Frame / Springs: Wagonaire capability

[LeoH]

Just noodling, would a 259ci, V-8 framed Wagonaire be able to tow a tent trailer? Small camper trailer? Safely? Just curious about average towing loads, nothing freaky, and a capable 259 drivetrain.

[garyash]

I keep thinking about putting a hitch on the back of my '65 Wagonaire so I can pull my 4' x 8' utility trailer and another one made from an old M5 pickup bed and a front solid axle, just haven't jumped on one of the universal frame mounts. A Class I hitch is good for 2000 lbs of trailer weight and 200 lb tongue load. You might want a heavier hitch but higher tongue loads won't be fun. The Reese Class II Multi-fit 88001 looks like it might work. But, even with a Class I set-up, you should be good for many of the smaller tent trailers and campers. The old-style hitches of the '60s that tied into the bumper and the rear cross member are too scary for me. I guess I haven't found a hitch that will fit under and around the bumper, but maybe a shop that does custom hitches could solve that.

[TWChamp]

I sure think it could tow it just fine, I towed a 1950 Commander behind my 1950 Commander from El Paso to Brooklyn Park, MN, 1500 miles with no problem. In fact I did it twice to bring home my 1952 Land Cruiser when I got out of the Army. I should have brought home more cars from El Paso, due to the rust free bodies, but the 3 Studes was a good start.

I was in charge of the welding shop in the Army, so I made a bumper clamp hitch and towbar for the job. It all worked fine. Half way home I was in the middle of Kansas and went over some dips in the road, so I pulled over to double check everything. What a stroke of luck, because the hitch ball was hanging on by one or two threads. Seems after I installed it by hand I had forgotten to put the wrench on it.

[mapman]

My uncle towed a tent trailer with four kids to Alaska from Los Angeles in 1965 with a '63 wagonaire with a 259 3sp. OD.
Rob

[t walgamuth]

A wagon will have more rear weight so should be a more stable towing platform than a nose heavy sedan.

[Captain Billy]

I installed a universal class III on my wagonaire. I had to sculpt the end plates to clear the dual exhaust and fab up a few spacers so as to not collapse the frame...it is very solid and easily pulls a lightweight trailer.

[53k]

Just noodling, would a 259ci, V-8 framed Wagonaire be able to tow a tent trailer? Small camper trailer? Safely? Just curious about average towing loads, nothing freaky, and a capable 259 drivetrain.

A tent trailer would be a piece of cake with the Wagonaire. In 1970 I bought an 18-foot Shasta travel trailer that, with AC and normal load, weighed 3,800 pounds. The RV shop fabricated and installed a sleeve hitch and hooked up a brake controller. I pulled it nearly every weekend in the San Francisco Bay Area with my Wagonaire with the 259 and overdrive. With the load equalizing hitch it was quite stable. The 259 2-barrel was OK on roads that were not too steep or too high. The biggest problem was getting started again when stopped on a slope- kind of had to smoke the clutch a bit. I did pull the trailer to Hangtown (Placerville) which is high in the mountains, to Santa Cruz over the coastal mountains and to San Luis Obispo (returning from SLO to Atascadero was a long, 10mph, gas pedal to the floor white knuckle experience though. However, at 130,000 miles the original clutch was still OK.
Yes, I was kind of dumb back then, but I got away with it.

[clyde furr]

There was a gentleman in Knoxville, TN who owned a 63 Wagonaire he used for his well supply and water softener business. When he died, the car had over 500,000 miles on it. It was held togehter with baling twine and chewing gum, but still ran. Tommy would haul a ton of water softener salt in the back of the wagon, sometimes going over the Smokies to Asheville, NC. Pulling a small trailer should be no problem.

[ndynis]

The Reese Class II Multi-fit 88001 looks like it might work.

New ones on Amazon for $89.00 might make it worth a try.

http://www.amazon.com/Reese-Towpower-88001-Multi-Fit-Receiver/dp/B000CZ2XI0

[LeoH]

I did pull the trailer to Hangtown (Placerville) which is high in the mountains, to Santa Cruz over the coastal mountains and to San Luis Obispo (returning from SLO to Atascadero was a long, 10mph, gas pedal to the floor white knuckle experience though. However, at 130,000 miles the original clutch was still OK.
Yes, I was kind of dumb back then, but I got away with it.

I've driven to Morro Bay several times, I know exactly the roads you're talking about! That's a good reference point for me though, thanks!

[LeoH]

Thank you guys. I'm looking for a light hauling vehicle, and I've been thinking about the big trucks, but maybe, for most of what I plan to do, possibly a wagon, with a sleeved 'box', something like what was offered on the '40s business coupes, to keep the muck to a livable level coupled with the versatility of a small hitched trailer; maybe that's something I should consider pursuing. Making a utility carrier box like that shouldn't be difficult, and with a sliding roof, it would offer the chance to stuff in larger debris.

The big trucks are cool, I do like the idea of low gears for rumbling off road, but then again, if I were to put a small lift in the back of the wagon, and taller springs in the front, in order to give myself some basic ground clearance, it might suit my needs.