Oldest 5th Wheel on the Road

[Manwithnorv]

Just wondering. What's the oldest fifth wheel trailer still running down the road. I've heard a fair amount about RV's aren't' built the way they used to be.

[Johnny_G1]

94 TravelAire 265 model in excellent shape, sure wouldn't trade for a new one after seeing how mine is built, everything is wood and no plastic junk in it, no slide but the just the way I like it, no rattles like my mh.

[rpmcbsq]

1993 Hitchhiker Premier run around 1500 miles per year. Pull with a 2010 6L gas 4.10 rear

[JIMNLIN]

Thank god todays 5th wheel trailers aren't built like those old ones were. Apples vs oranges.

5th wheel trailer didn't hit the street in mass numbers marketed by a mfg till the late 60s/early '70s era around this part of the country. With many large COE lakes campers were very popular after WW II.

We had truck campers (pulling boats) till 5th wheel trailers showed up on camper dealer lots and like bumper pull campers they also were small (less than 30'). The 5th wheel trailer gave us more room plus double towing the boat was legal.
Our 1st one was a 1984 model. Sold it to a work buddy and still being used a few times in the summer. It sits under a lean to roof beside his garage.

The 5er in my sig is a '97 model and still looks like new thanks to it having a trailer shed to sit in when its not used.

[FF286]

We have a 2005 outback. I still have our first camper, 1987 Starcraft 5er. 24’ with no slides. Me and the youngest son use it for hunting season now. With just 2 of us it gets crowded, I don’t know how we stayed in it with our 2 boys and both with a friend.

[RoyF]

In the 1941 movie "Sulivan's Travels", Joel McCrea travels in a very nice fifth-wheel pulled by what was probably a medium-duty truck. I don't know what kind of RV it was, but I've always thought that it was cool.

[laknox]

RoyF wrote:
I just did a little online research. Curtiss introduced his first trailer in 1920, the Curtiss Trailer, which was manufactored by the Adams Trailer Company. (George Adams was Curtiss' half-brother.). The Curtiss Aerocar was introduced in 1929.

The TVs were as cool as the FWs were, IMO. :B

Lyle

[RoyF]

I just did a little online research. Curtiss introduced his first trailer in 1920, the Curtiss Trailer, which was manufactored by the Adams Trailer Company. (George Adams was Curtiss' half-brother.). The Curtiss Aerocar was introduced in 1929.

[laknox]

FWIW, the first RV FW was built in 1917, according to the RVHOF's web site. From a quick search, it seems that there are still a number of Curtis Aerocars in existence, though most in museums. Designed by Glenn Curtis in the late '20's and produced until the late '30's/eary '40's. Don't know about any other commercially-built ones still out there, but I didn't search too long.

Lyle

[ScottG]

Probably the one pulled by that volkswagen..

[Jim-Linda]

Probably not the oldest, but our 1998 NuWa Champagne has been lived in fulltime since new. Pull with a MDT.