2017 Airstream Travel Trailer Owner’s Manual

The 2017 Airstream Travel Trailer is a classic and well-known recreational vehicle that blends the charm of the past with the comfort and usefulness of the present. The Airstream Travel Trailer gets noticed everywhere it goes because of its unique silver metal shell. Inside, the trailer is well-designed and roomy, with smart storage solutions, comfy sleeping areas, and a functional kitchen and bathroom. The Airstream Travel Trailer is built to survive the wear and tear of travel. It is made of strong materials and is designed to be as aerodynamic as possible. The 2017 Airstream Travel Trailer offers a unique and nostalgic camping experience that continues to attract outdoor fans and people who love to travel.

Tow Vehicle

When buying a new vehicle to tow your trailer, we suggest including towing options offered by most tow vehicle manufacturers. These include such things as a heavy-duty alternator and radiator, heavy-duty springs and shock absorbers, transmission cooler, heavy-duty fan and flasher unit, etc., for the make of the vehicle.

WARNING
Springs that are too stiff can hinder the action of the weight-equalizing hitch and prevent the transfer of weight to the front of the vehicle.

NOTE
Only use springs heavy enough to support your loaded vehicle (not including the trailer). Having a too harsh spring rate on your tow vehicle will only shorten the life of the tow vehicle and trailer, and will cause your trips to be less enjoyable.
Transmissions may be manual or automatic, but an automatic transmission may prolong your tow vehicle’s life and generally does a better job of controlling engine loads than does the average driver using a manual shift.
Having adequate power is very important when considering the purchase of a new vehicle or the trailer-towing capability of your present one. Auto dealers are provided with guidelines to use when helping a customer decide on a tow vehicle. Guidelines are not determined solely by the power output of the engine. The gear ratio of the differential is also a very important part of the guideline.
Inspect the tow vehicle’s hitch regularly for loose bolts or nuts, cracked welds, loose ball mounts, worn parts, etc.

New trailers often carry more food and other supplies than really needed. Remember that every item you take along is one more thing to stow and adds weight to the total load you must pull. Consolidate items in shelves, lockers, and in the refrigerator. It is better to have one full and one empty locker, than two half empty ones. Special care must be taken not to overload the front and rear ends of the trailer.

Brakes

All trailers are equipped with Dexter Nev-R-Adjust brakes. Please follow all maintenance procedures
in the Dexter user’s manual provided in the owner’s packet.
Electronic Brake Controller
The trailer brakes are operated by a 12-volt current from your tow vehicle and must be hooked up so you have an integral system with your tow vehicle brakes. To prevent problems and ensure satisfactory braking action, install an electronic controller in line with the brakes in your tow vehicle.
An electronic controller will synchronize the trailer brakes with your tow vehicle brakes. It is designed to apply the trailer brakes with your tow vehicle brakes. Your brake controller should be adjusted to provide for a slight lead of the trailer brakes over the tow vehicle brakes.

Loading
When towing a trailer, you are subject to new and different challenges on the highway than you may have previously encountered. Towing a trailer is no small responsibility and should be undertaken with great care and safety first in mind. An accident with a tow vehicle and trailer can have much greater consequences than carelessness with a small car. Like an airline pilot who is responsible for expensive equipment and many lives, you should take your responsibilities as a tow vehicle driver very seriously and learn all you can about doing the job safely and well. Balancing the load and preparing the trailer and tow vehicle are critical to safe handling.
One of the most critical aspects of safely towing a trailer is knowing the weights involved and where they are placed. The first thing to determine is how much is being towed and confirming that it is within the capacities of the equipment being used.

Determining where the load is placed is critical to the way your rig will handle on the road. Know what your trailer weighs loaded. Load your trailer including water, propane, etc and take it to a public scale. Weigh each axle of your vehicle. Refer to your axle weight and tire limits to see if you are within a safe range. Total all axle weights, ensuring you are below the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWRMake sure your load is balanced. Do not load too much on one side. A balanced load is much easier to tow or drive. Front-to-back balance is also important. Step back and look at your trailer, making sure that there is not too much weight on the hitch, or on the rear of the trailer. Secure all items, as loose items can cause damage and become a safety issue. The Cargo Carrying Capacity tag shown below is installed on every trailer and can be found on the inside of the entry door on your trailer.

Airstream weighs the trailer as finished to arrive at the trailer’s weight. That number is subtracted from the GVWR of the trailer and listed under THE WEIGHT OF CARGO SHOULD NEVER EXCEED on the tag, The total weight of any and all cargo, including dealer modifications or additions, water, and propane should never exceed the number listed.
As cargo is added, removed, or shifts in location, the weight on the axle(s) and hitch will change. Also, the hitch and axle weights will change as a consequence of the weight of the LP tank(s) diminishing from
use of propane, and/or the transfer of weight as a consequence of water in the freshwater tank being used and transferred to the grey and black tanks. In shorter units, rear bath models especially, when the LP tanks are empty and freshwater has been transferred to the grey and black holding tanks, the reduction in hitch weight may be significant. For this reason, we recommend that the grey and black tanks be emptied before traveling.
When loading the trailer, keep the following in mind:

• GVWR
• Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR)
• Tire Weight Rating
• Cargo

Never exceed these ratings. Your safety depends on not overloading the trailer, trailer axles, and tires. Refer to Section 4 – Floor Plan and Specifications for rating list.

Weighing Your Trailer
The illustration below shows how to weigh the trailer on scales.

1. The trailer’s total weight, cannot exceed GVWR.
2. The trailer’s weight on axles cannot exceed GAWR.
3. Weight on trailer tongue.
   To determine that the GAWR is not exceeded, it is necessary to load all of your allowable personal cargo and variable weights. Then hitch the trailer to the tow vehicle with load equalizing hitch properly adjusted.
   Chock wheels and place the trailer on a scale with both axles only on the scale (see illustration). If the weight on the axles exceeds the axle system’s GAWR, then some of the personal cargo must be redistributed forward in order to place some of this weight on the tongue.
   The tongue weight should be 10 to 15% of the trailer’s total weight, and must not exceed the tow vehicle’s or the hitch’s maximum weight rating. To determine tongue load, unhitch tow vehicle and place the tongue hitch post on a scale. The trailer must be properly loaded as determined above, with your allowable personal cargo and variable weights.
   Use a scale, such as a bathroom scale, that has a lower weight limit than your tongue load, to check the tongue weight by using the following method (see illustration).

1. Bathroom Scale
2. Pipe
3. Wood Support

Place a piece of wood of approximately the same thickness as the bathroom scales on the ground in line with the trailer hitch jack as shown. It should be so spaced that a short piece of pipe or other round piece will lay exactly one foot from the centerline of the jack extension.
Place the scales so that another round piece can
be exactly two feet from the centerline of the jack extension in the other direction. Place a 4 x 4 piece of wood on the two round pieces and screw the jack extension down on the top of the 4 x 4 until the tongue of the trailer is supported by it. Multiply the scale reading by three. This will be the tongue weight of your trailer. If you exceed the capacity of the bathroom scales, increase the two-foot dimension to three or four more feet, but always multiply the scale reading by the total number of feet between the wood and scales.

NOTE
Be sure the trailer is level when reading scales.

Hitching Up
The process of hitching up your trailer is something that will become almost second nature with practice. The following section includes proper hitch load distribution. Proper training on connecting your trailer to a tow vehicle is essential for safety. Please see your dealer or other qualified personnel for instruction on the proper hitching of your trailer. Safety chain use on the hitch is required in all states.
7-Way Plug

1. Black, 12-Volt (+)
2. Green, Clearance Lights/Taillights
3. Red, Left Turn/Stop
4. White, 12-Volt (-)
5. Blue, Brake
6. Brown, Right Turn/Stop
7. Blank

FAQ