Mel, the man knows trucks

        A salesman walked up to me at the car dealership.  After a quick greeting, I showed him my note pad.  I had GVWR 7300 circled and told him this was the most important thing I needed to know.  Does he know what it is? 

This hitch is welded to the frame

Um Um Um . . . Really, he had no idea, he seemed to be trying to guess. 

trailer indicator control

Little trailer light

Mel in Control

I went back to the trio left behind, and of the three, Mel spoke up.  He said, that's the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating!  Without hesitation!  Of course it is.  After all, if you're gonna sell trucks to pull big things, you ought to know about the most important part of the equipment! 

I did tell him that I was 4 years out - I'm not buying today.  He took me for a test drive anyway.  And he gave me all the time I needed.  And he answered tons of questions.  I looked all around, in and under a Tahoe and a Suburban.  The inside of these big, gigantic SUVs feels bigger than my kitchen. 

A garage to go!

         I need a GVWR of 7300 and the smaller Tahoe  starts at 8100, and the super-size Suburban tops at about 9600.  Which to that I say:  Can you ever have too much pull? 

The Dream Begins

So . .  the dream begins. 

          After five years of subscribing to Airstream Life Magazine, I took a road trip to my future! At the end of last September I went to look at the Airstreams in person.  The closest dealer to me is about 200 miles away. That’s no problem because I enjoy driving, which of course I’ll need for the journey I’m planning.
      
         They had about 25 trailers on the lot and I looked at all of them. My aim was to keep it as small and lightweight as possible. The smallest they had was 19 feet. Oh my, way too small for full time living. It’s pretty much all one room with no transitional areas at all. The toilet is placed right under the shower. Not for me. I’d like at least the allusion of a small apartment. 

          So it was love at first sight with a 30 foot Flying Cloud. It has living room, dining room/kitchen and a separate bedroom.  And a real (small) bathroom. Also I am happy to note that the living room couch is longer than me!

          After a couple of weeks back in reality, driving around my town, negotiating turns, gas stations and supermarket parking lots, I think a 25 footer -also including a real (small) bath - will be easier to pull behind another 10 feet of truck.  
         
           Besides, thinking about steep grades in the rain in a heavy 30 foot trailer was keeping me up at night!  No sleep means no dreaming.

http://www.airstream.com/products/travel-trailers/flying-cloud.html
http://airstreamlife.com/