New member, new owner 1969 Avion Argonaut

[FrancescaS]

Hello I am a new owner of a 1969 Avion Argonaut that I bought in August and I am so excited about this new forum.
I am an avid Avion fan! I have been scouring other avenues to learn all I can about these marvellous trailers.
I have never camped, never towed and never owned a trailer before, but have been doing alot of research and I am learning alot.
I would like to improve her 'Rita' where I can and eventually acquire a tow vehicle and start with short trips close to home which is Tampa, Fl... but one step at a time.

Thanks for having me.

Francesca

[Razorback]

Hi, Francesca. Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your "new" Avion.

Keep us posted on your progress.

[KYAvion]

Welcome, Francesca! Glad to have you here!

[Mark R. Obtinario]

Hello and welcome to you!

As you prepare to find a proper tow vehicle you will need a vehicle that is rated to tow at least 5,000 lbs.

According to the factory your Argonaut weighed a little over 4,100 lbs. By the time you add junk and plunder, water and gas, and all of your personal stuff you will be close to or over 5,000 lbs. Most experienced RV'er's will say you do not want to tow more than about 75% of the tow rating.

Do NOT be fooled by the claims of certain experts who work for a certain Airstream dealer in Canada. IMHO, their recommendations do not follow best practices and seriously put people who follow their recommendations at grave risk of an accident. Just because you can doesn't mean it is a good idea.

If you would like to tow your Argonaut with a vintage tow vehicle, most of the advertisements from back in the day pictured our Avions being towed by full size cars like Buicks, Mercurys, and Chryslers. In 1968 all cars and light trucks were mandated to be equipped with dual circuit brake systems and by 1969 most of the full size cars came with power front disc brakes. In my book, brakes are more important than an engine that can tow fast. Almost any of the full size cars built in 1969 with V-8's would have the power and brakes to handle a relatively small trailer like your Argonaut.

Regardless of what tow vehicle you choose, it is very prudent to also purchase a weight distribution hitch with sway control. Your Argonaut is large enough to require electric trailer brakes so you will need an electric trailer brake controller as well.

Towing a trailer is not rocket science, it isn't a big mystery whose answer is a closely held secret, or difficult. In fact, it can be a lot of fun hitching up and heading down the road just to see where it will lead you.

Good luck and happy trails to you!

[Razorback]

That is great input, Mark, and I could not agree more about your tow vehicle comments. Some of those tow vehicle/trailer combinations I see coming out of that certain AS dealer in Canada are accidents looking for a place to happen.

[KYAvion]

I'm surprised people aren't worried about liability if in an accident. Seems like a person would be opening themselves up to all sorts of things if involved in a wreck and someone were hurt.

[FrancescaS]

Thank you Mark for the valuable insight an info regarding a potential tow vehicle. I am not in a position to buy one for a while, but when I get ready to, I will definitely run it by you and my Avion friends.

[Avionstream]

Mark hit the rivet on the head about your Avion.