Just bought a 1970 Sovereign

[michaelg02]

I just bought my first Airstream and have no idea what I've gotten myself into. It needs some work, but for the most part is in good shape.
I towed to my house with a Toyota Land Cruiser, not sure the weight of my trailer. I'm a little nervous about using the Toyota, though it did OK.
How do I get towing lights to work on the trailer? Is there an adapter available for that old thing?
Thanks,
Michael

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by michaelg02

I just bought my first Airstream and have no idea what I've gotten myself into. It needs some work, but for the most part is in good shape.
I towed to my house with a Toyota Land Cruiser, not sure the weight of my trailer. I'm a little nervous about using the Toyota, though it did OK.
How do I get towing lights to work on the trailer? Is there an adapter available for that old thing?
Thanks,
Michael

Hi, and welcome to the forums.
The reason your lights don't want to work right may be because the wiring standard changed since the time your trailer was built. Another reason may be corroded bulbs, loose wires, rusty sockets, or a combination of all.
As far as the Land Cruiser, the consensus is that it will not be good for long-term use as a tow vehicle. I tow our Sovereign with an F250, and there are times I wish i had something bigger.

[Ganglin]

Here's a weight chart for you - also shows tongue weight and tow ball height. I'd be wary of towing it with a Land Cruiser.

Welcome on board.

[juel]

Welcome to the wonderful world of Sovereigns. You just need to settle in to checking everything you can think of when something doesn't work. It could be the connector that plugs into your Toyota, the blubs, some other wiring, fuses, who knows. I think most of us "vintage" owners have run into these same problems at least one or ten times. Don't give up on the old girl. This trailer can give you lots of enjoyment in the years to come. The older ones are fairly easy to figure out with wiring easy to trace and plumbing usually down one side to the back. Many of us work on our own trailers after getting over the initial fear of the beast. They are well made and you can fix most things with a little work and desire. Those things I can't sort out I take to my RV man. Actually now days it's more those things I don't want to bother with, I let someone else do. I just pay now. Hey it's more fun when the heavy stuff is involved.

[Lumatic]

You can get the Sovereign up to speed on the flats with most vehicles though it will take a while with a smaller TV. I would bet money any good hill you will be crawling up with the Land Cruiser. But most important going down the hill the Sovereign will be pushing the Land Cruiser. In a panic stop the Land Cruiser just doesn't have the braking power and the cart will be drving the horse. If you haven't found yourself in that situation yet I recommend find yourself a big open space and carefully try some hard braking so you know what to expect.