Trail Feather camper, who's heard of one?

[Roly Nelson]

I came across a Trail Feather, TTT at the Spamboree and was surprised to see how it functions. It has a double bed across the rear, a compact galley inside at the front and with the flick of an outside lever, the plywood floor between the bed and the galley would lower right down to the ground, and when flipped up again, it was ready for the road.

The footwell had canvas sides and after stepping over the door frame, you could stand up in it. Total height of the entire trailer was about 6 ft. Has anyone ever seen one or have any info on who built it, where and when? I thought It was a good idea, and am surprised more homebuilts don't have that feature. Just think, stand up straight and no higher than a normal standard teardrop with 4 ft sides.
Roly

[angib]

The idea makes a lot of sense as the drop floor is in a sheltered position, so making it waterproof-enough is fairly easy.

But this means it's time for the annual repost of this photo from an old trailer site (Iowa Boys, maybe?) of an all-metal drop floor pretty much like Roly is describing (except this one doesn't rest on the ground in use):



Lifting the handle running across the back and swinging it forward drops the moveable floor only about 8-10" from the looks of the mechanism.

Andrew

[emiller]

yep I looked at that trailer several times at the Spamboree.

[cuyeda]

[Arne]

Verrrry nice.....

[dmb90260]

It is a tiny pull and it has most of what you need, the dropped floor is very sweet. I believe it was for sale but no one was there when I was and no price was posted

[Rigsby]

Dont you just hate it when somebody posts pictures that give you headache inducing ideas, and the urge to go into the garage and make a few alterations while the idea is fresh

[navigator]

Cliff, any more pictures? Especially of the floor drop mechanism? And do you know how it works? Those are great, thanks!

The Scotty I'm working over has a fixed drop floor, but I would be interested in making it movable so I can maintain ground clearance when traveling (dirt roads...) and have more headroom when camping.

Dennis, your link does not work ("group does not exist...").

[cuyeda]

Cliff, any more pictures? Especially of the floor drop mechanism? And do you know how it works?

No, sorry, these are the only photos I have for this one. If originally it had a mechanism like Andrew's photo, this one did not seem to have it. Or at least from what I believe. I reached in to touch the flooring, and believe this trailer just had canvas type skirting around the drop floor. There could have been a rigid frame, but I did not explore the sides of it. The owner was not there at the time. The floor rested on the ground.

[Dean in Eureka, CA]

...and with the flick of an outside lever, the plywood floor between the bed and the galley would lower right down to the ground, and when flipped up again, it was ready for the road.

Had to be some kind of mechanism...

[Roly Nelson]

Thanks for the great pics and info regarding the Trail Feather. The mechanism seemed pretty simple, but sure looked like heavy duty angle iron and operates very smoothly. The fellow that owns it is having a Vintage RV Gathering at Lake Casitas, CA, April 24 -26, 2009. His name is Craig Fraki, in Maricopa and the number on the flyer is 805-895-6977.

Perhaps he can give you a rundown on how it operates, or, if you are in the area, he probably will have it at the Gathering. This was really a well-kept trailer, all shined up and Craig was very proud to show it to me. I plan to attend his event, since it will be my first trip out in my newly reconditioned 6' 4" x 10' Kenskill Standy with the completely brand new interior
Roly

[navigator]

I sent Craig an e-mail, here is his reply:

It's a scissor type of design. I haven't actually studied it that closely. I will take some pictures when I get a chance. It's all covered and in storage at the moment. You are welcome to come by and see it if you are near Ojai California.

Found one on craigslist in San Diego, the ad is pulled but this was lingering on Google...

Polished 1959 Trail Feather *Rare TEARDROP / CANNED HAM Travel TrailerThis is the only surviving Trail Feather that I can find anywhere. It's the lightest trailer ever made with a stand-up interior kitchen.

Sep 26, 2008 Polished 1959 Trail Feather *Rare TEARDROP / CANNED HAM Travel Trailer - $9800 ( SD County).

[navigator]

Craig's Trail Feather has been sold. He sent me a scan of the ad, and a shot of the drop floor. This is the other side of the ad seen above.





The ad shows a G. D. Boldway as the probable inventor, and I found someone by that name living in CA from May 1933 - March 1964. Could explain why there was only one...

[redjeepgal]

Hey! Thanks for posting the pics and the ad! We just picked up / rescued a 1960 Trail Feather yesterday - plan to restore her. Earlier posts mentioned there only being one - not the case. This one was originally purchased in NY around 2005 (we picked up in Florida), and there is also one in Live Oak, FL area. I'm aware of 3 or 4... still very rare. When we get to work on the mechanism for the drop lift, we'll be sure to post some pictures here. The previous owner already restored the trailer frame pretty much, but we haven't been able to get to the drop to check for smooth operation yet. There isn't much information out there so I was really excited to see the ad on here that showed the layout of the Trail-Feather.

[navigator]

Here's the front of the ad...