1969 Avion Truck Camper Restoration

Mount up, move out


The trailer main rails and tongue are made of 3" x 2" x 11 ga. steel tubing and the crossmembers are made of 3" x 2" x 3/16" steel angle, all securely welded by Mark M.  He did a heckuva job!  The suspension is mounted on a sub frame of 2" x 1" steel tubing and can be moved forward or backward to adjust the tongue weight. I drew a set of plans for the trailer in case I ever decided to build another one. The trailer has been painted and the camper has been mouned to it.  I made tie down brackets from 3" x 2" x 3/16" steel angle and used square u-bolts to attach them to the trailer frame.  With the use of chain and turnbuckles, they provide a secure system to keep the camper in place.  I also fabricated a front 'stop' from the same steel angle and used square u-bolts to secure it to the trailer.  The front of the camper rests against this 'stop' to keep it from sliding forward when the brakes are applied.  Here are some photos:
 

 
We (my wife and I) took the rig for a 'shakedown' overnight campout at Deam Lake State Recreation Area near Borden, Indiana in September, 2003.  Here are a couple of photos:

 
The 'shakedown' campout revealed only a couple of minor problems.  My new Shur-Flo pump head had a defective check valve, and the suspension on the trailer did not have enough clearance between the axle and the frame.  The information I was given about the amount of spring deflexion under load was way off.  I replaced the check valve in the pump and installed longer spring shackles on the suspension.  Problems solved!!

The next outing was a round trip of about 200 miles to the Avion Travelcade Club, Kentucky Unit Fall rally at Kenton County Fairgrounds in Independence, KY.  Although I was a little apprehensive about taking an untested rig on an Interstate Highway trip, everything worked out okay.  It was not as stable as I would have liked (big rig semis caused a little 'tail wag'), but an adjustment to add more tongue weight and/or a friction sway control will correct this problem.  Here is a photo from the rally:

In the fall, we joined friends Mark and Lee for a weekend at Holt's Campground in Bardstown, Kentucky.  The air was crisp and cool, the campfire was warm and inviting, and the camper worked flawlessly.  It doesn't have as much room as we were used to, but we are slowly adapting to less space and less 'stuff'.  Here are some photos from the weekend:


 
 

Page 10 : Go West, young man
Back : to main page

Hosted by www.Geocities.ws

1