slosurfer said:
Sounds like he is going to start going in a slightly different direction with the trailer designs and he's having his suspension designed by someone different. Just because it is a "trailing arm" suspension doesn't mean it is a direct copy, especially if he is having it designed.
I may be getting a little picky here but the FJ forum posting said, "I am also working on trailing link type suspension designed by one of the premier sand rail builders in the country."
Now in my understanding a trailing link type suspension can be very different than a trailing arm suspension. The suspension that is on the AT trailers is in my estimation a trailing arm style. There is one arm per wheel and no "links" that I am aware of. A trailing link suspension does not need to be an independant suspension design. I may be similar to the style of suspension that is discussed
here.
Now for the meat of the matter. I work for an OEM welding automation company in my day to day job. Competition in the industry has many side benefits. We are currentlty expanding our product offerings and moving into a new area that we have previously not been in. There are other companies that offer the product that we are bringing to market. That does not make us a copy-cat.
The simple matter of the fact is that when comparing two or three items in any industry you have to make sure that you are comparing apples to apples. In the automated welding industry there are choices on which company will provide the controls for the weld process selected. Truth be told, sure you can strike an arc, create a weld puddle, add filler wire, and complete the weld with each of them. The devil is in the details though. What can each system do?
If system A has capability X and that makes it superior to system B can you in good conscience compare them on a level playing field or claim that one is a copy of the other? The company with the added capability and superior system is probably going to ask, and recieve more money for their product. Just because it is more expensive doesn not mean that they are going to loose all of their sales to the company selling the cheaper product. In fact if the product is truly superior and the sales team is accomplishing their job of helping their potential customers understand the true
VALUE of the product then the ability to cost justify the purchase becomes easier to accomplish.
I think that the team of M&M at AT have done an excelent job of providing a trailer that is of very high quality and incorporates many, many innovative an so far in the US market exclusive product features. Not only that, but I hear their customer service is exceptional as well. Competitors may emmerge in the market but look at the product development that they will need in order to compare and compete with AT in an apples to apples, level evaluation. M&M continue to be driven not only to improve, but perfect their trailers. This is my own evaluation from the outside looking in. They haven't "rested on the laurels," to use a a cliche.
So, in summary, if having boxes over the wheels/fenders makes a trailer a copy-cat of the AT Horizon then the
Outlander Trailers would also fit into this category but, I think that we are comparing apples to mangos. Sure they both provide nutrition, they come from a tree, have some of the same coloring but boy do they taste different. And thank goodness, because I like both of them but for different reasons.
Boy, I feel winded I had better go lie down.:costumed-smiley-007
Mike
