OLD TOW COUPLINGS

[Koala]

Hi Cobber
That coupling looks very similar to the one on my 69 Franklin and even has 'Franklin Caravans' cast on the side.
Koala

[cobber]

Good on you Ken  that's it, my old memory's just as bad as my old eyes.

I gathered all the Franklin couplings together on THIS POST but had forgotten I did it 

Cobber.

[stephen&Julie]

Another Henderson setup this time 15-25 CWT, good old garage sale





Cheers S&J

[don]

Hi Cobber, as promised a picture of the Hold fast coupling.  Marked Hold fast....2 1/4"

[cobber]

Thanks Don, a coupling similar to unmarked couplings often fitted to trailers, often only 1 7/8''..but we have seen other 2 1/4'' couplings the same made by other makers.
If yours also has a load rating on it that makes it entirely legal to use, if it doesn't that can be easily fixed   

Cobber.

[don]

Yes Cobber if you look carefully at the photo it is marked 30 cwt.. cheers Don

[phoenixrising61]

Jul 4, 2015 16:45:42 GMT 10 cobber said:

G'day Andrew,

Sorry for the delay in replying to your post 

The logo on your coupling is similar to the one we have HERE ... we call it an S.L. Coupling, we may find out who S & L were one day 

Cobber.

Hi Cobber,

Cheers for the info. I now see the S&L you mention. I will see if there is anything more I can find

You are a wealth of information, good sir

Thank-you.

[shesgotthelook]

Probably not unusual except for the little locking plate. The master cylinder is beyond help, is it easy enough to just replace that bit?

From 1966 Franklin Caravelle

[JBJ]

Hi,

I'm sure if you google "caravan master cylinders" you will find plenty of new units available, & cheaper than rebuilding yours
They may be a little different in spots, but as they are a simple item, it won't be hard to fit one that's slightly different.

JBJ

[cobber]

The coupling fitted to a van being restored by Pimpdog on this thread HERE

photobucket.com/gallery/user/mate/media/cGF0aDpEb2xseSB3aGVlbHMvVG93IGNvdXBsaW5ncy9pbWFnZS5qcGVn?ref=


.photobucket.com/albums/v369/mate/Dolly%20wheels/Tow%20couplings/image_1.jpeg



My comment at the time the photos were posted was ......
Post by cobber on 22 Mar 2016 at 10:55am

G'day pimpdog, & Don R

Thank you for the nice photos of the 'silent coupling' fitted to this mystery van.
My initial impression is that it was designed for agricultural use in 1932, and a few googles confirm there was a J. Todd & Son in Adelaide from 1927, at least, engaged in general engineering and Blacksmith work.

Coincidently there is even a 1927 brochure on ebuy at the moment for Todson Bumper Bars.


I reckon it was developed for use on the pig food trailer so you don't wake the neighbours early in the morning I wouldn't like your chances of getting it approved for use on a caravan, it breaks just about every requirement there is for a caravan coupling.
Sorry that info doesn't help with identification or age or.... anything much
Cobber.

Read more: vintagecaravans.proboards.com/thread/15332/#ixzz4JzPyRQ6b

[cobber]

This Henderson coupling was discussed earlier in this thread to determine how it operated, you can refresh your memory about those posts HERE

I have recently found the patent application that explains it all
HERE

A very interesting concept it was, I hope there is an example still in operation on a vintage caravan somewhere.


Cobber.

[cobber]

Angies tow coupling.

This tow coupling is fitted to Angies 1940s teardrop[/url] It appears to be designed to fit on a timber drawbar, or an iron one ?  
[/a]



There are no markings on it but after a bit of research it appears to be an American "Marvel Flip Latch coupling " and is still available over there, as are replacement parts for it.
You can google it if you would like to know more, if you can find out when it was first available that would be interesting 😉

One of its features is that when the latch is vertical the tongue drops down so that it fits easily over the tow ball.

The above photos provided by Angie after a clean up, (of the coupling )

The next photo was taken was by me before a clean up, (of the coupling )



It raises interesting questions regarding the origins of the teardrop.

Cobber.

[cobber]

Roybeth has recently posted a couple of advertisements for vintage caravans that included a small illustration of a coupling to attach the caravans, or more likely the smaller trailers, to the bumper bar of the towing vehicle.
This is one of the advertisements posted by Roybeth, thanks for sharing those with us Roybeth




This, I think, is the patent application for the coupling by 'Lightburn & Co. Limited' in 1948.
They do state that the coupling can be attached to the towed vehicle by means of a ball and socket arrangement.
These are the drawings submitted with the application.


CLICK HERE FOR THE PATENT APPLICATION

Cobber.

[mysafetee]

This is the coupling and tow ball for my Safetee Sports Minor Caravanette it is original as stated in the promotion pamphlet. The tow ball, which I think is a 1 7/8 size, is rather unique and looks like a squashed ball, it does not appear to be round. Have no idea where I would ever get a replacement ball if this one gets broken.
Massey by Katrina Parr, on Flickr

[Don Ricardo]

Advert for A J Sage & Co coupling and jockey wheel mechanism:

Published in the Melbourne Herald on Tuesday, 17 May 1938 (page 20):


(Source: National Library of Australia nla.gov.au/nla.news-20article243157813 )

[RS 1990]

It's been almost a decade since I posted on this board! ;-)

Here's some eBay finds!

Wesco:


Unknown Brand...

[RS 1990]

'Dale' branded couplers I found on FB Marketplace:

Flat Base:




Curved Base:




And also, I found this braked poly block hitch too:

[cobber]

G'day RS1990,

Good to have you back again with interesting old tow coupling photos. That Dale brand coupling was mentioned previously on page 8 of this thread but the photos have disappeared over time as have so many others ( including all of yours 😜 ) never-the- less for some obscure reason people like looking at old tow couplings, there have been almost 59 THOUSAND views of this thread since it started in 2005 so keep on finding 'em and posting photos of 'em for the amusement of the multitude 😉

Cobber.

[Roehm3108]

Methinks that 58,000 of those views was Mr cobber who kept checking to see if anybody viewed the thread!!!!!

[RS 1990]

There's a curved-base style coupler used on this trailer:
vintagecaravans.proboards.com/thread/17883/help-me-coupler-brand

[Don Ricardo]

Hi all,

An interesting Facebook post I came across today from Dennis Murrell on Vintage Photos of Cities and Towns in Australia. It concerns some of the activities of a gentleman called Charles Kruger who lived in Swan Hill in the 30's, and who it is said invented the caravan tow ball:





The photo of the car in the air and what on earth Kruger was doing up there is enough to arrest your attention, but the intriguing aspect of the post is the following statement:

Charlie Kruger designed and patented the caravan tow ball in August, 1932. Records from the archives of Swan Hill Regional Library Manager, Bruce Myers, courtesy of the Mallee Oral History Group, show Charlie Kruger called it the Ball Trailer Pull, but when a stroke disabled him, the patent ran out before he could start production.

It would be interesting to know if Bruce Myers claim is correct, and if Kruger is indeed responsible for this invention that we all now use.  Even if he isn't, Kruger certainly lived an interesting life!

Don Ricardo

[cobber]

G'day Don R.

That is interesting. I am wondering if Charles Kruger invented the ball fitting as we know it, like a bolt with the ball on top of it. I think the ball shape was around before 1932 as evident by the research I did regarding the coupling on Ol '36/32/33 which is a coupling patent granted in 1932, but interestingly in the patent abstract the ball is shown not being easily removed from the tow vehicle.
worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?DB=EPODOC&II=0&ND=3&adjacent=true&locale=en_EP&FT=D&date=19340507&CC=GB&NR=410095A&KC=A

I have found Charles Kruger's original patent applications but unfortunately the specifications are not available 😫 Maybe the Swan Hill regional Library might have more information
pericles.ipaustralia.gov.au/ols/auspat/applicationDetails.do?applicationNo=1932009724


Cobber.

[RS 1990]

'Lightburn' branded trailer coupler. Accepts a 1-7/8" towball.



Found a 'claw coupler' on FB Marketplace too:

[stephen&Julie]

Rather large towball from a 1949 Homemade, similar setup to Humty2 homemade lantern top, to use this ill have to drill out a bigger hole in a spare towbar tongue, solid build

[junkafide]

Jan 7, 2016 11:35:39 GMT 10 shesgotthelook said:

Probably not unusual except for the little locking plate. The master cylinder is beyond help, is it easy enough to just replace that bit?

From 1966 Franklin Caravelle

My Mid 60s Coronet has the exact same coupling!