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Location: Edmonton, AB. And "I am Can 'eh' jun - eh"
Posts: 24,525
Pretty much anywhere. You planning to bolt in or weld? Just google
'trailer hitches for sale'. You can also drop by your local auto parts supply, most of them will carry or be able to recommend a good hitch/installer in your area
Pretty much anywhere. You planning to bolt in or weld? Just google
'trailer hitches for sale'. You can also drop by your local auto parts supply, most of them will carry or be able to recommend a good hitch/installer in your area
Location: Edmonton, AB. And "I am Can 'eh' jun - eh"
Posts: 24,525
Originally Posted by ChefDeadpool
I was hoping to just buy a hitch and bolt it on.
You probably can. Check with your local parts / hitch suppliers. Heck, U-Haul actually sells them for your car for around 130.00 http://www.uhaul.com/MovingSupplies/Trailer-Hitches Chances are maybe get a good deal on a used one? Most storess will not offer warranty if you do the install yourself - warranty/liability is a funny thing.
You can also check CL - we had a light duty hitch installed on our first 72 Cutlass. Like yours it was a 2bbl but handled the tent trailer really nicely. If you're planning to tow something heavier you might want to consider boxing your lower control arms and installing an rear sway bar too. That's just observation from my experience pulling trailers with the 72.
Unfortunately, it appears that all you can get is a wimpy Class I hitch. I strongly suggest getting a Class III fabricated to fit. It's not very difficult and bolt-on flanges are easy to weld to a generic crossbar. Then you have the option of a 2" receiver with all the available attachments.
Location: Edmonton, AB. And "I am Can 'eh' jun - eh"
Posts: 24,525
Originally Posted by joe_padavano
Unfortunately, it appears that all you can get is a wimpy Class I hitch. I strongly suggest getting a Class III fabricated to fit. It's not very difficult and bolt-on flanges are easy to weld to a generic crossbar. Then you have the option of a 2" receiver with all the available attachments.
Yeah, I agree with that too, but he was looking for just something that he could bolt on himself and there's not a huge market out there for that stuff. Any trailer hitches I put on my vehicles get the work done by pros in the shop. + I get warranty on the work and support my local businesses. Even a weld on hitch will come off with a torch when it's no longer wanted.
Just an observation, tow hitches for just about any mainstream car on the British market are just a phone call away from a dozen or so suppliers, all rated to handle the cars recommended towing capacity. They are almost certainly over engineered and can handle 100% overload.
I am surprised it's so hard to find hitches for American cars, considering a lot of them share platforms across a wide range of vehicles and older cars have a chassis to fit it to.
A place in Dallas (one in Plano, on off IH30 on the east side of Dallas) called Joe's Trailer Hitches. They can fit anything! There's gotta' be something similar in Houston. As long as you are installing one, I would also go for the bit more expensive Class II and have it done. Class III if you can manage it.
Location: Edmonton, AB. And "I am Can 'eh' jun - eh"
Posts: 24,525
Originally Posted by rustyroger
Just an observation, tow hitches for just about any mainstream car on the British market are just a phone call away from a dozen or so suppliers, all rated to handle the cars recommended towing capacity. They are almost certainly over engineered and can handle 100% overload.
I am surprised it's so hard to find hitches for American cars, considering a lot of them share platforms across a wide range of vehicles and older cars have a chassis to fit it to.
Roger.
I'm not surprised at all Roger. Take a look at what's towing most of the RV and Boats around now. It's not cars- it's trucks. There's a huge selection of truck hitches so that's no issue for just about anyone.
The last year I remember GM putting frames under cars was 1988, then everything was unibody. I'm not sure how strongly engineered the back end of most of todays cars are engineered (suspension & body strength) to accommodate a hitch. I believe they are mostly engineered to collapse in the event of a collision. That doesn't inspire me to put a hitch on my car. I know most of today's cars have plenty of towing power, just need extra cooling.
Yes, older cars do have frames. I just don't know whether the spacing for truck hitches is the same frame spacing for older cars. You'd certainly think so. When our hitch was installed at the hitch shop, it was custom built. The guy had the car for the day and when it was finished it was rock solid welded to the frame.
Unitary construction has been the norm for European cars since the '50s, crumple zones have been designed into European cars at least as long as American - Volvo were leaders in designed in safety.
The main problem with towing over here was our underpowered small cars struggling to deal with the extra weight, any trailer over 560 lbs is required to have run on brakes, that is the trailer brakes are applied when the towing vehicle brakes, electric brakes are unheard of here.
When towing we have a speed limit of 60 mph and lane restrictions apply on most main highways.
any trailer over 560 lbs is required to have run on brakes, that is the trailer brakes are applied when the towing vehicle brakes, electric brakes are unheard of here.
When towing we have a speed limit of 60 mph and lane restrictions apply on most main highways.
Of the American cars I have owned I had tow hitches on (in order of ownership);
'79 Olds Delta 88 diesel, '78 Olds 98 Regency, Dodge D200 crew cab, Chevy G10 dayvan, '79 Buick Century wagon, '83 Olds Cutlass wagon, '83 Buick Riviera and my current '87 Olds Delta 88 Royale.
All of them were fabricated either by me or a PO except the truck which was put on by the the USAF.
When you are towing a 2000lb caravan in a Ford Focus sized car you need all the braking help you can get!.
Roger, I think the reason for reduced availability of off-the-shelf hitches for older cars in the US is liability.
Over here, if a company makes a hitch and says it's for your car, and you bolt it on to a frame that's rusted through on a car with worn shocks and other suspension components, then tow a 20,000 pound trailer with it and crash, there's a good chance the hitch company will lose a suit for Big Bucks, even though they did nothing wrong.
If they put it on themselves, at least they've seen the vehicle, and can refuse to install it if it's too beat up.
Roger, I think the reason for reduced availability of off-the-shelf hitches for older cars in the US is liability.
Over here, if a company makes a hitch and says it's for your car, and you bolt it on to a frame that's rusted through on a car with worn shocks and other suspension components, then tow a 20,000 pound trailer with it and crash, there's a good chance the hitch company will lose a suit for Big Bucks, even though they did nothing wrong.
If they put it on themselves, at least they've seen the vehicle, and can refuse to install it if it's too beat up.
Sad, but true, I'd bet.
- Eric
Try and rent a trailer from uhaul. They make you jump thru hoops and if you don't answer thier questions correctly they will refuse to rent it to you!!
Roger, I think the reason for reduced availability of off-the-shelf hitches for older cars in the US is liability.
Over here, if a company makes a hitch and says it's for your car, and you bolt it on to a frame that's rusted through on a car with worn shocks and other suspension components, then tow a 20,000 pound trailer with it and crash, there's a good chance the hitch company will lose a suit for Big Bucks, even though they did nothing wrong.
If they put it on themselves, at least they've seen the vehicle, and can refuse to install it if it's too beat up.
Sad, but true, I'd bet.
- Eric
Good point Eric, that hadn't occurred to me.
Sadly we are becoming a litigious society over here, I can't swich on my tv now without being bombarded with ambulance chasing law firms touting for business.
Remember when we were expected to be responsible for our own actions?, I hope such times come back.
i should have 3 of them at my parents house. these were the cheap ones that mount to the trunk pan rails and back bumper. i would not trust them to pull anything very heavy. one of them was on a 72 W-30 i had and they said they pulled a small boat with it. if you still need one and want to try one of these let me know.
I built a completely hidden one for my '46 Ford, that's what I want for my '76 Cutlass wagon too. Not a lot of structure past the rear X-member in a pre-49 Ford due to transverse spring, so I added more to box the area (Parallel leafs were my addition too) . Also used a Camaro license plate bracket so the plate flips up.
Nice Picture of your Ford with a caravan. Im also going to buy old caravan to tow behind my Cutlass. Mine is 76' also, and i did the research year ago about fitting hitch.
So youre kinda in luck ( dont know if wagon has same frame, but it really dont matter; it should be close enough, and you anyways need to modify the hitch) now.
Curt #12009 class 2 hitch is really close to fit. Just cut all the parts off the crossbar and re-weld. AS said, it was really close to fit to start with; and bolts to frame-ends and main-frame.
Now im allowed to tow as much as my Cutlass's gross vehicle weight is ( tho that is due to loop on our laws). Pictures->
And thats how it fits under the car; also fabricated 13-pin electrics for it:
Looks like it might be easier to get 1/4" (6.3mm) plate and make the brackets from scratch, my "caravan" only weighs about 1500 lbs (680k) dry, I had a new frame built for it to extend the rear bumper of it to hold bicycles and storage and the front is longer for a small Honda 2200w generator, which is more than enough to power a window AC, small fridge and the LED lights inside.
a 200r4 tranny will help with the horrible mileage.
Im also looking max 1650lbs caravan, so small one. 1653lbs is the limit for it needing brakes and yearly inspection. Agree, maybe not easier but neither harder. I just had to try does it fit. And it was real close.
It depends on the policy. The reason why collector car policies are so much less expensive than those for regular cars is because they typically restrict the ways that you can use the car and the number of miles that you can drive. They are trying to limit their risk by limiting your exposure to potential accidents. Actuarial data shows that pulling a trailer increases risk. Again, this all depends on the specific policy one selects and the premium paid.
It depends on the policy. The reason why collector car policies are so much less expensive than those for regular cars is because they typically restrict the ways that you can use the car and the number of miles that you can drive. They are trying to limit their risk by limiting your exposure to potential accidents. Actuarial data shows that pulling a trailer increases risk. Again, this all depends on the specific policy one selects and the premium paid.
We seem to forget that people towed back then also, I own a body/Restoration shop and work with many insurance companies and classic insurance companies as well and have never heard of such a thing nor had any issues of the like! People tow many trailers with classics all the time, weather it be attending classic shows or cross country trips! Your statement simply isn't true!
We seem to forget that people towed back then also, I own a body/Restoration shop and work with many insurance companies and classic insurance companies as well and have never heard of such a thing nor had any issues of the like! People tow many trailers with classics all the time, weather it be attending classic shows or cross country trips! Your statement simply isn't true!
I didn't say that you CAN'T tow, I said it depends on the company and the policy. Insurance companies try to minimize their risk to maximize profits. For example, this is from Hagerty's site, and only pertains to classic trucks insured with their policies. They will consider LIMITED towing. I'm not making this up. Believe whatever you want.
So for the record, how many cars with collector car insurance and trailer hitches have you repaired and been paid by insurance companies? And have you been paid by all the collector car insurance companies?
John, I’m interested in a hitch. Would prefer a frame bolt-on with no trunk pan drilling, though. Maybe something you have can be modified for frame mount only with creative welding?
My Vista and one of my chevelle wagons both had hitches on them when I got them. Both at lease class III, but way to heavy to ship. If you want, I can try to dig one out and shoot some pics to give you ideas on how to make one. I may have taken one for scrap but I know I have the other.
The chance of finding a new bolt in hitch is slim to none for a 50 year old car. Even the G body ones are not available from any source that I know of, right now. I just added a little while ago, a Class 2 bolt in to my Challenger GT. Not hard to install but part of the exhaust had to come apart. Finding the plug in harness adapter was a Challenge😁 but did eventually find one. Hopefully someone can post measurements for a bolt on for a 68 to 72. I wouldn't mind for the 70S to pull a tent trailer. I won't use a RWD in a slimy boat launch, never again.
John, I’m interested in a hitch. Would prefer a frame bolt-on with no trunk pan drilling, though. Maybe something you have can be modified for frame mount only with creative welding?
I have these. They are less substantial than I thought.
Hey, I don’t need substantial for my utility trailer as it rarely has anywhere near a full load. Last time was transporting the dried up Christmas tree to the reclaim site.
John, I will pass on the hitches, but thank you for the pictures - those showed me the style used on these cars.
After examining the pictures, I’m thinking a receiver hitch would be more inconspicuous. We have a lot of shops that build custom hitches for Jeeps and such, so one of those could build me a (mostly) hidden receiver hitch.
Here is the hitch I took off of my 64/65 chevelle wagon when I got it. There was one like it on my Vista as well, but I think I scrapped that one. Always thought it would be cool to tow one of my chevelles around on an open trailer behind one of my chevelle wagons.
On the related topic of trailer hitches for cars, my grandfather was a used car dealer. He would bring cars down from NY to PA to sell. A lot of the time he would simply bring them down with a tow bar behind another car. My dad told me one of his favorite tow vehicles was his 59 olds 98 convertible. Another is pictured below: The photos were taken in 1972 and 1973. The original color was the "creme" on the bottom. He painted the top half yellow to match his company colors and had big reflective stickers made for the sides that were just larger versions of the small stickers he put on the cars he sold. The Toro was his "company" car for a few years until he painted the car back to the original creme color and sold it. My dad (petting the dog in the trailer) just turned 70 at the begining of March.
August 29th, 2011, 11:28 AM
thats nuts, the trailer brake thing
