McGRATH TRAILERS AND COMPANY HISTORY.

Mammoth, I think you would find theyused the pommie pressings bacause no one here had a press big enough to do them. I havn't seen the other ad, but if they did them at Rocklea they might have bought a press them selves which would have been real big bucks in those days, or I think Comeng had a big press and used to do a lot of outside work. Comeng was at Evans rd Salisbury though.

So there are TWO John McGraths! He makes a feature of importing the chassis rails, but in another advert they are pressing them at Rocklea.

Here is a thought - that MAY help identify which McGrath built which trailers. IE: JJ McGrath and the Freighter/McGrath period - particually in respect to the re appearance of JJ McGrath.

And that is - how the McGrath name is spelt/displayed on the trailer 'name plates'.

I've noticed that there seems to be a period when McGrath is displayed with the 'little c' towards the top edge of the plate. And some with the 'little c' shown as it appeares in this text.

To see what I mean - go back thru the photos on these pages.

Just a thought

Oldfulla :-[

No Cam the gear out at Rocklea was the biggest (longest press length) around at the time.
It was just 2 -20' presses side by side giving around 40 to 45 odd foot capability.
They were very worried about those old presses and would only use them for their own work. I tried many times to get McGrath to do pressing work for me and they always refused.
Saw a photo of the presses in a recent thread somewhere on this very forum.
I remember those old McGrath ads in the Truth's trucking section every Sunday.
Oldfulla I also see the single drive V's tandem drive close bogie trailers.
Someone must have noticed the older trailers failing once they went under tandem drive PM's.

HI ALL,
THIS FORUM CERTAINLY IS WORKING WELL AND BRINGING TO LIGHT MANY INTERESTING FACTS AND STORIES ABOUT McGRATH TRAILERS,
MRSMACKPAUL, WHAT A GREAT FIND THE ADVERTISMENT WITH J.J. McGRATH AND HIS SON JOHN Jnr.
AND OLDFULLA IS ON TO SOMETHING AS THE NAMEPLATES WITH THE ( c ) AT THE BOTTOM OF THE NAME PLATE WOULD APPEAR TO BE BUILT BY J.J. McGRATHS OTHER SON KEVIN OUT AT FOOTSCRAY.

IT WOULD BE GREAT TO FIND SOME OF THE FAMILY MEMBERS TO ENQUIRE ABOUT THE COMPANY, AS J.J. McGRATH AS I UNDERSTAND IT HAD FOUR CHILDREN, TWO SON'S, KEVIN and JOHN AND TWO DAUGHTERS, ONE OF WHICH MARRIED A PETER PEPPARD WHO WAS THE MANAGER OF J.J. McGRATH'S CENTENARY MOTORS IN MELBOURNE.
ONE OF THE MANY McGRATH HOLDINGS WAS CENTRAL MIXED CEMENT IN MELBOURNE, DOES ANYONE RECALL THAT COMPANY ?
STILL HOPING TO LOCATE A FAMILY MEMBER, ANY ASSISTANCE GREATFULLY APPRECIATED.

CHEERS BILL

Not all McGrath trailers had the pressed chassis, my old one was an I beam (# 11431) and started life as a sliding bogie, it was converted to a fixed spread before I bought it around 1968.
The bloke I sold it to converted it into a tri (about 1980)and it's still in use today, a good tough trailer.

Yes BK around that time McGrath realised they were losing sales. (Mainly to Haulmark)
Their pressed section main beams were heavy in the web where it's not needed, so the tare on a McGrath was higher than an equivalent trailer with fabricated main beams.
I must admit the pressed beams did look good though.
So McGrath offered a cheaper alternative trailer with "H" beam section for the main beams.
But they were just a Jap. imported universal beam, designed for structural steelwork and again not heavy enough in the flanges.
They also suffered from main beam failure where they tapered up to the smaller section at the turntable.
The bottom flange would tear off along the weld to the web.
Obviously they sorted that problem or the trailer in your picture would have a large sag.

Eye hope by present n thiz image it means its on topic

I dont wanna disagree with U OlFella
4 give me az eye have sinn d
Yes U did mention the 5 wheel Quin
N eye failed misearbly to quote U
Terribly sorry

jist hope this dont get yanked cos
Eye tried to not rub up anyway the rong way n keep on topic
E&OE

LOL

Cya
[ch9787]

Swishy - no offence what so ever is taken. All part of the game as I see it. In fact I was glad to see someone else supporting my theory.

Oldfulla

HI ALL,
THE SEARCH FOR THE OLDEST McGRATH TRAILER, HAS UNCOVERED, AN ORIGINAL CONDITION SEMI-TRAILER LOCATED ON A FARM IN NORTHERN VICTORIA, SERIAL NUMBER, 1031. THIS MAKES IT AN EARLY 1930's BUILD, AND IT HAS AN 18 FOOT TRAY .
AT LAST SOME GOOD CONTACTS ARE STARTING TO APPEAR, WHICH WILL REQUIRE FOLLOWING UP, BUT THE STORY IS GETTING MORE INTERESTING BY THE DAY, STILL LOOKING FOR EX-EMPLOYEES AND FAMILY MEMBERS .
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK, GETTING YOUR MEMORIES GOING AND LOOKING FOR PHOTO'S, MY RESEARCH HAS ALREADY GOT THREE McGRATH TRAILERS THAT WERE LYING IDLE TO BE SAVED AND HOPEFULLY RESTORED FOR DISPLAY IN THE FUTURE.
CHEERS BILL.

g'day HORNSBY AKROYD keep up all the good work, and reporting in on your progress .. that's a fantastic find of a long forgotten relic and all credit to your research...

starting in about 1999 i conducted a lengthy research on the Holden cars of 1948 manufacture (only 112 on the road in that year) which yielded some curious, unique features of these earliest of Holdens....the upshot being that through all the research and friendly collaboration that had been going on, the original 1948 Holden of then Pt. Pirie dealer Midway Motors,(who were considered big enough for their district to be issued with one of the ''announcement'' Holdens) came to light in a wrecking yard a short distance away in Warnertown...it had been there for around 35 years!

...with the nod from the discoverer of this mechanically incomplete wreck, i went on to purchase the sad remains of the 100th Holden produced and what now is deemed to be the fifth oldest survivor, which has proven to be an absolute treasure trove of information about these earliest cars.....(and the whole yard was crushed not long after its removal)

...HA you'll be amazed, i'm sure, of what's still to come so keep it all coming, as a lot of people are really enjoying this topic....cheers