Vintage Vagabond Trailers

Starting as a buggy manufacturer in New Hudson, Michigan, the Vagabond Coach Manufacturing Company produced high-quality “Vagabond” travel trailers and mobile homes from 1931 into the late 1960’s. From the beginning, company co-founders Fred C. Burt and P. C. Miles earned a reputation for manufacturing elegant, high-quality trailers. Initially, Vagabond trailers were constructed with a masonite exterior “skin”, but in 1936 Vagabond began producing trailers with aluminum exterior siding. In 1937, the factory was enlarged and their Vagabond trailers were now constructed with a sturdy truss-type welded “roll cage” frame that was also welded to the chassis to create an integrated structure for attaching the exterior siding and interior panels. In 1941 the factory was enlarged again and Vagabond received an order from the U.S. Government to produce thousands of standardized Vagabond trailers to house military and civilian workers including the (restricted nuclear plant in Hanford, WA) as part of the country’s WW II mobilization efforts. For years, the Vagabond trailer’s familiar “bread box” shape remained un-changed but in 1955 a new “flat side” design was introduced in lengths of 42’, 46’, 50’ and 54’. Following industry trends, in 1957 Vagabond introduced their new “10 Wide” models, while still retaining their standard “8 Wide” models. Both width models were available in 35’, 41’ and 46’ lengths, but in 1960 the “8 Wide” models were dropped and the line consisted of only the “Ten Wide” trailers in lengths of 42’, 46’, 50’ and 54’. To satisfy growing demand for their Vagabond travel trailers, the company opened a new plant in Brighton, MI in the 1950’s and in 1958 opened an additional plant in Alexandria, Ala. In March 1961 the company leased 3 buildings at Kingman Air Force base in Kingman AZ and established a new plant there to produce Vagabond travel trailers for the Western states. The history of the Vagabond Trailer Corp. took a big turn in January 1964, when Guerdon Industries, Inc., of Detroit purchased the Vagabond Corporation. After the acquisition, Guerdon Ind. continued to manufacture Vagabond trailers, but primarily as large “park models” designed for the mobile home park market. Over the years, Vagabond trailers were available in an assortment of lengths and floor plans and included single and tandem axle models, with one and two bedroom floor plans and several different bathroom configurations. Vagabond trailers featured a standard kitchen area with a gas stove/oven, electric fridge and a heater. Vagabond coach interiors exuded quality, invoking the feeling of an elegant home; and featured beautifully finished birch cabinetry and 1/8” birch paneling on the walls and ceiling. Floors consisted of 3/4” plywood covered with linoleum. Vagabond trailers were notable for their unique sliding pocket screen doors, and full underside sheet metal belly pan, as well as the company’s iconic logo featuring a hobo with his bundle on a pole. Later models included a unique forced-air heating system which heated passages under the entire floor as well as routing heat out of the ornate floor-mounted heat register grilles.

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1937 Vagabond Vintage Travel Trailer	1937 Vagabond Vintage Trailer Upper Cabinets	1937 Vagabond Vintage Trailer Kitchen Cabinet	1937 Vagabond Vintage Trailer Interior Cabinetry
1937 Vagabond Vintage Trailer Ceiling Vent	1937 Vagabond Vintage Trailer Original Window Frames	1937 Vagabond Vintage Trailer Rear End View	1937 Vagabond Vintage Trailer Unique Bumper Springs
1937 Vagabond Vintage Trailer Rear Running Lights	1948 Vagabond Vintage Trailer With Striped Awning	1948 Vagabond Vintage Trailer Bedroom Dresser Cabinet	1948 Vagabond Vintage Trailer Bedroom Corner Cabinet
1948 Vagabond Vintage Trailer Bedroom Corner Paneling	1948 Vagabond Vintage Trailer Front Living Room	1948 Vagabond Vintage Trailer Original Cabinet Latch	1948 Vagabond Vintage Trailer Ceiling Light Fixture
1948 Vagabond Vintage Trailer Front Ceiling Cabinet	1949 Vagabond Vintage Trailer Painted Red and Cream	1949 Vagabond Vintage Trailer At Pismo Vintage Trailer Rally	1949 Vagabond Vintage Trailer Front Ceiling Cabinets
1949 Vagabond Vintage Trailer Rear View	1949 Vagabond Vintage Trailer Kitchen Cabinetry	1949 Vagabond Vintage Trailer Metal Venetion Blinds	1950 Vagabond Trailer Front Living Room
1950 Vagabond Trailer Bedroom Corner Paneling	1950 Vagabond Trailer Model-19 With Awning Set Up	1950 Vagabond Trailer Model-19 Street-Side Windows	1950 Vagabond Trailer With Green Striped Awning
1950 Vagabond Trailer Front View	1950 Vagabond Trailer Street Side Windows	1950 Vagabond Trailer Setup at Pismo Trailer Rally	1950 Vagabond Trailer Rear End View
1950 Vagabond Trailer Rear Bedroom Window	1950 Vagabond Trailer Side Dining Area	1950 Vagabond Trailer Living Room Cabinets	1950 Vagabond Trailer Kitchen Counter & Gas Stove
1950 Vagabond Trailer Kitchen Stove and Fridge	1950 Vagabond Trailer Rear Cabinet in Bedroom	1950 Vagabond Trailer Paneling in Bedroom	1950 Vagabond Trailer Original Light Fixture
1950 Vagabond Trailer Kitchen Counter and Stove	1950 Vagabond Trailer Rear Swing Up Window	1950 Vagabond Trailer Bargman License Plate Lamp	1950 Vagabond Trailer Painted Red, Creme, Green
1950 Vagabond Trailer Camping at Pismo Rally	1950 Vagabond Trailer Brass Hobo Logo Plate	1950 Vagabond Trailer Rear View	1950 Vagabond Trailer Kitchen Counter
1950 Vagabond Trailer Wicker Living Room Couch	1950 Vagabond Trailer Original Fridge	1951 Vagabond Travel Trailer With Yellow Striped Awning	1951 Vagabond Travel Trailer Front Living Room
1951 Vagabond Travel Trailer Side Bathroom Cabinet	1951 Vagabond Travel Trailer Side Galley Area	1951 Vagabond Travel Trailer Looking Down Hallway	1951 Vagabond Travel Trailer Cozy Rear Bedroom
1951 Vagabond Travel Trailer Pink Bathroom	1951 Vagabond Travel Trailer Original Ceiling Vent	1951 Vagabond Travel Trailer Camping at Pismo Beach	1951 Vagabond Travel Trailer Front Sliding Screen Door
1951 Vagabond Travel Trailer Living Room Cabinets	1951 Vagabond Travel Trailer Curio Shelves	1951 Vagabond Travel Trailer Green Tiles In Kitchen	1951 Vagabond Travel Trailer Kitchen Ceiling Cabinets
1951 Vagabond Travel Trailer Restored Original Cabinetry	1951 Vagabond Travel Trailer Side Window Over Sink	1951 Vagabond Travel Trailer Bedroom Night Stand	1951 Vagabond Travel Trailer Curved Bedroom Ceiling
1951 Vagabond Travel Trailer Cozy Rear Bedroom	1951 Vagabond Travel Trailer Toilet and Sink	1951 Vagabond Travel Trailer Curios in Living Room	1951 Vagabond Travel Trailer Rear End and Bedroom Door
1951 Vagabond Travel Trailer Hinged Bedroom Door	1953 Vagabond Trailer Camping at Pismo Rally	1953 Vagabond Trailer Rear Storage Door	1953 Vagabond Trailer Front End View

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