Who better to invent the trailer than a professional blacksmith working in post-buggy Detroit? The story of Fruehauf is a consummate profile of capitalist reinvention: August Fruehauf’s substantial farrier and carriage business came to a sudden stop with the advent of the combustion engine – until 1914, when a customer came knocking with a specific need. Lumber baron Frederic Sibley asked the blacksmith to come up with a way to carry a boat behind his new Model T. Fruehauf and his partners devised the first trailer, customized to embrace that boat securely so it could be towed for miles. So pleased was Sibley that he asked Fruehauf to make several more trailers – this time, designed to haul lumber. Seeing an opportunity, Fruehauf pivoted his business, not only selling his own product, but acting as a dealer for other emerging trailer-makers as well. From the early days of Fruehauf’s history comes this 1938 Aero-Van refrigerated unit, advertised here on craigslist for $10,000. Tow it home from Filmore, California. Thanks to T.J. for spotting this unusual offering!
The trailer itself was a blockbuster invention, allowing truck owners to carry far more than their cargo holds would allow. But Fruehauf also patented several other items that made goods transportation what it is today, including the automatic coupler and the hydraulic dumper. The decades-old company eventually succumbed to family infighting, culminating in bankruptcy and a sale to Wabash National in 1996.
The seller notes this example is 19′ long. The trailer is already set up with a tow dolly, and can be moved with a one-ton truck. The rear tires are flat-spotted, so plan to replace those before becoming too ambitious about rolling up the miles. By constructing the trailer with an aluminum body, Fruehauf ensured that its weight came in considerably below a steel unit, allowing truckers to carry more cargo in an era of increasing load restrictions.
The interior showcases the galvanized lining, the last layer in a sandwich that included insulating material, then the outer aluminum skin. A cavity positioned in the top of the trailer, accessed via a hatch, held ice. These trailers could preserve butter and eggs over miles of transport. The rounded nose helped stabilize the trailer, reducing jackknifing. The seller suggests several uses for this vintage Aero-Van – a tap room, as a companion for your COE truck, a coffee shop. Here’s another ambitious project: these folks made a 53′ refrigerated trailer into a mobile home! How would you use this classic Fruehauf?
Fruehauf changed the world again in1956, when he patented the shipping container, probably the biggest single factor that propelled the rise of global commerce.
It’s cool, but I think money-wise, I’d rather get a vintage trailer that always has been a camper. There are some beauties on the Vintage Camper Trailers website, even if you had to restore them, it would be cheaper than converting a cargo trailer.