Our first TV, we've come a long way..

[falconbrother]

We were kids (is what I'm telling) when we started pulling a travel trailer. Our first TV was a 1977 F-150. We towed without fear where ever we wanted to go, coast or mountains. I added an extra leaf to the rear springs and a new AM/FM/Cassette player. That thing had 5 lugs nuts on each wheel and three on the tree. Humanity has come a long way since then. This one isn't ours but it looked exactly like that, add a camper shell. That was about 1991 I guess. That old truck did a really good job of pulling that old Prowler with the steel frame and the metal roof (heavy for it's size).

What was your first TV?

[Lessmore]

My family's first tow vehicle was our '76 Chevy Impala with the 350 V8. We started towing our trailer in 1994. Went through the Midwest...halfway across Canada/USA over the Rockies to Vancouver Island and back...many other trips. It was reliable as a fine Swiss watch.

My parents first tow vehicle was their new '59 Chevy Parkwood (Bel Air) station wagon....with the flame thrower six and slip and slide bananaglide. 🙂 It also was very reliable, no issues.

Our family traveled all over the Midwest and went half way across Canada to Vancouver BC and back.

Both my parents and my family didn't vary much in either our tow vehicles or travel plans. :B

[Jebby14]

1990 Dakota club cab with the LA 3.9 pulled my boat got me to class and set me back 740 bucks. still miss that thing some days

[falconbrother]

MO_Trout_Bum wrote:
My list as well:

65 F100 230 6 cyl 4sp 4.10
72 C10 350 3.73 Posi w/ coil springs
90 Explorer 4L 3.73
98 Explorer 4L SOHC 3.73
2004 Tahoe 4.8L 3.73
2006 Yukon 5.3L 4.10
2007 Suburban 6L 4.10
2004.5 2500HD 6.6 3.73

Still dreams about driving that old F100, for some reason.

I had a 1967 F-100. It was my grandfather's farm truck. That was an awesome truck. Basic, reliable, low maintenance, built to last, rubber floor mats, three on the column, no power steering, basic AM radio, long bed, truck. My grandfather bought it new and put the ignition key in it. That key stayed in the switch till he died in 1986. Those old basic trucks were great.

[MO_Trout_Bum]

My list as well:

65 F100 230 6 cyl 4sp 4.10
72 C10 350 3.73 Posi w/ coil springs
90 Explorer 4L 3.73
98 Explorer 4L SOHC 3.73
2004 Tahoe 4.8L 3.73
2006 Yukon 5.3L 4.10
2007 Suburban 6L 4.10
2004.5 2500HD 6.6 3.73

Still dreams about driving that old F100, for some reason.

[GWolfe]

I win for the lowest HP. My first "rig" was a 1985 Chevy Chevette pulling a 1988 Coleman Colorado pop up. That car had 63 hp!

[pasusan]

Ours was a 1965 Mustang Fastback with a 289. We dragged a 16' Shasta across the country and back in 1977.

[Lwiddis]

"new AM/FM/Cassette player"

You added what? Oh those were the days!

[falconbrother]

RPreeb wrote:
Not mine, but the first TV in the family was the year I graduated from High School, a '61 Chevy Bel Air 4 door that looked like this one, but without the rear roof overhang. 283 V8 and Power Glide tranny. Dad towed a 15 foot Cascade Coach around Montana, Wyoming, and Alberta (Banff and Jasper) throughout the summer of 1964.



The next year he'd had enough of fighting the Chevy and traded for a '65 Dodge Polara 383 2dr HT, and had air bags installed for towing. It wasn't a truck, but it was a lot more capable than the Bel Air.

My first real TV is the F-150 I have right now... I only restarted trailer camping last summer with a small popup and a Honda Ridgeline. Did quite a bit of tent camping and backpacking in the 70's and 80's.

My grandfather had a homebuilt popup camper. The tent was made of canvas. We would borrow it and my dad towed it with a late 1960s Dodge station wagon. Apparently that trailer was really heavy because my dad complained about it.

[falconbrother]

1995brave wrote:
First was a 1973 Dodge Tradesman van, 127 inch wheelbase, 360ci, 727 auto, slightly modified (I was a young airman and looking for speed and fun). Modified interior with bed, icebox, and porta-pottie. Pulled my 1954 Willys CJ3B all over the country. When I went to Korea, my sister used it for camping and pulling a Coleman pop-up. They loved the van and ended up buying their own Dodge van, and still have one today.

Our first "camper" was a 1977 Dodge Tradesman B200. It was a "Vantastic" van conversion that I added a 110 circuit (shore power), roof AC, microwave over, porta pottie. I came with an ice box type fridge, sink, cabinetry, closet, and a dinette that we left folded down for a bed. We really enjoyed camping in that van. In some ways that was the best "camper" we ever had. Maybe because we used it a lot.

[K-9_HANDLER]

66 F100 352, 3 spd on the column, Custom Cab , Rangoon Red

[rjstractor]

I was a Weight Police scofflaw from the beginning. When I was 20 I had a new 1987 Mazda B2600 4x4 with 102 hp and a wrenching 130 ft.lbs of torque. Advertised towing capacity was 1500 lbs., but I cheated death and destruction by towing a 1970 16' Aljo travel trailer. I never weighed it but I estimate it weighed at least 2000 lbs. dry. Despite being a tiny, underpowered tow vehicle, once I got it set up with an ancient Kelsey-Hayes brake controller, a TorkLift receiver hitch and EZlift WD bars it handled surprisingly well, pulling northwest mountain passes at 40-45 mph. I would also load the bed with firewood while pulling an old trailer made from a Ford pickup, also filled with firewood. No idea what it weighed but I pulled it anyway.

[RPreeb]

Not mine, but the first TV in the family was the year I graduated from High School, a '61 Chevy Bel Air 4 door that looked like this one, but without the rear roof overhang. 283 V8 and Power Glide tranny. Dad towed a 15 foot Cascade Coach around Montana, Wyoming, and Alberta (Banff and Jasper) throughout the summer of 1964.



The next year he'd had enough of fighting the Chevy and traded for a '65 Dodge Polara 383 2dr HT, and had air bags installed for towing. It wasn't a truck, but it was a lot more capable than the Bel Air.

My first real TV is the F-150 I have right now... I only restarted trailer camping last summer with a small popup and a Honda Ridgeline. Did quite a bit of tent camping and backpacking in the 70's and 80's.

[ACZL]

Sadly, no pics of trucks to share, but here is my list from oldest (1st) to current):

'72 GMC 4x4, manual steering, 4 spd, 350 4bbl.
'86 GMC 4x4, 4 spd, 6.2 diesel
'88 F250 4x4, SC, auto, 7.3 NA diesel
'91 GMC 4x4, EC, 7.4 (454)
'97 GMC K1500, EC, 4x4, 5.7 (350), SB
'?? Dodge 1500 Reg cab, 4x4, was just a stepping stone
'03 F250SD, 4x4, CC, 6.0, SB
'15 F350SD, 4x4, CC, 6.7, SB

[1995brave]

First was a 1973 Dodge Tradesman van, 127 inch wheelbase, 360ci, 727 auto, slightly modified (I was a young airman and looking for speed and fun). Modified interior with bed, icebox, and porta-pottie. Pulled my 1954 Willys CJ3B all over the country. When I went to Korea, my sister used it for camping and pulling a Coleman pop-up. They loved the van and ended up buying their own Dodge van, and still have one today.