TAG-along
TAG-along Trailers was a division of Glassline Products of Excelsior Minnesota. Glassline Products Inc. went out of business in June of 1980 and their primary products were Outboards- Open Motorboats- Jon Boats- Sailboats- (with or without engine) Catamarans- Trimarans. The body of the trailer appears to be Fiberglass, with a small steel frame and wheel assembly being bolted to the body. The TAG-along trailers were also sold by Bradley Automotive who are well known for building VW and Corvair based fiberglass kit cars. It is unclear if TAG-along was sold before Glassline closed up shop or not. Currently there are only 2 Tag-along trailers known to exist.
Swiv-L-Fold
The Swiv-L-Fold trailer was built by the NorTrail Products Co. of Norwich NY. The company was formed in July 1983 by Robert E. Hammons. Production had been planned to begin in September of 1983, but didn’t actually begin until December of ’83. Production crept until January 15, 1984. A letter was sent out on April 23, 1984, soliciting more stockholders and telling of the plans for the future and their quest for more dealers. There were 47 dealers, mostly car dealers, and mostly in N.Y. and N.C. That same letter (April ’84) told of plans for articles in Street Rodder Illustrated, Popular Cars, Truckin’, and VW Trends. An article does appear in VW Trends, June ’84, pg 86. The last letter copy is dated May 16,1984 stating the company was at a critical point in it’s growth and virtual survival.
The trailer has a platform base, four detachable sides and separate top cover. The wheel can be pinned in the straight position and has front drop down legs with castors for convenient moving around. The payload is listed at 260 lbs with the sides and cover, and 360 lbs for slower industrial use as a platform trailer.
We found this while surfing Google/Books. This ad was in Popular Mechanics, July 1937.
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Stolz
The Stolz trailer was built in Berlin Germany in the Tempelhof region. The trailer can be used both as a water and land vehicle and in the winter an optional skid can be added for snow travel. The inherent dampening of the progressive hollow rubber suspension us used for cushioning and simultaneously fulfills the purpose of a shock absorber and noise reduction. The suspension is even adjustable for a harder or softer ride. The body is constructed of light weight sheet steel with what appears to be a unibody frame incorporated into the body. The wheel assembly can take either a 3.50 x 8 or a 4.00 x 8 tire size. Production started in 1955 to at least 1970 when the stat sheet below was produced. The overall trailer length was 51 inches, the width was just over 32 inches, and the payload was 120 kg (264 lbs).
Rose Trailerette
The Rose Trailerette was manufactured by Frank Rose Mfg. of Hastings, NE in the 1930’s and early 1940’s. Many were sold by mail order via the Montgomery Wards Catalog. Production of this trailer was discontinued when the plant switched over for war production during World War 2. The early Trailerette featured a single caster wheel. Model A hardware was used for the door handle and tail lights. The original hitches were U shaped and attached directly to the rear bumper of the tow vehicle. Some later models featured a plastic bubble style cover.
Rekord
Phoenix
The “Phoenix” name/brand has not yet been confirmed. Below, there is an image of a possible logo used by the manufacturer discovered on the side of a trailer. Best estimates are that it was built in the 1940s or ’50s. The trailer body is made up of 5 pieces of aluminum (of aircraft grade). Two sides, a top, a rear, and the door. The bottom of the body is steel plate, around 1/4 inch thick. All of these pieces are riveted together in what appears to be aircraft quality work. This trailer is very well built. The body sits on a steel tubing frame and a wheel assembly not like any other trailer we’ve seen. When not in use, there is a fold down steel leg in the front and another in the rear to keep the pressure off the tire. The interior is coated with a yellow/green coating with red letters that say “Alcoa”. Underneath the exterior paint is a brown coating, that I’m guessing is an anti-corrosion coating that is over the top of the Alcoa yellow. Paint remover works great on the exterior paint, but has no effect what so ever on the brown or on the Alcoa yellow. We’ve found that the only way to remove the under coat is with acetone a scouring pad and elbow grease. The sides panels of the trailer were pressed into shape, like that used in the automotive or possibly the aviation industry. In late 2017 a fiberglass version of this trailer was discovered. While the body lines are mildly different, the overall body shape, tube frame, wheel assembly, legs, mounts and everything else appear to be same as that of other Phoenix trailers. Our best guess, the fiberglass is likely to be an early production of the trailer.
In doing an internet search years ago for the PAV 100 trailer, the photos below came up. While clearly not a PAV 100, the fender appears to have the same 3 ridges as a PAV 40 scooter trailer. Based on the size and the dual mounting points on this trailer, they are believed to be another car based trailer. It appears to use a steel tubular chassis, and a fiber glass body. PAV trailers were manufactured in the Czech Republic, originally by “AVIA n.p”. and later by the “KOVOZAVODY SEMILY” company.
PAV 100
The PAV 100 was built in the 1970’s by the Kovozávody Semily company. The same Czech Republic based company was originally known as AVIA n.p.. It is unclear if the company was bought, or just renamed. Under the AVIA name, the very popular PAV 40 and PAV 41 scooter/motorcycle trailers were built with the PAV 40 debuting in the late 1950’s.
The PAV 100 is 55 inches long by 33 inches wide and 39 inches tall. It was rated to 70 km/h (43 mph) and had a 100 kg (220lb) payload capacity. The trailer was built of a steel frame and body and weighed in at 59 kg (130 lbs). For storage, the PAV 100 was designed to sit on end in the garage, so it didn’t take up valuable garage space.
MW Riverside
Riverside was a brand name used by Montgomery Wards. This trailer doesn’t resemble any of the other 3 trailers sold through the Montgomery Ward “Just wanted to say that the Riverside is a Montgomery Ward’s Trailer as that was one of their brand names and the sticker on the trailer shows the M W symbol to the left of it that is the stylized Montgomery Ward Corporate Logo from the 60’s on up. Riverside was their name for Lawnmowers, tires, batteries, outboards, boats, camping equipment and a host of other products. I remember seeing some of these type trailers for sale in the local Montgomery Ward store in Baton Rouge back in the early 60’s. Were in the lawn and garden department where they also sold outboard motors and bateau boats and canoes.” The wheel appears to possibly have leaf spring fork assembly similar to that of the Allstate Box trailer. With out any close up pictures of the wheel assembly this can’t be confirmed but the wheel assembly is definelty different from that of the other Montgomery Ward trailers.
Montgomery Ward History
Montgomery Ward, the nationwide catalog sales company known as Ward’s, was founded by Aaron Montgomery Ward and his partner and brother-in-law George R. Thorne in 1872. Mr. Ward’s idea was to develop an organization to sell merchandise of nearly every sort directly to the customer. The first “catalog” (a single-sheet price list) was sent to members of the National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry in Aug. 1872, when National Grange membership was half a million people. Ward’s became a favorite source of goods for the Grange, whose members were discontent with prices charged by country stores and were receptive to new purchasing methods. Ward’s started with a shipping office in Chicago (Ill.) on Clark Street near Kinzie Street. The city was a terminus for many railroads and ideally situated for distribution. Goods ordered by mail from Ward’s were sent to customers by railway express collect. The customer was free to inspect merchandise and accept or reject it. When Ward’s price list blossomed into full-fledged bound catalogs, merchandise descriptions had to be accurate so that patrons could order with confidence. In 1875 Ward’s promised: “If any of your goods are not satisfactory, after due inspection, we will take them back…and refund the money paid for them.” “Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back” were six words that helped build a billion dollar business. However, when Aaron Montgomery Ward died in 1913 at the age of 69, it is possible that his greatest gift to Chicago was not as a businessman but as an environmentalist, especially his long struggle to preserve the city’s Lake Michigan shore as a park and recreational area. In a 20-year fight he went to court numerous times to block construction of various structures on the lakefront, and as a result Chicago preserved one of the most magnificent public open-spaces in the world. In 1897, Ward’s built an electric automobile to show people in small towns one of the “wonders of the century” and to offer free rides. The automobile was transported from place to place in a special railway car that advertised Ward’s. In 1911, Ward’s Modoc was one of 49 new makes of automobiles and sold for $1250.00. Wards introduced Riverside tires in 1912. One of Ward’s most successful promotions began in 1939 when Robert L. May, a copywriter for the company, created the storybook, “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer,” as a giveaway for Ward’s store Santas. Rudolph’s story later became the popular Christmas song composed by Johnny Marks and recorded by Gene Autry. Ward’s filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in July 1997. In Dec. 2000, after 128 years in business, the company closed. Ward’s sold at least 4 different trailers including one sold under their “Riverside” name.
Trailerette 64-KYO-13236-B
As a catalog resale company, Montgomery Ward was one of the earliest and largest selling at least 4 different trailer models through the years. The wheel assembly of the 64-KYO-13236-B was built by the LA Young Spring and Wire Corporation, out of Oakland Ca. and has 750 lbs load capacity. One reference on the internet to the company is to a factory in Ontario Canada. Chrysler and Chevrolet bought out the different factory buildings in the late 50’s and early 60’s even though you can still make out the name of the company on the back of one of the factories. Leonard A. Young obtained interest in the Detroit Wire and Spring company some time after 1908 and later named the company after himself: LA Young Spring and Wire Corp. The trailer can be easily taken apart for easy storage or for use as a flatbed. There were at least 4 different trailer models and 3 different body styles sold by Montgomery Wards.
Montgomery Ward History
Montgomery Ward, the nationwide catalog sales company known as Ward’s, was founded by Aaron Montgomery Ward and his partner and brother-in-law George R. Thorne in 1872. Mr. Ward’s idea was to develop an organization to sell merchandise of nearly every sort directly to the customer. The first “catalog” (a single-sheet price list) was sent to members of the National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry in Aug. 1872, when National Grange membership was half a million people. Ward’s became a favorite source of goods for the Grange, whose members were discontent with prices charged by country stores and were receptive to new purchasing methods. Ward’s started with a shipping office in Chicago (Ill.) on Clark Street near Kinzie Street. The city was a terminus for many railroads and ideally situated for distribution. Goods ordered by mail from Ward’s were sent to customers by railway express collect. The customer was free to inspect merchandise and accept or reject it. When Ward’s price list blossomed into full-fledged bound catalogs, merchandise descriptions had to be accurate so that patrons could order with confidence. In 1875 Ward’s promised: “If any of your goods are not satisfactory, after due inspection, we will take them back…and refund the money paid for them.” “Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back” were six words that helped build a billion dollar business. However, when Aaron Montgomery Ward died in 1913 at the age of 69, it is possible that his greatest gift to Chicago was not as a businessman but as an environmentalist, especially his long struggle to preserve the city’s Lake Michigan shore as a park and recreational area. In a 20-year fight he went to court numerous times to block construction of various structures on the lakefront, and as a result Chicago preserved one of the most magnificent public open-spaces in the world. In 1897, Ward’s built an electric automobile to show people in small towns one of the “wonders of the century” and to offer free rides. The automobile was transported from place to place in a special railway car that advertised Ward’s. In 1911, Ward’s Modoc was one of 49 new makes of automobiles and sold for $1250.00. Wards introduced Riverside tires in 1912. One of Ward’s most successful promotions began in 1939 when Robert L. May, a copywriter for the company, created the storybook, “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer,” as a giveaway for Ward’s store Santas. Rudolph’s story later became the popular Christmas song composed by Johnny Marks and recorded by Gene Autry. Ward’s filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in July 1997. In Dec. 2000, after 128 years in business, the company closed. Ward’s sold at least 4 different trailers including one sold under their “Riverside” name.
Trailerette 84FDH-8800
Montgomery Ward is one of the earliest catalog sales companies and one of the products they sold was the Trailerette single wheel trailers in 2 versions. The model 84FDH-8800 is the single wheel version, and had a 750 lbs payload capacity. The model 84FDH-8800 and the dual wheel version, model 61-8812, used the same all steel box, which was 48″ wide, 53″ long with 11″ high. There were at least 4 different trailer models and 3 different body styles sold by Montgomery Wards.
Montgomery Ward History
Montgomery Ward, the nationwide catalog sales company known as Ward’s, was founded by Aaron Montgomery Ward and his partner and brother-in-law George R. Thorne in 1872. Mr. Ward’s idea was to develop an organization to sell merchandise of nearly every sort directly to the customer. The first “catalog” (a single-sheet price list) was sent to members of the National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry in Aug. 1872, when National Grange membership was half a million people. Ward’s became a favorite source of goods for the Grange, whose members were discontent with prices charged by country stores and were receptive to new purchasing methods. Ward’s started with a shipping office in Chicago (Ill.) on Clark Street near Kinzie Street. The city was a terminus for many railroads and ideally situated for distribution. Goods ordered by mail from Ward’s were sent to customers by railway express collect. The customer was free to inspect merchandise and accept or reject it. When Ward’s price list blossomed into full-fledged bound catalogs, merchandise descriptions had to be accurate so that patrons could order with confidence. In 1875 Ward’s promised: “If any of your goods are not satisfactory, after due inspection, we will take them back…and refund the money paid for them.” “Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back” were six words that helped build a billion dollar business. However, when Aaron Montgomery Ward died in 1913 at the age of 69, it is possible that his greatest gift to Chicago was not as a businessman but as an environmentalist, especially his long struggle to preserve the city’s Lake Michigan shore as a park and recreational area. In a 20-year fight he went to court numerous times to block construction of various structures on the lakefront, and as a result Chicago preserved one of the most magnificent public open-spaces in the world. In 1897, Ward’s built an electric automobile to show people in small towns one of the “wonders of the century” and to offer free rides. The automobile was transported from place to place in a special railway car that advertised Ward’s. In 1911, Ward’s Modoc was one of 49 new makes of automobiles and sold for $1250.00. Wards introduced Riverside tires in 1912. One of Ward’s most successful promotions began in 1939 when Robert L. May, a copywriter for the company, created the storybook, “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer,” as a giveaway for Ward’s store Santas. Rudolph’s story later became the popular Christmas song composed by Johnny Marks and recorded by Gene Autry. Ward’s filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in July 1997. In Dec. 2000, after 128 years in business, the company closed. Ward’s sold at least 4 different trailers including one sold under their “Riverside” name.
Trailerette 61-8812
Montgomery Ward is one of the earliest catalog sales companies and one of the products they sold was the Trailerette single wheel trailers in 2 versions. The model 61-8812 has dual wheel assemblies, is 48″ wide, 53″ long with 11″ high all steel box. The wheel assembly has a 750 lbs Payload capacity, but with 2 wheel assemblies, the payload could be substantially higher. This model uses the same steel body as the single wheel version, the model 84FDH-8800. There were at least 4 different trailer models and 3 different body styles sold by Montgomery Wards. This is a very industrial, work horse type of trailer.
Mono-Wheel
The Mono-Wheel trailer appears to be the Marville Dwyer Trailer Division venture into the single wheel trailer market. The Marville Dwyer Trailer Division is better known for their tear drop trailers. Possibly related is this excerpt from “Iron Age” Volume 105 – “The Dwyer Mfg. Co., Los Angeles has been incorporated with a capitol stock of $50,000 by C. Marville and M. A. Dwyer, a R. M. Gilson, to manufacture automobile parts and accessory equipment. Only 1 Mono-Wheel has been discovered.
McCulloch Motors Corp.
In 1943 Robert Paxton McCulloch founded the McCulloch Motors Corporation in Milwaukee Wisconson. They primarily manufactured small two-stroke gasoline engines and is best known for chainsaws, even today. In 1946 they moved the company to California. In 1953 a prototype automobile, the Paxton Phoenix, was developed by Paxton Automotive, who primarily produced automotive superchargers. The 1950’s saw the production of small engines for radio controlled aircraft. Robert Paxton McCulloch was an inventor, but unlike most of the other trailer name sakes on this site, he is also responsible for founding Lake Havasu City, Arizona and purchasing and moving the London Bridge there. The trailer is made with alum tubes that lock together at the corners with a canvas bed. It mounts to the bumper via 2 mounting balls, weighs about 60 lbs all assembled, and breaks down pretty easily. All the tubes come apart and out of the wheel assembly and the canvas slides off the tubes. This allows the trailer to be small enough to fit in the trunk of a car. 2 McCulloch single wheel trailers are known to exist.
Kemp Manufacturing
Company was founded in 1946 by Fred Hiram Kemp. Business was originally named Abrasive Salvage Co. and its core business was re-cutting grinding wheels for major engine building companies. In the early 1950’s expanded to the metal removal business with original customers The ABC Company and Caterpillar Tractor Co. In 1959 changed the name to Kemp Mfg. Co. and incorporated. In the early 60’s Hylee Fred Kemp took over the business and expanded the operation to precision machining of castings, forgings and made from bar products and assembly. Over the years and through a number of expansions, we have grown on the current site to 120,000 Square Feet on 3 acres. In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s the company moved to 3rd Generation ownership of Hylee M. Kemp and Brian Kemp. In addition to Kemp Mfg. Co. Hylee M. Kemp and Brian Kemp own Ray Machine and Mfg. Co. in East Peoria, IL. a precision CNC turning plant specializing in smaller parts made from Bar and chucking work. 1 Kemp trailer is known to exist.
Jones and Laughlin
It doesn’t seem to be much of a leap to connect the trailer bearing the Jones and Laughlin name with the Jones and Laughlin Steel Company of Pittsburgh. The company began as the American Iron Company, founded in 1852 by Bernard Lauth and B. F. Jones, a few miles south of Pittsburgh along the Monongahela River. Lauth’s interest was bought in 1854 by James H. Laughlin. The first firm to bear the name of Jones and Laughlin was organized in 1861 and headquartered at Third & Ross in downtown Pittsburgh. J & L Steel provided the most able competition to the Carnegie Steel Company in the vicinity of Pittsburgh. Ling-Temco-Vought, Inc. of Texas offered to purchase 63 percent of J & L Steel on May 10, 1968, J&L agreeing to it on May 14, completing its purchase of 63% by June 1968 for approximately $428.5 million. It took full control of the company in 1974. In 1978, J & L Steel acquired Youngstown Sheet and Tube (Yocar single wheel trailer manufacturer). In 1981, J & L Steel bought a stainless steel mill from McLouth Steel Products in Detroit, which was probably an attempt to try to get closer to the auto market. It merged with Republic Steel in 1984 to form LTV Steel. Only 1 Jones and Laughlin single wheel trailer is known to exist.
Transporter
Fabricated in Sweden by a company called Järn-orch Stålprodukter (Iron and Steel Products) and marketed under the name ‘Transporter’. Such trailers were made from the early 1950s until 1969 and proved to be very popular. They were considered to be an accessory rather than a trailer and, as such, they were exempt from road tax. The trailer could be folded up and hung on the back of the car, its single, removable 8 inch wheel being placed inside the vehicle. It allows the owner to carry up to 300 kg. For heavy duty applications, a larger wheel was an optional extra. This trailer has no conventional spring suspension, only the tire. We have photographic evidence of 7 Transporter trailers, but no way of knowing if any are duplicates as some of the photos are older.
Lastenboy
The Lastenboy (Load Boy) trailer was built by the Heinz Schutz Fahrzeugbau. The construction of the trailer consists of a chassis is a steel tube, a pressed sheet metal box and an option fiberglass lid. It used a 3.50 x 8 tire with a tube, two chrome-plated struts to make up the suspension and thus had a payload is 100 kg. The internal dimensions of the trailers box were long 94 cm, width 89 cm, and height 39 cm. A complete lighting system consisting of tail light, stop light, flashing light and registration indicator were standard. From the factory they were painted light gray but a different color was available for an additional cost. Besides the optional top, and other paint colors, a spare wheel could also be ordered. 2 Lastenboy trailers are known to exist.
Heilite Model 161 / 162
Heilite Trailers were built by the Heilite Manufacturing company founded in 1953 in Lodi California. The Founder, Theodore Heil sold the manufacturing company in 1964. The trailers were made of aircraft quality aluminum panels riveted together. The bed had a plywood base as does the trailer storage area. The storage area is accessed by a horizontal door on either side the length of the trailer. The mattress lays, basically,on top of the trailer, and the tent canvas and poles folds up and lays on top of the mattress. A canvas cover snaps around all four sides of trailer and holds everything in place. The snaps are all just above the storage access doors so they can still be opened with everything closed up. Retractable legs on all 4 corners make leveling the trailer simple on uneven ground. The hitch’s are two small trailer hitches that mount to 1 inch trailer balls. The Heilite company built both single and double wheel trailers. Theodore Heil built the original model in 1935, but there is no record showing that he went into production during the 1930’s or 1940’s. On June 6, 1944 (D-Day) he applied for his first trailer patent. While he did not incorporate his business until 1953, some of Heilite’s advertisements from the 1960’s claim production of camping trailers started in 1950, and this is backed up by the patent’s date. Heilite’s first trailer manufactured came with either a standard sized tent (Model 161) or the “Big Tent” (Model 162). Both versions sold for $420 or $456 respectively. Most information taken from the PopUp Camper History website.
Options, and Accessories –
Heilite trailers came with a large number of options. An aluminum, removable kitchenette that in at least one instance, used a Prepo model 208 stove. Wheels on the end of the retractable legs were optional to make moving the trailer simpler, and at some point, a pair of crank down wheels were also optional. It appears the standard was for the tent to open to the passenger side, but optionally the trailer could be ordered with the assembly opening to the drivers side of the vehicle. The canvas tent, and pole assembly were the same for both options, so this spun the entire assembly 180 degrees, and the the mounting holes for the pole assembly were drilled accordingly in order to rearrange the assembly. Moving the trailer assembly opening from the passenger side to the drivers, also spun the door from the back to the front of the trailer. There were also a couple different awning options, and screen options. There was even a Heilite key chain that changes from a closed to open tent as you tilt it.