The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Towing With A SWB

I know, I am positive, I am even certain this has been covered before, I just can't find the answers. Lots of threads about how to tow, and trailer or a dolly, and lots saying pull driveshaft, lots about will this tow that, however I have a few questions I couldn't find.

So I have a 2001 Dodge 1500 shortbox with a 5.9 auto. Last week I towed a '67 Chevy LWB on a 20 foot car hauler about 70 miles. Pulled fine, sat a little low. Thing is, I kept it under 80 kmh (50mph) cause my boss said I should take it slow with the SWB. uhh, why?

Second, overdrive. When do I put it in overdrive and when do I take it out? I had it out most of the time, except on the real flat parts and while going down hills.

Any insight?

Thanks.
Colin

A short wheelbase towing vehicle is less tractable (steady) than a long one. If the combination starts to fishtail, for example, loss of control will be quicker and more violent. Use your trailer brake and pull against it to regain control. Run high tire pressures, run slow (80K is fine) and centre your load so as not to overload the tongue. You did the right thing with the overdrive.

I pulled a two horse trailer with 4000lbs of livestock in it with a 86 Blazer. It was teh scariest trip I ever had. That thing was all over the road. Never went over 35MPH! I vowed to not pull with anything under 130 inch wheel base again after that!

Thanks guys.

I have to tow a '50 GMC 3/4 ton next week and wanted to do it right.
I think I will pump up my tires a little extra. If I put an airbag kit on it to even out the truck would that help any? I can get one for a little over $200. Is that worth it?
When i'm empty should I still keep the speed down?

Thanks again.
Colin

Be sure you don't go too far over spec on the tire pressure. airbags won't help. loading the trailer so as not to overload the tongue will. Check the trailer tire pressures as well. When you're empty your speed is of less critical importance.

Cross-chain the load to the trailer. Here's how:wrap the axle outside of the spring and hook the chain to itself. Run the chain over the axle, across the trailer and anchor it forward of the front wheels. Cinch it. do the same for the opposite side. Those two chains pull against each other, and both pull forward. Same deal at the back, but anchor them behind the rear wheels. They both pull backwards. When they're all tight, each chain is pulling down, and against the others. That sucker is secure.

Trailer towing
I do a lot of trailer hauling with a heavy "horse trailer" looking cargo trailer.
I pull with a "Ramcharger" (104 inch w/b)
Works really well, backs up great (short w/b) and steers straight down the road... as long as there is a load that keeps a good tongue weight. I believe that is the trick. If there is a large weight at the rear of the trailer, a little hump in the road will make the back of trailer bounce up and down lifting and lowering the back of the tow vehicle, and 'steering' the truck eratically. This can easily develop into a right-left 'wobble' , what we called a speed wobble when I rode motorbikes. When this happens your steering is very difficult. You also have limited traction on back wheels then too.
Hope this all makes sense when in print!
Ter

Trailer towing
PS
I have found that the longer the trailer (distance from the hitch to the axel, the easier it is to tow and back up. Some car haulers are very sort in that spec and the weight is too far back. Look at an 18 wheeler.
They have a very short tow vehicle compared the the length of the trailer.
If the vehicle being towed is backed onto the trailer the heavy front end is at the back of the trailer and it may be hard to get the towed vehicle far enough forward to give the trailer sufficient tongue weight.
Ter

30 years of flatdeck truckin' for money have given me some pretty strong opinions about what works. I'm quite certain that the centre of gravity (CG) of the load has to be pretty close to the middle of the trailer, over the centre of the axle group or SLIGHTLY forward. That makes for a neutral tongue weight, which yields the best handling. If, when your trailer is loaded, you unhook and 2 guys (or one very strong one) can lift the tongue, your load is positioned properly.

As to 18-wheelers, the longer the tractor, the more stable it is at high speed. Try crankin' into a snowy curve a bit fast with a SWB tractor and you'll see what I mean. Nutbar? Perhaps. But I've logged 5 million kilometres (!) and haven't killed anyone yet.

I agree with hotshoe, although I've had excellent experience with having just a little more tongue weight than that (maybe 250-500 lbs).

Have you all read Barry Week's excellent trailering article in the Tech Tips section? Most of what you need to know is covered there. Go to the menu bar at the top of this page and click on "Tech Tips."

Simple as that. These forums are good, but the strength of this web site is the knowledge we're building in the Tech Tips and the rest of the site. There's more to Stovebolt.com than these forums.

By the way, I do a lot of towing with a Dodge and I use the overdrive some -- I find that I'm shifting in and out of it a lot -- the truck generally lets me know when to kick it off.

Also, and you can call me elitist, but I don't think 1/2-ton trucks are good for towing anything bigger than a garden tractor. They are built for Harry Homeowner to haul a couple of sheets of plywood and some 2x4's home from Lowe's or to bring groceries home for momma. If you are going to be doing a lot of towing -- especially bigger items like other trucks -- do yourself a favor and get a truck that's built for that. 1/2-tons are just cars with big open trunks. Right tool for the right job, etc.

I once tried to tow a '70 Chevelle SS ragtop on a car dolly with a Blazer -- absolute stupidist thing I ever tried. Ever since, I tow with nothing smaller than a 1-ton.


John

Thanks for all the info guys.
This half ton is the biggest truck we constantly use on the farm now (gasp). We have another 3/4 ton that gets used ever so often. We own a dairy farm and all our towning is mostly done with tractors, never any long hauls. The right tool for the job is great if you got lots of money. Other times, you attempt to safely make do with what you have.
I centered the truck over the wheels. I never had any loss of control/steering or even trailer fishtailing.
My boss said next time we will hook up the equalilizer bars and it will keep trailer height equal with the truck and should tow perfect aswell. I'll keep ya posted.
Thanks again.