Mobil Glide Camp Trailer?

[Trex]

Found this on Craigslist in Medford Oregon... Does anyone have information on this make of trailer? I did a web search and didn't find anything. It's called a Mobil Glide, here is the photo that was posted on their CL listing.

[Kevin245]

Built by The American Manufacturing Company of Culver City, CA.

Here's a link with some information.

american_manufacturing_co [Tin Can Tourists Wiki]

[Trex]

Originally Posted by Kevin245

Built by The American Manufacturing Company of Culver City, CA.

Here's a link with some information.

american_manufacturing_co [Tin Can Tourists Wiki]

Kevin....Thanks again for the 411, looks like there are only 13 Moble glides know to man....wow. I wonder what kind of frame and axle one could buy and drop that old skin right down on it. Most likely a Custom made trailer frame would be my guess. No date on it, but it must be from the 1940's. Wish I had a great big workshop.... I would take that little baby on! Hopefully someone will make a save! 12'er like that, you made be able to use a like/new 12' haulmark & axle.

[Colin H]

I have one, & just moved it into the shop. If I get really lucky, I might even be able to spend my evenings & weekends tinkering with it. I plan to make it my "MobilGlide for my Electra Glide" It's super light & tows beautifully. It's rare to find an aluminum rivetted trailer from this era that is this small. It's 15' bumper to tongue with a 12' X 7' body. As the walls are more upright than an Airstream, the interior feels really big for a trailer this small. It'll polish up to a mirror finish too.
Colin

[Jewel65]

Cool! Just heard about this on the VAP. I look forward to hearing about the progress!

[ventport]

Trex the one you posted the pic of is in with the photos Kevin 245 posted, same trailer, same photo.

[Colin H]

Originally Posted by Jewel65

Cool! Just heard about this on the VAP. I look forward to hearing about the progress!

I stopped by the RV Hall of Fame on my way to Alumapalooza last summer & went through their research library & printed out assorted ads from magazines. Apparently they were only built in 46 & 47. During the disassembly process, I discovered that the skins are .025" thick Alclad, somewhat thinner than vintage Airstream's of .032" & much thinner than .040" of modern Airstream's, however modern Airstream's are not made of Alclad. This trailer will polish up just like vintage Airstream's do. Being somewhat squarer than Airstream's, coupled with the fact that the ribs are "hat" sections as opposed to "C" channels, the roof is very strong. I took it to the local scale after gutting the remains of the crude cabinetry out of it & it only weighed 860 lbs, incredibly light for a 15' trailer. It will get a new frame & torsion axle over the next few months. My goal is to make it as light as possible & still function as a modern travel trailer is expected to. I'm really quite curious to see what kind of gas mileage i'll be able to achieve behind my Saab 9-3. It's becoming quite an interesting project so far, & although it's not an Airstream, it may qualify as a "Silver Cousin"
Colin

[3Ms75Argosy]

What a cute trailer (as seen in the Wiki). Colin, were those corner segments just beat over a form to make? Seems pretty easy construction... I like it with the skirts over the wheels.

[Colin H]

Originally Posted by 3Ms75Argosy

What a cute trailer (as seen in the Wiki). Colin, were those corner segments just beat over a form to make? Seems pretty easy construction... I like it with the skirts over the wheels.

Believe it or not, the corner segments were "spun" then quartered. Years ago I worked in a machine shop making Highway Lamps, that were basically huge aluminum cans. I ran an Automatic Spinning machine, that looked kind of like a Lathe. You inserted a flat aluminum disc & a hydraulic clamp held the disc in place & it started to spin. Then a nylon roller moved over & started pushing the aluminum over a polished form. After several minutes of successive passes by the roller, the flat disc had turned into a large can. This was before the days of NC (numerical control) machines. The corner segments have slight roller marks in them, so I'm assuming they were made the same way, then quartered after the dome is complete. This was probably quite a revolutionary process in the trailer industry in 1946. Keep in mind that Airstream didn't start stretch forming the end segments until 1957.
You're right, it is kinda cute..............in a boxy kind of way. Other trailers of this period were quite crude in comparison. If anyone is interested, I will show the progress of this restoration through this thread.
Colin

[reinergirl]

Originally Posted by Colin H

If anyone is interested, I will show the progress of this restoration through this thread.
Colin

Count me in as interested! I'd really like to see how you're going to add a door in the back to get your motorcycle in!

[Colin H]

Originally Posted by reinergirl

Count me in as interested! I'd really like to see how you're going to add a door in the back to get your motorcycle in!

Creativity...................isn't that why your trailer is in my shop?
Colin

[TouringDan]

Originally Posted by reinergirl

Count me in as interested! I'd really like to see how you're going to add a door in the back to get your motorcycle in!

Colin

So you are going to make your own EB/Basecamp version of it. You could probably tow it with your Saab 9-3 with a small bike, not a Harley EG. Some vintage light Italian bike would be cool or a Vespa scooter.

Neat idea.

Dan

[Colin H]

Originally Posted by TouringDan

Colin

So you are going to make your own EB/Basecamp version of it. You could probably tow it with your Saab 9-3 with a small bike, not a Harley EG. Some vintage light Italian bike would be cool or a Vespa scooter.

Neat idea.

Dan

Hi Dan,
It won't be as stylish as a Basecamp, but it'll certainly be more versatile. I'm shooting for a completed dry weight of around 1200 lbs. I realize I'm being optimistic here, but I need to stay focused. My bike is a 750 lb Bagger, so assuming I hit the mark, the bike & stuff should be around 2200. My Saab has a tow capacity of 3500 lb & somewhat more than unexpected. Hopefully I'll end up with some wiggle room.
Colin

[TouringDan]

I am sure you will be fine. I assume your 9-3 is turbo charged. That is a nice motor in a very nice car.

I am not a jealous person, but I am jealous of you getting to design and fabricate your very own basecamp with which to tow your bike. I am sure that yours won't leak at the doors (unlike the Airstream design). I also happened to have been born in 46.

I really like the basecamp concept. It is just too bad that Airstream did not do a great job designing it plus there really was not enough demand for it. If it would have sold better, I suspect they would have improved the door seal design. I really like the basecamp idea, kind of a cross between an Airstream trailer and a tear drop; but yet you can carry a motorcycle in it.

I look forward to following this thread.

Dan

[Colin H]

Originally Posted by TouringDan

I am sure you will be fine. I assume your 9-3 is turbo charged. That is a nice motor in a very nice car.

I am not a jealous person, but I am jealous of you getting to design and fabricate your very own basecamp with which to tow your bike. I am sure that yours won't leak at the doors (unlike the Airstream design). I also happened to have been born in 46.

I really like the basecamp concept. It is just too bad that Airstream did not do a great job designing it plus there really was not enough demand for it. If it would have sold better, I suspect they would have improved the door seal design. I really like the basecamp idea, kind of a cross between an Airstream trailer and a tear drop; but yet you can carry a motorcycle in it.

I look forward to following this thread.

Dan

Yeah, the Saab is a 2.0 turbo with 210 hp & a 5 speed. It drives really nicely & gets great mileage. I purchased a 3500 lb hitch, then modified it to suit a 2" receiver. I can now use a WD hitch to maintain a level stance.
The Basecamp concept was a good one, but they strayed away from their core design & construction techniques, then they priced it beyond the market they were trying to capture. The interior was also pretty spartan & didn't offer what larger Airstream's had in the way of creature comforts. Door sealing has always been an "issue" throughout all RV production, & my trailer, being a "one off" will be even tougher to solve. The main difference will be that the rear door will be single, & it'll only be used occasionally, so the latch mechanism can be multipoint. Although my main goal is to carry the Harley, the interior space is also large enough to carry two 12' kayaks, or a couple of mountain bikes.
Colin

[3Ms75Argosy]

I for one would love to watch the construction of your trailer... can't wait to see more! Thanks too for the metal shaping history lesson.

Going for airbags for easy loading?
Marc

[Colin H]

Originally Posted by 3Ms75Argosy

I for one would love to watch the construction of your trailer... can't wait to see more! Thanks too for the metal shaping history lesson.

Going for airbags for easy loading?
Marc

No Airbags in the plan right now, however it will have a low floor, similar to what it has now. I'm going with a zero start angle torsion axle & 14" wheels. The original axle looks like a torsion axle with a shock, however it is actually a "trailing arm" angled up at about 30 degrees with an enclosed coil spring attached from the frame to the end of the arm. According to the ad I found in the Trail-R-News, May 1946, it is "Mounted on the "no-swing, no sway" Brunk Mobile Spring Chassis". By August the ad called it the "Famous Mobile Spring Axle". As the owner of American Mfg was Charles R Brunk, I would imagine it was an "in house" design. Although it still works & gives a very low floor, I won't be using it, as it doesn't have brakes & the load capacity is not what I will need.This system was used 15 years before Wally switched over to the rubber torsion axle. Mr Brunk was obviously a forward thinker, & as the trailer doesn't appear in advertisements after 1947, he obviously wasn't a promoter like Wally was.
In order to have a short ramp, I'll likely have to raise the tongue jack during loading.
Colin

[TouringDan]

Colin

Loading my Ducati in my Tundra is a lot tougher than it used to be to load it into my old TV, a GMC 3/4 ton van. Even though the Tundra is only 2wd, the bed is still really high, I really say the same height as 4wd.

With the weight of the Harley and the light weight of the trailer and it being a single axle, you may find that the Harley actually lifts the front of the trailer when loading. It all depends what your tongue weight is. I would love to be there to see you loading the Harley the first time.

Dan

[Colin H]

Originally Posted by TouringDan

Colin

Loading my Ducati in my Tundra is a lot tougher than it used to be to load it into my old TV, a GMC 3/4 ton van. Even though the Tundra is only 2wd, the bed is still really high, I really say the same height as 4wd.

With the weight of the Harley and the light weight of the trailer and it being a single axle, you may find that the Harley actually lifts the front of the trailer when loading. It all depends what your tongue weight is. I would love to be there to see you loading the Harley the first time.

Dan

Yeah, i'm sure the tongue will go up, which is why I wouldn't attempt this unless the trailer is still attached to the car. I have a flatbed car trailer, & road/ice raced watercooled VW's for many years, & have had a lot of experience loading cars onto trailers. The key is to stabilize the trailer as much as possible & make sure the bike won't bottom out going over the end of the ramp & into the trailer. I suspect it'll make things easier if I jack the tongue up, allowing the ramp angle to drop to the point it might be in line with the floor angle. It would also make sense to have rear stabilizers set as well. This might be a great debut for me on youtube
Colin

[reinergirl]

I volunteer to film it ! Lol