Owner: Ron Loos
It's 1937 and the Great Depression has affected all households. Sales of new cars and trucks have dropped and most manufacturers have permanently shut their doors. The struggling survivors must add ways to stay above the level of bankruptcy.
One of General Motors ideas was to increase sales by adding a new product that their GMC dealers could market. This was the Trailabout, an all purpose small trailer that could be used by both car and truck owners. GMC produced it with little added expense. Most items were already used on their 1/2 ton pickup. The bed, taillights, fenders, wheels, and hubcaps were in stock. The additional GM investment was the light weight metal frame with tongue.
Sales were low during it's two year production. It is suspected that the $350.00 price discouraged most buyers. During the Depression people could make a trailer from a salvage yard pickup truck or just build one from used materials. The savings would be great over the Trailabout.
Today, finding a real Trailabout is next to impossible. They were bought for hauling and most were never garaged. Their wood floors were probably gone in less than 10 years.
The only Trailabout known to exist belongs to Ron Loos (ronloos@charter.net). Its life began in 1937 in Atlanta, Georgia. It was towed to a new home in Independence, Missouri in 1987, then was hauled to Ron's home in California mid 2008. Ron is giving it a ground up restoration and will be pulling it to shows with his almost one of a kind 1938 GMC Canopy Express. Won't that be the talk of any show!
NEWS FLASH!
Bob recently sold this trailabout to Brian Davis in Auburn, CA.
