Trailer (vehicle)

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A trailer is an unpowered vehicle towed by a powered vehicle. It is commonly used for the transport of goods and materials.There are two general categories of trailers: the full trailer and the semitrailer. A full trailer is a type of trailer whose entire weight is supported by its own wheels, with no weight transferred to the towing vehicle. In contrast, a semi-trailer is designed so that a portion of its weight is carried by its own wheels, while the remaining weight is borne by the towing vehicle.^[1]

Sometimes recreational vehicles, travel trailers, or mobile homes with limited living facilities where people can camp or stay have been referred to as trailers. In earlier days, many such vehicles were towable trailers.

Trailers have been used for thousands of years, predating the invention of the automobile. Before the advent of the wheel, early humans employed the concept of trailering by using drag sleds to transport goods. While the two wheel war chariot is one of the earliest and simplest forms of a semi-trailer.^[1] Alexander Winston has been credited with inventing the modern semitrailer in Cleveland, Ohio.^[2]