teacherman
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Post by teacherman on Mar 18, 2016 20:08:55 GMT -8
My tow vehicle is a 1997 nissan pickup. It's rated for 3500 pounds. My trailer is a 1965 16 foot Ideal. Not sure about the weight. Bought the trailer last year in May and pulled it 25 miles home on back roads at about 35 mph. Was partly disasbled when I bought it. It will be all ready for camping and fun soon. I haven't done much towing in my travels so I'm a little unsure about some basics.
The question I have is, my truck has a bumper mounted hitch. Is this sufficient or do I need to invest in an under carriage mounted hitch system?
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Post by vikx on Mar 18, 2016 21:30:35 GMT -8
Well, I'll try:
Usually, a bumper hitch is on the high side for a vintage trailer. That tips the trailer up and makes towing a bit iffy. Also, the bumper hitch is not as strong as an under carriage hitch.
That being said, a 16 foot trailer is probably 22 to 2500 pounds at the least. Our rule here is "the vehicle has twice the towing capacity of the trailer weight". Just a safety thing. Total weight includes people and stuff in the vehicle and trailer. So, I wouldn't spend a lot of money on your truck until you are sure what your trailer weighs and towing capacity is adequate. Flat travels are much easier than hills and mountains.
Hope this helps.
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Post by Ross on Mar 19, 2016 2:34:17 GMT -8
Double check. Your trucks tow rate may be 3500 pounds, but truck bumpers are really not rated for a lot of weight. Make sure this is the direction you want to go, but I would invest in an undermount hitch receiver.
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teacherman
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Post by teacherman on Mar 19, 2016 7:54:53 GMT -8
We have lots of campgrounds in any direction within 50 miles. I can travel to just about all of them on backroads. Until we decide to make a big long trip, I will probably use the nissan to tow it. Definately think I'll go with an undercarriage hitch.
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Post by bigbill on Mar 19, 2016 14:36:58 GMT -8
That is a twenty year old bumper make sure that it is not rusted or deteriorated in any manner, including the attaching bolts if you do decide to use it. You would not want it to fail and cause your trailer to be destroyed or worse yet someone hurt or killed. Remember as you load the truck and trailer with "things" and people weight climbs rapidly and you don't want to exceed any any of your rated loads including the total vehicle load and total hitch load including ball. Many people fail to realize trailer balls have weight ratings also. Also make sure your safety chains are strong enough and fastened to something besides that bumper.
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cowcharge
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Post by cowcharge on Mar 19, 2016 15:54:52 GMT -8
I'd be scared to tow a Radio Flyer full of returnables with a bumper hitch.
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