the evolution of trailers

By kpaic1
  • The Sledge
    7000 BCE

    The Sledge

    Wooden sledges are first known, by at least 7000 BC, among communities living by hunting and fishing in northern Europe, on the fringes of the Arctic. It is possible that they use dogs to pull them, but the technological advance is valuable even without animal power.
  • The wagon
    5000 BCE

    The wagon

    A wagon gets stuck in the mud, more than 5000 years ago, near what is now Zürich. It has two pairs of solid wooden wheels, each attached to an axle which turns with them. The wagon is massively heavy (perhaps about two thirds of a ton, or 700 kg) and it is irretrievably stuck. It stays where it is. It is now one of the earliest known examples of wheeled transport.
  • The carriage

    The carriage

    Carriages are available for hire in the streets of London from 1605. By the second half of the century there are traffic jams.
  • The trailer

    The trailer

    The modern trailer