[A/S] Re: FORMULA FOR TOWING

["Brett" <denverdeco@xxxxxxxxx>]

A lively discussion on towing! I too have an early 60's brochure 
that shows a Bambi being towed by a Ford Falcon convertible. Keep in 
mind there are many mechanical peramiters involved. First, the pre-
1960's cars had smaller, lower Hp engines than most of today's 
production cars. Most had manual trannies. Nearly all had lower, 
much lower final drive ratios. These cars were not built for 
freeways at 75mph as the Interstate Highway Bill was not signed 
until '56 and construction of the entire system was not completed 
until a few years ago.  Basically any vehicle that can take the 
tongue weight of an A/S will pull it...but not at highway speed. 
Back in the day the usual trip was out of town, get up to 50, slow 
down for the next town in 10 miles, repeat.

Another factor to consider is wind drag. Many current car models 
will specify a weight of the trailer as well as a note like "...a 
front surface area of no more than the equal of 4' X 8'..."  One of 
the worst loads I ever towed was 200# of foam insulation on a 300# 
trailer.  It was stacked to 12' and was a harder pull than a 3000# 
Trailer!

Brett
TimelessTravelTrailers.com
303-432-3819