The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk 1948 Chevy truck & horse trailer

I have a restored 1948 Chevy 3100 truck. It is a beautiful truck and gathers alot of attention at car shows as it is totally original. I have been wanting to do something to make it even more unique which is why I am throwing this out there. I am 62 and have been riding, roping and cowboy all my life as my Great Grandfather and my GrandFather. I found a single horse trailer that was made in 1955 by an ag department at one of the colleges in west Texas. I would love to restore and pull with my truck and occasionally even throw a horse in to take to local events. Any thoughts on the subject? I assume the 216 will pull OK, attaching a bumper hith, cooling, etc. Also I purchased a set of 3:55 gears awhile back, haven't installed them yet, to give me a little more range in driving at more acceptable speeds and lower the RPM's. If I did that, will that setup still work with the trailer?

I wouldn't tow a horse trailer with stock 1948 steering and brakes on today's roads and speeds, but that's just my opinion.

As far as the 216 being able to do it, it probably could but others will have an opinion I'm sure.

Good advice from 46gmcpu.

Do you have an SM420 4-speed transmission or the standard 3-speed transmission? I would not try to put a horse&trailer with the 3-speed (1st gear would be too "high").

I would not use a bumper hitch.

There have been a few recent posts regarding frame-mounted bumper hitches (and, I think Deve has a home-made hitch and plans for that hitch).

If the brakes and steering and the rest of the mechanical components were in good working order, I don't see why not. Maybe not in rush hour traffic in D.C. where commute to! I don't know about the 3 speed but Tim is way more knowledgeable here than I am. I suppose it would also depend on how heavy the trailer is, plus a 1000pd hay burner.
I can't imagine this wasn't a common job for these trucks back in the day. 2nd the no bumper pull hitch. There isn't much I would pull with one of those.
Would love to see them done up together.

Think about a brake booster installation for an affordable upgrade. Or, a new 6 lug front disc brake conversion. The 4 speed would be the best way to go, as Tim and the others suggest. Concur with a frame mounted trailer hitch. The truck should look great pulling a vintage trailer.

Should the engine up and die or you run out of gas, you can always hitch the stallion to the front bumper to pull you home. But I agree with Bill Marlow, having a horse pull your assembly through DC may not be the best. There are some bad neighborhoods just beyond the capitol.

Remember, just because you can do a thing doesn't always mean you *should* do a thing.

I'll leave the gearing and power statements to the experts. But about the bumper hitch... On behalf of Stovebolt.com and all its advertisers and volunteers, let me say that our official recommendation is strongly against the use of bumper mounted trailer hitches.

JM

Hey clhaney

I am going to attempt the same thing except I want to get back into oval track cars...I would get a real trailer receiver (Reese type) and bolt or weld it to the frame. Suspension wise I think you will be ok...brake wise...upgrade everything...if you live in a quiet country area you might be able to get away with the stock braking...if you live where there is a traffic flow put newer more modern brakes on it....

I could never even imagine trying to wrestle an old truck like this with out some braking upgrades...back in the day yes...now 2015...not a chance..

My 2 cents for what is worth...

MikeC

Thanks guys, first, I do have the original 3 speed on the column, I am in a rural area so no city driving and being a ranch hand, we classify hitches as either bumper pull (meaning a frame attached hitch not mounted to the bumper per se, and a goose neck hitch. The brakes on my truck work great and honestly I would rarely if ever throw a horse in it. Mostly just the show of the truck and horse trailer era for shows and display. I really do appreciate all the feed back, positive or negative, as my wife is not much help....LOL It helps me think things through as I am sure none of you have acted out on impulse....LOL

I have a similar set-up. A totally restored 49 3600 with a 261, 5 speed tranny, 3:55 rear end, reese type hitch modified to fit the frame. I pull two different trailers with electric brakes on each. Feels very safe. One of them is a 1958 canned ham camper. Gets lots of looks. wish I knew how to post picrures. You won't be dissapointed as long as you make sure it's safe. Dave V

Absolutely, it would have been common in those days. However, traffic and the other cars on the road have changed a lot in the last 60+ years, and not all drivers realize that you can't stop or maneuver as quickly with a new vehicle. I realize it's definitely possible if you're on a quiet road, but if you want to keep up with modern traffic and be safe in it, I would personally want to upgrade brakes and steering.


Exactly, in days past it would be fine, but now that we've got better technology and traffic is a whole lot faster, I would want upgrades as well.

I know what to do with upgrading the brakes, what would be the best advice on upgrading the steering?

I still haven't figured out how to post a picture of the truck on this forum yet (I read the forum instructions and setup an account on Flickr but haven't got it to work) but as soon as I do you will see how nice my truck is and original.

The first I would do is adjust the steering. It is possible that the steering was almost never adjusted. The adjustment scale (small fish scale) can usually be bought at Walmart for less that $7.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/South-Bend-8-Pound-Scale/34771004

A scale to adjust steering, haven't heard of that one. How does that work?

Shop Manual

http://www.walmart.com/ip/South-Bend-8-Pound-Scale/34771004

The gentleman from Wisconsin has it figured correctly, 261, 5 speed, electric trailer brakes. Front disc brakes on the truck would be great. No hitches attached to bumper-how many bent bumpers do we need out there?

In 1966, Mrs. Wally and I pulled a UHaul trailer 1250 miles from western Washington to southeastern Wyoming with our 51 Chevy car loaded to the gills. Went up and down the Continental Divide several times in Yellowstone not to mention 4 passes in WA, ID and MT. This is what you did in those days. Camping along the way was to save money.

Lewis and Clark State Park, Montana

Arrival in Laramie
.

"bout 15 years ago I had a friend in SE Texas that would pull his John Deer "M" tractor on a lowboy trailer with his 40 hp Model A Ford truck to the local shows. I don't think he ever got out of 2nd gear. But then he was not in a hurry and did not have over 20 miles to go. It was kinds neat to watch that tiny little truck pulling that heavy tractor. ...and yes he had something other than a bumper hitch.

This doen not solve the initial query on the thread, but is an interesting note. ken

This- -click- is my daily driver with a 1949 216 and three speed pulling my new acquisition home. It handled great on the 20+ mile drive home on very hilly and winding roads. It was under powered, but it cruized at over 55 on the flat straight parts.

I was NOT planning to tow that truck home like that and hope to never have to do it again without some upgrades.

If you have a beautiful restored truck, the best thing you can do is upgrade your brakes, ad a sway bar, rebuild your front end and steering. and anything else you can think of that will make it SAFER. Your truck isn't as easy to admire if it's in a ditch with a trailer jacknifed against the side of it.