We sat down with Victor Takahara of TPD trailers to ask him what he thought it was that set his trailers apart from the competition. This is what he told us about his company and their philosophy.

THE HISTORY

I spent the early 80's building stick trailers (wood studs with plywood paneling interior, aluminum-skinned exterior) for another trailer manufacturer. This was a time when enclosed trailer manufacturing was in its infancy. Pros teams like INDY CAR and NASCAR were still driving their vehicles to the racetracks on flatbed trailers using half-ton pickup trucks. Within a few years pro teams started to realize the benefits of having an enclosed trailer. Not only could they bring their vehicles, but their tools and parts as well. Unfortunately, stick trailers worked fine for hauling a few dirt bikes and perhaps a small dune buggy, but they simply couldn't hold up to the rigors and increasing weights that a pro race team needed. The easiest fix for the trailer was to add more steel bracing to the chassis. The problem was that it created a grossly over-weighted trailer.

Around the same time my father happened to come home with a piece of composite material used for overseas shipping containers and other applications. He told me these sheets could be made into a one-piece seamless panel up to 48' long and 10' high! I immediately realized how I could use these seamless panels in a sheer wall application to strengthen an enclosed trailer. I knew right then that I needed to start my own company.

TPD Trailers, Inc. opened its doors in 1984. We targeted the ever-growing racecar market because it was a perfect environment to test our ideas and truly see how well our trailers held up. We spent our early years developing new and innovative ways to completely design a new type of trailer. A major breakthrough came with the development of our Perimeter Chassis. TPD's Perimeter Chassis takes full advantage of the composite panel's sheer wall strength, and has a reduction of up to 30% weight savings when compared to a typical trailer chassis. TPD Composite Trailer designs have helped to shave off excessive weights equal to those of the best-built all aluminum trailers while increasing the overall body strengths tenfold. One of our best selling techniques has been to take a customer inside the trailer and literally kick the wall as hard as we can. From that point on you have the customer's undivided attention.

THE TPD BENEFITS

The TPD Composite trailer with Perimeter Chassis is unlike any other trailer being built today and is totally unique to TPD. We use the very best materials like aerospace fasteners, rubber torsion axles with Nev-R-Lube bearings, and pre-primered tubing. Our interiors are completely washable with a garden hose, extremely durable, and resistant to heat and warping. Our design department uses the latest AutoCAD programs to develop new and innovative designs.

Today we build trailers for every facet of motorsports. IRL, NASCAR, NHRA, SCCA, USAC, off-road, sand toys, motorcycles, karting, etc., along with specialty trailers for NASA, Lawrence Livermore, Predator Drone, 3D Imaging, and Hollywood...the list goes on and on.

From day one TPD's major focus has been to build the best and most durable trailer on the market. TPD would like to thank all of our loyal customers who believed in our ideas and pushed us to new levels. This is the spark that keeps TPD inspired today and into the future.

For the latest information visit our website at www.tpdtrailers.com or contact (916) 381-0532, email at sales@tpdtrailers.com.