Toyota & Vintage Airstream combo

[truckasaurus]

I have just bought a gutted '61 Overlander that is 1800 miles away. (very excited) I have arranged a tow service to take her to the experts for new torsion axles, disc brakes, wheels, tires and any other tow safety issues that crop up on inspection. I plan to drive down in a few weeks and bring her home; however as a trailer novice I could do with some advice.

My T.V. is an '07 Tundra 5.7L 4x4 dbl cab std box with offroad package. I have a tonneau cover and tool tray built in that adds 300 lbs already. I think the payload is 1430lbs so I probaly have room there and the tow rating is something like 10,300 lbs or so.

I'm guessing that the sight unseen '61 Overlander 26' twin axle with just 1 cabinet left in situ must way about 3000lbs or less? I'd like to get home safely and from then trailer will most likely not be moved much for the duration of the remodelling, so 18 months.

Q1- So far I'm looking at a Reese straight line package but am unsure about the WD dist. bar weight I should ask for given the trailers current state 3000lbs and future state still <4000lbs dry?

Q2- My Toyota is pretty wide but doesn't have the tow package and hence no tow mirrors. With a skinny trailer and wide truck will I need them and if so are there any that don't look ridiculous?

Q3- Will the lack of water in tanks and stuff make it harder to keep stable?

[SteveH]

Personally, I would not worry too much about it. About the hitch, I would buy the bars that you will eventually need for the finished tongue weight of the trailer. If they are too heavy, you can adjust them to get by with for one trip home. About the mirrors, I would suggest you buy some of the cheap add-on mirrors that strap to your existing mirrors for the trip home. If you don't like them, you haven't lost much as they are about 30 bucks, and you will have time to find some you do like. About the stability, again personal opinion, I would not worry about it because, after all, it's an Airtream. These are my opinions based on my experiences, and I'm sure others may differ. Good luck with your restoration. Steve

[azflycaster]

I tow my 75 Trade Wind with an 07 Tundra DC 4x4 and it is a great combo. I have the TRD package which adds some stiffness to the rear of the truck, but I would still recommend the WD bars. With the 300 pound box and the 400 pound hitch weight you will have half of the payload on the rear which will make your Tundra a little nose high. I would get the 600 pound bars (mine are 750) just to keep the combo level.

I have the tow mirrors and I highly recommend them. Since your truck is wide and the trailer is narrow, you could tow with nothing, but wider mirrors let you see a lot more. You could try and trade with someone who wants to go narrow. I see people doing that often on the TundaSolutions forum.

With WD I find that my trailer tows just as well if not better with water in the tank.

[truckasaurus]

Thanks for the good advice. I watched the Hensley DVD and "nearly" convinced myself to get a hitch that cost more than the trailer did! I'll ask for the Reese straight line with the smaller bars and strap on mirrors until eBay yeilds some OEM tow mirrors.

Thanks again

[2airishuman]

Originally Posted by truckasaurus

...I watched the Hensley DVD and "nearly" convinced myself...

only YOU can decide if the arrow approach to towing would be useful...

but forget the video and read these 2 threads...

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f464...ide-26279.html

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f464...ach-37994.html

imo the issue isn't how big is the truck or how light is the trailer,

but rather how much linear control and stability and relaxed towing do you want.

then choose hitches accordingly.

cheers
2air'