Company FAQs
Below are some FAQs about Featherlite Trailers. If you have specific questions or need additional information, please contact us.
Q: What types of trailers does Featherlite make?
Featherlite builds all-aluminum trailers for about any type of cargo or use. Our consumer trailers consist of car, horse, livestock, recreation (ATV, motorcycle, and snowmobile), and commercial/utility trailers.
We also build specialty trailers for business-to-business applications and professional racing. These “specialty trailers” include 53-foot race transporters in addition to event marketing trailers, office trailers, classroom trailers, medical trailers, mobile command centers, kitchen trailers, vending trailers, and more. No matter the cargo, Featherlite can most likely build a trailer to haul it.
Q: When was Featherlite founded?
The Featherlite trailer brand name itself was founded in 1973 in Oklahoma when it manufactured the first all-aluminum gooseneck trailer. Featherlite, Mfg., Inc., which later became Featherlite, Inc., was established in Grand Meadow, Minn., in 1988, after acquiring the Featherlite brand. Five years later and after rapid growth, Featherlite, Inc. moved its corporate headquarters to Cresco, Iowa, where one of its manufacturing plants had been located since 1979. Today, Featherlite Trailer Manufacturing, LLC remains headquartered in Cresco, Iowa.
Q: Where is Featherlite currently located?
Featherlite’s corporate headquarters and manufacturing facilities are located in Cresco, Iowa, in the northeast part of the state. Its corporate office lies near the intersection of Highways 63 & 9.
Q: How many people does Featherlite employ?
Approximately 400 people.
Q: Do you sell your trailers direct or through dealers?
Featherlite’s consumer trailers are sold through a dealer network of approximately 100. Featherlite’s dealers are primarily located in the United States and Canada. Featherlite’s specialty trailers are sold direct through Featherlite’s specialty sales office at its corporate headquarters.
Q: How did Featherlite become involved with NASCAR?
Back in the early 1990s, Featherlite was best known for building and customizing horse and livestock trailers. A group of Featherlite executives and engineers were invited to tour team owner Richard Childress’s race shop after he realized Featherlite’s capabilities could be utilized in the design and building of a new breed of racecar transporters. From that meeting, the first Featherlite race transporter was custom designed and built-in 1992 to haul the car of Dale Earnhardt. After this, more teams turned to Featherlite to take advantage of its customization and enhanced payload capacities, and Featherlite went on to become a sponsor of NASCAR. Today, approximately 85% of NASCAR teams use Featherlite transporters.
Q: What are the benefits of hauling an aluminum trailer?
Aluminum trailers traditionally hold their value longer, and with just minimum maintenance, they resist rust and corrosion. Plus, trailer owners report that aluminum Featherlites pull much easier, and because of the lighter aluminum construction of the trailer can offer fuel advantages and more payload capacity compared to a steel trailer.
Q: Why are Featherlite trailers referred to as ‘all-aluminum’?
Some aluminum manufacturers use heavy steel frames wrapped in aluminum sheeting. Featherlite trailers, however, have an all-aluminum frame and skin and use steel only in the axles and the gooseneck, as well as some stainless steel rivets.