Joseph Lea & Sons Trailers & Parts .
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Firstly, thanks to Nick who scanned and emailed over all the pages shown alongside some time back. The catalogue dates to 1937, and was produced by Joseph Lea & Sons (hence the name Leason), who sold a varied selection of trailers, trailer chassis, towing parts, and accessories prior to WW2. For anyone who owns a vintage or classic car, and needs to be able to tow a trailer, one of the trailers shown on this page would look great behind a pre-war car, rather than having a modern trailer coupled to an ancient car. There are also some good views of accessories that anyone restoring an old caravan or car trailer might find useful.
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The first page proper welcomes to the reader to the products Lea & Son, and casting some light
on the firm's history, which dated back to 1869. Joseph Lea & Sons were based in Dyche Street in
Manchester, their telephone number being Deansgate 4414 & 4415.
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The first trailers featured are the 'Luggage' and 'Light Utility Trailers'
of 2/3cwt and 3/5cwt rating. The trailers came with wire wheels, ball and socket hitch,
steel wings, numberplate, lamp, flex and plug all included as standard. It measured
5ft x 3ft, with semi-elliptic springs fitted to the axle. Tyres were 3.00 x 19 Goodyear. The
reader is also told that no brakes were required on trailers of this size. Suggested uses
include carrying luggage, camping equipment, parcels, and for the poultry farmer, the
transportation of produce and supplies.
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Page 4 describes how two Leason customers used the bare chassis that they had purchased. Both correspondents
built themselves a caravan, and were both most pleased with the chassis' construction and specification. A bare
6/8cwt trailer chassis is shown, along with a complete Model SMT wooden box trailer, running on artillery-style wheels. Page
5 summarises the key points and advantages of the Leason 6/8cwt and 8/10cwt utility trailers. They could
be supplied with detachable 'steel spoke wheels', 'Morris Minor type wire wheels' or 'Morris 8 type wire wheels'.
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Page 6 shows a smart box trailer, or the 'Leason Light Kennel Trailer for Show Dogs, Hounds, Sheep etc',
again on artillery type wheels. Below that, a photograph showing a
1920s motor car towing a Trailer Van, 'ideal for the Butcher, Grocer,
Dairyman, Waterproof & Clothing Trades, Furnisher or Market Man'. Trailers came as standard
with the Leason 'B' Type Ball & Socket Hitch, but the 'Instantaneous Q.D. Hitch' could be supplied if required,
at extra cost.
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The next featured trailers are again Utility trailers, but this time the 'Overseas' model, built
to a higher & heavier specification that the previous Utility models, and also fitted with drum
brakes and artillery wheels as standard now. Goodyear, Dunlop or India 19" tyres were available.
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Now for something that may be of interest to fans of vintage caravans, the Leason 'Economy Model'
caravan chassis. Different lengths were available as follows: 8ft, 10ft 6in, 12ft 6in, 13ft 6in and 14ft 6in, with widths
ranging from 4ft 0in to 4ft 4in. Drawings were also available showing suggestions for caravans that could
be built onto each of the chassis. Various options were also offered, including jockey wheels and corner lifts. Page 9
featured the 'Super Lowslung' caravan chassis for 1937, which came as standard with the Q.D. hitch, corner lifts,
easi-clean wheels, stainless steel hubcaps, roller bearings and extra low pressure tyres.
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If equine activities were your thing in 1937, then the Leason twin axle horse boxes featuring on Page 10 would definitely be
of interest, with wide rear and front side loading ramps. The single trailer chassis (£40) was designed to take a single 17 hands horse, a double trailer chassis was also available, although the body as shown would cost extra. If the twin axle was a little beyond your means, then the
single axle trailer box might be more suitable. The trailer shown (Page 11) was
designed to carry two horses, utilising a Leason all-steel safety chassis with dropped axle.
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Many people would want to build their own trailer for a specific purpose, and just needed a sturdy chassis to mount it on. Leason
therefore could offer a 'Heaviload' trailer chassis, designed for use with horse box, cattle truck, cable truck, machinery or
heavy duty commercial use bodywork. Three ratings were available: 1 ton, 1.5 ton and 2 tons. Various jockey wheels could
also be chosen at the same time. For the showman (travelling circus) the hefty
four-wheel trailer chassis with Ackermann steering could be of interest, designed to take caravan
or living van coachwork as required.
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If you already had a chassis and body, all you'd need therefore is a suitable
axle to bolt beneath it. 'Complete Undergear Sets' were on offer to suit all needs,
ranging from the 2/3cwt set, through to the 8/10cwt undergear set as shown on Page 13, through to much heavier
axle/wheel combinations on the following few pages.
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Page 16 lists the first of the towing accessories that could be purchased from Joseph Lea & Son, in the shape of various
corner prop-screws, designed to fit on each corner of a trailer chassis to prop it up. Later pages go into detail on products useful for anyone
planning to build their own trailer, or caravan, such as the
'Instantaneous Trailer Ball Hitch', other draw pins, hitches and complete towing bars, V-type vertical lift caravan jacks (or steadies
as they are known nowadays), the Leason 'Sturdy Jacks', body fittings such as wings, numberplates, half-round
body mouldings, guttering, matting, metal frame windows, roof ventilators, circular & sliding rectangular vents, gas wall and table lamps,
caravan sinks and more, including price lists for these items.
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The DIY caravan builder could also order something called 'Flexometal', ideal it seems for panelling any home-built
caravan. Flexometal was a 'super armoured plywood' apparently, and
'used by bodybuilders for all types of large and small vans, buses and
caravans. Exceedingly rigid, non-drumming, hygienic, and fire-resisting/ Two types of
Flexometal were offered, type 1 which was plywood reinforced with galvanised steel sheet
on one side (1/8in thick), or type 2, plywood reinforced with aluminium on one
side. 'Insulite' was another product on offer, which could be used on either the
interior or exterior of a homebuilt trailer caravan. It was a grainless hardboard, which was
strong, light, easily bent, uniform and free from knots. It would also not split, rot,
warp, crack or buckle we are told. A later, hand-applied stamp on page 26
says that Leason also stocked Masonite panels.
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Page 27 showed a copy of the Leason guarantee, advising that any Leason trailer
would be guaranteed against faulty material or workmanship for 12 months from the
date of purchase, apart from on tyres that carried their own maker's guarantees.
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And finally, a leaflet that came with the Leason brochure, specifying the Terry's caravan clips
that J. Lea & Son were also agents for, ideal we're told for securing
utensils and other items in caravans, yachts, motor boats and so on.
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