Travel Trailers & Older Wagons Question

Like several other forum members, I am approaching retirement age. I want to retire sometime in the next 5 years. My wife has suggested getting a travel trailer (or motorhome) and traveling around the country for a few years. One option would to use the '58 Ford as a tow vehicle. I'm asking for input from the forum members who tow travel trailers.

What's the largest (heaviest) trailer your older wagon can haul?

What if anything did you have to do to your wagon before you could pull a trailer (suspension/brakes upgrade, etc.)?

It appears U-haul might actually have a (class III maybe) hitch still in a warehouse somewhere for my car...the guy who had my delivery before me used a bumper hitch to haul a car trailer but I know that's not heavy enough.

Anyway, any opinions or experiences would be really appreciated...Dave

 

I have seen and heard a lot of good things about the old Airstreams if you can find one and afford it they can be seriously modernized and "pimped out" to be quite comfortable and nice. The desireable part to them is also the light weight. Your 58 could be set up with air bags or helpers in the rear and probably have no issue hauling one anywhere. There are some sites and forums dedicated to the Airstreams, some really cool restos and updating can be done.

 

There are many other old RV's that make great projects. Keep it under 21' to 23' feet because the older RV's were heavy. I like the old Shasta with wings. Get something with a bathroom and then update the inside.
Check out tincantourist and other early camper sites.
Many class 5 hitches can be made to fit your frame. Good air shocks and heavy springs will help if you don't want airbags.

 

old trailers

Hi, I'll say that my 73 Tradewind (Airstream) only weighs 4200 lb or so. An older unit might be even less, they almost last forever. Brakes and suspension are key, for me power was not an issue. Airforums.com if you are interested in Airstreams. Good luck, and happy retirement. MPJ

 

The car my engine came out of (71 pontiac) pulled a huge airstream trailer!

 

We have quite a few members that pull TT's with vintage wagons - most notably Safari57, who pulls a vintage Airstream with a '57 Pontiac Safari. He can give you quite a bit of advice.

Not sure about doing something like this FULL TIME, though.........

Marshall

 

Custom hitches not that hard have made.

Hi Dave and Station Wagon lovers,

I'm thinking about doing this too with my trusty 1965 Buick Special wagon, but I'm still too early in the project to offer you much advice. One thing to keep in mind is that you could throw a lot of love at your old wagon to make it more enjoyable. Among the things I decided I had to have was air conditioning. Obviously, that doesn't make pulling a trailer easier, but if you want to explore the more arid (or hot and humid) corners of the country - a car without A/C could become really miserable in a hurry.

I appear to have solved this part of my problem totally by accident. I need to have a new exhaust system installed as part of the engine upgrade for my trusty wagon. It turns out that the muffler shop makes custom hitches and can build be a hitch that can handle 10,000 lbs. - I a lot more than I would ever dare to tow.

I've been told that custom hitches aren't that hard to have made. So this is probably one of the least of your problems to solve. You'll need to decide on how much your wagon can handle and how much investment you are willing to make it a practical and pleasant vehicle to tour the country.

Cheers, Edouard

 

hitches

Part of the hitch issue is weight distribution and strenght. Try and have a hitch that is bolted to the frame far forward by the axel as well as by the bumper to distribute the load. Remember the old wagons like mine have alot of rear overhang, a hitch designed to spread out the weight (ie farther forward) will help alot. MPJ

 

Get a small motor home and an open or enclosed car hauler and pull the wagon around.
Be the best of both worlds, real nice to have all the conveniences in your tow vehicle, especially a bathroom on long road trips when you get older.
You could cruise in the wagon at your leisure and not worry about it breaking down and stranding you, be a lot easier on the car too.

 

Thanks guys for all the advice. I would prefer an older trailer but the missus is 'in love' with slideouts for a wider space - something the older trailers don't have.

Unfortunately all the newer trailers and motorhomes are trimmed out like new houses. I would much prefer a more retro look myself. That and all the modern color palettes seem to be some boring shade of brown...

We are considering motorhomes as one option. Then the question becomes - do I sell the old Ford and tow the Mustang convertible or sell the Mustang and put the money into the Ford?

 

You had the right idea the first time. A hitch on an older wagon is no problem. And by adding the receiver with equalizer and sway control you will keep the wagon level and straight.
There are many old RV campers that you would love for a few years on the road. Start out weekends and work up. In warmer weather about all you will do is sleep inside, maybe cook sometimes. We'd take rides and eat on the road. Then return to camp to relax and sleep. The main thing is get an RV with a bathroom. Shower/tub are not even important. Almost all campgrounds have rec rooms and nice bath/shower restrooms. And for the manly man there's always a tree close by.
Check adds for rebuilt and custom rebuilt RV's. These are very popular now. Follow your dream and stay away from a motorhome. A station wagon is built to drive and enjoy. Anyone can buy a half million dollar house on wheels with four slide outs and all of those unnecessary electronic do-dads. Once you snuggle up and close your eyes all you need is a comfy bed.

 

Back in the day my parents' 1957 Pontiac Transcontinental wagon pulled our 3-ton boat and trailer all over Michigan. It had a frame mounted hitch and the trailer's brakes were wired to act in concert with the car. The trailer was well balanced so tongue weight was nil. Properly prepared and maintained, I think most old wagons could be up to the task, keeping in mind the weight of trailers and loads they would have been expected to haul when new.

 

make sure the trailer has brakes and use one of the new digital controls and you have much more stopping power

 

its funny that this question always comes up....like as if the trailers from the 50's and 60's ...werent actually towed by cars...of the 50's and 60's....drum brakes and all ...

( ....some pretty cool ad's out there of the old Advertising for trailers....with them being towed by everything ! )

My heaviest trailer is my 68 Silver Streak Sabre...weighs about 3200 wet....and it'll be behind my 68 Country Sedan this year...and in my opinion...its all about the hitch !!and how its mounted

I gonna tow my Shasta with my 63 Falcon wagon

but then im a daredevil...i'll even a ride bicycle without a helmet

(if this all sounded sarcastic...it wasnt meant to be )

 

Yes! This is something I want to do to... however.. I've decided to get rid of our Shasta (13 footer) and get a tent trailer for ease of towing. Tent trailers are great if you're camping in one spot for awhile.. otherwise they can be a bit of a pain setting up and breaking down.. but for towing lightness and spaciousness.. they can't be beat.

I've already setup a towing hitch on my '58 wagon and plan to use that for towing.. Will look so good on the road!