heavy metal?

[normanpitkin]

hi,

a difficult question! Can my 1948 new yorker with the straight eight tow a caravan that weighs 3800lbs?? I am concerned the fluid drive may be a hinderance,however as a friend with a 48 oldsmobile with an airstream told me ,they towed them back in the day!!

[greg g]

the fluid drive should actually be an advantage as it will limit the strain on the drive train.

And the 8 should have more than enough torque.

What are you using for a hitch, and does the trailer have brakes that your Chrylser will support?

What kind of terrain and distance are you considering?

[Rusty O'Toole]

They sure did. Have you ever seen the movie "The Long Long Trailer"? It was based on a book by Clinton Twiss.

Book download:

http://www.archive.org/details/longlongtrailer001201mbp

He and his wife travelled all over America in a 1948 Chrysler New Yorker towing a 25 foot Airfloat trailer.

Pictures here.

http://www.trailerite.com/clintontwiss.html

For certain technical reasons to do with fluid drive, 4 speed transmission, straight eight power and Chrysler quality, a New Yorker was one of the best trailer towing vehicles available at that time.

So, no doubt your New Yorker could do it when new.

Whether it is a good idea now remains to be seen. A lot depends on how far and how fast you mean to travel. In those days typical hiway speed was 45 - 50, less when towing a trailer. Possibly 35 - 45 MPH.

The other factor is the age and condition of your rig.

If you want to travel slowly, short distances to car or trailer shows you should be fine provided your brakes, cooling system, tires etc are in top shape.

For a coast to coast trip on today's roads I suggest you need a newer tow vehicle.

Here is another viewpoint. This man towed a 15 foot travel trailer many miles behind a 1951 DeSoto 8 passenger Suburban, with the original flathead six and fluid drive. Total weight of car, trailer, passengers and luggage over 8000 pounds. In this article he explains how he did it.

http://www.allpar.com/cars/desoto/suburban-1951.html

Note that he bought both the Suburban and trailer new, and that his towing experience covers 50,000 miles and ranges from Death Valley to the Rocky Mountains.

[Rusty O'Toole]

I agree that the Fluid Drive and M6 transmission were the best for trailer towing at that time.

The only thing better would be the Fluid Torque Drive that came out in 1951.

Both these are actually superior to Powerflite or Torqueflite automatics in some ways.

The only thing comparable in 1948 was the Cadillac Hydramatic. It also had 4 speeds and fluid coupling. But it was a lot more complicated and not as ruggedly built as the fluid drive.

An automatic will tow more than a standard trans with less strain. The car makers proved this on their proving grounds. On their steep test hills, a fully loaded car could not get moving from a stop. It would burn out the clutch first. But a Fluid Drive equipped car would slowly pull away and climb the hill.

Also, a Fluid Drive car has better traction in mud and sand. Or at least, less tendency to spin its tires.

[Dodgeb4ya]

You won't know till you go for it! Your rear axle ratio is a 3.36. The engine has lots of torque and 135 HP. How about a full report afterwards if you do it.

Bob

[Mark D]

You won't know till you go for it! Your rear axle ratio is a 3.36. The engine has lots of torque and 135 HP. How about a full report afterwards if you do it.

Bob

Ditto - Love to hear more about pulling trailers behind these 40's vintage cars. I have a dream in the back of my head to get some thing period someday hooked to the back of my plymouth and do some vintage vacation touring.

[normanpitkin]

Many thanks for the replies,it's beginning to sound feasible!I live in Essex ,england which is is pretty much the flattest place you could imagine so am hoping the brakes should be up to it ,also the drivetrain is pretty much perfect(famous last words!) .Just completed a trip of 280 miles over the weekend with multiple starts/stops so should be ok.Am considering buying a 19 foot 1957 trailer from new york state and shipping it to England ,always wanted one to tow behind the New Yorker!

[Rusty O'Toole]

Many thanks for the replies,it's beginning to sound feasible!I live in Essex ,england which is is pretty much the flattest place you could imagine so am hoping the brakes should be up to it ,also the drivetrain is pretty much perfect(famous last words!) .Just completed a trip of 280 miles over the weekend with multiple starts/stops so should be ok.Am considering buying a 19 foot 1957 trailer from new york state and shipping it to England ,always wanted one to tow behind the New Yorker!

The car brakes only need to stop the car, the trailer has its own brakes. The trailer brakes MUST be up to spec for safe towing.

The good news is brand new brakes only cost $80 for a trailer. In the case of one that old, it may be easiest to replace the whole axle assembly with springs. A new axle does not cost much more than just the brakes. Approximately $150 for axle and springs.

Do not try to tow a trailer that large without trailer brakes. It isn't only a matter of stopping, it is also a matter of control. You need trailer brakes especially when slowing down in a curve, or when going down hill, to keep the trailer from passing the car.

You will also need a good brake controller and a good trailer hitch. The hitch receiver will need to be made locally and bolted to your frame.

Best choice for a hitch, Eaz-lift or Reese, weight equalizing hitch with built in sway control.

DO NOT get too heavy of a hitch. The only difference is the spring bars, they are better too light than too heavy. Too heavy duty will damage your car or trailer.

For proper spring bar selection, start with the tongue weight of your trailer. If the laden weight of the trailer is 4000 lbs tongue weight should be 1/10 or 400 pounds, so use 400 lb spring bars not heavier. If your tongue weight is less than 400 you don't need spring bars although, air shocks can't hurt.

A 19 foot trailer likely will need a hitch with light spring bars.

The stock cooling system may be adequate for gentle use in your climate, if you have overheating problems you can try a 7 bladed fan, if that does not help a new radiator is in order.

There is no need to add a transmission cooler and no way to put one on your car.

If you need to lower the gearing for more pulling power, an easy way to do it is to install undersize tires. For example if the closest equivalent to your OEM tires is 225 75 R15, change to 225 60 R15 for a 7% reduction in gearing, about the same as the optional trailer towing package in most cars.

Here is a good web site for hitches and accessories. Good mail order service and good prices.

http://www.adventurerv.net/index.php

Check on the width before you buy a trailer, I believe many US made trailers are too wide under English hiway laws. In 1957 many trailers were 7 or 7 1/2 feet wide, not long after that they went to 7 1/2 or 8 feet.

What you are planning is something of an adventure but quite feasible for someone with a mechanical bent.

Recommend you read The Long Long Trailer for laughs. Keep in mind there have been a lot of advances in tow hitches and automatic brake controls.

Edited September 2, 2011 by Rusty O'Toole

[greg g]

OH no another britisher caravaner on the roadways!!! Say it isn't so............

Actually another Norm of this forum did a cross country trip in his early 50's plymouth suburban wagon. He went from New Mexico to Florida na home again following a very circuitous route towing a tear drop trailer, and having a folding boat and out board motor, plus coolers, suitcases, fishing equipment etc aboard.

He reported no difficulties. And thoughhis traile was smaller and lighter, so was his car and its engine. Also a standard three speed.

Again the hitch, and trailer braking system should be seriously considered. Also the condition of the rear springs and shocks (you might consider air shocks) and spring bushings and shackles. All must be in tip top runing order to support what will be 350 lbs of tongue weight.

To put things in perspective, I towed an ice racing car (about 1800 lbs on a 600 lb trailer) with a Dodge (mitsubishi) D 50 Pickup truck, that had about 105 HP (and no torque) 4 cylinder engine. The truck weighed about 2400 lbs. It did fine till the rear bumper mounts pulled off one day due to rust.

If you are not towing throught he alps why not????

[Rusty O'Toole]

In Canada, small fibreglass trailers are very popular with antique car owners. Boler Scamp and Trillium especially.

Check out this Boler site.

http://bolerama.org/Bolerama/Welcome.html

The 19 foot model you mention is just in the middle. If you chose a trailer 15 or 16 feet or smaller it would be a piece of cake. Over 20 feet you are definitely in big trailer territory. 19 feet is too big for comfort, you will need to make sure everything is perfect but you should be able to swing it.

This is why the old car fans like the little fibreglass jobs, you can tow them with anything.

Edited September 2, 2011 by Rusty O'Toole

[TodFitch]

In Canada' date=' small fibreglass trailers are very popular with antique car owners. Boler Scamp and Trillium especially.

Check out this Boler site.

[url']http://bolerama.org/Bolerama/Welcome.html[/url]

The 19 foot model you mention is just in the middle. If you chose a trailer 15 or 16 feet or smaller it would be a piece of cake. Over 20 feet you are definitely in big trailer territory. 19 feet is too big for comfort, you will need to make sure everything is perfect but you should be able to swing it.

This is why the old car fans like the little fibreglass jobs, you can tow them with anything.

I remember seeing those Boler trailers when I was driving across the country back in 1978. And I remember thinking that was about the right size and weight for being pulled by an antique car. I was towing a little utility trailer behind my 1933 Plymouth at the time. It was filled with all my spare Plymouth parts for my move cross country.

Speaking of brakes, that trailer had none and coming down out of the mountains of West Virginia I really learned that it could be a problem with the tiny little drums on the '33. A bit of double-clutch down shifting and using the hand brake to supplement the service brakes was required at one point when I was moving a bit faster than I should have been and did not anticipate the required stop.

[Rusty O'Toole]

Some photos of Canadian old car guys and their trailers.

http://www.coasters2010.com/page7.php

Note that most of the trailers are small fibreglass models but there are cars towing larger trailers, including a 54 Mercury towing one like the 19 footer you describe.

The Coasters is a Canadian car club.

[Niel Hoback]

Hmmmmm,, 6 volt trailer brakes,,,,,,

[TodFitch]

Hmmmmm,, 6 volt trailer brakes,,,,,,

Or what used to be called "surge brakes": A hydraulic master cylinder mounted on the trailer tongue so that the trailer brakes are applied when ever the trailer tries to push the car. Don't know if they are still called that but I've seen some on trailers in the last few years so I think they still make them.

[55 Fargo]

In Canada' date=' small fibreglass trailers are very popular with antique car owners. Boler Scamp and Trillium especially.

Check out this Boler site.

[url']http://bolerama.org/Bolerama/Welcome.html[/url]

The 19 foot model you mention is just in the middle. If you chose a trailer 15 or 16 feet or smaller it would be a piece of cake. Over 20 feet you are definitely in big trailer territory. 19 feet is too big for comfort, you will need to make sure everything is perfect but you should be able to swing it.

This is why the old car fans like the little fibreglass jobs, you can tow them with anything.

Rusty your right, I want a Boler in the Worst way, there was 1 for sale up here recently for about 2 grand, but no extra to buy it..

[55 Fargo]

Or what used to be called "surge brakes": A hydraulic master cylinder mounted on the trailer tongue so that the trailer brakes are applied when ever the trailer tries to push the car. Don't know if they are still called that but I've seen some on trailers in the last few years so I think they still make them.

Yup, thats what they were more or less called up here in Manitoba, if operating in good condtion, I am sure they work well.