was in the mid-sixties. The
only problem was he had to drive home. Ice and snow galore and
he had to stop at motel on the way home. As I I reflected on what
a dumb ass he was I remembered a trip home from Myrtle Beach in
March 2003. Here is what we woke up to in West Virginia. click
here.
Like father like son.
January
24, 2011
It's January, I am bored, and I can't go camping. Our family also
likes to go on cruises and that was the inspiration of the new
landing page for silveravion.com. When Avion Gal saw the page
she said she wants that campsite.
(Don't we all!)
January
18, 2011
If you are a vintage trailer junkie there are other sites you
should check out. Wally exchanged links with me this week for
VintageAirstreamer.com.
You have nothing better to do on a cold winter day so go and check
it out. Wally has links to other vintage sites also.
January
8, 2011
January in Cleveland is a miserable month, but this weekend was
the annual RV Show. It reminds us that summer is just around the
corner. It is a very large show that you can easily spend two
days at if you want to see inside every trailer and motor home.
Lot's of campground owners have booths and people selling
gadgets. For me it is a reminder about how much I love my
AVION. I have yet to find a new trailer that compares in style,
design and quality. Another new year means nothing. My AVION is
built to last!
December
27, 2010
Looking out the window I see blowing snow. Long ago the ground
has disappeared beneath it's white blanket. We took the trailer
up to CAYO finally in November to get the leaks fixed. After spraying
a hose from many different angles Chuck finally found small holes
in the top of the window frame. For whatever reason the window
seems to be manufactured with these holes. We have it in storage
now and hope that the problem is solved. Those little leaks are
frustrating and I finally threw in the towel when I could not
find them myself.
September
2, 2010
It is hard to believe that it is September 2nd already. I worked
on the AVION last night and realized how much work I need to do
and little time to catch up. AVION gal came out and started asking
questions. I found myself saying "I'll do this when I retire
and do that when I retire." Between these tasks, what I need
to do around the house and the traveling we want to do, it is
becoming apparent why my friends say they are busier now then
before the retired.
August
16, 2010
The AVION has been in
the driveway this week for some maintenance. The Delta faucets
in the kitchen, tub, and bathroom sink had begun to drip so I
rebuilt them. It rained hard and rain accumulated on the front
shelf. AVION Gal reminded me of the article about fixing leaks
and I suspect it is the rock guard rail. AVION Boy and I need
to remove the rock guard and do some caulking. If you would like
to review fixing common leaks visit. http://silveravion.com/2010Fix%20Leaks.htm
August
8, 2010
Camping this last week was amazing. The overall appearance of
the trailer is very good. It is hard to believe that it was made
this month in 1986. I did find out one thing. Grandchildren can
be hazardous to the finish. Someone got something on the door
and it left a permanent stain. Could have been condiments but
I suspect a chemical for fighting poison ivy or mosquito bites.
Spending time with loved ones was worth a little stain in the
door. I want to have my trailer a show piece but must also recognize
that using it causes wear and tear.
It sure beats the storage lot!
Coming soon
Avion Boy loves LED lights. He gave my golf cart in FL an under
body treatment. Now he wants to do the wheel wells and the stairs
of the AVION. The blue LED's are already on order. We will document
the installation and post it on silveravion.com just as soon as
the job is complete.
July
29, 2010
Cleaning the awnings on my Avion Trailer has never been a
pleasant experience. Not only is it a lot of work but the results
have not been what I wanted. This week that has all changed. A
pressure washer and car detailing tools changed all of that this
year. Check out the whole story click here.
July
27, 2010
Last night AVION Gal and I went to the storage lot and picked
up our trailer. For a myriad of reasons we have not used it since
2008. We have a couple of leaks that needed fixing and we had
no time to do it. So before we stowed it away we purchased a cover
that covers the entire trailer. It is a breathable fabric and
not really intended for winter use but we did not want to spend
the money for what the manufacturer said was more appropriate.
It is amazing how good a job the cover did. We never took it off
in 2009 but were able to get inside the trailer because of a zipper
opening. We checked on it several times and dumped the water out
of the water absorbent. The biggest surprise was that everything
worked! My 1986 Coleman Air Conditioner still blows cold. i have
never done a thing to it. The refrigerator works on LP. It hasn't
worked on electric for several years which is fine by me. LP works
better. The water heater cranked right up and no leaking pipes
My oldest son bought his first trailer and picks it up this weekend.
It is a Hybrid 23 FT Jayco with fold out end bunks. A good trailer
for him to learn on and is well suited for his Trail Blazer. He
needs me to travel with him next week and that is the reason the
AVION Trailer came out of storage.
May God Bless that Jayco for getting me out camping, and may God
Bless my AVION that has made it easy for me to join him and his
family,
A.G.
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July
26, 2010
Be
aware of a potential problem with hitch platforms supplied on
tow packages of GM trucks built from 2000 - 2004. This
would include pickup trucks, Suburban, Yukon's etc.
I was involved in a roll-over accident in 2001. (to learn more
click here.)
The vehicle was a 2001 GMC Yukon. There is no positive cause for
this accident but the hitch platform certainly would be one of
the potential weak links. Other possibilities exist including
a worn coupler. My current truck is a 2003 Yukon. It was supplied
with the same design OEM platform as the vehicle in the accident.
This design also appears on many GM trucks. In November 2004 while
on a trip with our trailer we had a failure in this platform.
The problem was corrected by the dealer installing a new platform
on the vehicle under the factory warranty. There were several
cracked welds. This distorted the box into an upward angle and
also bent it to the left. There is no question about this failure.
The design of this platform rely on these welds more than more
traditional designs. Traditional designs typically weld the receiver
box to flat plate. The plate is then welded to the bottom of rectangular
tubing used as the cross brace on the platform. The rectangular
cross brace passes through the side supports. This method distributes
weight more evenly and the welds are not integral to weight. The
GM design has the hitch box welded to a flat c channel. This channel
passes under a round cross brace and welded to the back of this
round brace. Tongue weight provides downward forces that rely
on the weld. I am urging owners of these vehicles to inspect their
OEM platform design to understand the potential problem. At the
same time careful inspection of the welds should be made. If others
find cracks in these welds or have already experienced failure
we should accumulate this information and report it to GM and
National Highway Safety. This spring I will replace this receiver
with a traditional platform design from Reese or other well known
hitch manufacturer. Let's all be safe out there and watch out
for each other. Please click here to
see pictures and diagrams.
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July 20, 2010
My oldest son says I should have a blog
so I guess this is it. He says a lot of things.
He says we should live full time at our FL house. He says we should
retire today. He says I should make the background of the site
white but I like it black. Most of all he thinks we should sell
him our AVION TRAILER someday.
AVION GAL and I don't yet know who the next owner will be. The
most important thing to me is that the next owner be someone who
will not only enjoy it but preserve it for others in the future.
These silver beauties are a piece of Americana. Along the way
we stop being owners and become caretakers for the next generation
to enjoy. It really isn't a question of who will own it but who
will accept the responsibility that comes with it.
Son, that's what I say.
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