How does Thor fit in the T@B history?

tenkarajunkie

I see Dutchmen in various posts but also see for some period of time Thor linked to T@B.  Did Dutchmen own Thor?  I see various T@Bs for sale and Dutchmen, Thor, and Pleasant Valley names all pop up.

Just curious about the history.

TJ

Lisa33

Thor owns Dutchmen, so that's the connection.  My T@DA has a Thor label on it.

TABaker

Tearstock 2015 dates are posted on the main page now, July 29-August 1.

gilbutler

Sandra,
Thank you for the early history.  It helps satisfy my curiosity.

twocutes

I've also been interested in the history and the genesis of the T@B and/or T@B branding.  I ran into a man at a Wyoming rest stop that said he saw rows of teardrops or T@Bs near his home in Goshen, IN, at the Forest River facility.  When I said I believed the T@B was manufactured by an independent company in OH, he commented that "Forest River owns everything."  I've never read about a connection with Forest River.  Is there??

jdargis

Probably saw rows of R-Pods.

twocutes

jdargis - That's exactly what I thought at the time, but he seemed to remember the T@B name.  However, he was driving a BIG rig and towing a 2 door Jeep Wrangler, so the concept may have just been lost on him.  

Nomad

I've found people don't really distinguish between various teardrops brands or even sizes. It's a teardrop, period.

Mouseketab

Yep, I've run into lots of folks that think an R-Pod is just like a T@B.

Mouseketab

Patti said:

Sandra said:

 Dutchmen added the T@DA in 2005 or 2006 and then, when the financial bottom fell out of the rv industry, stopped production and closed the factory in September 2009.

Did the T@DA also originate from the Tabbert group in Europe? If not, where did that design come from?

No, the T@DA was purely a Dutchman/Thor creation. I actually like the T@DA TXL, and coveted one for a long time, but I'm pretty picky, and the right T@DA along with me having the right amount of money hasn't happened. (I believe the first T@DA came out in late 2007). They came out shortly after I bought my T@B in June 2007.

twocutes

Anyone know why the '@'?

Nomad

@ - Betting just style.
Any idea why T@B, T@G or T@DA?

vito

So as not to be confused with the former diet Coke drink named "Tab"?

jcfaber1

Vito, this is off topic but we are also in Rockford, IL  We should meet some time!

John and Gail

Machak88

T@B (=TAB) was likely derived from TABbert, which is a part of the name of the European group that had designed the T@B concept (Knaus Tabbert GmBH from Germany). 

Nomad

Machak88 - Makes sense.

jkjenn

This is from the Yahoo group.

Tabbieannecamper

John and Gail of Rockford, I am in Rockford, IL as well. It would be great to get together. As for the preceeding history of T@b, it is real interesting to know how our little  campers evolved.

2015 Max S silver/silver

2012 Subaru Outback

Rockford, IL

ScottG

Great info here. I've been curious about the pre-Dutchman history, and Jenn's post filled in a lot of those blanks. Anyone ever encounter a Tabbert or other pre-Dutchman T@B in the wild? Maybe in Europe? 

jkjenn

I misread your post and thought you said my, "pot"....I thought, "Wait a minute....I love Colorado, but not for those reasons!"

Nomad

Ya sure - We believe ya Jenn ;-)

ScottG

Too funny…I thought that was how you came up with all your great T@B ideas!

Mouseketab

ScottG said:

Great info here. I've been curious about the pre-Dutchman history, and Jenn's post filled in a lot of those blanks. Anyone ever encounter a Tabbert or other pre-Dutchman T@B in the wild? Maybe in Europe? 

There is one in the US. It was one of two T@Bs brought over from Germany that Dutchmen used to build the templates and create the specs for the US T@Bs. One was disassembled. The other was converted to US power and later sold. It was owned by a woman named Lorraine, and she joined the Yahoo T@B group, and joined us on some rallies, and kept a blog. She has also sold the T@B as she can no longer travel solo.

http://tabteardroptravels.blogspot.com/

ScottG

Thanks, Carol. I'm suprised to see how well the styling has been preserved through the Dutchman and LG years--I'd never peg that as the grandaddy of all U.S. T@Bs! (The European T@Bs, in contrast have changed quite a bit.)

It looks from the blog that Lorraine bought hers gently used from a previous private owner. Do you know how she came to uncover its special history?

Michigan_Mike

twocutes said:

Anyone know why the '@'?

I sent a note to the company in Europe about a week ago and received this response back this morning:

Marketing, Knaus Tabbert GmbH <marketing@knaustabbert.de>	7:32 AM (1 hour ago)
Hi Mr Smith,

 Thank you for your Email.

 T@B was – at it’s beginning – a small brand under TABBERT. So the name came in one case from „TABbert“ and, in second case, we gave a modern note with the @-character in stead of the „a“. In Germany we speak [TÄB], in US / UK you speak [tab]. The „Ä“ in Germany is spoken as the first spoken part of the @ [at].

 We hope we were able to answer your question.

 

Best Regards

 Your  Knaus Tabbert Marketing Team

 

HERBSTMESSEN 2015 - Lernen Sie unsere neuen Caravans, Reisemobile und Kastenwagen kennen. Eine Übersicht der Messen finden Sie unter www.knaustabbert.de/veranstaltungen. Wir freuen uns auf Ihren Besuch!

WIR SIND FÜR SIE DA - Lernen Sie die Knaus Tabbert GmbH von ihrer persönlichen Seite kennen und schauen Sie vorbei in den sozialen Medien auf Facebook, Twitter, Google+, XING, LinkedIn oderYouTube!

Mouseketab

ScottG said:

Thanks, Carol. I'm suprised to see how well the styling has been preserved through the Dutchman and LG years--I'd never peg that as the grandaddy of all U.S. T@Bs! (The European T@Bs, in contrast have changed quite a bit.)

It looks from the blog that Lorraine bought hers gently used from a previous private owner. Do you know how she came to uncover its special history?

She mentioned that the private owner told her, and then she came to a rally shortly after purchasing, and folks like Jerry Jones (owner of an early 2004), and Geo, owner of T@B number 100, crawled all over it, and confirmed there was some very distinct differences, such as the triangle rear marker lights, and a few other things.

RollingLagrima

"Crawled all over it" --

KyBawpaw

My grandson showed me that my T@B crashes his smart phone. I'd posted a picture on Instagram of my T@B and included it's name in a comment. Anything with a "@" in comments shows in a blue color as a link. When tapped it had no where to go and crashed the app. Lol.

ScottG

Thanks again, all, for the history lessons--they're just as much fun as the technical stuff.

Sounds like that original T@B is still out there. Keep an eye open for those triangle marker lights!  

catndahats

...the original American T@B that you guys have mentioned is listed on the Houston Craigslist with a few pictures.