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 responses.I'm considering towing a small travel trailer with this little guy:Some of you are probably already laughing at this point. A rotary engine in a pickup truck? Yup, Mazda put the 1.3L wankel in this truck from '74 to '77. They've never been known for their torque but they'll run high rpms all day long. Believe it or not, the '74 model had more torque and horsepower than any other mini-truck on the market at the time.Ok, settle down now. Lets say my goal was to pull a 2,500lb travel trailer with maybe 500-1,000lbs of gear. Could it be done? I've seen images on the web of much smaller vehicles towing what appear to be quite large trailers. I'm not planning on driving up and down any boat launches and I'm content with the right lane on the highway.The good news about the truck: The rear axle has a 4.3 ratio (the brochure above states 4.625 but that's a '74 model and I have a '75). At 65 mph I'm reving 4,000 rpm in 4th gear (there is no 5th). Mazda provided a very large oil cooler since oil is used to cool parts of the engine that the coolant cannot reach. A few upgrades were done during the restoration: full 2.5" exhaust with no emissions, front slotted/drilled rotors, rear air-adjustable shocks. The bad news: The truck was lowered about 2" and I'm in the process of finding someone with a parts truck to provide me the original front coil springs and rear leaf springs since I have coilovers up front and a missing leaf in the rear. The clutch is new, but the flywheel from an RX-4 was used instead which I believe is slightly lighter. 110hp@6000rpm and 117ftlb@3500rpm ain't much to work with. Upgrades I know I'd have to do...* Original Springs* Tow Mirrors* Frame mounted class 3 hitch* Properly rated tires (I already have 7" rims opposed to the 5.5" OEM rims)* Trailer brake controller* Rear sway bar maybe?* More ponies under the hood (forced induction, porting, etc)?As for the trailer I tow, I'll need...* trailer brakes* weight distributing hitch* anti sway kit* careful loading to ensure proper tongue weightAs for my own towing background. Sadly its limited to UHaul trailers of various sizes. I towed one of their dual axle box trailers with a 1990 Grand Marquis when I was in college. I knew nothing about towing but that car pulled it like a champ in overdrive at 70+ mph.So what do you think? Am I asking for trouble? Or do you think it would be cool to see a vintage truck like this pull into a campground with a vintage trailer in tow?

You could potentially move a 15k truck etc with about 80# of frontal area at 60 and be redlined! With that in mind, you should be able to do 60 with a 3500 lbs trailer in tow, and a 3000 lb truck. Guessing on what it should weigh. Might even be as light as 2500 as my old 76 yota weighed. Keep the frontage to as little as possible, then the wt should not be as much of an issue. Frontal area and wind drag can kill you way more than lbs can! So if you have an option on a trailer that weighs say 500 lbs more, but has smooth sides etc, everything else the same, it will pull easier use less fuel than a lighter one that is say aluminum sided!You are out of warrenty, so manufacture tow ratings mean nothing. So if you do as you are saying you will, add a decent hitch, brakes on the trailer, etc etc......go for it. You will not be the fasted on the hills, but should keep up on level to 1-2% hills. If you could find a drop in 5 sp with an overdrive, I would do that. Even on a level you should be able to handle that vs what you are running in direct. I could also be wrong depending upon the HP at 4000 vs 2500-3000 with a typical .7-.75 od! Marty

chuyler1 wrote: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 responses.I'm considering towing a small travel trailer with this little guy:Some of you are probably already laughing at this point. A rotary engine in a pickup truck? Yup, Mazda put the 1.3L wankel in this truck from '74 to '77. They've never been known for their torque but they'll run high rpms all day long. Believe it or not, the '74 model had more torque and horsepower than any other mini-truck on the market at the time.Ok, settle down now. Lets say my goal was to pull a 2,500lb travel trailer with maybe 500-1,000lbs of gear. Could it be done? I've seen images on the web of much smaller vehicles towing what appear to be quite large trailers. I'm not planning on driving up and down any boat launches and I'm content with the right lane on the highway.The good news about the truck: The rear axle has a 4.3 ratio (the brochure above states 4.625 but that's a '74 model and I have a '75). At 65 mph I'm reving 4,000 rpm in 4th gear (there is no 5th). Mazda provided a very large oil cooler since oil is used to cool parts of the engine that the coolant cannot reach. A few upgrades were done during the restoration: full 2.5" exhaust with no emissions, front slotted/drilled rotors, rear air-adjustable shocks. The bad news: The truck was lowered about 2" and I'm in the process of finding someone with a parts truck to provide me the original front coil springs and rear leaf springs since I have coilovers up front and a missing leaf in the rear. The clutch is new, but the flywheel from an RX-4 was used instead which I believe is slightly lighter. 110hp@6000rpm and 117ftlb@3500rpm ain't much to work with. Upgrades I know I'd have to do...* Original Springs* Tow Mirrors* Frame mounted class 3 hitch* Properly rated tires (I already have 7" rims opposed to the 5.5" OEM rims)* Trailer brake controller* Rear sway bar maybe?* More ponies under the hood (forced induction, porting, etc)?As for the trailer I tow, I'll need...* trailer brakes* weight distributing hitch* anti sway kit* careful loading to ensure proper tongue weightAs for my own towing background. Sadly its limited to UHaul trailers of various sizes. I towed one of their dual axle box trailers with a 1990 Grand Marquis when I was in college. I knew nothing about towing but that car pulled it like a champ in overdrive at 70+ mph.So what do you think? Am I asking for trouble? Or do you think it would be cool to see a vintage truck like this pull into a campground with a vintage trailer in tow?The Madza Wankel engine - I remember that one. Didn't they have problems with the rotor tips wearing prematuely? I think that was one reason the engine never was successful.

100 HP to tow a trailer?Not my idea of a fun and relaxing trip. Sure you might get good mileage, but I would rather be comfortable and have daily showers inside a 30' gas RV. Yes it only gets 7 MPG, but I have satellite TV, 400 watt solar system, and probably use less energy each year than a 2,000 square foot house in New York, when considering the home heating oil they use, and propane, and electric too.Fred.

I can't help you with the mechanical/towing questions. But, I think it would very cool to have a vintage truck and TT. Post some pics if you go ahead with the project.

I pulled our 25 foot 1972 Airstream Trade Winds with our 1949 ford for some years. However never for long trips. I did end up taking the Ford down to the frame and installing independent front end, power disk brakes, power steering, ect. In general making it a new truck under the old body. Was fun and always enjoyed doing it. But pulled the Airstream with or Subarban for long trips. Had the Airstream for 20 years.

Vintage Towing -- Testing the Waters | Good Sam Community

47 Replies

chuyler1
Explorer
Sep 05, 2012
blt2ski wrote:
Keep the frontage to as little as possible, then the wt should not be as much of an issue. Frontal area and wind drag can kill you way more than lbs can! So if you have an option on a trailer that weighs say 500 lbs more, but has smooth sides etc, everything else the same, it will pull easier use less fuel than a lighter one that is say aluminum sided!

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind when shopping for trailers. I love the look of those vintage airstreams, but they may be out of my price range.

blt2ski wrote:
You are out of warrenty, so manufacture tow ratings mean nothing. So if you do as you are saying you will, add a decent hitch, brakes on the trailer, etc etc......go for it. You will not be the fasted on the hills, but should keep up on level to 1-2% hills. If you could find a drop in 5 sp with an overdrive, I would do that. Even on a level you should be able to handle that vs what you are running in direct. I could also be wrong depending upon the HP at 4000 vs 2500-3000 with a typical .7-.75 od!

I think the 5 speed from a '76 or '77 truck would drop right in (if I could find one) but I don't think it would help anything other than gas mileage without the trailer. The rotary engine really doesn't mind 4000 rpm. The tach redlines at 7000. I made a 300 mile journey (unloaded) last weekend to a car show hovering between 4000-4500 rpm. I averaged 18 mpg.

F105 wrote:
The Madza Wankel engine - I remember that one. Didn't they have problems with the rotor tips wearing prematuely? I think that was one reason the engine never was successful.

The engine has never been very successful in a street car but it has stayed with us due to its superior racing prowess, whenever politics didn't get in the way. Mazda used a 4-rotor version to win Le Mans in 1991. The following year they outlawed the engine. In a street car, however there were issues. First off, oil is injected into the chambers to lubricate the seals...until there is no oil left. In the hands of average joe, the seals would dry out in 5,000 miles. Second, gas mileage could never be improved. Mazda has struggled to get anything better than 20 mpg. It likes to run rich and with such a short combustion cycle gas is inevitably wasted. Third, torque was never its strong suit and therefore it never did well with automatic transmissions. Turbo charging worked wonders, but didn't help with the longevity of the apex seals.

Golden_HVAC wrote:
100 HP to tow a trailer?

Not my idea of a fun and relaxing trip. Sure you might get good mileage, but I would rather be comfortable and have daily showers inside a 30' gas RV. Yes it only gets 7 MPG, but I have satellite TV, 400 watt solar system, and probably use less energy each year than a 2,000 square foot house in New York, when considering the home heating oil they use, and propane, and electric too.

What you describe sounds more like living in my home than camping to me. That's not really why I want to hit the open road. As for 100 HP. I'd say the truck is around 130 HP right now with its free flowing exhaust. I plan to add about 50 HP more via porting. My gas mileage will take a hit, but these engines respond exponentially to modifications making them a favorite at drag strips.

I pulled our 25 foot 1972 Airstream Trade Winds with our 1949 ford for some years. However never for long trips. I did end up taking the Ford down to the frame and installing independent front end, power disk brakes, power steering, ect. In general making it a new truck under the old body. Was fun and always enjoyed doing it. But pulled the Airstream with or Subarban for long trips. Had the Airstream for 20 years.

That's essentially what has been done with this truck, except I don't have power steering. In fact the only accessory running off a belt is the alternator.

I'm also curious as to your opinions on towing with a manual transmission. It seems like manufacturers set lower towing capacities for manuals these days. Is that more politics at work so they don't have to replace clutches for owners that don't know how to back down a boat ramp? Do you think I'm safe towing with my 4 speed or should I invest in a transmission and rear differential cooling system like they use on race cars?
Road_Ruler
Explorer
Sep 05, 2012
chuyler1 wrote:
110hp@6000rpm and 117ftlb@3500rpm ain't much to work with.

Our Nissan Mini van had 150HP/180TQ and power wise it was maxed out with our "aerodynamic", 23' vintage Airstream (dry weight 3,550lbs).

Your problems.... not enough power for a 2,500lb trailer. Using an odd ball vintage engine and running it in stress mode is asking for mechanical issues.

PS... Back in the day my sis had an RX7 with the rotory engine. Worked great except for the cost of replacing the blade seals.
snowdance
Explorer
Sep 05, 2012
I pulled our 25 foot 1972 Airstream Trade Winds with our 1949 ford for some years. However never for long trips. I did end up taking the Ford down to the frame and installing independent front end, power disk brakes, power steering, ect. In general making it a new truck under the old body. Was fun and always enjoyed doing it. But pulled the Airstream with or Subarban for long trips. Had the Airstream for 20 years.
gbopp
Explorer
Sep 05, 2012
I can't help you with the mechanical/towing questions. But, I think it would very cool to have a vintage truck and TT.
Post some pics if you go ahead with the project.
Golden_HVAC
Explorer
Sep 05, 2012
100 HP to tow a trailer?

Not my idea of a fun and relaxing trip. Sure you might get good mileage, but I would rather be comfortable and have daily showers inside a 30' gas RV. Yes it only gets 7 MPG, but I have satellite TV, 400 watt solar system, and probably use less energy each year than a 2,000 square foot house in New York, when considering the home heating oil they use, and propane, and electric too.

Fred.
F105
Explorer
Sep 05, 2012
chuyler1 wrote:
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 responses.

I'm considering towing a small travel trailer with this little guy:

Some of you are probably already laughing at this point. A rotary engine in a pickup truck? Yup, Mazda put the 1.3L wankel in this truck from '74 to '77. They've never been known for their torque but they'll run high rpms all day long. Believe it or not, the '74 model had more torque and horsepower than any other mini-truck on the market at the time.

Ok, settle down now. Lets say my goal was to pull a 2,500lb travel trailer with maybe 500-1,000lbs of gear. Could it be done? I've seen images on the web of much smaller vehicles towing what appear to be quite large trailers. I'm not planning on driving up and down any boat launches and I'm content with the right lane on the highway.

The good news about the truck: The rear axle has a 4.3 ratio (the brochure above states 4.625 but that's a '74 model and I have a '75). At 65 mph I'm reving 4,000 rpm in 4th gear (there is no 5th). Mazda provided a very large oil cooler since oil is used to cool parts of the engine that the coolant cannot reach. A few upgrades were done during the restoration: full 2.5" exhaust with no emissions, front slotted/drilled rotors, rear air-adjustable shocks.

The bad news: The truck was lowered about 2" and I'm in the process of finding someone with a parts truck to provide me the original front coil springs and rear leaf springs since I have coilovers up front and a missing leaf in the rear. The clutch is new, but the flywheel from an RX-4 was used instead which I believe is slightly lighter. 110hp@6000rpm and 117ftlb@3500rpm ain't much to work with.

Upgrades I know I'd have to do...
* Original Springs
* Tow Mirrors
* Frame mounted class 3 hitch
* Properly rated tires (I already have 7" rims opposed to the 5.5" OEM rims)
* Trailer brake controller
* Rear sway bar maybe?
* More ponies under the hood (forced induction, porting, etc)?

As for the trailer I tow, I'll need...
* trailer brakes
* weight distributing hitch
* anti sway kit
* careful loading to ensure proper tongue weight

As for my own towing background. Sadly its limited to UHaul trailers of various sizes. I towed one of their dual axle box trailers with a 1990 Grand Marquis when I was in college. I knew nothing about towing but that car pulled it like a champ in overdrive at 70+ mph.

So what do you think? Am I asking for trouble? Or do you think it would be cool to see a vintage truck like this pull into a campground with a vintage trailer in tow?

The Madza Wankel engine - I remember that one. Didn't they have problems with the rotor tips wearing prematuely? I think that was one reason the engine never was successful.
blt2ski
Moderator
Sep 05, 2012
You could potentially move a 15k truck etc with about 80# of frontal area at 60 and be redlined!

With that in mind, you should be able to do 60 with a 3500 lbs trailer in tow, and a 3000 lb truck. Guessing on what it should weigh. Might even be as light as 2500 as my old 76 yota weighed.

Keep the frontage to as little as possible, then the wt should not be as much of an issue. Frontal area and wind drag can kill you way more than lbs can! So if you have an option on a trailer that weighs say 500 lbs more, but has smooth sides etc, everything else the same, it will pull easier use less fuel than a lighter one that is say aluminum sided!

You are out of warrenty, so manufacture tow ratings mean nothing. So if you do as you are saying you will, add a decent hitch, brakes on the trailer, etc etc......go for it. You will not be the fasted on the hills, but should keep up on level to 1-2% hills. If you could find a drop in 5 sp with an overdrive, I would do that. Even on a level you should be able to handle that vs what you are running in direct. I could also be wrong depending upon the HP at 4000 vs 2500-3000 with a typical .7-.75 od!

Marty

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Vintage Towing -- Testing the Waters

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