2012 T@B Trailer
The T@B is back! Dutchmen, the original manufacturers of the T@B, discontinued the production and support of the colorful, stylish little trailer in 2009, much to the chagrin of die-hard T@B owners and fans. One reason for this might have been because of the high cost of the various parts of the trailer that came from Europe. The rights to the popular trailer has now been acquired by Little Guy Worldwide, a company that makes teardrop trailers. Little Guy has partnered with Pleasant Valley Teardrop Trailers (the people who built my teardrop) to build the T@Bs. The Ohio-based company was also considering acquiring the T@B name and business at the same time as Little Guy, but instead decided to partner with Little Guy and their large fan-base.
The new 15-foot long T@B has the same smart and sassy design, options and details as the original, but is still in the initial floor plan phase. Little Guy has added some additional amenities such as an outdoor shower with a 2.5 gallon heated tank, a 3-way refrigerator that can run off 12 volt, 110 or propane and a detachable screen door. The trailer is about 1,500 pounds fully loaded, contains a sink and a 2-burner LP stove, a propane tank and battery attached to the front and has a 5 gallon fresh water tank. The interior has birch cabinetry, storage under and over the seating/Queen bed combo, a small closet, a Port-a-Potty, an LP furnace/CoolCat air conditioner and several upholstery designs.
Little Guy has also made an effort to redesign and correct issues that plagued the original T@B. The new trailer will have a better door handle, a heavier front door, solid aluminum instead of mesh wheel wells and they are using automotive adhesives to attach the trim to the roof. There will also be additional 110 and 12v outlets and the axle weight was increased to 3,500 pounds instead of the original’s 300 pounds. The expensive European parts will be produced in the U.S.
Other standard features include:
- Silver, Yellow, Red & White Exterior trim available
- Aluminum Framed Roof & Sidewalls
- Laminated Fiberglass Sidewalls with foam block insulation
- Alufiber Roof with R-12 cut insulation
- 14″ Alloy Rims
- E-Coated Microlite frame; Independent suspension
- Tongue jack with dolly wheel
- Two sets stabilizer jacks; Two sets grab handles
- Poly Plastic, duo pane bay windows w/roll-away screens/ shades
- 2-Way, 3-Speed Fantastic Fan ; Multiple 12v/110 outlets
- Spare tire and under mount bracket
- Premium vinyl flooring on Aluminum Framed Floor
- 5 Interior 12Volt light fixtures & External Porch Light
- “Easy-up” indoor/outdoor table, Table top 28″x31″
- 110V A/C to 12V D/C power converter
- Hydraulic Surge Brakes
- Pre-Installed Keder (Awning) Rail
- DVD/TV Player with AM/FM and Cable Coaxial Hookup
- 12v Norcold Compressor Refrigerator
- Redesigned, Industrial Strength Entry Door w/ Removable Screen
Optional features include:
- Norcold 3-Way Fridge that can be plugged into 12 volt or 110 or propane
- 15″ Monitor w/DVD/AMFM
- Side Portal Window
- Side Awning
- External shower
- 2.5 gallon Hot Water Heater
- 19 gallon gray water tank
The 2012 T@B is being sold at dealers around the country for around $16,000-$20,000. Only about 600 units will be built in 2012, but the company projects to build about 1,200 a year in their current facility in the next 18-24 months.
Photos courtesy of T@B/Little Guy
By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]
18 Responses to “2012 T@B Trailer”
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These are great little trailers and the next logical step up from a tent. There are some design details in these that could be applied in Tiny Houses. We love ours.
Are you sure that the original weight was 300 lb and it now weighs 3500 lb? That’s more than a ten X increase!
Oh, closer reading tells me that the weight is 1500lb. What is the difference between weight and axle weight.
They need to bring over the European floor plans which make far more sense imo. In fact the original T@Bs were started in Germany by Tabbert. I guess Dutchman had to pay a royalty to produce the trailers under the T@B name which may be why they stopped making them. Who knows how big companies decide on things but it is nice to see them being produced again.
Here’s a link for one of the European ones:
http://squob.com/travel_trailers/tb-xl-the-burgher-king/
Pretty nice. I’d probably just get a minivan with stow-away seats though and use a backpacking stove for cooking. This would be better for longer trips though.
One of these would be handy http://www.walmart.com/ip/Matter-Of-Time-Privacy-Pop-Up-Tent-Enclosure/14860697
Interesting, however I do not, nor do I intend to get a larger vehicle (pick-up / SUV) in order to pull something like this… perhaps a scaled down version for my vehicle though. Looked at the link to the european variant… much prefer the style of that one over the US version.
Do you need a SUV to pull 1500 lbs? I thought most cars could tow that weight, but I honestly don’t know so I may be way off. The link provided was not to a standard European model–the originals had a floor plan just like the one above. I agree that linked floor plan was sweet, but it was also listed at $60k! and was 22′ not 15′ like these. It was not the standard issue T@B. It was a top of the line model, but a great example of what can be done in a tiny space.
Here’s a link to the European T@B http://www.tabme.de/modelle/tb/technische-daten.html –the standard version!
What I admire about these trailers are all the things inside! Very cool!
I love these lil trailers I almost bought one of the T@DAs in 08 but went with the smaller T@B cause it was cheaper and wish i went a little bigger.I would love if they came back with them aswell.
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Purchased an 2008 T@da, in the process of reading all instructions.So easy to tow with small truck as well as visibility to view rear.Interior is so cute and lots of light. More to come after first campout.
I really love these, but it sounds like in the discussion that the new weight is an issue. What I liked about them before was that my New Beetle could pull one, but it sounds like now that it couldn’t. Not only am I not going to change cars or buy another vehicle, but the price tag is a bit steep for me. For those of you who have the vehicles to pull one and the cash flow, I bet you’ll really enjoy having one of the new 2012s.
Thinking about selling mine–it looks like the gray one above. I live in Los Angeles. Tawanda is a 2010 with a flush (cassette) toilet. I pull it with a leased Subaru Outback 3.6. Just got back from Point Reyes National Seashore via Route 1 along the coast. Handles great! I’m going back to school and I need the money! I’m asking $12,000.
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The “castle” in the first photo with the silver T@B is Converse Hall at the University of Vermont!
We owned a red 2008 T@B and loved it! We sadly sold it when our family could not longer sleep comfortably on the bed and my husband got tired of setting up the attachable tent room.