Vintage Towing -- Testing the Waters
Hi everyone, I'm new to the forum. Based on my reading, it sounds like you can give me a hand. You'll probably get a chuckle out of this request, but then I'd like to at least get a few serious resp...
Forum Discussion
Hi everyone, I'd just like to chime in again. I spent the winter preparing the truck for tow duty and this week I did my first pull. I only drove around town with the trailer unloaded, but it's a start. Our first trip is planned for the 4th.
Here's what I went through...
* I installed MOOG replacement front springs to lift the front end back up.
* Greased all the fittings up front and eliminated a few squeaks
* Removed the blocks in the rear to lift the rear end back up.
* Added about 60 psi to the air shocks (planning to add more based on first pull)
* Installed a class 3 hitch mounted to the cross bar ( couldn't find one to mount to bumper mounting points)
* Oil change, gear oil change, etc
* Installed an electronic brake controller
* grabbed some fender mount tow mirrors with rubber mounts so the paint won't get damaged
* Swapped out the low-profile 16"s for 14"s with high capacity A/T tires.
Then I picked out a camper. We went with a 16' Scamp. Dry weight is about 2,000lbs and loaded it should be around 2,500.
Initial Impressions:
Starting was fine. The clutch had no problem with the weight and the gearing didn't bog in 1st. I found myself cruising at about 35 mph in 3rd gear instead of 40-45 mph in 4th gear on twisty back roads with occasional bumps. There was some mild porpoising that I should be able to alleviate with more air pressure in the shocks. If not, I'll switch to a WD hitch. Braking was fine without the brake controller. I didn't quite get it dialed in during the short ride so I'll have to experiment some more with it. Hill climbing wasn't bad either. I went from a stop to 60 mph on a 4% incline and wasn't holding up traffic. That's all for now. I'll report back once I've taken it on a longer trip. I'll leave you with a few photos though...
Here's what I went through...
* I installed MOOG replacement front springs to lift the front end back up.
* Greased all the fittings up front and eliminated a few squeaks
* Removed the blocks in the rear to lift the rear end back up.
* Added about 60 psi to the air shocks (planning to add more based on first pull)
* Installed a class 3 hitch mounted to the cross bar ( couldn't find one to mount to bumper mounting points)
* Oil change, gear oil change, etc
* Installed an electronic brake controller
* grabbed some fender mount tow mirrors with rubber mounts so the paint won't get damaged
* Swapped out the low-profile 16"s for 14"s with high capacity A/T tires.
Then I picked out a camper. We went with a 16' Scamp. Dry weight is about 2,000lbs and loaded it should be around 2,500.
Initial Impressions:
Starting was fine. The clutch had no problem with the weight and the gearing didn't bog in 1st. I found myself cruising at about 35 mph in 3rd gear instead of 40-45 mph in 4th gear on twisty back roads with occasional bumps. There was some mild porpoising that I should be able to alleviate with more air pressure in the shocks. If not, I'll switch to a WD hitch. Braking was fine without the brake controller. I didn't quite get it dialed in during the short ride so I'll have to experiment some more with it. Hill climbing wasn't bad either. I went from a stop to 60 mph on a 4% incline and wasn't holding up traffic. That's all for now. I'll report back once I've taken it on a longer trip. I'll leave you with a few photos though...
