1953 or '54 FRANKLIN 22 ft.

- $1500.00 -

The Franklin Coach Co., of Nappanee, Indiana, was a late comer in regards to travel trailer manufacturing, i.e., they only entered the business in 1945, at the end of WWII, while the industry, in general, had pretty much been in full swing since 1931. That said, they're still in business today, which you can't say for a majority of their contemporaries, and this little trailer is a remaining example from their very early history. I've been unable to locate a serial number on this coach, however, the only ad I've been able to find for the company that shows a picture of the trailer itself is from 1952 and the shape of the body then was in a distinct "caravan" style, much like a Spartanette and I believe that the first coaches the Franklin Company offered to the public in 1945 were also of this shape. Also, most manufacturers were putting the very large picture window on both sides by 1951, and, to make things more confusing, their '52 model had them, and, even though they continued to use the early style, round clearance lights, the shape of the front end, plus the small vent windows high up on both sides, as well as the style of the interior light fixtures and drawer pulls, lead me to believe that it must be a 1953 or '54 model.

Anyway, as you can see this is a pretty cool looking little trailer, with the port-hole windows in the doors and all, it also has a very straight exterior skin, plus there's a full bathroom that includes a shower....and, yes, that's a little laveratory there too. However, even though the floor is solid and the cabinetry is in good condition, the birch paneling will need to be replaced because of serious water damage. That said, this is something that's always done during a full restoration, anyway, i.e., all of the original insulation and wiring, which is behind the wood paneling, also need to replaced, plus, a small amount of the rib-framing wood...like where the front and rear seams have come apart.... needs some attention too. However, except for one window, the rest of the window glass is in good shape, and I had new, 6-ply, bias-ply tires put on before I towed it back from the high desert. I'm not sure what the original exterior color scheme was, however, that weird green iis what's left of the aluminum oxide primer that was underneath the top coat, but dark green doesn't photograph well in general, and this shade of almost flourescent green gives the skin a mottled and damaged llook....which it isn't. Anway, its size, and the fact that it has a bathroom, makes it perfect for a backyard office or even a guest house, not to mention, after it's restored, how comfortable it would be for simply going camping in.