Lindbergh's TT With Turning Axle

Tatest had the correct answer. It could done but it would be cost prohibitive in the RV market.

Around airports they pull trains of multiple wagons with tongue-steered front axles, i.e. the baggage carts. They do not tow them at 70 mph, and they don't back up the train, at least not very far.

You could probable design the steering geometry of a wagon to be stable at any particular speed, with compromises on how tightly you could turn it; Double and triple tow rigs pull multiple wagons at speed. The backing problem would be more difficult to solve, maybe lock the pivot at the hitch point.

Even semi-trailers (which is really the geometric class of our RV trailers, fiver or TT) have speed vs stability compromises tunable by weight distribution, hitch to axle length and how multiple axles are suspended in tandem. But the main reason we get what we get in RVs is to control cost to keep prices low enough that we will buy the things.

RobertRyan wrote:
Bit of Grandstanding here, I met Charles Lindbergh and his wife, when I was a young Auditor in Sydney. He was being shown the National Parks and Wildlife building in Sydney. I shook his hand.

How cool was that! A piece of history.

Bit of Grandstanding here, I met Charles Lindbergh and his wife, when I was a young Auditor in Sydney. He was being shown the National Parks and Wildlife building in Sydney. I shook his hand.

hohenwald48 wrote:
I always wondered why they don't make trailers with steering axles like a car. I towed my Jeep Wrangler around 100k miles behind 6 different motorhomes ranging from 23' class "C" to a 40' DP and never had any problem at all. No "wiggle", no "wag", no sway and no tongue weight.

Of course, backing up is not possible but it never was an issue either. But then I didn't have to back the toad into a campsite. I guess you could just use pull thru sites only.

I see folks towing crew cab pick-ups. Those are pretty long. Seems like it should work with a travel trailer up to 20-25 feet anyway.

Of course when towing a car the tow attachment is on the vehicle body/frame and is not a long tongue like on a wagon.

You pulling your Jeep from the bumper. The Lindbergh trailer pulls from the front axle which pivots as you turn like a wagon. I'm on the farm and yes, a lot of wagons wiggle. The better ones do not but, backing is difficult. Not impossible but, difficult. I sure would not want to do it every time I stopped for the night.

I always wondered why they don't make trailers with steering axles like a car. I towed my Jeep Wrangler around 100k miles behind 6 different motorhomes ranging from 23' class "C" to a 40' DP and never had any problem at all. No "wiggle", no "wag", no sway and no tongue weight.

Of course, backing up is not possible but it never was an issue either. But then I didn't have to back the toad into a campsite. I guess you could just use pull thru sites only.

I see folks towing crew cab pick-ups. Those are pretty long. Seems like it should work with a travel trailer up to 20-25 feet anyway.

Of course when towing a car the tow attachment is on the vehicle body/frame and is not a long tongue like on a wagon.

Too bad they didn't show the interior as well.

"Another trailer used by Lindbergh, provided to his wife and him by Henry Ford, is located at the Henry Ford Museum in Deerborn, Michigan." It's DeArborn, Michigan....geeze.....:S:S......Dennis

If you have ever tried to back a trailer or wagon with a double pivot point you would find out really quickly why this design never caught on with TT'ers. They are next to impossible to back.

There are some horse trailers with this design. One BIG plus of this type of design is there is no tongue weight so there is no suspension crush on the TV. IOW's if you have the power to tow this you can tow it even if it has very light springs.

Lindbergh was quite the inventor actually. His father in law was a physician in Detroit and Charles developed an artificial heart, just to prove something to him I guess.

It would be no different than towing a car behind a MH. new suspension and steering systems would make it tow very well. the only issue I see is backing one up.