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July 21, 2021

Harmon Industries, Shadow Trailer Made in Warrensburg 1970's

Video "Let's Make a Deal" Prize - Featuring Harmon Travel Trailer Link

1973 Shadow Trailer, Made in Warrensburg, Missouri
by Harmon Industries
Lenger Chevrolet, selling Shadow Trailers, 1971
Made by Harmon Industries, Warrensburg, MO
Shadow Trailers, by Harmon Industries, Made in Warrensburg, Missouri  1972

It reads:

Fifth-Wheel Trailers usually hitch onto a pickup-truck cargo bed, but this new Shadow design from Harmon Industries, Warrensburg, Mo. tags onto a passenger-car rooftop. A removable steel plate, bolted to brackets along the roof gutters, take advantage of the roll-resistance built into modern roofs to firmly anchor the trailer hitch. Great maneuverability and easy tow handling are claimed for these rigs. Models of 18, 23, and 27 feet are being produced, and unfinished units are available for extra savings. Shell for the Shadow 18-foot Mini will start at about $1700; price is $6500 for the completed 27-footer fully equipped. Driver reports indicate the design is aerodynamically suitable and does not buffet at speed or in strong winds.





Harmon Shadow Trailer Brochure





Add caption

Shadow Trailer Hitch Harmon Industries Patent Dennis D. Miller, Jerry W. Karr
Warrensburg, Missouri


Harmon Shadow Trailer Manufacturing Plant, Warrensburg, Missouri



Hi my name is Niki. I had a bright idea not too long ago and wow, I am not sure I knew what I was getting myself into. I happen to see a vintage trailer for sale on a storage lot and decided to buy it. My husband and I have restored classic cars for about the last 30 years and we have some experience at what it takes to re-create a classic but hmmm this is a real head scratcher. Where to start????????? 

If you watch the you tube videos you will have an excellent idea of the unique trailer I have. It certainly is a one of a kind trailer. You may very well have seen these videos at some time in your life.

Now that I have bought it, I want to either restore it or sell it. Not sure until I get into the de-struction of it how much work I am in for. The trailer appears to have had some of it's life in a barn, as it is not as bad as it could be for the year it is. But it still needs a complete restoration to be the strange invention it was meant to be. 

Is anyone out there familiar with this trailer? I have scoured the internet for information on them and there just isn't any. 




SAFETY CHAIN ATTACHMENT FOR ROOF-MOUNTED TRAILER HITCH
United States Patent 3827722
Abstract:
A hitch assembly which connects the tongue of a trailer and one or more safety cables or chains to a towing vehicle, wherein relative rotation of the vehicle and trailer about the hitch axis is permitted without interference. The assembly includes a safety coupling device for the safety chains, such device having a fixed hub coaxial with the hitch axis and a rotatable element supported on the hub for rotation thereon. The element includes a pair of opposed, radially outwardly extending, horizontal arms to which two safety chains are connected that extend from the trailer body. The hub is secured by fasteners directly to the supporting structure of the hitch assembly independently of the hitch ball or other hitch component, so that failure of the primary hitch does not affect the safety coupling. The arrangement is particularly advantageous in roof-mounted hitches where the vehicle and trailer are capable of unlimited relative rotation, in that the arms rotate with the trailer as the latter and the vehicle undergo relative rotation to prevent the safety chains from interfering with the free movement of either the vehicle or the trailer about the hitch axis.
Mike Parker said...
Harmon Industries in Warrensburg, MO actually produced these campers for a couple of years and they were a lot nicer than the one in the video. My dad worked for the company and we owned one around 1973-74, we pulled it with a Toyota Celica. The 70's oil embargo doomed the RV industry at that time. Harmon industries quit manufacturing them and concentrated on its Railroad Electronics division. My dad worked for them for 37 years. Harmon Industries was bought by GE around 2002.

8 comments:

NikiRose said...

I bought one of these Shadow trailers and want to restore it so

If anyone has any information on this company and the shadow trailer I would love to hear from them, PLEASE

NikiRose said...

I just bought a Shadow trailer made by Harmon Industries In Warrensburg MO back in the 70's I would like to restore it but there is just no information out there on this trailer. Who can I contact that might know where I can get some information/history Are there any old employees of this plant etc that would know any bits of information?
I would appreciate ANY help you can give me. Thanks Niki e-mail caddyfinaddy@sbcglobal.net

Chuck Hambelton said...

Niki, I know nothing, but you might contact http://www.flytecamp.com They specialize in restoration of vintage trailers and may be of help.

Chuck Hambelton said...

Niki, I know nothing but you might try contacting http://www.flytecamp.com They specialize in restoration of vintage trailers and might be of help.

Paul Specht said...

I drove one of their demo models when I was in grad school in Warrensburg in the 70's. The salesman, Jay ???, worked at Lenger Chevrolet. He mentioned one of the problems found during the early stages - in emergency braking the rear wheels of the tow car would lift off the ground. The hitch on the roof was anything but temporary and, in my opinion, took away from the looks of the car.

Thanks for posting. PSpecht (pspecht@verizon.net) (I rarely check my gmail)

vikki said...

have you restored it Nikki, and if not would you like to sell? littlevikki2000@yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

Hello,

If you haven't sold, I would be very interested to buy.

Mark Kent
Albia, Ia
xtrmrchr@netscape.net
Cell: 641-455-4644

Anonymous said...

I would buy, if you are willing to sell.

Mark Kent
641-455-4644