I'm sure you've seen lots of trailers like this, Gina - they just weren't used as RVs. What I think of as a "wagon" (yes, like a Radio Flyer) is basically the same thing as a common farmer's hay wagon (what Roger calls a "hay rack"?) or the second (and later) "
full trailer" units in a highway
A-train. Some companies make the hardware for nicer wagon setups, with proper steered front wheels like the one on eBay and the Argosy (instead of a pivoting
axle like the A-train dolly). I've even seen horse trailers in this format. I know what you mean, though: no one makes
travel trailers this way. I didn't realize that any had been commerically produced, other than the ones which were mentioned recently in the thread about British showman's caravans.
A
dinghy tow - a vehicle pulled on it's own four wheels behind another vehicle (such as a motorhome) with a tow bar - or a car on a steering tow dolly is effectively the same thing. The dinghy front wheels and some tow dolly wheels just caster, instead of being directly steered by the tow bar. I don't think there is any reason that these can't be very well behaved.
I have actually thought about this a bit, and I think it would be a great way to do a large trailer to go with a tow vehicle which has lots of traction (no help from tongue weight!) but is not good for vertical load capacity at the hitch. An example might be a short-wheelbase but heavy all-wheel-drive SUV. No weight-distributing hitch or sway control required.
The wagon setup should be easy on the tow vehicle, stable (if the steering is properly damped), and have no problem with dragging the rear end (departure angle). On the down side, it would follow a significantly tighter line in turns (great curb-bashing potential). Although the seller says:
Quote:
It backs up just about like any travel trailer.
|
I have my doubts...
In the end, I think the biggest factor is that change is not seen as good in trailers, and this is just way too [b]radical.