New owner, 1967 Avion H25 tandem

[WanderingLoon]

I became the proud owner last year of an Avion, my first travel trailer, gifted to me by my daughter and son-in-law! They got it from a friend but eventually decided that they would never have the time to fix it up and use it. Lucky me!!!
It needs a lot of work, but I plan to make it livable for future travel. Right now though, it’s nine hours away (in Michigan’s UP) and I’m trying to find somebody there to go over it (wheels, tires, suspension, brakes, electric, etc.) to make sure everything is up to par for the 500-mile trip to bring it home (Peoria, IL). I already have my tow vehicle, a 2015 Tahoe with heavy duty trailering package, so I’m good to go!
Another option would be to pay some trucker to trailer it down for me, to get it home and do all the needed work from my end. Finances are tight though, so I’m not sure about the best AND most practical way to do this.
Thoughts? Suggestions?

[Rostam]

Congratulations! Avions are (in my not so humble opinion ) the best travel trailer ever made, and the late 60's body style is IMO one of the nicest looking Avions ever made. And a 25 ft Avion is very nice as it can be pulled by large SUVs. 1960's Avions with that distinctive endcap and MohrRyde suspension are among my favorites (specially the 25 and 28 footers).

To bring your trailer home safely, you probably need new tires, new battery, functioning lights and emergency brake, and a weight distribution hitch with sway control. Does your daughter or son-in-law know the status of what I listed? If the tires are not old, and the battery/lights/emergency brake are good, you can slowly tow it home.

BTW, I also found my Avion in Michigan and towed it 500 miles home. The lights and battery were good. The tire had to be replaced, hence, I drove slower and stopped frquently to check on them. I changed them as soon as I got home. Also, the weight distribution hitch did not have enough drop, hence, the trailer was a bit nose up. Again, I drove slow to prevent sway.

Good luck.

[WanderingLoon]

Thanks so much for your response! I truly appreciate all the suggestions AND the wonderful things you say about that era of the Avion and the H25. I am already in love with it, totally! I’m sure it will need new tires, and the rest is unsure. My son-in-law just doesn’t want to mess with it, which is why he was willing to get rid of it and let it be somebody else’s headache, LOL.

I’m delighted to share that I got a service person lined up that comes highly recommended who knows trailers very well and has worked on many. Sounds like he will get working on it in the next week or so!

BTW, I see you have a Mercedes. Coincidentally, my fiancé has the exact same model!