Travel Companions

Discussion in 'General Station Wagon Discussions' started by Safari57, Aug 17, 2014.

  1. Safari57

    Safari57 Well-Known Member

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    We were recently at a vintage trailer gathering. Three of us often travel together, and at times we also travel with CS54 but I don't have a picture in stock of his and our rigs together on this computer. Anyway,here are pics of the three of us at the recent gathering.

    Get quite a bit of attention going down the road. Gas stops are "interesting". Not much time to ourselves in campgrounds - lots of people with questions. The most common is can this really tow that? Once you explain that this is what towed them long before people used trucks and SUV's they are almost always surprised. What surprises us the most is that many who ask the question are in the late 50's and older and should know better.
     

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  2. Krash Kadillak

    Krash Kadillak Well-Known Member

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    Very nice! Shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that the old stuff can tow trailers - with proper equipment. I think I remember seeing that ('65?) Suburban when Marcia & I met you up at Sweet Home camp-in. Didn't get a chance to see it up close, though.

    This reminds me of my aunt and uncle, who in their retirement (this was in the late 70's) decided to travel a bit. They bought a very large TT (maybe an Airstream, don't remember). By large, I mean we're talking over 30'. To tow it, they selected a new Mercury Marquis. I'm thinking it was something between a '76-'78. Well, I don't know what happened, but I got the whole story all at once - didn't even know they had purchased the rig and my aunt tells me they lost the whole thing in Arizona when they lost control on the highway and rolled it over. Luckily, they were both OK. After that, they bought a GMC motorhome. Didn't get to use it though, Uncle became ill and died shortly after.
     
    Last edited: Aug 17, 2014
  3. Safari57

    Safari57 Well-Known Member

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    Yep, KK, gotta have proper safety equipment. A high quality hitch, anti sway set up (mine is built into the hitch assembly and I can attest that it works great, even when having a blow out on the trailer while towing with the wagon at freeway speed), and the tires on the tow vehicle and the trailer need to be in excellent condition. Our trailer tire was 30 months old, had approximately 35,000 miles on it. Trailer tires do not have long lives due to the sidewalls taking a bigger percentage of the abuse, and we are also told that with most being built now in that overseas place all elcheapo things come from, and different restrictions on the products used to make them versus what was used 10 and more years ago - that getting four years out of a trailer tires is topping the replacement chart. Don't have any specifics on that, only what many of us have been told by various tire shops/chains in the past couple of years.

    There are many incidents every year where people forget they have a trailer on back and drive like they usually do, then end up with serious results. Very unfortunate. We've seen enough of them and it is always a good reminder (sad too) that we keep in mind we have an extra 24' behind us to deal with.

    Sad about your uncle's health. That happens a lot. Quite a few vintage trailers at events show up in almost new condition and the story is often someone bought it, got ill and seldom or never used it, the spouse tucks it away and 20 or more years down the road someone inherits it and sells or it ends up in an auction. Gosh, sounds just like station wagons doesn't it?
     
  4. 1tireman

    1tireman Well-Known Member

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    I bet it is neat to see going down the road! Great pictures! :thumbs2:
     
  5. Silvertwinkiehobo

    Silvertwinkiehobo "Everything that breaks starts with 'F.'"

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    I really do like your Airstream, and have wanted one to go with the Bronco I had to sell a couple months ago. Hell, I'd take a new Silver Twinkie. But that's in the future, if at all.....
     
  6. shelby18

    shelby18 Active Member

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    I love all of your set-ups. Very nicely done. Happy trails and safe travels.
     
  7. ModelT1

    ModelT1 Still Lost in the 50's

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    Thanks for posting those pictures.
    Keep in mind many of those cars and wagons from long ago were powered by six cylinder engines and drum brakes too. I've pulled lots of trailers and will admit after awhile on the road we sometimes forget what's behind us. Have to be alert at all times.
    Also as an extrucker and RV'er I've seen more than I wanted wrecked RV's and motorhomes. Some of them disintigrate as if they were in a hurricane.
     
  8. snooterbuckets

    snooterbuckets Well-Known Member

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    Talk about head turners!! I wonder how many accidents those 3 set ups have caused from unavoidable rubber necking. What a great way to travel the country. Good for you, Safari. Keep on truckin', oh wait, I guess it should be "wagonin"'
     
  9. Safari57

    Safari57 Well-Known Member

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    Thanks. It is fun, and we are just three of many (well, four counting CS54 who I don't have a pic of his set up at hand). At many of the events there will be a dozen or more. REV also uses his wagon(s) to tow his vintage trailer(s). Yes, like wagons, he also has a collection of vintage RV's in stock. (y)

    Here's another one of the semi-locals who attends a lot of the gatherings. This fellow tows all over the States, mostly western, central and south west. He's quite a character, very nice man, travels with a couple of dogs and now and then his wife joins him.

    Do you travel with anyone who also has a unique or fun vehicle? Got pics to share?
     

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  10. Fat Tedy

    Fat Tedy Island Red Neck

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    Great pics Saf:wave:, I know this is blasphemy but I'll take the Burb and trailer :hide:
     
  11. n2fordmuscle

    n2fordmuscle Well-Known Member

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    Very cool! Love the Suburban. Love them all! My Montego has a tow hitch, and we love to camp. We usually tent camp. I'd love to have a vintage camper/trailer to haul around behind the Montego. One day....
     
  12. Safari57

    Safari57 Well-Known Member

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    The burb is pretty neat. All done at home, body, paint,interior. Very crafty couple take on anything.
     
  13. MikeT1961

    MikeT1961 Well-Known Member

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    There is ONE reason I would never buy an Airstream trailer, and KK's relatives are examples of that. Airstream dealers seem to have this idea that tow ratings do not apply to their trailers. In fact at one of the shows here, the only dealer in Ontario was displaying a Chrysler Sebring convertible, NOT rated to tow at all, as a tow vehicle for a 25 foot Airstream house trailer! Insane practice. Towing is great, but you must have the correct vehicle with an adequate tow rating. That 70s Marquis, with the factory tow package, had a rating of 7,000 pounds at the highest. The Airstreams well over 30 feet started at about 8,000, so there is no way it should have been behind that car in the first place. It seems they have not, and will not, learn the lesson of responsible salesmanship.
     
  14. ModelT1

    ModelT1 Still Lost in the 50's

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    Mike do you remember the old Airstream ad where a man on a bycycle was pulling an Airstream?
     
  15. Safari57

    Safari57 Well-Known Member

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    Early Airstreams are considerably lighter than those made early 70's and later. They were built to be towed by the cars of that era with less horsepower and at highway speeds of the day. Yes there are dealers of all travel trailer makes who tout the fact that you can tow a trailer with a small vehicle and we have friends who actually believe it. They tow a 19'fiberglass trailer with an old KIA SUV. They think because it is fiberglass is thus light but in reality it weighs more than many equivalent sized stick and aluminum trailers but the salesman who sold it to them was very good apparently at convincing them that in his trailers case reality does not exist. We think they are nuts and will not travel with them - we meet them somewhere if we are camping with them but I refuse to watch the carnage they may create.

    There is a dealer in Ontario who believes any small vehicle can tow a large trailer, not just Airstream. We've seen pictures of a BMW Mini with a trailer of some size set up and I shake my head and think what a way to die. We know of one couple who that dealer set up to tow a 25' trailer with a Ford Flex with ecoboost. Absolutely crazy IMHO but they believe the dealer and so far they've not had issues so given I am not an engineer with all the knowledge required to make that determination I keep my mouth shut and let them deal with the issues if/when they happen.

    We see quite a few minivans, front wheel drive and small SUV's, towing 25+ foot trailers of all brands on the Interstates. Going the freeway speeds, the vehicle loaded to the gills, the trailer loaded with added stuff on the back and often a bike rack on the front of the van and we wonder how long before...........and hope nothing happens. Usually there are kids and pets inside and you think how crazy a parent is who would put their family at that risk. Oh well, we do our part to stay safe and that's all we can do.
     
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