Need Help Identifying this Fiberglass Travel Trailer

[Joe Balla]

Joe I actually have the issue of Popular Mechanics that is referenced above. At that time I was not into the "egg thing" but bought the magazine because of the plans for the sailboat that was in that issue. The article mentions that the price for the 5th wheel is $9,200.00 which was a real piece of change in 1981 !! p.s. I am pretty sure that the "Gremlin" is actually a VW Quantum Lee

Wow, Lee. Would you care to part with that PM issue? Great "get" on the VW ! Let me know if you'd like to sell me the PM issue.

Best,
JB

[Joe Balla]

Nice find Joe. I am curious about one thing...the wheels look very contemporary, was any part of the unit restored or is this all original?

Hi Mike,

Everything seems to be original. The wheels are likely the only thing that are probably not. They are just the standard 14" trailer wheels.

Best,
JB

[Pam Garlow]

Joe,

Do you have specs on the trailer such as length, overall hgt, inside clg hght, and most importantly, the tow weight? Also wondering as to the electrical system.

[Raya]

Joe,

Do you have specs on the trailer such as length, overall hgt, inside clg hght, and [b]most importantly, the tow weight? Also wondering as to the electrical system.

The PM article says 1375#. However (as you probably know), there's really no way to be sure unless you weigh an individual trailer, and as rule they (meaning, many brands) have tended to weigh more than spec even right off the lot and/or "empty."

If you're at all close in capacity with your tow vehicle, or you want to know, I would say "weigh it."

Raya

[Pam Garlow]

No worry about towing. I guess the body of the trailer would be similar length to a Burro's(since the overall length is 14ft). Still wondering about inside hgt to ceiling.
Its always fun to see a new trailer stye!

[Donna D.]

Hi: Donna D... Is this another brand to add to the Album???
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

Yep, and I've asked Joe to send me the pictures.

[Joseph Domingos]

Hey All,
I actually looked at a rig just like this locally about 4 yrs ago. The owner did not know the brand name, and it was not visible anywhere on the rig. Though the one I looked at was less nicely equipped, no refrigerator, it was otherwise very similar. I think the biggest identifying factor is the split front window. Anyway, I ended up not buying it, but had never seen another like it until now. Nice to learn more about it, even after the fact.
GREAT pics for us all to see as well, congrats on such a great find!
Joe

[Paul Chet]

too cool!!!!! this is quite an interesting find indeed!

sorry to stray however, but that 1981 edition was a blast to read through! thanks to whomever posted the initial link. wow ... did people do anything besides smoke back then (since i was only 10, i wasn't into it yet)? of course they didn't just smoke, they drank gin!

anyway, i was pouring over the pages and tucked away on page 20 was a small Burro advert! how cool is that?




best of luck with the Condo! its such a wonderful find.

[Lee Senn]

Joe As relates to the issue of Popular Mechanics, here is the problem. Unfortunately in the households of some of the 70 plus group (or at least the household of Lee and Norma, members of said group) there is considerable difference in "have" and "can locate". I will do some exploration in our garage and If I can locate it, it's yours. I will keep you posted. Lee

[Joe Balla]

Joe As relates to the issue of Popular Mechanics, here is the problem. Unfortunately in the households of some of the 70 plus group (or at least the household of Lee and Norma, members of said group) there is considerable difference in "have" and "can locate". I will do some exploration in our garage and If I can locate it, it's yours. I will keep you posted. Lee

Thank you, Lee. Don't trouble yourself too much please. If you can put your hands on it...great, but if not...no worries. I am grateful for the offer. Many thanks.
Best,
JB

[DonDeutsch]

Great tailer! Question? I have ever seen a 20 bottle mounted this way. It must be a special tank to draw gas and not liquid, Right?

[Joe Balla]

Great tailer! Question? I have ever seen a 20 bottle mounted this way. It must be a special tank to draw gas and not liquid, Right?

Hello Don,

That is a good question and one I cannot answer. I wonder if anyone else can chime in on this. I do know that one can purchase horizontal mount tanks on the vintage trailer supply website...I assume this is made for the horizontal tank. It does have special brackets welded on the hitch to support the tank.

Best,
JB

[Mike and Sarah K]

Hello Don,

That is a good question and one I cannot answer. I wonder if anyone else can chime in on this. I do know that one can purchase horizontal mount tanks on the vintage trailer supply website...I assume this is made for the horizontal tank. It does have special brackets welded on the hitch to support the tank.

Best,
JB

Some cylinders ARE designed to lie horizontally for RV's and forklifts. If you look at these cylinders closely, you will see that the relief valve is mounted in the upper portion of the vapour space so that it will not vent liquid. The service valves on these tanks has a tube inside that curves upward to the top of the vapour space for the same reason.


Too make a long story short...Any appliance like a BBQ or stove that might be commected to a normal 20LB cylinder should have the cylinder always in an upright position!

A propane cylinder contains liquid and vapour. We only fill cylinders with liquid to 80% to allow room for the propane to grow if the temperature increases. This is done because we don't want liquid to be in contact with the relief valve, which is built into the service valve. If the relief valve were to vent due to an overpressure situation, it will vent vapour. Not necessarily something we want to happen, but if it does, we have a bit of propane vapour in the air. One of the properties of propane that you must be aware of, is that propane expands 277 times when it changes state from a liquid to a vapour! So if the cylinder is on it's side and vents liquid, that little bit of liquid just made a VERY LARGE amount of propane vapour!

[Gina D.]

Horizontal tanks are common, if not the norm, in motorhomes. Mine has one. They are always tucked under the MH so you never actually see them. Thats no doubt why it *seems* like they are unusual.

Bardys Geographic trailer has them.