ivoryjohn
Senior Member
It was not my intention to start a hoax when I built the trailer but I seriously considered doing so when the State Of Mississippi so willingly offered to help. When I went to register my home built trailer the clerk at DMV asked what year the trailer was. I said I didn't know I guess this year, I just finished it. She said no, no, no....what year are the spindles? She obligingly put down 1930 home built utility trailer. Mississippi goes by spindle year for trailer year. Instant antique!
My original intent building the trailer was to build a Huckster Trailer I could take to Flea Markets and I could sleep in if I put a mattress in it. As I progressed with the build and planning I realized that with a little thought I could build something that could serve multiple purposes...Huckster Wagon...utility trailer...hospitality drink wagon on tours...camper or whatever my imagination could come up with.
I had seen the cute sales wagons and popcorn stands inside malls selling various stuff and thought that without the tongue my wagon could serve the same purpose or as a place to display information about the Model A hobby. With that in mind I made the tongue "A-frame" removable with four large 1-1/2' bolts. Without the tongue there is access to all four sides of the trailer with out the tongue getting in the way.
Three legs fit into sockets on the frame to make the trailer stable when not hooked up to the car and the tongue jack can be used as a trailer jack to lift both wheels off the ground in case of trouble or a flat on the trailer.
The camper bed center support and bed platform are easily removable and are held in place only by fit and key-ways. Everything for the camper fits in such a way that it all comes out or can be laid down to provide maximum room in the trailer bed with the parts to the camper still carried along. There is also 40" x 70" plywood picnic table with folding metal legs that slides in on rails screwed to the side of the trailer bed to be used camping or as a flea market table.
There is a green and white striped awning that extends all the way around the camper when the top is popped up. The hardware and tubes to hold it up are stowed in the center support of the camper bed.
The curved top is covered with standard cobra long grain material as is fitting for a 1930 trailer. The top is made of 1/4" oak plywood bent over oak frames. Many people have commented the rig looks like a coffin on wheels because of the oak woodwork. Laminated oak legs held together with 1"1/2" hinges make up the folding supports for the top. The top is fairly light and only one person is required to lift and fit the top into the up position. The side curtains slide into aluminum rails mounted along the top that also hold the awning when it is in use. It only takes 5 minutes to pop it up, install the cloth sides and climb in. There is a section of the bed mattress that is removable so you can sit on the bed with your feet down and the curtains closed. I can't stand up straight but I can dress easily inside without much trouble.
I thought I was original when I built my rig but in 1999 I saw an article about a gentleman in San Anglo, Tx that has a rig very similar to mine. I wrote him and we exchanged pictures. Not long before I had to sell my cars and trailer and commented that he was living my dream by traveling around slightly off the grid in his model A and trailer. On a tour last spring I saw a rig at the camp ground we were staying at in Natchez, Mississippi I recognized and realized it was the gentleman from San Angelo, thirteen years older but still traveling with his beautiful Coupe and pop-up trailer. We have reconnected and visited as old friends.
Two years ago I found and bought back my '29 Fordor but I couldn't locate the trailer or my beloved '29 Special Coupe. I thought both were lost to time.
A few weeks ago I was on a tour in Columbia, Mississippi and a friend pointed out that there was the fellow that bought my Coupe and Trailer. We negotiated over the weekend and the following week I bought back my trailer with the intention of finishing it as a multi-use Huckster wagon / camper.
Perhaps I will see fellow Barners on the road this winter. I'm leaving right after Thanksgiving to wander as I please following a dream come full circle.
My original intent building the trailer was to build a Huckster Trailer I could take to Flea Markets and I could sleep in if I put a mattress in it. As I progressed with the build and planning I realized that with a little thought I could build something that could serve multiple purposes...Huckster Wagon...utility trailer...hospitality drink wagon on tours...camper or whatever my imagination could come up with.
I had seen the cute sales wagons and popcorn stands inside malls selling various stuff and thought that without the tongue my wagon could serve the same purpose or as a place to display information about the Model A hobby. With that in mind I made the tongue "A-frame" removable with four large 1-1/2' bolts. Without the tongue there is access to all four sides of the trailer with out the tongue getting in the way.
Three legs fit into sockets on the frame to make the trailer stable when not hooked up to the car and the tongue jack can be used as a trailer jack to lift both wheels off the ground in case of trouble or a flat on the trailer.
The camper bed center support and bed platform are easily removable and are held in place only by fit and key-ways. Everything for the camper fits in such a way that it all comes out or can be laid down to provide maximum room in the trailer bed with the parts to the camper still carried along. There is also 40" x 70" plywood picnic table with folding metal legs that slides in on rails screwed to the side of the trailer bed to be used camping or as a flea market table.
There is a green and white striped awning that extends all the way around the camper when the top is popped up. The hardware and tubes to hold it up are stowed in the center support of the camper bed.
The curved top is covered with standard cobra long grain material as is fitting for a 1930 trailer. The top is made of 1/4" oak plywood bent over oak frames. Many people have commented the rig looks like a coffin on wheels because of the oak woodwork. Laminated oak legs held together with 1"1/2" hinges make up the folding supports for the top. The top is fairly light and only one person is required to lift and fit the top into the up position. The side curtains slide into aluminum rails mounted along the top that also hold the awning when it is in use. It only takes 5 minutes to pop it up, install the cloth sides and climb in. There is a section of the bed mattress that is removable so you can sit on the bed with your feet down and the curtains closed. I can't stand up straight but I can dress easily inside without much trouble.
I thought I was original when I built my rig but in 1999 I saw an article about a gentleman in San Anglo, Tx that has a rig very similar to mine. I wrote him and we exchanged pictures. Not long before I had to sell my cars and trailer and commented that he was living my dream by traveling around slightly off the grid in his model A and trailer. On a tour last spring I saw a rig at the camp ground we were staying at in Natchez, Mississippi I recognized and realized it was the gentleman from San Angelo, thirteen years older but still traveling with his beautiful Coupe and pop-up trailer. We have reconnected and visited as old friends.
Two years ago I found and bought back my '29 Fordor but I couldn't locate the trailer or my beloved '29 Special Coupe. I thought both were lost to time.
A few weeks ago I was on a tour in Columbia, Mississippi and a friend pointed out that there was the fellow that bought my Coupe and Trailer. We negotiated over the weekend and the following week I bought back my trailer with the intention of finishing it as a multi-use Huckster wagon / camper.
Perhaps I will see fellow Barners on the road this winter. I'm leaving right after Thanksgiving to wander as I please following a dream come full circle.
Bill W.