Trailering a 70 Cutlass S
February 15th, 2010, 07:04 PM
#41
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,003
If that car runs as good as it looks, what a blast it would be to fly out and just drive it back. take some cash and some tools,enjoy the road trip.
lots-o- stuff covered here ,but like slowolds and a few others said. check tires,electrical,
check the u-joints on the sub. air pressures,belts hoses,trans oil,
this is just some of things that some of us that trailer just do automaticaly.
just trying to help a Oldsmobrother out.
how much longer till you go get it?
lots-o- stuff covered here ,but like slowolds and a few others said. check tires,electrical,
check the u-joints on the sub. air pressures,belts hoses,trans oil,
this is just some of things that some of us that trailer just do automaticaly.
just trying to help a Oldsmobrother out.
how much longer till you go get it?
I appreciate your and everyone's help. I am still tying up a few loose ends but should be good to go come travel time. I leave to get the car on Mar 4th and come back with it on Mar 5th. Can't wait...
Say, who did your signature pic? Looks good.
February 15th, 2010, 08:10 PM
#42
Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: under the hood
Posts: 136
thanks, Big Jerr did my sig line. he did awsome job on it .
he has made some nice calaners also. I think he may still have some.
should be posted on here some place.He has made some great DVDs of us
Olds racers at the track also. some of it is on youtube, check it out.
To bad your not in S.D. I will be at Mt. Rushmore this June. Should be a good time.
he has made some nice calaners also. I think he may still have some.
should be posted on here some place.He has made some great DVDs of us
Olds racers at the track also. some of it is on youtube, check it out.
To bad your not in S.D. I will be at Mt. Rushmore this June. Should be a good time.
February 16th, 2010, 10:47 AM
#43
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Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Muskegon, Mi.
Posts: 8,729
If you fly out and drive it back, replace the rear tires with snow or very good all season tires, otherwise it will be hell getting traction and control on the snow covered roads of the great plains/upper midwest. You may need weight in the trunk also.
February 18th, 2010, 09:00 AM
#44
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Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Phx, AZ
Posts: 1,012
Lots of good suggestions here, guys.
1 I need to say is balance the car on trailer.
Do not just run the car all the way to the front of the trailer.
You want a 60/40 weight distribution on the trailer.
Do not get the front of the trailer too heavy, will be a pain to tow, digging the rear axle of the tow car down. If the car is too far back, it will try to raise the rear axle.
Balance it right.
And have 3 spare tires, a floor jack, and a tool set. Don't get stranded.
Jim
1 I need to say is balance the car on trailer.
Do not just run the car all the way to the front of the trailer.
You want a 60/40 weight distribution on the trailer.
Do not get the front of the trailer too heavy, will be a pain to tow, digging the rear axle of the tow car down. If the car is too far back, it will try to raise the rear axle.
Balance it right.
And have 3 spare tires, a floor jack, and a tool set. Don't get stranded.
Jim
February 18th, 2010, 01:53 PM
#46
is Fast Enough ...
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: dogtown
Posts: 1,308
Trailer brakes can get you in trouble, engages on a slick road can cause a jackknife ...
Put extra weight in tow vehicle ...
Do some practice panic and quick stops as soon as you hook up to reveal problems ...
Check rig top to bottom at ALL STOPS !!!
Put extra weight in tow vehicle ...
Do some practice panic and quick stops as soon as you hook up to reveal problems ...
Check rig top to bottom at ALL STOPS !!!
March 5th, 2010, 07:56 PM
#48
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Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,003
Success is Mine!
Well I got it home safe and sound after 520 miles from Billings, MT to NoDak. And without incident I might add, especially since this was my first time trailering a vehicle, not too mention using a 18' trailer with 2' dovetail.
Got the Cutlass on the trailer without too much trouble. Hooked up axle straps to the rear and front straps to the chassis. Also used wheel nets as insurance.
I tightened everything up after the first 100 miles and never had to adjust any of the straps after that.
I did notice a lot of movement of the car when I hit a bump in the road. A lot of suspension bouncing around. I was not sure if this is normal or not. It did not seem to hinder my handling. I was more concerned with the condition of the vehicle when it is doing this.
I also used a Weight Distribution hitch with sway control. I don't think my Suburban would have done the job without it. It definitely leveled the tow vehicle and trailer. I still had a little more weight on the rear axle of the tow vehicle due to having too short of hitch shank. The kit I bought came with a 6 3/4 inch rise, which was way too short to use with my Suburban with its 4 inch lift. I only had time to buy a 9 3/4" rise shank before I left. It was about 3 inches too short. I made it work by adjusting the spring bars one link to help compensate. But if I use this in the future, I will need to get a 12" rise hitch. The front end was a little light but nothing that I deemed unsafe.
Overall, the trip was uneventful. I did notice a lot of noise from the ball and spring bars when conducting slow turns. It was making groaning and squeaking noises, which garnered a lot of looks from passers-by. I greased everything before I left, so I am not sure if it will break-in with more use and the noise will subside.
Also, I was quick to realize that stopping suddenly for animals on the highway was not going to happen especially using a trailer without trailer brakes. I never was presented with the situation, but I could tell stopping relatively quickly was going to be difficult.
The Suburban did handle all the towing like a champ, and I was happy with the trip.
I would again like to thank everyone for their advice. It definitely came in handy.
Attached are a few pictures of the hitch setup and car on trailer.
Got the Cutlass on the trailer without too much trouble. Hooked up axle straps to the rear and front straps to the chassis. Also used wheel nets as insurance.
I tightened everything up after the first 100 miles and never had to adjust any of the straps after that.
I did notice a lot of movement of the car when I hit a bump in the road. A lot of suspension bouncing around. I was not sure if this is normal or not. It did not seem to hinder my handling. I was more concerned with the condition of the vehicle when it is doing this.
I also used a Weight Distribution hitch with sway control. I don't think my Suburban would have done the job without it. It definitely leveled the tow vehicle and trailer. I still had a little more weight on the rear axle of the tow vehicle due to having too short of hitch shank. The kit I bought came with a 6 3/4 inch rise, which was way too short to use with my Suburban with its 4 inch lift. I only had time to buy a 9 3/4" rise shank before I left. It was about 3 inches too short. I made it work by adjusting the spring bars one link to help compensate. But if I use this in the future, I will need to get a 12" rise hitch. The front end was a little light but nothing that I deemed unsafe.
Overall, the trip was uneventful. I did notice a lot of noise from the ball and spring bars when conducting slow turns. It was making groaning and squeaking noises, which garnered a lot of looks from passers-by. I greased everything before I left, so I am not sure if it will break-in with more use and the noise will subside.
Also, I was quick to realize that stopping suddenly for animals on the highway was not going to happen especially using a trailer without trailer brakes. I never was presented with the situation, but I could tell stopping relatively quickly was going to be difficult.
The Suburban did handle all the towing like a champ, and I was happy with the trip.
I would again like to thank everyone for their advice. It definitely came in handy.
Attached are a few pictures of the hitch setup and car on trailer.
March 5th, 2010, 08:30 PM
#49
Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: under the hood
Posts: 136
Excellent! glad to hear all is well. bet you got some looks on the road with that.
now hopefully many miles off the trailer. have fun. looks like a nice one
good to hear that you greased everything, I meant to bring that up. A lot of people dont grease there set up.
did you grease the ball also? after a while you learn not rub your leg on the greased ball.
now hopefully many miles off the trailer. have fun. looks like a nice one
good to hear that you greased everything, I meant to bring that up. A lot of people dont grease there set up.
did you grease the ball also? after a while you learn not rub your leg on the greased ball.
Last edited by Red71; March 5th, 2010 at 08:35 PM. Reason: grease
March 6th, 2010, 06:35 AM
#50
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Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,003
I guess that is the price you pay for having a nice looking ride.
March 7th, 2010, 12:32 PM
#51
442=A perfect 10
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Cary, NC
Posts: 152
I got a lot of looks at the car on the interstate when people were passing me on the left side. The unfortunate side effect was they were too busy looking at the car and not paying attention to driving. Consequently, they would veer into my lane. I avoided having the front of my truck hit at least 3 different times due to someone coming into my lane.
I guess that is the price you pay for having a nice looking ride.
I guess that is the price you pay for having a nice looking ride.
GOG
March 7th, 2010, 05:54 PM
#52
I would never tie down to the frame of a car. The suspension should be free to work and you do not want to compress your springs with tie downs.
Tire restraints over the from tires is the best for the front, or hook to the lower A frames.
In the rear over the axle. Cross as mentioned above
Tire restraints over the from tires is the best for the front, or hook to the lower A frames.
In the rear over the axle. Cross as mentioned above
-You do want suspension movement. Straps attached to the frame can stress the metal where they are attached to.
-Crossing the straps in the rear prevents any side to side movement, and it's required by law in some states.
-Trailering without trailer brakes is a potential suicide mission.
Don't give me any flak over what's on the trailer.
March 7th, 2010, 06:13 PM
#54
Trying to remember member
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Ohio
Posts: 4,112
I'm not saying that your method is totally bad, but I for one don't think it is "the" way, and I do issue with the 2 statements you made.
Regardless, D1, I'm glad that you had a good trip. I'm sure the best thing you did was have the wisdom to seek advice to begin with. The experience of others is the next best thing to your own.
Nice looking Cutlass! Enjoy!!!
March 8th, 2010, 05:40 PM
#55
No more than straps attached to the chassis can stress the chassis where they are attached. Hooked to the fame as I mentioned is does not cause any detrimental stress and does allow body movement without the *excessive* movement that occurs when tying down only the chassis.
Crossing the strap front or rear does not *prevent* side movement it only help in that respect. And it does no better job of it in the back than the front.
I'm not saying that your method is totally bad, but I for one don't think it is "the" way, and I do issue with the 2 statements you made.
Regardless, D1, I'm glad that you had a good trip. I'm sure the best thing you did was have the wisdom to seek advice to begin with. The experience of others is the next best thing to your own.
Nice looking Cutlass! Enjoy!!!
Crossing the strap front or rear does not *prevent* side movement it only help in that respect. And it does no better job of it in the back than the front.
I'm not saying that your method is totally bad, but I for one don't think it is "the" way, and I do issue with the 2 statements you made.
Regardless, D1, I'm glad that you had a good trip. I'm sure the best thing you did was have the wisdom to seek advice to begin with. The experience of others is the next best thing to your own.
Nice looking Cutlass! Enjoy!!!
Everyone is entitled to their opinion. If you disagree with my recommendation that's OK. This is why we're here, to collectively add our knowledge and opinions to the whole.
Two more cents to add. Towing long distances with a half ton pickup isn't the best idea either. I did it twice with my old open hauler, and while I hauled it OK, the truck was definately strained. I still need to upgrade to a 3/4 ton, and more so now that I own a 26' enclosed.
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