Early one wheel trailer

[Dave Mellor NJ]

By LowKat,#2219, Vintage shots of days gone by on HAMB. Looks like a sport coupe pulling it

Re: Vintage shots from days gone by!

 

[popcorn-guy]

Single wheel trailers.......treacherous. I barely remember our family moving from IL to CA in the mid 40's pulling a single wheel trailer with my mother driving and to avoid an accident on Rt 66 she hit the brakes as a last resort and the trailer turned upside down scattering our household goods all over the highway and into the fields. Witnesses stopped and help gather up what was left of them. Tore the mountings loose from the rear bumper. It left an image in my mind since then and will never have one of those things on my vehicle. Being to young to know anything about the construction of the trailer I don't know if it was a self steering style or not. Most likely as the front mounts held it stationary to the bumper as I remember it. We had a Chevy sedan approx. a 1936-38. My dad would recall that incident and was so glad that we had not gotten hurt in that incident. He never had another single wheel trailer as well.

It still amazes me that I remember that day as I was just approx. 1.5 to 2 yrs old. Definately engraved in my mind.

 

[Deluxe Delivery Don]

Those look like stablizers in the 3rd pic so the trailer would not tip? Just a thought.

 

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Single wheel trailers are actually coming back in style. As a kid in the 70's, I can remember several Model A owners in and around Texas having them while on tour. I actually have a couple myself (one an All-state and the other one a ??). They are actually very light duty as the gross carrying capacity is generally in the 500-750 lb. range. Do you think it is possible the trailer was grossly overloaded with household goods and that is what caused the mounts to rip out of the bumper?

 

[Keith True]

I have a couple of single wheel tent campers.I thought I would tow one behind an old car,(we used to tow it with a 36 HP VW) They are 1953 Heilite aluminum campers.The canvas is still intact in one,but is fragile.It was still in use by a friend until about 10 years ago,his family outgrew it.The other one is missing the canvas,He used that one as a utility trailer until he bought a truck.I'm going to sell them,I am never going to sleep out again.I never saw them being any more unsafe than any other light trailer.You just back up like a regular car,just with an overhang.Mine are so old they were not equipped with signal lights.I do have two hitches for them.

 

[Tacoma Bob]

I found a source a couple of years back that sells the mechanism and supplies the part numbers for the the the wheel,tire and bearings from northern tool.The swivel assembly ran about $175. I checked with the Washington State Patrol. The fellow I spoke with was not the "Go To" guy but thought it would be cool. Turn signals brk lights and plates would still be required though. Goggle Double Hitch Co. for the swivel info.

 

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

For dreaming about the old stuff:
http://www.singlewheel.com/


For looking at one or two of the newly manufactured single wheelers: http://www.cruiserlift.com/swivelwheel.html

http://www.smarttrailers.com/

The above two websites are why I was saying these trailers have made a come-back in popularity. I recently have seen a couple on the road (actually one was in a rest area) which caused me to make a closer inspection.

 

[400A-64]

Re; one wheel trailers

I have a rebuilt HARRIS MFG. Stockton,CA That was used by an electrician to mount a rack to house spools of various elect. wire for use on a job site.
I have a second HARRIS un-restored a future project??
I have Montgomery-Ward & Co. mfg by Selma Trailer Mfg. Co , Selma,CA unrestored
I also have a Sears-Roebuck..unrestored (frame only/no body).

Years ago a fellow from San Jose CA. travelled with us to Nashville and back. He was driving a SW Sedan He his Wife and young teenage daughter. Not a bit of trouble.
Bruce Davis a400usa@nccn.net