Options for towing '55 18 footer

[GR8DANE]

Looking for something fairly fuel efficient to tow my '55 18 Footer (whale tail).
Weighs 2000, will have new torsion axle with electric brakes.
All opinions welcome!

[Nuvite-F]

You can tow a trailer that small with just about anything you want.

Our cousin that previously owned our 1960 Pacer (1760 pounds gross weight) towed it all over the US and Canada with a Mercedes 190D sedan, back in the 60s.

Wally supposedly towed a Bambi with a VW beetle. (I don't think I'd recommend it!)

[cameront120]

What do you currently drive with? You might not even need a dedicated tow vehicle.

[GR8DANE]

I've been towing with a Tahoe but mpg not good. Worked okay towing my '64 TradeWind but over 200K on it.


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[cameront120]

Any of the smaller European SUV's or crossovers would probably be an improvement. Ultimately, I guess, it would depend on what sort of vehicle you prefer. If I had that trailer, I'd hook it up to my Volvo wagon and go!

[rodsterinfl]

I would look for a RWD vehicle I liked that had a cargo capacity meeting the tongue weight/people weight requirement. I would consider a Hyundai Genesis with a Curt Hitch for Genesis or something like a BMW x3. They can tow 3500# and handle 350# tongue. Your published tongue is 240!

[Royce]

Originally Posted by GR8DANE

Looking for something fairly fuel efficient to tow my '55 18 Footer (whale tail).
Weighs 2000, will have new torsion axle with electric brakes.
All opinions welcome!

Anything larger than a bicycle should tow that just fine. Beautiful rig you have there.

[kdickinson]

Yes - pretty much anything that you can put a hitch on and that can hold the tongue up high enough to keep it from dragging and doing damage will tow that rig. Just think about a smaller vehicle may be more prone to sway on the road and consider a sway bar / equalizer type hitch

[Cardinal283]

You could tow it in true American style.... Get an F350. 😂

[RPVEd]

How about a small Tiguan TDI? Mileage and breaking benefits of diesel.

[Tom_T]

Originally Posted by RPVEd

How about a small Tiguan TDI? Mileage and breaking benefits of diesel.

I would not touch anything with that smaller 4-cyl 2.0L TDI, since VW has admitted the smog test cheating programming on it, & they've been accused of it with the V6 3.0L TDIs too.

Values have already dropped on them by 10-30%, & VW has no fix close to ready, & have only offered a token $1000 "sorry card" to owners.

California has already mandated a recall & won't pass any of them for smog, & has revoked the automatic pass for the new-3 year old cars. They're now basically unable to be renewed for tags by DMV without some fix by VW. IMHO the Feds will follow suit soon, then it will be nationwide.

As to TVs - first, ignore the factory specs from 1955, as their weights were usually the lowest possible for the trailers, & adding LP, black, gray & fresh water tanks & other accessory & optional items added weight, as well as any mods & changes made over time.

You'll need to get an accurate weight with it wet & loaded for typical travel on a CAT Scale or similar & a tongue wt. scale, then match the smaller TVs out there with adequate towing capacity - new or used.

I'd suggest you look at all of the available Japanese & Euro & American mid-sized pick-ups & SUVs with either V6 or V8 power with a proper towing & hitch capacity - if you're looking for modern convenience. You can also look at some of the mini-vans & cars which still have a decent tow rating.

However, in most cases the stock vehicles are only rated for 1500-1500# TW rating, unless they get the factory tow option which upgrades many parts & systems to get them up to 3500-4500-5000#. Just adding a hitch does not get you the max or larger rating.

Alternatively, you can look classic rides with adequate power, brakes & suspension &/or upgrades (or the then factory towing packages) - if you want a classic rig combo for your 55 AS.

There are several topic threads on here under tow vehicles for both the Euro & other small/mid-sized tow vehicles (one good one is titled something like Taureg, Cayenne, Audi Q7 owners), as well as for classic TVs.

You could also go to the CanAm website to look at their "Hitch Hints" articles section & to ask questions of Andy T. there - since he's the smaller TV guru, as well as the full "Hitch Hints" articles on the "RV Lifestyles" magazine website (CanAm's article links go to their site, then you can cruise all issues' Hitch Hints from there).

Since you already have several vintage trailers, I assume you're already familiar with the vintage trailer rally scene, but if not, Vintage Camper Trailers magazine has a good listing of events in the rear pages, as well as the TCT website.

Good Luck!
Tom
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[DanB]

Do it right. 1955 Chevy Belair convertible.

[Cardinal283]

[cameront120]

How fuel efficient are those?

[Andrew T]

Great looking 55!

What I always suggest for a vintage piece is a tow vehicle that will preserve it and not beat it up a lot. Look for a fairly soft independent rear suspension. If you want to stay with an SUV the Mercedes GLK diesel gets great mileage, A Ford Edge is pretty good and less costly. The best mileage comes from a car, the new Chrysler 200 with the amazing 3.6 and 9 speed transmission would be ideal. If you want to gamble you can likely pick up a Passat Diesel way under market price.

What else do you have in the driveway? You may have a great tow vehicle waiting to be discovered.

Andy

[Royce]

'55' Bel Air convertable white over red, is the only correct choice. Fully restored of course. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...tible_1955.JPG

[Stefrobrts]

We are pretty happy with our Ford Flex. Aside from a few issues as it passed 100k, I don't think I could have found a more comfortable cruiser for the price.

[PKI]

When I hear 1955, I think vintage tow vehicle.

But, when I think vintage, I do not think good mpg.

Retro-new comes to mind, but they all seem to have tow capacities of 1K. Maybe the Jeep Wrangler 4 door is worth a look as it should be the exception.

CanAm modified a late model Corvette to tow a 23. There was a picture of it on their web site. That is interesting, but even more so if you could afford one of the C5s, that was built to look like a C1. A very cool tow vehicle indeed!

You could also talk to CanAm about a 2001-2004 S-type jag, which looks vintage. It's comfortable, gets reasonable mpg, and they sell cheap, because Jags can be expensive to repair. Find one that has seen proper care. Not for all, but maybe?

Some day there will be folks who build interesting Resto-mods that are configured as tow vehicles. Factory Five has a 32 kit car that would be quite interesting if it was powered by a late model gas or diesel dual stage turbo and multiple speed transmission.

Otherwise, see the posts above. The Chrysler sounds very interesting and the Flex seems like a perfect TV for a smaller trailer. Too bad an HHR wouldn't work.

Then again, you could forget about that mpg and find a nice Red Caddy.

Good luck, vintage has got to be fun. Pat

[GR8DANE]

Vintage tow vehicle would be super cool but I'm leaning toward modern. Thoughts on the Ford Edge? V6, fairly good mpg, decent styling.


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[Andrew T]

We have many customers with Edges. It is a great vehicle the drivetrain is well proven and we have not had a customer have any serious issues with one.

The Transmission is a joint Ford / GM project we have been towing with it in the Buick Enclave since 2008. Make sure you get the 3.5 Litre, the Turbo 4 cylinder is not delivering the expected fuel economy.

The stock hitch will be fine for the 18'. The Edge will easily tow your 24' as well but I would suggest strengthening the receiver for it.

Andrew T