TJJ: Vintage Trailers

here's some quick scans of my small trailer brochure collection. .

 

Howdy Ledbetter's:

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... tow's it with this cool '48-'50 Packard:

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Very cool stuff! I like the Scotties. My youngest son thinks teardrops are pretty cool. Last November I picked up a '66 Apache Eagle popup. It's just a small aluminum box with fold out beds and a canvas tent - but just the right size and weight for my '65 Rambler to pull (if I ever fix the clutch!).

I sent the canvas up to the guy that originally did canvas on the Apaches. Should have it back in a week. Picked up a canvas awning off a '65 Apache - just need to swap out the zipper (and paint the popup).

Anyway, hey from another person that likes camping and cars.

 

This sits about a mile from my house. It would be a MAJOR project but could make quite the motorhome! I especially like the luggage rack!

 

What your waiting for? That GMC is bitchin! It would make great enclosed car hauler too.

 

There's a lot of fun themes that could be done on that. The flat glass is an easy fix.

 

WTF? Well the old saying you can sleep in your car but you cant drive your house is thrown out now.

 

My favourite thread.
Here's my 1957 Car Cruiser Carissima (UK) being used this summer. The GMC in the first pic isn't mine, despite the paint being an exact match! That belongs to HAMBer Mart.



The trailer's usual tow car is my 4-banger powered '30 Tudor.

 

here you go, this is a gold mine on these trailers, even has vintage plans on how to build some of them. enjoy!!! http://www.tinytears.cc/scans.html

 

I'll throw my hand in here,since I'm about to purchase a trailer.
I'm still trying to find out what year and model it is,but I know the make is a 12 ft. Traveleer

 

here are 3 of my 4 the last one is behind the barn full of car parts

 

Due to the style of windows and marker lights it's probably mid to late 50's. Probably will be hard to narrow it down any closer, most trailer companys just did running changes as they went, the're not like a car where you had a new model avery fall. Can you find a VIN? Usally stamped on the tounge or sometimes on a plate by the door. Most companys the first 2 numbers is the year.

 

Not a trailer but my brother picked up one of these station wagon campers today, now he's looking for a wagon to put it on. I thought the 59 Chevy in this old ad was cool but man, I wonder how it handled with the camper on it!

 

hahaha! I don't think that's a good idea at all.

 

Unfortunately due to some unforeseen financial situations today,I had to pass up on this one,but it's still available,and the guy only wants $100.Here's the ad:
http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/grd/1386289341.html

 

Yeah kinda my feelings too, maybe that's why you dont see them around anymore. My brother sent pics of the one he got yesterday, looks in good shape. I'm sure in the days before people decided kids should be belted in many parents would let their kids ride up top, good idea in something this top heavy!









Said he found a cherry 65 Ford wagon to put it on, that will no dought stand out at the next trailer rally!

 

"> Here is my new little agem. We all it "El Huevito"

 

That is too cool!

 

bttt, inspiration for my weekend trailer hitch project.

 

I finally moved it for the first time since it was dropped off. It's not quite done, but it is a big step none the less.

 

You may not need any modifications if you can balance the load over the trailer axle.

If you get a trailer with two axles, you can adjust the weight on the tongue by raising or lowering it. We have a 1971 Shasta Stratoflyte. The higher you raise the hitch, the more weight it puts on the tongue and the rear axle. The lower the hitch, the less weight it has on the tongue, the more weight it has on the front axle. When it's removed from the car, the hitch actually "levitates" about 1/4 inch off the ground and doesn't have any weight on it at all because the front axle is holding up the entire weight.

A tip my neighbor gave me: To determine the ideal hitch height, put your dual axle trailer on a flat surface. Put a bathroom scale under a jack and jack the tongue up until the scale reads 200 pounds. When it does, it's at the right height. Now measure the height of your receiver on your tow vehicle. Subtract the two heights and you know how much of a drop you need when you go to buy your receiver hitch.

Or, you can get an adjustable receiver hitch. They're about $40.00 at Harbor Freight. When trailer pushes the car's rear suspension down about 1 1/2 inches, it's adjusted just about right. (To little weight on the car's rear suspension makes the trailer try to fish tail at certain speeds. If that happens, you can readjust the load distribution or adjust the trailer hitch up - which ever is easier.)

So far, no suspension modifications have been needed. We've only towed it 4 times over relatively flat Texas terrain.

Here's a picture of a Shasta Stratoflyte similar to ours:

Edit: Stupid tiny picture! Here's a link.

http://community.webshots.com/photo/fullsize/2554415610095137816OAPBxP

 

I just fluked and found this 1957 Nomad Trailer. The top is the boat and the trailer floats too! Its really light and will tow behind our hot rod easily.






Does anyone else on here have one?
This thread rules!

-Shiny

 

This is the only pic I have of this one for now its a 1937 Pierce Arrow model B, made by the Pierce Arrow car company, they made trailer sizes A,B,C for about two years trying to keep the sagging car company alive, all orginal inside very clean, I believe it came from the Aladdin Hotel in Vegas a few years ago.
I'm having problems with getting it to tow decent behind the Caddy, I put new rear springs and it has air shocks, I thinbk level on the trailer is about 16 inches but it drops the car pretty good yet, I'm holding off on the sway/load bars as they might be a pita to put on the round pipe trailer hitch, any ideas for this, air bags under the car would be pretty tough to do also, I looked into that.
Thanks

 

Bump...I love this stuff.

 

This is an awesome thread - loved every picture. After hauling my 33' Jayco to Wyoming and back this summer (over 2K miles round trip at at 9 MPG - ouch) the wife and I have decided to sell our behemoth and downsize. Our kids are grown and prefer tents anyway, so it's just us and the pups. We spend all our time outside anyway. I am going to look at a few this weekend and can't wait to get my "new" camper. Hopefully I'll be posting pics soon - there are a lot of great old trailers here in the Southwest.

 

Wsdad, thanks for the tips. My camper is a 64 scotty 13ft single axle. I was going to pull the original rear leafs out and remove a couple leaves to lower the car but I'm concerned about not being able to handle the extra weight?

 

That's a very cool trailer. What happens when towing? Looking at the picture the car looks aerodynamic and the trailer doesn't.

 

Here's the one that just followed me home. '65 Silver Streak. Can't wait to get to work on it and the wife is pumped too.

 

Just finished restoring one of the same vintage, yours and mine are called a shasta compact. I had to fully gut mine.

 

Anymore pictures?