utility trailers of the era
 

i'm not getting something right in my search query - but i'm sure there's at least one thread.

Q: how did we tow in 1940 [give or take a few years]

mostly interested in hitch & receivers as well as trailer construction.

thanks

s.e.

Re: utility trailers of the era
 

Found this, I think back in the day it was either bumper tow or homemade hitches.
https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showt...wing&showall=1

Re: utility trailers of the era
 

hmmm... so whatever i cobble should be chained to the cobbler.

Re: utility trailers of the era
 

Military surplus trailers were popular. Sears had some under the name David-Bradley. I've also heard of a Ben-Hur line sold by other stores.

Re: utility trailers of the era
 

In the 50's My dad had a shop-built trailer that my grandad made, using a salvage axle from a ford pickup. Probably an F1, which had a straight axle similar to the cars, but with longitudinal springs. A towing tongue was welded to the straight axle with triangulated braces of some sort. The trailer bed was about 4'X8' and was attached directly to the axle using a wooden framework and U-bolts to attach. Rough cut oak was used for the trailer bed and sides, which were about 12" high. Tail gate was removable. An army surplus pup tent fit pretty well for my brother and I to use as a makeshift camper.

We used that trailer for everything from gravel/sand to tobacco and hay hauling. It was usually attached to our '51 F1 pickup or the old '46 Case super C tractor with a 5/8" hitch pin similar to those still sold at TSC. Bumper hitch had a hole with no ball.

Al Hook

Re: utility trailers of the era
 

sounds like a perfect set up.

thanks for sharing.

s.e.

Re: utility trailers of the era
 

I had one of these neat Mullin's trailers but sold it a long time ago.

https://search.brave.com/search?q=mu...cd34065c8a95dd

https://cdn.rmsothebys.com/f/0/8/7/b...77c55f56e.webp

SE, all these requests but you haven't shown us what you're actual doing with this. Please share.

Thanks

Re: utility trailers of the era
 

When I was kid (in the '40's), my dad built a trailer. The frame was almost entirely Model "T" Ford. He used the front half of the frame and the front axle (complete with wood-spoke wheels). The frame was bent in and came to a point where the hitch was welded on. The box was about 4X6 and made out of wooden planks with 2X4 framing. Back in those days, a lot of folks had little one-wheel trailers that attached to the rear bumper on two places. When I tried to find a picture of one of these, they were ALL behind Volkswagens. (It must be a cult thing these days). My dad made fun of those guys, because he had a "real trailer". I remember that he had to change to some disk wheels after one of his wood spokes "went south" under a heavy load. He bitched for years that those wheels "cost more than the whole damn trailer".

Re: utility trailers of the era
 

I have an old cast bumper hitch here some where just like the one GB has on the back of the woody IIRC, I've seen it here in one of his photo postings. No idea where mine is, I moved and I'm not very good at it.

I would search "vintage trailer hitch" on ebay, I'm sure lots will show up

Re: utility trailers of the era
 

storing information & learning

Re: utility trailers of the era
 

And....here's my 1947 "modernistic"

Re: utility trailers of the era
 

Re: utility trailers of the era
 

Storing for what please? You mention "modeling" ???

Re: utility trailers of the era
 

Storing for what please? You mention "modeling" ???

Re: utility trailers of the era
 

I had one for those red CRXs just like yours, bought new when living and working in Texas. Great car especially with suspension mods and headers I put on :-) Super AC too.

Nice trailer!

Glenn

Re: utility trailers of the era
 

I love my CRX Glenn. This is the "HF" model, stands for high fuel. Rated at 55 MPG when new, and at 265k I still get over 50 on the hwy. She's not happy pulling the trailer though, local trips only

Re: utility trailers of the era
 

Yes, a great little car!

I went for the "LF" model :-)
I had it up to 115MPH a couple of times in my younger days :eek:

Re: utility trailers of the era
 

Rambler spindles bolt on to steel flanges. Newc

Re: utility trailers of the era
 

I concur with earlier post on military surplus. Both Willys and Bantam used military tubs and frames and sold trailers under the SPEN and Bantam names. Some trailers were marketed through Sears stores. The military trailers would have the lunette eye and would be connected to a military pintle hitch. The civilian models would have a bolted on Fulton coupler in a under 2" ball size, something like 1 7/8'" The SPEN and Bantam trailers are very popular with the early jeep CJ collectors. The jeeps would have a simple bent plate and ball attached directly to the rear crossmembers.
My current military staff car project would never be expected to tow a trailer, but with the gravel and stone guard and the distance from the rear bumper to the nearest weight bearing cross member would be prohibitive, IMO. So I would look at some sort of direct bumper mount.


I don't hink many trailers were used in the civlian marketplace in that time frame and lead to the creation of the station wagon, panel truck and eventually, the SUV. If you needed to tow a trailer, presume it would involve a pick up truck with ball mounted directly into rear bumper as in modern pick up trucks.


I have several of the lunette eye shafts where the eye loop has been cut off and a Fulton coupler welded on to use a military trailer, casting, landing leg and safety chains on a modern ball. Good 'ol Bubba.

Re: utility trailers of the era
 

I'd forgotten that, but they were great to make trailers with. You could use them to make "dropped axles", too. You just had to be sure that you use thick enough plate and gusset it properly when doing so. Ungusseted 1/4' plate ain't thick enough; ask me how I know.

Re: utility trailers of the era
 

When I was a kid in N Seattle, one of my neighbors had a little trailer that I think came from the Western Auto store. It had two special hitches which clamped to the rear bumper and a single caster wheel centered at the rear. Musta been super easy to back up, but don't forget it's back there when turning tight corners.... On another note, a friend tells of how his dad rented a travel trailer for a family vacation and on his first backing attempt managed to stab a tailfin from their '58 belvedere clean through the trailer's front panel. Back to early utility trailers, I have two here. One that looks professionaly made from a Ford tonner rear axle with the diff sawn out and sleeved, and another with an 8 lug front axle from a 50's 3/4 ton chevy. I will get pics of them after dinner.

Re: utility trailers of the era
 

The "One-Wheel" trailers are what I was talking about. We used to see a lot of them in the early and mid-fifties. I haven't seen one forever, but they seem to be a big deal with the vintage VW crowd these days.

Re: utility trailers of the era
 

I remember those one wheel jobbers, Seem to remember they had some kinda trailing arm suspension on the one wheel, like an old BMW earls fork

Re: utility trailers of the era
 

I made one from The back half of a '47? Stude pickup. It made a better trailer than the complete truck ever was.

Re: utility trailers of the era
 

I just may win the 'white trash award' this month with these two beauties, but it's worth noting the creativity in the fabrication of the fenders. Imagine the extra hand work just to give them a pleasing profile. Both sets of fenders are 1/8" steel, one from diamond plate and the other are hot dipped galvey. The tonner trailer has an incredible pack of springs, underslung for low center of gravity, and a tailgate at each end. HUH? It also has vacuum boosted juice brakes, the booster mounted below the bed. The box is 7 1/2' x 4'.The 7.00 x 17 goodyears have not so much as a hairline crack. They were on the rear of my 38 tonner I bought 30 years ago. Notice the chrome yellow paint under the red. Dealer demonstrator yellow like Revenski's. EDIT: I stand corrected. The axle tube is just a tube. It is welded to 3/4" plate offsets then up to the tonner's hubs/brakes/backing plates. The drive axles were replaced by simple steel covers bolted to the hubs.

Re: utility trailers of the era
 

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...4&d=1752804779

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...5&d=1752804798

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...6&d=1752804826

Re: utility trailers of the era
 

I just thought I'd post one of the most important trailer building rules for those not aware of it : "The longer the tongue on a trailer, he easier it is to maneuver".

Re: utility trailers of the era
 

very true Denny, even on semi trailers, the longer they are the easier to navigate.

On GB's post, I'll bet Red Green could tell us why 2 tailgates is a must have

Also, GB...I think you have a photo on file of the vintage cast bumper hitch on your woody.
Could we see it again? typical of the era, and I think I have a twin...but where?

Re: utility trailers of the era
 

What a great era! I truly miss those trailer days.

Re: utility trailers of the era
 

please. missed the first time around.

thanks,

sid

Re: utility trailers of the era
 

Here's that clamp on trailer hitch. It is stamped not cast. Maybe someday I'll paint my bumper, but my son and I will have to go to the track get a new sticker. No hobie stickers on this wagon... I go outa my way to not be confused for a surfer.

Re: utility trailers of the era
 

Re: utility trailers of the era
 

excellent; thanks so much.

cowabunga!

sid

Re: utility trailers of the era
 

Thank you Pete and 'cowabunga dude' Sid. Skip, I know I have 'another strap on' hitch, if your's was lost in the shuffle I'll send it to you. (If I can find it.)

Re: utility trailers of the era
 

Well, don't bet on my memory in Vegas, odds would be low. I have an old clamp on type bumper hitch that is cast, MFR data cast in, god knows where it is in my new mess, but I know I've seen the exact hitch here. Sorry for the fuss GB, but that photo I'm thinking of must be in another thread about vintage hitches. Its here some where! Carry on....

Re: utility trailers of the era
 

That hitch doesn’t look like it would be to hard to make. I got an idea for a frame hitch on my Shoebox, that uses the bumper too. But, I don’t think it applies here. My Dad built a “pop-up” camper from a Popular Mechanics issue about 60yrs ago. Slept six of us. Some of the homemade “utility/camper” trailers you see on-line look really well done. Like Lawrie’s caravan………Mark

Re: utility trailers of the era
 

Going through some pics today and found these on a hitch that came on my 1947 Packard Clipper. I'm sure not factory, so Bubba at some point in time. But some pics of what he came up with.

Re: utility trailers of the era
 

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...3&d=1753319508

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...4&d=1753319508

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...5&d=1753319508

Re: utility trailers of the era
 

seems all of the forces which could come into play are not considered when some of these gizmos are fabricated.

chain being only strong as the weakest link and all.

Re: utility trailers of the era
 

Here are some pics of a Bantam T3C that I played with a few months ago. This was the WWII jeep parts made by Bantam that they used for civilian trailers. Added tail gate by cutting rear panel and installing reinforcement. No hand brake and Fulton coupler instead of military lunette eye.