| PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT |
Trailair Pumps Up Fifth-Wheel Industry
Riding a favorable response from the RV manufacturing community, industry newcomer Trailair launched production on a fifth-wheel pin box coupler that adds a fresh ingredient to the market mix. The Fulton, Missouri-based company has integrated an air bag into its design, emulating the air-ride systems employed by heavy-duty semi rigs. Inventor Dale Fenton said, "I found it curious that people pulling a fifth wheel would be bouncing down the road while they watched these big semis drive by without any problems. The difference was that the big trucks were using air. It just made sense to bring that kind of towing performance to the fifth-wheel industry." Fenton, a rookie to the RV marketplace, joined forces with industry veteran Robert Mater, Jr., former president of Reese Products Inc. Mater recently signed on as president and COO for Continental Accessories, a Sturgis, Michigan-based company specializing in truck accessories that will be assuming the manufacturing end of the Trailair project. Mater said, "Continental is an infrastructure partner. We handle all the manufacturing, warehousing, shipping, invoicing -- anything to do with the production side. Trailair is taking care of marketing and sales." Trailair's primary task has been to bring OEMs on board. And, according to Fenton, the initial reviews have been positive. "Selling the product isn't going to be a problem," he said. Mater added, "Anybody who understands the market gets very excited about this product. The OEMs are excited about reducing shock to the RV, and the consumers are excited about improving the ride, and especially the handling, when they're towing. In addition to manufacturers we'll also be targeting the dealer sector. This product has huge retrofit potential in the marketplace." The 'Air Apparent' in Towing Fenton, who holds six trailer-related patents, admits there's nothing complicated about the design for Trailair's fifth-wheel component. "The beauty is that it's so simple," he said, noting he received a patent for the RV product in July of 1998. "That was one of the goals when we were putting this whole thing together." The coupler acts as a buffer, arresting the transfer of road impact between the tow vehicle and the fifth wheel to produce smooth, stabilized towing performance. "Typically, you have two vehicles with different weights riding on different wheels hooked together by steel," Fenton said. "They just don't agree when you start putting road shock into the towing equation. The vehicles tend to fight each other as they travel down the road." The coupler's unique scissors action absorbs the blow when the tow vehicle hits a bump, dramatically reducing shock to the trailer. Trailair also equips the pin box coupler with a shock absorber, which virtually eliminates the rebound effect created when the air bag decompresses.
Greg Chamberlain, vice president of operations for Continental, explained, "The natural reaction is for the compressed air to pump back up, which causes the trailer to keep bouncing. The shock absorber takes away the bounce." According to Fenton, the benefits are three-fold.
The final rung in product development was to simplify installation. Trailair has engineered its pin box coupler to fit into the existing mounting brackets on fifth wheels, eliminating the need to drill into the substructure or frame. Sonny Dismuke, industrial engineer for Trailair, said, "You just take out the old pin box, slide ours in and set it at the desired height. Then you can use the existing holes on the brackets to drill into the new pin box. We also developed spacer adaptor kits to accommodate the different widths." Sister Project Under Way While Trailair is making inroads into the RV supply chain, the company is also introducing an air-ride gooseneck vertical coupler designed for use in a variety of cargo-hauling applications. The equine industry stands at the top of the list. Fenton has some long-time roots in the horse community and considers his product more than just towing enhancement. "There are some very definite safety and health issues that are addressed by the vertical coupler," Fenton said. "The horses actually have to defend themselves when they're getting bounced around and trying to stay level. A smoother ride can cut down on fatigue and the possibility of injury." Trailair is also pursuing the racecar market along with other industries transporting large or sensitive products that can benefit from an air-supported ride.
Unique Management Mix The alliance between Fenton and Mater is a perfect fit. Fenton is a self-professed "idea man." Mater is a man who has a history of making ideas work. "This project took off when I hooked up with Bob," Fenton said. Mater's professional career is dotted with business-related reclamation projects since graduating from Purdue University and earning his MBA from the University of Chicago. Which makes the Trailair venture a bit different. This time Mater is starting from scratch with a project he's convinced is a sure winner. "I enjoy turning things around, starting things up, and making things happen," Mater related. "This is one of the most dramatic improvements to a product that I've ever found," Mater said. "The pin box coupler is analogous to some of the equipment Reese had, but it's a distinctly different product line. It truly solves a problem and it solves it in a simple manner." Fenton's entry into the RV marketplace represents a natural progression for the long-time entrepreneur. In the mid-80s he revolutionized the delivery process for wood trusses used in the housing industry by developing a trailer with a roller-bed design. "People would pull up to a construction site with a load of trusses, and if the weather was bad or the crane didn't show up they couldn't unload," Fenton said. "The roller bed allows the trusses to roll off smoothly without being damaged. I put the project together about 20 years ago and almost everybody in the industry is still using roller beds." Fenton came up with the gooseneck coupler design in 1993 after becoming involved with a business that manufactured the massive saws used to cut wood trusses. "They were very sensitive pieces of equipment and just didn't like being hauled," he said. After a run in the manufactured housing industry, Fenton hooked up with Mater. Both are looking for a long-term relationship that will forge a permanent spot in the RV support system. "A year from now I see Trailair as being a mainstream product line," Mater said. "Things are really falling in place and it looks like the RV industry is going to be an excellent marketplace for us." For more information please contact: Trailair, Continental Alliance
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