Big car towing

Discussion in 'A boatload of fun' started by 1969RIVI, Jan 31, 2019.

  1. Mark Demko

    Mark Demko Well-Known Member

    That's a pic from the net, my Electra was the same 4 door body, black w/burgundy limited interior. Found the pic of mine:D
    IMG_2203.JPG
     
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  2. 1969RIVI

    1969RIVI Well-Known Member

    That's a nice looking big ol' boat!
     
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  3. Mark Demko

    Mark Demko Well-Known Member

    Thank you:cool:
    I kinda miss that barge!
    It towed that 24' Sea Ray you can see the bow of.
    The Electra originally had the 2.56 open rear, I towed with that for a couple years, then switched to a 3.08 posi, didn't notice ANY difference in low speed torque, guess the 455 didn't care:rolleyes: Actually just wanted the posi for shitty launch ramps.
    Had the whole package weighed one time at the Peace Bridge on one of the many trips to North Bay Ontario, Buick, cargo, boat and trailer was 11,600 pounds.
    That car NEVER gave me ANY issues towing, plus it was bad ass black with wide whites:cool::cool:
     
  4. 1969RIVI

    1969RIVI Well-Known Member

    That's why I'm thinking my car should handle a little lite trailer no problem. My TH400 trans will be fully rebuilt this spring with all the performance heavy duty parts and I have a Derale extra deep pan with the built in cooling tubes, a large borgs & warner aux cooler with a 7" electric fan on it and a temp gauge. My 455 with the 3.08 posi should be up to it and I replaced all the brake system minus the master cylinder.
     
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  5. Waterboy

    Waterboy Mullet Mafia since 6/20

    Mark, that is a beautiful big 'ole boat you had there. The car, not the boat in the background. In the 90's I had a 71 Cadillac Fleetwood "family limo." It had the 3rd window behind the backdoor and footrests in the back. I had a class 2 hitch that bolted in 6 places. The frame, trunk floor, and bumper. I towed a 20 foot Cuddy cabin Formula with a galvanized trailer and no trailer brakes. I towed that boat everywhere! Never had a problem stopping. Sure miss that car!
     
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  6. Mark Demko

    Mark Demko Well-Known Member

    After my 24' Sea Ray I bought a 1996 27 Sea Ray Sundancer new, I kept that boat in the water, no trailer.
    When it came time for its 20 hour inspection, the selling dealer let me borrow a triple axle trailer to bring the boat from Sandusky to Akron, well, 1000 lbs tounge weight was too much for the Buick, I got the boat loaded and up the ramp, but the trailer bottomed out at the very top of the ramp, I gave the Buick all she had and she pulled the som bitch up, leaving a 1" deep trench in the pavement as the center of the trailer plowed thru...….. OOOOPS:rolleyes:
    In the level parking lot, there was only MAYBE 2" clearance between the center bottom rail of the trailer, and the road...……. I put the boat back in the water:( 270 sundancer.jpg
    This pic is not my boat, its identicle tho, same typ of trailer also
     
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  7. Mark Demko

    Mark Demko Well-Known Member

    Thank you!
    Yep, back in the day, that's what towed the big boats, Airstream trailers and the like, the full size AMERICAN CAR with a big cube V8:D
     
  8. 1969RIVI

    1969RIVI Well-Known Member

    It's safe to say that my car is equipped enough to do what I want it to, now I just have to design and fab a hitch to fit my car. I assume I'll have to take the hitch to our MTO (DMV in the US) and have it inspectrd and certified for use?
     
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  9. Mark Demko

    Mark Demko Well-Known Member

    You should be good up at least 5000 lbs I'd say.
    Class III hitch, not a bumper or "mini" hitch
    The hitch I had on my Electra they brought out from stock on a pallet and a tow motor, it was THAT big!
    Sounds like you have the trans. covered good
    Rear gear sounds good.
    Brakes sound up to par.
    Front suspension/steering components are tight.... no slop/play
    Make sure your cooling system is up to par.
    Run maximum pressure allowed in your tires for max load.
    DO NOT GET OVER CONFIDENT TOWING:eek:
    At least 10% tounge weight
    Good trailer tires and electric/surge brakes that function properly.
    Trailer lights and car lights function properly together.
    Above all, take towing seriously;)
     
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  10. Mark Demko

    Mark Demko Well-Known Member

    How much weight you plan to tow?
     
  11. 1969RIVI

    1969RIVI Well-Known Member

    The hitch I'll design will be like today's new truck hitches, it will bolt directly to the frame rails only. The front has some but very little play I figured that's normal steering for a 50 year old car. My cooling system is a 180 Tstat, TA water pump (will probably upgrade to the HP/HD pump) a new aluminum 2 row (1" tubes) rad with shroud, dual 14" electric fans on temp sensor kick on at 200° off at 180° and a temp gauge of course. I don't plan on towing anything over 3500 lbs Max. I'm use to towing trailers and driving large commercial vehicles. Safety has been beat into my head since I could ride a bike! My father is a truck driver who use to do long haul into and all over the US and he taught me how important it is to have a safe and secure load but most importantly a safe rig to haul that load.
     
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  12. martinbrown983

    martinbrown983 New Member

    Why don't you discuss it with any towing company? Maybe they will guide you in a better Way can have multiple ideas for you, there will a lot of options they will provide so you will have options to chose, whenever I have to tow something big I discuss it with a towing company which is Manhattan 24 Hour Towing, they guide me very well which helps to take decision.
     
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  13. Mark Demko

    Mark Demko Well-Known Member

    That's #1..... safety
    The frame, suspension, brakes have to all be 100%
    Urethane bushings in the rear control arms will help eliminate a lot of the rubbery swaying feeling in the rear end.
    Tires aired up to their max pressure helps too, actually if you could find tires with a higher load rating, they usually have a stiffer sidewall than standard passenger car tires, a lot of the wiggley, swaying feeling comes from a passenger car tires soft sidewall.
     
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