Vorsheer: Turning lemons into lemonade for the trailer industry
How does one man’s failure become another man’s opportunity? Steve McCloud, owner of Vorsheer, LLC, explains:
“The employees of a failed trailer manufacturer started Vorsheer, LLC. They believed in themselves and what they were trying to achieve even though the entire organization was mismanaged. When the company finally went bankrupt, these employees seized the opportunity to buy the assets from the bank and Vorsheer was officially launched.”
Below is a shot of the founders/owners and employees of the newly-formed company
As the new enterprise got on its feet, Vorsheer started building custom aluminum boxes for fire trucks along with side-by-side accessories and dog boxes for the hunting community.
During this time of early startup, the owners got busy designing off-road trailers. Not only that, they wanted to make some changes in the trailer industry. Here is Steve’s take on it:
“At that time, the only way to buy an overland trailer was to pay a huge deposit and wait up to 2 years all the while hoping the company that had your money didn’t go bankrupt. We also recognized that the RV industry was lacking in consistent build quality. We knew that these overland trailers could be built with exceptional quality, sold to consumers nationwide without asking for a large deposit, or making them wait months or even years to receive the trailer.
By using the most up-to-date manufacturing technologies including 3-D CAD design, laser cutting, CNC bending, routing and welding processes, VORSHEER built its first XOC prototype in just 3 weeks. Except for a few tweaks, this remarkable off-road trailer was ready for production.
Even though things looked bright initially, Steve filled us in with a few of their beginning concerns:
“Early on, VORSHEER faced the challenge of choosing a reliable suspension for our new XOC prototype, as well as debunking some of the myths surrounding the different types of suspensions that were being used in the overlanding industry: Mainly, the independent A-Arm suspension. Aside from being huge, heavy, overly complicated, lots of parts and severely limited ground clearance, these suspensions are notorious for camber problems along with a host of maintenance issues. The independent A-Arm suspension was not an option for any VORSHEER products.
“While doing our research for something that could replace the troubled A-Arm and torsion suspensions, we contacted Timbren and bought our first Axle-less suspension. It was beautiful, simple, and sleek, offering superior ground clearance, easy installation, and options for different ride heights. Most importantly, it simply worked. We knew we’d found an overland trailer-designer’s dream!”
VORSHEER’s Teardrop Trailers that use the 5200 lbs Axle-Less suspension: XOC (Extreme Overland Camper) https://www.vorsheershop.com/xoc
VORSHEER’s Expedition Trailer that uses the 3500 lbs Axle-less suspension: XER (Extreme Expedition Rig): https://www.vorsheershop.com/xer
Steve is not just an owner of the company, but also a designer. As a designer, his favorite part of the off-road/overland industry is discovering new ideas and clever designs. He feels that the off-roading industry has some of the most creative and ingenious people of any industry. Listen to how he expresses his passion for the off-road industry:
“You would be hard-pressed to find anything in the off-road market that was not started first as a weekend project in someone’s garage. That is what makes it so interesting. You never know who will come up with the next big thing, and you always ask yourself “why didn’t I think of that?”
After spending 2 years building off-road trailers for the overlanding and 4x4 communities, we asked Steve what sets his trailers apart from the rest:
“Two years into this venture, our trailers are far more refined. We rely heavily on customer feedback and do our best when possible to implement it into new designs. A few things that set us apart are our build consistency, availability, and overall production quality. When you’re building for off-road use, your trailers need to hold to a higher standard”.
You can find more info about Vorsheer by visiting their web site:
To get more info about the Axle-Less trailer suspension click here
