By the mid-1950s, trailer manufacturing was evolving (more or less behind the scenes) into two different classes . A smaller unit, 8 feet in width and roughly 20 feet in length, would eventually be known as the "travel trailer" or "RV" (recreational vehicle).
The sleek 1954 Airstream Flying Cloud was a high-end travel-type trailer.
Early versions of the "house trailer" or "mobile home" were also 8 feet in width but could extend for up to 50 feet. These rigs were becoming too large to be hauled by the family car.
A cut-away view shows the orientation of a mid-1950s house trailer. This model even includes a special space for that brand-new television set!
Drawing from the Milwaukee Sentinel
Click on image for a larger view
The Long & Short Of It: A Mobile Home Cavalcade, Part One
In 1946, mobile homes such as the PALACE COACH were being built in America. This rig measured 25 feet from tail end-to-tongue. It was 8 feet wide.
Click on image for a larger view
Here we see another "8-wide" coach. The classic 1950 SPARTANETTE was built by Oklahoma's Spartan Aircraft Company. It was a 30 footer.
Click on image for a larger view
As its name implied, the 1952 TRAVELO 26 was a 26 foot rig, with a width of 8. Even in the early '50s, this was quite a short and small trailer.
Click on image for a larger view
The COLONIAL line for 1954 included the 42 foot TOWN & COUNTRY model, whose side-to-side measurement was 8 feet.
Click on image for a larger view
Lastly, we present a beautiful 1956-vintage ALL STATES rig. For its time, the 8-wide ROCKET was an extraordinarily long trailer. It extended for 52 feet.
Click on image for a larger view
No comments:
Post a Comment