SingleWheel.com
Welcome to SingleWheel.com. This is your information source for single wheel trailers from the 40's, 50's and 60's, Allstate and Heilite to name a couple. The intention of this site is to be the most comprehensive, informational single wheel trailer site on the internet. If you have any information, pictures, or anything else send an email.

What is a single wheel trailer?

A single wheel trailer is a trailer that has only one wheel supporting it.
A trailer is usually defined as having one or two axles and having two wheels per axle. These conventional trailers attach to the vehicle towing them, at one point, the trailer hitch and ball. Single wheel trailers have only one wheel. The trailer attaches to the tow vehicle using a special hitch, which attaches at two points to the vehicle, not just one.

Trailer tracking

On a conventional trailer, when the tow vehicle turns, the trailer follows at a reduced radius. This is because the pivot point between the tow vehicle and the trailer is the hitch and ball. Think of a semi truck making a right turn in front of you. The truck (tow vehicle) must go very wide around a turn because the rear most wheels of the trailer follow at a much reduced turn radius. If the tow vehicle doesn't go wide enough around the turn, it will collide with what ever is at the inside of the turn (i.e. curb, stop sign, pedestrian, your car etc.). Thus the signs on the back of most semis "This vehicle makes wide right turns."

Single wheel trailers, on the other hand, are the opposite. They turn wider than the tow vehicle. How is this possible? A large castor wheel. Think of the front wheel of a shopping cart at the grocery store. These front wheels are capable of spinning all the way around. This same concept is the way the wheel on a single wheel trailer steers. It has the capability to rotate all the way around. The wheel must perform this way because unlike the conventional two wheeled trailer, that pivots at the hitch and ball, the single wheel trailer pivots at the wheel itself.

Hitches

So what keeps if from tipping over? On a two wheel trailer, the side to side balance is not an issue because there is a wheel (or two) on either side. Single wheel trailers have just one and only One wheel, so what keeps them from just falling over...A special hitch is used.(See Below) The hitch is attached to the vehicle at two points and is only able to pivot up and down not left and right. These hitches attach to the vehicle in a couple of different ways. The bumper clamp hitches came in two types. The first, have an adjustable jaw type of clamp that attaches to the bumper on the top and bottom Carl sent me some great pics of the clamps that came with his trailer. See below. (Left Pic from Randy Pickton, other two from Carl.)
Pic from Randy Pickton Pic from Carl Pic from Carl
Click Pics to enlarge!!!
The other type of bumper clamp attachment is seen below. This type of hitch clamps on either side to the bracket holding the bumper on. This hitch type is very favorable as they can be left in place when not towing your trailer and hardly seen. (Notice the last picture. The standard trailer hitch protrudes past the bumper, but the single wheel hitch is hardly seen in the picture.) By attaching this way, there wasn't any modification to the vehicle required. (Kurt thanks for the great Pics)

Click Images to enlarge!!!!