You've got to see this 1953 Vagabond!

When I was young in the late '40s and '50s these type of trailers were called house trailers which later morphed into mobilehomes. They weren't called travel trailer in that era although some were called travel coaches.
House trailers in that era had no 12v converters....no holding tanks.....appliances were 110v/etc set up just like todays mobilehomes.

Today those old house trailers some have been modded into a modern TT's and bring some huge bucks.

I agree with Mr Wizard. While it is very beautiful it didn't sit outside its entire life. Some animal would've taken up home in it. And reading the linked article it was in covered storage until '87. Nothing was mentioned after that. I like good original find stories, but I would rather have real facts rather than made up stories for good reading!

the pictures are beautiful
but the story is total fiction
as is the friends along the way
they are all parked permanent and rented out as special vacation, honey moon etc.. events

i saw an article about it somewhere else

yes its been restored, but it was not found in the feild looking perfectly pristine, it was faded and some what taken care, all the fabrics is new re-upholstery

I can remember when I was a young man we pulled any kind of trailer with just about any kind of vehicle. I use to haul trailers from Fort Wayne In. to Elhart In. pull full size park models with a Jeep. I had one accident due to failed brakes. No one injured, it took out the front door of a drug store. Tied up a busy intersection for a couple of hours.

Might have needed one of these to tow it with a sedan.

Man, you post more gooder ones than I do. Love it. Thanks

That, is a First Class Act. :C

Thanks for sharing.

romore wrote:
That was my first question too, I would be scared silly coming off Donner Pass with this monster behind a 53 Ford. Still, it is neat to see.

My dad towed his first camping trailer behind a '61 Chevy Belaire with a 283 2bbl. Next one with a '65 Dodge Polara 2 door HT and 383 4 bbl. He never towed with a truck of any kind, and that was all in the mountains of Montana and Wyoming, no flatlands.

American RVers got too wrapped up in the "What will pull it?" question. My aunt and uncle had a coach-built British made 18' TT. Coach-built means "heavy". I think it weighed somewhere around 3400 pounds.

They towed that thing all over the UK and Europe behind a Morris Oxford sedan, 1.5 liter, 50 hp engine (on a good day) and a 4-speed stick-shift transmission. They even crossed the Alps with it, between Switzerland and Italy. They were members of the UK's "Caravan Club" and went to local rallies just about every weekend. The Morris lasted about 12 years.

I only remember one occasion when it didn't make it over a big hill (Shap Summit, on the England/Scotland border). Uncle just backed down again and went somewhere else.

Eventually he got a "bigger" car (2.5 liters and around 100 horsepower) and kept up the RV life for over 40 years, with that same TT.

Look at my profile (on the left), click the link, and see what my dad towed his travel trailer with. That was a 1963 Pontiac Station wagon. It did have the 440 engine.

389, more likely. 440 cu in. was a Chrysler product.