Post by Teachndad on Aug 1, 2018 12:02:21 GMT -8
Hi Friends,
Do tongue trailers count?
CL - San Francisco Bay Area
Very rare Winchester tongue dolly showed up on CL. While it's a trailer for sale, I find the history kind of cool.
sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/tro/d/vintagewinchester-travel/6656531115.html
Below is the text from the ad which included the history so it can be seen when the post gets deleted off CL.
I will add photos later unless someone can get to it first.
Here is one, though based on a link.
I do have a question. Did this offer to not sag the rear end of cars when they towed the larger trailers?
Cheers,
Rod
VINTAGE 1940, 1950 - WINCHESTER TRAVEL TRAILER TONGUE DOLLY
This is a rare and obscure vintage travel trailer accessory from the early Post WWII era, a Winchester Backable Dolly. THIS IS A PROJECT needing COMPLETE restoration! This trailer dolly would only be of interest to someone with a serious interest in historic vintage travel trailers made before the early 1950's
This Winchester trailer dolly is something that would have been used on large to medium size trailers in the 1940's. A similar trailer dolly (a Slimp) can be seen (very briefly) in the 1954 Lucille Ball / Desi Arnaz movie, The Long Long Trailer. The purpose of a trailer dolly was to allow a standard car of the time to tow a fairly large trailer.
In my internet search I have found very little about the Winchester trailer dolly. I wouldn't be surprised if this eventually turned out to be the only known surviving example. I found a patent filed in 1947 by the same designer for a more sophisticated trailer dolly design, but it varies considerably from this one. I also found a smattering of classified ads from between 1946 and 1948 offering both new and used Winchester Backable Dollys for sale. The hitch is a Berluti Mfg. Snapping Turtle Coupler, patent filed in 1939.
The dolly mounts with 4 bolts to the bottom of the trailer's "A" frame. The wheel assembly pivots on a vertical axis, and twists on a longitudinal axis. The tongue assembly with the hitch pivots on a horizontal axis. As such there is no twisting force between the dolly and the trailer frame, and all trailer tongue weight is on the dolly's wheels. Thus, there is no weight transferred to the ball hitch on the tow vehicle. Suspension is a pair of leaf springs. The dolly measures about 52" long, 36" wide, and 16 1/2" tall to the top of the mount.
In order to back up, two pins had to first be inserted into the vertical pivot plate, thus locking it straight so that the dolly wouldn't jackknife when backing. As such only minor turning could be accomplished when backing.
This trailer dolly is in need of complete restoration. Again, IT IS A PROJECT! A former owner turned it into a utility trailer as some point in its life. A small platform made of angle iron had been added, and part of the tongue pivot had been welded so that it could no longer pivot. I cut off the platform and you can see the 4 stubs that remain, yet to be ground smooth. You can also see where the tongue pivots were welded. One would need to grind out the welds on the tongue pivot (and maybe V them out some), and then break it free with a big hammer or similar force.
I am in the city of Napa and you will have to come here to see it.
I am also planning to attend Trailerfest in Plymouth California September 27th.
IF I have not sold the dolly by then I will plan to bring it there.
Please include your phone number in your message to me and I will call you back.
No phone number in your message, no reply from me. I do not answer emails from Craigslist replies, and texting is very difficult for me now. So please, plan to communicate with me by phone as much as possible.
Me talking again - Here is another thread on a slimp dolly. vintagetrailertalk.freeforums.net/thread/6105/long-trailer-new-moon-display It's got a picture in it of the slimp dolly from "The Long Trailer".
Do tongue trailers count?
CL - San Francisco Bay Area
Very rare Winchester tongue dolly showed up on CL. While it's a trailer for sale, I find the history kind of cool.
sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/tro/d/vintagewinchester-travel/6656531115.html
Below is the text from the ad which included the history so it can be seen when the post gets deleted off CL.
I will add photos later unless someone can get to it first.
Here is one, though based on a link.
I do have a question. Did this offer to not sag the rear end of cars when they towed the larger trailers?
Cheers,
Rod
VINTAGE 1940, 1950 - WINCHESTER TRAVEL TRAILER TONGUE DOLLY
This is a rare and obscure vintage travel trailer accessory from the early Post WWII era, a Winchester Backable Dolly. THIS IS A PROJECT needing COMPLETE restoration! This trailer dolly would only be of interest to someone with a serious interest in historic vintage travel trailers made before the early 1950's
This Winchester trailer dolly is something that would have been used on large to medium size trailers in the 1940's. A similar trailer dolly (a Slimp) can be seen (very briefly) in the 1954 Lucille Ball / Desi Arnaz movie, The Long Long Trailer. The purpose of a trailer dolly was to allow a standard car of the time to tow a fairly large trailer.
In my internet search I have found very little about the Winchester trailer dolly. I wouldn't be surprised if this eventually turned out to be the only known surviving example. I found a patent filed in 1947 by the same designer for a more sophisticated trailer dolly design, but it varies considerably from this one. I also found a smattering of classified ads from between 1946 and 1948 offering both new and used Winchester Backable Dollys for sale. The hitch is a Berluti Mfg. Snapping Turtle Coupler, patent filed in 1939.
The dolly mounts with 4 bolts to the bottom of the trailer's "A" frame. The wheel assembly pivots on a vertical axis, and twists on a longitudinal axis. The tongue assembly with the hitch pivots on a horizontal axis. As such there is no twisting force between the dolly and the trailer frame, and all trailer tongue weight is on the dolly's wheels. Thus, there is no weight transferred to the ball hitch on the tow vehicle. Suspension is a pair of leaf springs. The dolly measures about 52" long, 36" wide, and 16 1/2" tall to the top of the mount.
In order to back up, two pins had to first be inserted into the vertical pivot plate, thus locking it straight so that the dolly wouldn't jackknife when backing. As such only minor turning could be accomplished when backing.
This trailer dolly is in need of complete restoration. Again, IT IS A PROJECT! A former owner turned it into a utility trailer as some point in its life. A small platform made of angle iron had been added, and part of the tongue pivot had been welded so that it could no longer pivot. I cut off the platform and you can see the 4 stubs that remain, yet to be ground smooth. You can also see where the tongue pivots were welded. One would need to grind out the welds on the tongue pivot (and maybe V them out some), and then break it free with a big hammer or similar force.
I am in the city of Napa and you will have to come here to see it.
I am also planning to attend Trailerfest in Plymouth California September 27th.
IF I have not sold the dolly by then I will plan to bring it there.
Please include your phone number in your message to me and I will call you back.
No phone number in your message, no reply from me. I do not answer emails from Craigslist replies, and texting is very difficult for me now. So please, plan to communicate with me by phone as much as possible.
Me talking again - Here is another thread on a slimp dolly. vintagetrailertalk.freeforums.net/thread/6105/long-trailer-new-moon-display It's got a picture in it of the slimp dolly from "The Long Trailer".
