Aluma-Lite is one of the few Holiday Rambler names that appears in almost every part of the catalogue: the American maker lists it as a Class A motorhome, a Class C motorhome, a fifth wheel and a bumper-pull travel trailer. The name belongs to a company that has been building recreational vehicles in northern Indiana since 1953.
Holiday Rambler Aluma-Lite at a glance
| Maker | Holiday Rambler Corporation, Indiana, United States |
|---|---|
| Company founded | 1953, by Richard Klingler |
| Aluminium framing | introduced in 1961 and used as a standard for 40 years |
| Class A version | listed among the Class A motorhomes |
| Class C version | listed among the Class C motorhomes |
| Trailer versions | listed as a fifth wheel and as a bumper-pull trailer |
| Class A size | up to 45 feet (14 m) long and 12.5 feet high |
| Class A weight | up to 50,000 pounds loaded |
| Fifth wheel weight | up to 17,000 pounds loaded |
| Bumper-pull price | towables from US$20,000 MSRP |
| Shown in the video | a 1996 Aluma-Lite 31FK |
Based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on Holiday Rambler, which lists the model without a separate page. No free photographs of the Aluma-Lite were found, so the article keeps the existing picture.
History of the Holiday Rambler Aluma-Lite
A company built in a chicken coop
Holiday Rambler began with Richard Klingler, who started making trailer parts in a chicken coop and assembled the trailers outdoors in the 1950s in Wakarusa, Indiana. The Elkhart and Wakarusa area, ten miles south of Elkhart, became the recreational vehicle capital of the United States after the Second World War, and the first Holiday Rambler vehicle, a travel trailer, was shown to the public in 1953 by the Klingler Corporation. A fully restored example is kept in the RV museum in Elkhart. In 1961 the company introduced aluminium body framing, which it called Alumaframe; the idea of a lighter, stronger and more durable body became the standard for light RVs for forty years.
Four classes, one name
Holiday Rambler builds both motorhomes, which travel on their own power, and towables, which are pulled by another vehicle; all of them have toilets and facilities for cooking and sleeping. The company lists Aluma-Lite four times over: under Class A motorhomes, under Class C motorhomes, under fifth wheels and under bumper-pull travel trailers. The classes are quite different machines. A Class A motorhome has a large frame similar to that of a bus, built on its own specialised chassis, and can be 45 feet (14 m) long, 12.5 feet high and weigh up to 50,000 pounds loaded, carrying as much as 100 US gallons (380 L) of water and the same amount of diesel. A Class C motorhome uses a modified truck chassis, carries up to 29 US gallons (110 L) of water and 57 US gallons of gasoline and weighs up to 14,000 pounds loaded. A fifth wheel connects over the towing vehicle between the front and rear axles, usually in the bed of a pickup, carries up to 70 US gallons (260 L) of water and can weigh 17,000 pounds loaded. A bumper-pull trailer attaches behind the rear axle, carries up to 50 US gallons (190 L) of water, weighs up to 10,000 pounds loaded and starts at US$20,000.
Owners and changes of hand
The company was acquired by Harley-Davidson in December 1986, and its recreational vehicle division competed mainly in the mid to premium part of the market. On 4 March 1996 the Monaco Coach Corporation of Oregon bought the assets from Harley-Davidson for $21.5 million in cash, preferred stock later converted into common stock, and the assumption of most liabilities, at the same time taking ten Holiday World dealerships for $13.0 million. In June 2009, after Monaco moved from Chapter 11 to Chapter 7 bankruptcy, its factories, brands and intellectual property went to Navistar International for $47 million. In May 2013 Navistar sold Holiday Rambler to Allied Specialty Vehicles. Richard Klingler, the founder, died on 16 August 2024 at the age of 97.
Design and features
- The widest name in the range: Aluma-Lite is listed as a Class A motorhome, a Class C motorhome, a fifth wheel and a bumper-pull trailer.
- Aluminium-framed heritage: the maker introduced aluminium body framing in 1961, and the construction became a standard for light RVs.
- Motorhome and towable: the same badge covers vehicles that drive themselves and vehicles that are pulled.
- Long-running range: the name was still in use in the 1990s, as the video of a 1996 31FK shows.
Holiday Rambler Aluma-Lite versions
- Aluma-Lite Class A: the large motorhome version, on its own bus-like chassis.
- Aluma-Lite Class C: the version on a modified truck chassis.
- Aluma-Lite fifth wheel: the towable that connects over the pickup bed.
- Aluma-Lite bumper-pull: the conventional travel trailer with a rear-axle hitch.
Other names from the same catalogue are the Holiday Rambler Imperial motorhome and the Holiday Rambler Vacationer. More vehicles are in the Holiday Rambler collection.
Sources
- Holiday Rambler, English Wikipedia: company history, model lists, class descriptions, ownership
