1953 B4B 1/2 Ton 218 engine and fluiddrive Tow Rating

[Dan693]

Has anyone researched the original tow rating on a stock 1953 B4B 1/2 ton 218 ci Truck-O-Matic (fluid drive) 108" wheel base?

I am working on my B4b Project and am curious as to the tow rating.  The 218 engine is being rebuilt at 0.030 bore and I have installed all new brake components and springs and shackles.  This was a farm truck and does have a plate welded to the rear of the frame rails to receive a ball.

 

Thank you all in advance,

Dan

[JBNeal]

As far as I know, Dodge did not advertise tow ratings until the 60s, just payload capacity on Express (pickup & flatbed) models.  The optional bumper did not have a provision for towing either.  Aftermarket bumpers sometimes had a mount for a ball or tongue hitch; I've seen many examples of homemade drawbars on trucks of this era also...my favorite has been the repurposed pasture shredder blade under the box of a B-2 2-ton grain truck.

[Robert Harrison]

I have never seen a tow rating for the older trucks.  Most of these never even came with even rear bumpers and they did not come with towing apparatus from the factory at least nothing I have found.  They did have Gross Vehicle weight ratings of which a 47 1/2 ton 116 inch would have been between between 4000 and 4600 depending on how it was fitted such as tire size and spring size (there was an optionally heavy rear spring) you are most likely to be in the lower rating maybe a little higher with wider than stock rims (4 inch) but not likely 4600.  Payloads the ability to carry weight ranged between 1275lbs and 1775 but again not likely the 1775.  Your pilot era truck would have been about the same at best.  There is also tongue weight used today the ability of the truck to support a trailers tongue weight.  This was not listed again probably for the same reasons as above.  Towing capacity is based on several things but it is greatly effected by the length of the vehicle.  shorter the vehicle the less towing capacity this is because as the wheels come closer together at some point they just act as a pin a point in which something rotates about an axis.  You should watch some towing videos maybe on Utube.  Another major factor is the weight of the vehicle towing the heavyer the vehicle the better influence the towing vehicle has over the towed load.  These are not factors to take lightly and all too often I see some idiot towing with a trailer and an un-leveled load people don't know how dangerous that is until  they get in a twisting up and down load situation on a curve.  My short wheel base 2003 jeep wrangler has a tinny capacity due to its light weight and short wheelbase.   Lastly engine horsepower, Brakes, transmission and axel strength all effect the strength and ability to tow.  the 4 pinion axel is pretty strong so is the 4 speed transmission I am not sure about towing with the automatic.  I think the tow rating was a later development brought on by safety standards.   Assuming you don't have anything in the bed when you tow and the standard 1200 pound spring capacity such as in the 47 model.  Im guessing you could tow maybe 3500lbs but the Auto transmissions are hard to get and repair today an issue.  I think unless it is something pretty light like a utility trailer I think you might wish to avoid it   Bob Harrison  

[kencombs]

I also have never seen tow ratings.   When I get mine on the road I'll be guided by the GVW.  Since I don't have a GCVW available I'll add a few pounds and stop there.  

 

The fluid couplings may be the biggest issue, other that HP and overall weight.   They have a fair amount of slippage designed in, far more than modern torque converters.   That slippage will create heat in the oil.   Probably not an issue for short periods but then longer it's operated the hotter it will get.

[Los_Control]

Tow ratings for my 1953 B1C ??? ..... Depends on how big of a ball sack you carry ...... IMHO.

[Dan693]

Thanks for all of the great replies.  I do not plan to tow much of anything but was curious since there is a place to put a ball. See upside down photo.  I thought the fluid drive would be a limiting factor.  I wonder if back in the 50's if anyone pulled a travel trailer with a fluid drive 8 cylinder Chrysler?

I assume the farmer that used the truck pulled a hay wagon or other things around the farm.

 

 

Dan

[Los_Control]

Search for the movie "the big trailer" starred by Lucile Ball & Desi Arnez  ..... Was a good comedy as they towed a travel trailer in some sort of 50's car.

 

The 53 Dodge is very small in size & weight compared to a modern vehicle.

They have brake shoes 2" wide & 10" in diameter ..... barely enough to stop their own weight.

They have a engine with 100 HP ..... barely enough to haul themselves around.

The suspension was simply meant for farm use.

The bias ply tires were interesting for traction.

I imagine the 4spd manual helped a lot towing trailers in the day, to get them moving and is obvious they had trailers around the farm to tow.

 

It was simply a different time back then, they were still figuring out highways and safer roads ..... there was no DOT or regulations.

People tried what they thought they could do ..... Then rules & regulations were invented.

 

These trucks never from the factory had brakes to haul a heavy trailer downhill.

 

I'm sure they can handle a small trailer, each individual truck will have a different capacity due to power, brakes, tires, suspension.

 

 

[kencombs]

I've seen a lot of old pickups with clamp-on trailer hitches, back in the day.   Anyone else remember those?   A couple of shaped steel plates attached with bolts clamping bumper in the middle?

 

I remember day towing a fair load of railroad timbers with a 49 Plymouth with one of those.   Building fence at a newly purchased farm and needed to 'git ur done', and that's what he had.

[Los_Control]

I Remember towing a 12'x60' mobile home 35 miles to a new destination with a 1960  Dodge 1 ton ......

 

The trailer had so much tongue weight that I could not go over 35 mph. The front tires were barely touching the ground.

The low powered slant 6 engine & 4spd trans worked fine ..... just could not steer over 35mph.

At least the truck seemed to have enough brakes to go down the steep hill .....

 

You just needed a lot of common sense to survive back then ..... Sometimes I wonder if we do not have a helping Angel flying with us.

 

What size of trailer you can haul will be decided with your experience pulling trailers with the truck.

Start small and work up.

 

 

[Dan693]

I like the idea of starting small.  I have plenty of time to think about it since we are maybe a year away from having it on the road!!

Dan

[9 foot box]

   I fit and bolted a class 3 hitch to my frame. I can tow my 11’ single axle trailer to the dump, when pruning trees. I’m less than a mile to dump the branches. I don’t have lights. It has to have a lot of drop, to tow the trailer level. The top of the ball is 18” from the ground.  It adds a lot more strength to the rear frame than channel iron and it bolts on with a 2” receiver. That would be below a stock bumper, I think. It should be bolted to the frame sides, the bottom web of the frame will rip out if you don’t. My setup is simple light tongue weight. Or I would have put fish plates on the sides, where the light bar is bolted. Rick D.

[Dan693]

That is a neat simple install.