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back to Trailer Reviews IndexIntegrity Trailer ReviewApril 2003 Imagine you've spent most of your adult life designing trailers
- for someone else - and you were always imagining
what kind of trailer you would design if it were YOUR trailer
company. I found someone who did just that. I asked the owner of the relatively new, Integrity Trailer Company what was the most important aspect he felt set him off from the competition. Charlie McBay didn't have to give it much thought. "Integrity is our mission. Our reputation with our
customers and our employees sets us off from the competition. After
that, I suppose, it's our trailer's appearance." "Well built and good looking?" I thought I could see Charlie smile, but we were on the phone. There was actually only silence. The slight pause seemed to emphasize Charlie's intent to communicate his sincerity about integrity. . . . so I made a note and later looked it up in the dictionary. Integrity (from Merriam Webster) 1. firm adherence to a code of especially
moral or artistic values : INCORRUPTIBILITY High ideals . . . . but then again, Charlie had been on the front lines and knew what it took to keep a customer happy over the long haul. Everyone has a list of features they like to promote - and Integrity is no different. But Charlie surprised me and led off with a concept, not a feature. . . and attached a name to it. Future trailer buyers should know more about this company and it's owner - and take note. Background: There are actually three owners of the Integrity Trailer Company, aside from Charlie, and they include Tim Tarralbo and Carter Forsyth. Tim and Carter specialize in production and service, respectively. Charlie's the designer. I spoke in length with Charlie. With an engineering background from the Navy, Mr. McBay
took his skill set to the American Trailer Company and earned a reputation
for solid design over the next 9 years. The American Trailer Company
was the birthplace for a number He has a clear vision. I had one
of his trailers, compliments of Trailer Depot in
Oklahoma City, and I have pulled it to Texas and back. I was
impressed. After pulling his trailer, I had a few questions for
the owner. Question: Why should anyone buy an Integrity Trailer? Charlie: Three reasons. They show well. They're built well. They're priced reasonably. I've been pulling his trailer for several months - I had to agree - it pulled and tracked very well. And my wife passed it on the all important "looks" test. I knew the trailers were priced very well. But the quality to my untrained eye? I had to ask for more detail . . . . and there was no hesitation on Charlie's part. "First of all, our customers sell our trailers for us, the more trailers we produce, the more we sell." he stated. I then let Charlie be the salesman and told him he had ten
minutes to tell me why an Integrity lived up to it's name in the
customer's eyes. Now remember, Charlie's an engineer . . . I
scribbled fast. 1. They use tape - not rivets Charlie was pretty specific . . . I just wanted the
highlights, but he kept referring to strength factors, patents on the
bottom rail, and his last comments made me listen carefully. They
were building their first slide-out. Now any of you who know what a slide-out is, know that you have to cut a very large hole in the side of your trailer and set a very heavy "room" into it's place. And this room must move - or slide out. There are some trailer manufacturer's that will not monkey with sliders. Or will not warranty them. Knowing Integrity had this figured out impressed me. In fact, when I spoke with them in Mid-March, they had several more sliders on order. Trailers need to be structurally superior to even consider the manufacture and warranty of living quarter sliders. But I have yet to see the finished product . . so let's go back to the trailer I had. The trailer I had was a standard Legacy, a 4 horse
model. Drop downs on the head, and a panel with opening slots on the
butt-side. Integrity uses stainless extruded on the outside . . .
why? Because it's strong, holds up better and it looks
good. The white skin portion is standard and is polished on
the inside as well as the outside. If you order the Destiny . . . an
insulated roof is standard. If you haul seriously though the heat of
the summer and your horses have to stay inside for long periods of ti I could go on about the details Charlie was giving me . . . but I do have a confession to make. I haven't met a trailer builder yet who wasn't able to produce for me a long list of reasons why his trailer was better than the other guy's so let me cut to the chase and tell you why I was impressed and why I would be very comfortable owning an Integrity. Two reasons stand out. 1. Experience. Ironically, this one year-old
company has an abundance of technical know how, and he happens to be the
owner. He is reacting to both his own experience and that of the
buying public . . . listening and making changes as he goes. In fact, even as I write, they have re-done a number of
features on the trailer - which I'll be updating later.. 2. Reputation - I'll have to take Charlie's word on this one . . . . but I did check around, and, I was impressed with his repeated emphasis on quality and subsequent naming of his trailer. With his background . . . I felt it was more a statement, than a marketing decision. His customers seem to agree. And so do his dealers. Trailer Depot is the main distributor and dealership working with Integrity in Oklahoma and like Charlie they have decades of experience . . . and a passion to provide a quality product. But more importantly, they seem more concerned about building a quality relationship with their customers. Anyone will tell you - a trailer (or car) is only as good as the people who stand behind it. In this case, if you have a problem . . . you can always point to their self-appointed warranty . . . . stamped to the side of every trailer . . . Integrity. All Review Trailers are specially discounted and available on a first-come basis. This trailer can be purchased from Trailer Depot of Oklahoma City. Trailer Depot of Oklahoma City
© Copyright 2003 David Mattern and Horsetrailerworld.com. All rights reserved including digital rights. Email
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of talented engineers who helped spawn a
mild explosion of trailer builders including Barrett, where Charlie built
trailers for the next 14 years and subsequently met Tim and Carter . . . and if that wasn't
enough . . . . Charlie spent an additional 4 years with the Cherokee Trailer
Company before he decided to build his own trailers.
me .
. you'll love having an insulated roof. And your horses will love YOU.
