What is a Pipe Frame” Airstream?
“Pipe frame” Airstream trailers were built from 1947 to 1950, and usually have both or one end rounded with a single wide oval window on that rounded end. Travel trailers back then were built very light with few appliances and furnishings, so their frame could be relatively lightweight. The pipe frame was strengthened slightly in 1949 by adding another 3′ section of pipe inside the front most 3 feet near the hitch. But the frame soon became insufficient for the added weight of larger trailers with more stuff installed and loaded inside. The “pipe frame” was also called a “Centerpole” by Airstream. The frame is like a fish skeleton: a longitudinal center rib with outriggers to both sides. The outriggers are not all that strong and cannot take too much weight being placed on them, other than above the wheels, which has some additional framing to attach the axle. You will typically see the appliances mounted in the center of trailers, usually above or just forward of the wheels, as that i
