Auto – SingleWheel.com

Diane and Tom Ortonsent the link to the Ebay listing for their Big Boot trailer. It’s one of the best exab: Vintage Retro BIG BOOT LUGGAGE TRAILER Camper CAMPING Veteran ONE WHEEL Australian owned and made in Shepparton, Victoria. Impossible to jack-knife so reversing is never a problem. Features: •Fully Galvanized Chassis •Fiberglass Top with Lockable Lid •Rain and Dust Proof, no Creepy Crawlies •Size is 1000 x 1000 x 400 deep •Overall length 1600 •All lights work, fully checked •New Wheel Bearing •Lid is fully removable, so accessible from all sides •100kg weight limit on the road •One wheel, 8 x 400. Can be towed by the smallest car or Vintage, Veteran Vehicle. Easy to handle when not in use. Stands on end, Free standing.

Big-Boot

bigboot

The “Leucht – Nova” trailer or “Volksboot” (or Peoples Boat) as it was affectionatly called, was only built for 2 years, by the Fassmer company. There were only 11 pieces built, including the prototype. The trailers were built in Bremen Germany between 1963 and 1964, but unfortunatly, in 1964 a very important sponsor of the project died so the production stopped due to lack of money. The boat was very workable. In 1968 a man went from Bremen by the River “Weser” to the North Sea and to the German Island Helgoland and back just with that tiny boat and loads of gas cans! Thanks to Tarek Maskun for all the great information. If you have any info on this trailer assembly, feel free to drop me a line and tell me more.

Leucht - Nova (Volksboot)

volksboot

Allstate - TrailCar

alltrailcar

Yocar: The Yocar trailers were built by the Dutton-Lainson Company. The company was founded in 1886, when William M. Dutton and two friends started a small harness and horse collar shop. Dutton-Lainson Company has remained a leader in the wholesale and manufacturing businesses and also expanded into printing and retailing. Today, the company’s five divisions are still operated by the same high standards of efficiency, ingenuity, and professionalism that gave the company its start long ago. The Yocar trailers were retailed by Sears as the “Cross Country” One Wheeler prior to the trailers we know now as Sears Allstate trailers. If you have any info or if you have this brochure, please drop me a line and tell me more.

Yocar

The Add-A-Trunk trailer was built by the B & F Specialties Co in Elk Grove Village Il. B & F was established in 1974 as an American company known for manufacturing motorcycle camping trailer. Their Bunkhouse line of camping trailers are noted for superior quality, innovation and warranty. In February 2012, Bushtec Products Corporation announced the acquisition of Bunkhouse Camper Trailers. If you have any info on this trailer assembly, feel free to let us know.

Add-A-Trunk

This trailer was manufactured by the Crescent City Sheet Metal Works company. A quick Google search and I found images of the building this trailer was built at. Thats about we all know about this trailer.

Crescent

From it’s introduction in the Sears 1939 Spring Catalog until the mid 50’s when the manufacturer went to a unibody construction, the Allstate trailer could be bought as a bare frame (no body) or with a wood box body. Sears offered a kit that could be assembled at home like Ikea furniture today, with simple hand tools. This made it very appealing and the most prolific trailer ever produced. The Allstate trailer frame is the most used for building a one off custom trailer. The wood box of these trailers are mounted to the frame with 4 large bolts and nuts. After almost 50 years, the wood of these trailers has rotted away leaving a sturdy metal frame and an open canvas to those wanting to create their own version of the popular trailer. This page is devoted to the growing number of amazing innovators who broke out their welders, tubing benders and who knows what else, and individualized their trailer.

Allstate - Custom

allcustom

George H. Harris (1871-1934) lived in Stockton, California and worked for Matteson and Williamson farm equipment company in the 1890s. By 1902 he was superintendent and manager; that same year he started his own company, and in 1904 it was incorporated under the title Harris Manufacturing Company. George Harris was president of the company until 1928, after which he remained major stockholder until his death in 1934. Harris Manufacturing Company began as a repair shop for harvesting equipment. Repairing, rebuilding, and experimenting with gas engines were the activities of the first few years. Harvesters and combines were produced, and by 1912 plans were made for a new factory because of the increased demand for gas harvesters. The business closed in 1956. UC Davis has created the Harris Collection, which is a historical collection of documents, photos and more ranging from 1929 to 1995. Harris trailers are built of a steel frame and body by the Harris Manufacturing Company of Stockton California. The body panels can be removed by unbolting which leaves a flat bed trailer.
The Harris single wheel is 49″ long, 43 1/2″ wide, 9 1/2″ tall, weighs 185 lbs, and has a payload of 500 lbs.

Harris

harris

Built by the Landmaschinen-Bauer company of Germany, the Camping Freund was considerably wider then many of the other German Single Wheel Trailers of the era. “The new, tax-free and insurance-free car unicycle trailer for camping, weekend, boat or your sport, is designed specifically for sport inflatables and their packing dimensions. A sports dinghy with motor and accessories has convenient space. The Camping Friend is plugged with two pins in seconds on two mounted on the car connectors. The cover can be tightened depending on the loading height and gives the load a secure hold and protection.” 1 Camping-Freund trailer in the advertisement is known to exist.

Camping Freund, Literature

Manufactured in Germany by the A. Sommer company. The trailer could be purchased in the early to mid 1960’s for 350 DM (around $205). It appears as though this trailer will fold and rest up on the back of the tow vehicle similar to the Huckepack made by Calberlah, another German trailer.

A. Sommer

asommer

Todd Daley from Ontario Canada send us this. He found it in a bunch of papers he got with a VW kit car (’70 Ft Bonito) he acquired. If anybody might know the year of the car, it would help in dating the ad. There is no date of the brochure itself.
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Camping Freund, Literature

Photos of the Harris Manufacturing Company from the University of the Pacific Library, Collection number: MSS 312. Harris Manufacturing had such an impact on the Central Valley agriculture industry, UC Davis created the “Harris Collection” of documents, blue prints, and photos and more, Collection Number: MC135.
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Harris, Literature

Here I send you some pictures of my single wheel-trailer. Sorry but I don’t have any more information of it. I’m also just waiting for information form someone in Germany who told me he also owns a singlewheel-trailer of “Sommer”. When I get theses information I will send them to you. Owned by Christoph Weyers.

A. Sommer

Allstate 1st Gen – CrossCountry: A single wheel trailer appeared in the Sears 1939 Spring catalog, evidently its debut there. This model was called the “Cross Country,” a brand name it shared with a two-wheel trailer shown on the same page. It appears to have been in production only a year and a half. The catalog described it as having “Live Rubber Spring” suspension, touted as being longer lasting than metal coil springs. Its tongue arrangement was totally different from all later models, being straight pieces of metal sticking out of the front of the chassis and connected to the bumper by means of ball-and-socket couplings. (Extension arms could be bought if you needed more clearance between the car and the trailer.) The trailer, rated at 750 pounds of cargo capacity, sold for $36.95. It was made in Niles, Ohio unlike the “Cross Country” two-wheeled trailer which was made in Connorsville, Indiana. They appear to be identical to the “Yocar” trailer made by the Youngstown Steel Car Corporation in Niles, Ohio, sharing the same frames and the same caster assembly with a rubber mount used as a coil spring would be. My conclusion is that that it was this company which supplied Sears with their first single-wheel trailers. The chassis can be described as having a “Y within a Square” frame, with one brace connecting the arms of the Y and two more supporting the base of the Y at the point where the caster wheel assembly connects. The body is formed of wood panels within a steel frame, with a removable tailgate. It measured 54″ long, 42″ wide, and 11″ high, including flare boards. The trailer could also be purchased without the box for $33.50. The same trailer appeared in the Fall 1939 and Spring 1940 catalogs. (Info based on article written by John LaTorre – A Short History of Allstate Single-Wheel Trailers)

Allstate - CrossCountry, Yocar

CrossCountry

According to a brochure I found on E-bay, the Vagabond Coach Mfg. Co. of New Hudson Michigan built a Single Wheel trailer in the midst of building one of the most collectible travel trailers today. They started manufacturing travel trailers in 1931. The Single Wheel looks to have a uniquely designed trailer box. The only info I have, thus far on this trailer is this brochure which is far to small to actually read.

Vagabond Coach Mfg. Co.

Unikart
The Unikart Touring trailer was built by the Coleshill Engineeering Company Limited, Coleshill, Birmingham, UK. There is possibly a second Unikart trailer over in the UK, as we found a reference to it on the Steering Box Scrapers, but have yet to look further into it’s existence.

Unikart Touring

Trav-L-Boat
The Trav-L-Boat was manufactured by the company now known as Bardon Homes. It is unclear at which point in the companies history they made these trailers and under which corporate name they were built. The trailer is hinged in the middle and symmetrical between the two halves so that when the top is folded onto the bottom, it seals and latches closed. The wheel assembly is mounted to the back of the trailer which is abnormal when compared to standard single wheel trailers. “The New Trav-L-Boat – It’s a Trailer! – Built of marine plywood with all seams waterproof-glued, Trav-l-Boat has disconnectable, self-locking hinges on each gunwale, allowing bow half of the 14-foot boat to fold back upon the stern to make a 7-foot, streamlined covered trailer!” “The single-wheel caster has full 360-degree swing. Cantilever-type single-arm suspension with rebound spring eliminates road-hop at any speed. The caster is easily and quickly attached to boat-stern with only two slip-in-bolts. Two lever-controlled steel locking pins at bottom of center bulkheads lock the two sections rigidly together when in the water, and the same pins attach to a double car hitch when towed as a trailer. The double car hitch allows vertical play in the connection but no side-to-side sway whatever!” It’s 14′ long, together, with a 54-inch beam, and 18-inch depth in water. Will comfortably fit one to six people. Complete with caster, it weighs 275 lbs. The hardware is bronze, brass, and stainless steel.

Trav-L-Boat

Tralette
The Tralette Division of the Peninsular Metal Products Co. in Detroit Michigan built a single wheel and a two wheel version of these trailers. The two wheeled version was built for the back end of a motorcycle, while the single wheel was built for a car. On the single wheel version, they engineered a way around one of the key elements that make these trailers so functional, the swivel wheel. While they still only have one wheel, the wheel isn’t a caster wheel. In other words the wheel doesn’t turn the trailer, a complex system incorporated into the hitch makes this assembly very different from the others.

Tralette

Trail-Craft
In the early 1960’s, in the spring edition of Boating magazine, there was a small ad for the Trail-Craft Corp. boat featuring, sun deck, diving platform, duck blind, tent and trailer with a length of 9’4″, costing $499.50. Engineer/Inventor, Resta Sullivan Gregoire had found a way to pack an immense amount of features into such a small package. He had created a pontoon boat single wheel trailer that could not only handle up to a 10 HP engine, but could also sleep 4. He had attempted quite a few different endeavors one of which was the unsuccessful Trail-Craft. In the info I found about Mr. Gregoire, was an entire history write up of his life. Really great read if you have the time. He led a interesting life and was responsible for some great inventions. Below is family tree article I found about Resta. A great read about the life of a single wheel inventor.

Trail-Craft

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.

Tag-along