The history of Trailmobile trailers dates back to the late 1800s. While the brand has been owned by many different companies, it has always been a name that represented robust engineering and forward-thinking innovation. This Trailmobile story will give you insight into its past, as well as the recent hardships and rebirth under Manac’s ownership.
Trailmobile forerunner
The Trailmobile Company has its roots in the days of horse-drawn carriages and vehicles. A man named Daniel M. Sechler worked as a carriage manufacturer in the 1840s and opened a couple of carriage shops between that time and 1879 when he incorporated Sechler and Company. They quickly became one of the largest car manufacturers in the world. By the end of the century, motor vehicles had begun to develop and the company needed to consider a new direction for growth. It was an employee named John Endebrock who realized that there was a future in trailers for the new cars and trucks that were being invented. In 1915, they introduced their trailer as the Trailmobile, which was meant to go behind a car, and changed its name to The Trailmobile Company.
Invention of the fifth wheel
One of Trailmobile’s great innovations was engineering the fifth wheel to facilitate coupling and uncoupling of the trailer from the vehicle. This concept was patented in 1919 after several years from Endebrock looking for an easier solution to couple and unhitch the trailer, similar to how train cars lock together and then easily separate. Before this invention, it took three men and jacks to unhitch the trailer. After the introduction of the fifth wheel design, which has changed very little to this day, only one man was able to complete the task.
Trailmobile grows and changes
WWI and WWII required Trailmobile to build thousands of specialized trailers to meet the military needs of that era. It also established the Trailmobile brand as a trusted builder of quality trailers. Between the two wars and in the years after, the company merged with other truck manufacturers and was sold to different corporations. The name was changed for several years and then changed in 1944 due to the respected name that Trailmobile had developed over the years. The company eventually became known as Trailmobile Canada Limited in the 1990s.
Recession Blows
Tough economic times created by a massive recession that began around 2007 had a major impact on the trucking and shipping industries. Trailmobile Canada Limited was unable to weather the storm and was forced to file for final bankruptcy in 2009. Manac purchased the company’s assets to expand its number of commercial trailer offerings, and recently the Trailmobile brand has been resurrected with the reintroduction of Manac Inc of the Trailmobile UltraPlate.
Despite its many changes over more than 100 years, Trailmobile remains synonymous with quality construction and innovation in dry trucks and vans. We hope you enjoyed this Trailmobile trailer story.