Ole school towing...

[kguess]

I remember my father in law worked in the oil field when it was rock and rolling in the 50's ans 60's. Well, long story short, he towed a house trailer ( 45 feet plus )up and down the Gulf coast with his family going from one rig to the next ( Texas, Louisiana , Mississippi , etc) Everything they owned was in that trailer. God knows what it weighted.... His TV was a 50 ish Cadillac . No WD HITCH or sway bars. He actually used a hand held mirror to see behind him! Later he used a Ford Gallaxy, same set up. And today we measure, weigh, use this type of hitch and that sway control, brake controller ( not sure if he had a brake set up but if I'm guessing, I'd say no) , re- measure, re- weight, double check this and that. Nothing wrong with being safe but I thought about this while I was doing all the weighing and checking... Just wanted to share their story. He has passed away but he towing that long, heavy trailer many miles with few issues. And if you haven't seen the movie ' The Long, long trailer' starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, do your self a favor and watch it ( it's actually online and you can watch the entire movie) Just make sure u are ready to laugh your a#% off !!!

[hoffbrew]

That is too funny and very accurate. I am going to find this movie, sounds like a great family camping movie.

[jsmith948]

Kind of like toddler seats and seat belts. Remember those aluminum framed car seats that just hooked over the seat backs? My DS used to sit on my lunch bucket with his feet on the front seat so he could see over the dash! I guess we're better off today?

Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk

[JRTJH]

You mean like this one? And remember when there were vent windows in cars and trucks and fuzzy dice on the mirror.... Good old days? A much slower time, that's for certain.....

[Watt]

Those were the days when the whole family went thru the windshield! I still remember the glove box lid w/two small rings where Mother sat the cups while she mixed their "roadie" drinks, while my brother was laying on the back deck below the rear windshield!

[KanTC]

Wow, what a blast of the past, kguess!! My Grandpa also towed a travel trailer with his Cadillac, I remember that car being huge, a light turquoise blue & had those "big ol' fins" on the back. <LOL> Camping trips were a *family affair* then... granted, my Mom & Dad, Aunts & Uncles, and all of "us kids" slept in our big green canvas tents!!

Ohhhh my, I hadn't thought about those car seats in years --- yes, we had no seat belts in vehicles, and rode 2-3 kids on ONE bicycle & there was no such thing as bicycle helmets -or- color TV... we had a rotary dial telephone & a party-line.

My how things have changed! And how I wish I still had Grandpa's *classic* travel trailer
Terri, the Chevy co-pilot

[poncho62]

Funny stories......I remember my dad towing some pretty heavy stuff in the day, didnt give it a 2nd thought. Times were different then, less traffic, lower speeds generally.

I have a friend that tows a 4000# house trailer with an S10 pickup. Granted, he doesnt go far, but he insists he is safe. Cant tell him different. When I get tired of seeing all the "Your truck isnt big enough" threads on these forums, I just think of him

[kguess]

After posting this , I checked and you can watch the entire movie online. You can buy the CD also. It's been many years since we watched it so I'm excited to see it again!
Funny thing, if u watch it, many years ago (70's), we bought a 13' Chalet TT- basically a bed, stove and table. Our TV was a orange Datsun , 4 banger, standard transmission . Well out west, my wife started collecting rocks to bring home (new Orleans ) - well, if u watch the movie you'll understand!

[byrdr1]

Great thread! I am an Army brat, so I know all about the trips up and down the east coast as we moved from base to base like every year. Someone said a datsun 4 banger. How about a 66 datsun pickup with a slide in over the cab camper(wooden framing) pulling a 15' Renken boat on the trailer. With all your camping stuff inside the truck. Fun times...
thanks
randy

[jkohler70]

I'm amazed at the power output increase in engines over the last 30 years. In the early-to-mid 80's, my dad towed a 19' camper with the family all over the country with a Ford Econoline van. The van had a 302 Windsor with an output of 185 HP and 270 lb-ft of torque. Nearly all current V6 engines surpass the HP output and many the torque. Heck, there are a lot of 4 bangers that will match that old 302!
Of course, I do remember running the heat on high in the middle of the summer while going through the Rocky Mountains to keep from overheating!

[So Cal CPA]

The one thing I really miss is riding around in the back of the pickup truck as a kid!!! That was fun!

I am not that old, but I remember riding through town in the back of my Dad's white Chevy truck, I think it was white - I was pretty young.

[Javi]

Back in '82 or so I bought/swapped for a 27' Terry bumper pull from an ol'boy that was down on his luck and owed me some money for working on his pickup..

Well I didn't own a pickup at the time so I pulled the trailer to the deer lease (180 miles) with my '77 CJ-5. I had welded a 3" pipe bumper on both the front and back of the yellow buzzard so I just added a 2" receiver by cutting 2" square in the middle of the 3" pipe and welding the 2" tube into it.. Got me a 2" drop ball mount and a ball to fit the trailer.. And off we went...

Wasn't too bad till I hit US 84 west and then the sway started up, well I didn't have no brake controller. Didn't figure I'd need it cause I wasn't going but a couple of hundred miles, well around Goldthwaite looking for the turn onto Hwy 16 I figured I should of put some kind of brakes on this thing, but what the heck I'll just slow down a bit and it'll get better..

By the time I hit San Saba I was down to around 35 mph and thinking I'd never get to Llano much less Menard..

Whole trip took me over 9 hours and I usually did it in the Yellow buzzard in less than 3... Power was never an issue, see that CJ-5 had a 400HP 327 Chevy motor and a set of 4:88 gears with a TrueTrac in the front and a Detroit locker in the rear.. Rough Country suspension and a bunch of other off road stuff...

That was then and this is now... I don't think I would do it over

[gearhead]

My limited camping as a kid was a army cot with rotten canvas and a mosquito net over it. No tent. Dad carried that and a Coleman set (stove & lantern) in the back of a '53 Chevy truck. Had the floor starter switch and gas tank IN the cab behind the seat.
Then my uncle converted an old bread truck into a motorhome, early 1960's. Took us cousins to Arkansas. whooowheee

[rusty rider]

Well I guess we all have to learn to do it right, so with that, here is my first time RV towing..

Coming out ot Seattle going to LA in 1959 with a 1954 Mercury pullin a 32'
Heavy travel trailer with a [camp on the bumper hitch], no trailer brakes and stuff tied on the trunk of that Merc....Had ever thing me and the little woman owned. Headed to Cal for a new job...WE made it, but don't how!!!!!

Since learned how, now we do it right..

Just had to relate that trip to you....adios Rich

[x96mnn]

One has to think though, those older cars most likely weight more and were longer then a lot of the trucks we see on the road today lol!

[Western Traveler]

Wow, you guys sound really old!!

OK, I remember sleeping on the rear luggage shelf of our 1950 Buick when we traveled, it was where I fit as the youngest.

Canvas water bags in front of the radiator and one of those turbo type air conditioners hanging on the passenger side window.

As to towing trailers, we never gave weight a thought, without power steering things steered easier with the front wheels nearly off the ground,
"just take er' slow"

I look fondly on the past but damn glad I am in today...

[hankpage]

Originally Posted by byrdr1

Great thread! I am an Army brat, so I know all about the trips up and down the east coast as we moved from base to base like every year. Someone said a datsun 4 banger. How about a 66 datsun pickup with a slide in over the cab camper(wooden framing) pulling a 15' Renken boat on the trailer. With all your camping stuff inside the truck. Fun times...
thanks
randy

Our first RV was a '72 Datsun pickup 4 banger with an 1800 lb. wood framed slide in. That year truck had 1 1/4 ton pay load and pulled hills like a champ .... coming down the other side was another story and I had to put dual wheel adapters on the rear to keep from tipping over ... but we had a blast and no more sleeping on rocks. "We've come a long way baby!!" (So when I tell someone I think they need more truck, I know what I'm talking about.)

[Festus2]

Hank -
I see you had hair way back then - and a hint of a curl too.