Studebaker Truck Tow Limit?

[Aspalen]

[StudeRich]

OH MY GOD! are you saying that your government is so "out of control" that they will not even let you put a trailer hitch on the back without re-registering and inspecting it? Someone ought to teach them about "civil rights", human rights! Anyway how would they ever know if you just put it on? Do the police actually have time to go looking for "illegal" trailer hitches?

Studebaker may very well have never posted any towing limits for their trucks and they certainly never had a "factory hitch"!

Over here we rate the towing capacity of the vehicle somewhat by the load limit on the aftermarket (tow-rite, Reese, Valley or whatever) brand of 2 inch square tubing receiver and it's draw bar and ball purchased for installation on the truck. Most good hitches are 6000 LBS.

Mainly for warranty purposes, the Truck manufacturers now rate the towing cap. of their trucks.

Can't you convince them that this is a "pleasure only" 1960's collector vehicle and not used for "COMMERCIAL" (for hire) purposes and needs to be exempt from their silly rules?

StudeRich
Studebakers Northwest
Ferndale, WA

[Dick Steinkamp]

quote:Originally posted by StudeRich
needs to be exempt from their silly rules?

The rules would be "silly" if the only ones endangered with bad hitches, overcapacity trailers, trailers with no brakes, etc. were the fools driving them. The innocent humans that get killed due to somebody exercising their "civil rights" to install an under rated, illegal trailer hitch or towing over capacity for the tow vehicle had rights too (but now they're dead). If we were all sensible, smart, and responsible, there wouldn't be any need for these kind of laws...but we're not

I don't believe Studebaker ever installed hitches "at the factory". I also don't think there was any factory data on tow limit by model.

[DEEPNHOCK]

Rule of thumb...
1/2 ton pickup can haul 1,000 pounds of material.
So on a half ton, 1,000 pounds is the max you can have for tongue weight...total.
On trailers, 20% of trailer weight should be on the tongue.
So, if all things were perfect, you should be able to pull a 5,000 pound trailer (20% of 5,000# = 1,000#).
Scale it up for a 3/4 ton and for a 1 ton.
However...
Load rating(s) for trailers start at the tires, then go to the wheels, then to the axles, then to the springs.
So you don't want to have a 5,000 rated tire on a 10,000 axle, etc. Same goes for the tow vehicle.
You don't want to have the hitch rated for more than your tires.
In essence, you need to look at, and select, ALL of your components to have the ratings be adequate for the load you are planning on towing, starting at the tires and moving inward. Truck AND trailer.
And in our litigious society, you had better believe the equipment will be checked after an incident...
Most state laws have a weight threshold where trailer brakes are mandatory. Usually at 3000 pounds. This figure may vary by statute.
Having the hitch built to match the rating is also important.
(I had a huge hitch built onto the bumper of my 2R10 (3/4 ton) that the hitch was bolted to the bumper...and that was bolted to the frame with 4 little angle iron pieces and 4 little 3/8" bolts... A little shy I think[:0])
After you get all that ready to go...
Then look hard at the brakes... and go to:

http://www.turnerbrake.com/truckkits.html

Jeff[8D]

quote:Originally posted by Aspalen

DEEPNHOCK at Gmail.com
Brooklet, Georgia
'37 Coupe Express (never ending project)
'37 Coupe Express Trailer (project)
'61 Hawk (project)
http://community.webshots.com/user/deepnhock

[Carl Purdy]

This might not help but I have a book on a 64 International 3/4 ton that says 5000 lbs. Towing capacity. But that would depend on the hitch.

48 7G-Q1 49 2R12 56 B-D4 56 B-F2

[Stude4x4]

I don't know about specs but here's what I have proven. NOTE: I wouldn't try these things. I mentioned the other day our '58 1/2 ton with a stock 289 and 4 spd. The hitch was the optional barden bumper that was fastened to the frame by four 3/4 inch bolts. We towed 10,000 lbs behind it. Then years later with some mods to the truck: turbocharged 289, 5psd, 3/4 ton, we towed 12,000 lbs behind it. Plus you need to figure the weight of the truck that the engine has to move, which for me is 5,000 lbs. You need to first consider what you plan on towing, ie: what kind of trailer and what you plan on hauling on it. Here is one picture of our truck and trailer with the Jeep that we usually haul. That total load is about 9,000 lbs.



Jake

-Home of John Studebaker-

http://community.webshots.com/user/Stude4x4

http://varozza4x4.com

[Guido]

I used to have a 1990 F250 3/4 ton 4 wheel drive truck that I routinely pulled a 16 foot car trailer with. One day I was delivering a '65 Jeep Wagoneer that I had sold and was bouncing down a back country road when I noticed things didn't look right.

Turns out the the brackets for the bumper (which I was pulling off of) were made of pot metal and the bouncing had caused them to crack. The end result would have been separating the bumper (and load) from the truck.

I ended up ordering new factory brackets but also decided to reinforce them. Turns out the blades on a bushhog that I had matched the curvature perfectly. Cut off each end on a set of used blades on the band saw, drilled my holes and bolted the whole works back up with Grade 8's and never had a problem again (even while towing an Oliver OC-46 crawler loader).



Guido Salvage - "Where rust is beautiful"

Studebaker horse drawn buggy; 1946 M-16 fire truck; 1948 M-16 grain truck; 1949 2R16A grain truck; 1949 2R17A fire truck; 1950 2R5 pickup; 1952 2R17A grain truck; 1952 Packard 200 4 door; 1955 E-38 grain truck; 1957 3E-40 flatbed; 1961 6E-28 grain truck; 1962 7E-13D 4x4 rack truck; 1962 7E-7 Champ pickup; 1962 GT Hawk 4 speed; 1963 8E-28 flatbed; 1964 Avanti R2 4 speed; 1964 Cruiser and various other "treasures".

Hiding and preserving Studebakers in Richmond, Goochland & Louisa, Va.

[garyash]

Here in the U.S., you can rent trailers from a large company called U-Haul. Their basic guideline is that the trailer and cargo cannot be more than 125% of the weight of the tow vehicle. Example: a 4000 lb truck can tow a load of 5000 lbs. I think that U-Haul may be somewhat cautious for the liability reasons discussed above, but it may still be a useful guide. Other trailer rental companies may have similar guidelines. Also, if the brakes on the tow vehicle are not good or the weight of the load in trailer is not balanced correctly, it can still be a dangerous situation even with a lighter load.

[img=left]http://www.studegarage.com/images/gary_ash_m5_sm.jpg[/img=left] Gary Ash
Dartmouth, Mass.
'48 M5
'65 Wagonaire Commander
'63 Wagonaire Standard
web site at http://www.studegarage.com

[sntsftbll]

I agree with Gary more variables than just GVW's etc. I kinda like someone checking load limits for those trucks with trailers in order to license them. We do it for commercial vehicles why not non-com. We load trucks and trailers with material everyday and sometimes it surprises me what people use to judge load sizes. It's usually not manufacterers recommendations but whether the mudflaps drag on the ground or the trailer tires still have some air in them. I think U-Haul should be renamed to all U-Can-Haul. Sorry guess I got off subjec, I'll quit now

[Transtar60]

Very little of the above helps Aspalen as he is in Sweden not the U.S.
The Gross vehicle weight listed for 8E 1/2 tons is 5200 lbs with V8 engine.
3/4 tons is 7000 lbs" "
1 tons 10000 lbs" "

These are gross vehicle weights, no towing capacity is listed for these or any other Studebaker trucks.
Except
On 8E25 and bigger trucks, there are gross vehicle combination weights which all vary based on optional axles, springs, engines, brakes etc.





3E38
4E2
4E28
5E13
7E7
8E7
8E12
8E28
4E2
59 Lark
etc

[Aspalen]

Hello all.
Thanks for your inputs.

New cars have the limit in the registration paper, no problem there.
And you have to use a factoty or factory aftermarket hich, stampet with its tow limit.

If you want a hich for your old car, You can make it by your self,
I done that for a GT Hawk and a Provincial.

I used a Volvo 740 hich for the Provincial
and some Mazda hich for the GT.
They was bolted to the frame and I got them legal for 1500 kilos (3300 pounds ) This is the max weight you can get legal for home made hiches.

And it was enought for these cars.
I used them for my camper.

I think it will be good for the Champ pickup to.
It has the small 6 cyl engine and 3 speed.

In future my plane was a bigger truck (Studebaker) with a slide in camper and a Studebaker hehind it on a trailer.
But the Swedish rules seems to make this inpossible,
because of no factory tow limits.

Thanks.
Lennart...

[studeclunker]

Interesting... A hitch that fits a Volvo 740 will fit the Provincial? Hmmm... this means that the same hitch should fit my Parkview. Of course, one small, but very important detail is that I have to get her running properly.[B)] But still...

You know, when I was a small lad my father fancied himself a welder. He attached a hitch on the back of our '56 Chevrolet wagon and then attached a steering dolly to it so that he could pull a 25 plus foot Airstream Soverign trailer. Back in the late fifties this was one big benhemouth. We were tooling along coming into, I believe it was, Flagstaff Arizona, about 3am, doing around 55 MPH when we passed a warning sign. Dad asked Mum what it was and found out before she could do more than brace herself. They hit a very sharp and deep dip in the road at full speed. The car became airborne. It woke me just in time to see the trailer pass the car! I looked blearily at it and commented, "Gee, look! Someone has a trailer just like ours!" My mother reached around and placed her hand over my mouth and shook her head warningly. The only thing that stopped the trailer, was that the steering dolly went nose down and flipped over. The tongue gouged a gash in the brand new pavement for at least fifty feet before finally stopping. Dad chained the whole thing on and we limped out of town, slowly.

And people wonder why I love the movie The Big Long Trailer with Lucy and Dezy

As for government inspected hitches? "The government that governs best, governs least." -- Thomas Jefferson.
Though I think maybe your government has it right with the inspections on hitches.


Lotsa Larks!
K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple Studebaker!
Ron Smith
Where the heck is Lewiston, CA?

[53k]

quote:Originally posted by Aspalen

It probably won't help in your case, but in 1971 I pulled a 3,800-pound travel trailer from California to Washington state to Kansas to Massachusetts with my '64 Champ with a R-1 engine and Powershift. This involved pulling in elevations up to 9,000 feet. I had also previously pulled the trailer with my '64 Daytona Wagonaire. It handled it, but with a 259 and manual transmission, it was too hard to get started again on a slope without burning the clutch. A few years later I pulled a 14-foot tanden axle closed trailer containing two complete dealer stocks of parts about 1500 miles with the Champ. My hitch was welded to the frame. I would never trust a bumper hitch.


[img=right]http://www.frontiernet.net/~thejohnsons/Forum%20signature%20pix/R-4.JPG[/img=right][img=right]http://www.frontiernet.net/~thejohnsons/Forum%20signature%20pix/64L.JPG[/img=right][img=right]http://www.frontiernet.net/~thejohnsons/Forum%20signature%20pix/64P.jpg[/img=right][img=right]http://www.frontiernet.net/~thejohnsons/Forum%20signature%20pix/53K.jpg[/img=right]Paul Johnson
'53 Commander Starliner (since 1966)
'64 Daytona Wagonaire (original owner)
'64 Daytona Convertible (2006)
Museum R-4 engine

[Aspalen]

This is the hich for the Provincial made from Volvo 740

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s282/aspalen/HichVolvo7401.jpg

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s282/aspalen/HichVolvo7402.jpg

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s282/aspalen/HichVolvo7403.jpg

[studeclunker]

Interesting. By the way, what year was that Volvo?



Lotsa Larks!
K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple Studebaker!
Ron Smith
Where the heck is Lewiston, CA?