# Towing With A Station Wagon.



## sia (Jul 7, 2007)

I KNEW THIS WOULD GET YOUR ATTENTION,

My sister was over today, we were sitting outside by the outback when she asked if I remember my uncle towing with an old station wagon. I almost forgot. He towed his 26' with one of those huge old station wagons the one that looked like it had wood on the sides. He towed his camper from connecticut to florida in that thing. He would say, it has a v8 so it will tow and it did.

what did your family tow with in the 60's and 70's? my dad had a ford pick up.


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## johnp (Mar 15, 2004)

I remember a lot of people towing with station wagons in the 70's. My parents towed a 20' trailer with out brakes connected with a 74 Dodge Charger with a 318 in it.

John


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## webeopelas (Mar 11, 2006)

We towed a 16ft fiberglass boat full of bikes, tubes, etc, with 5 people in a 1979 Dodge Colt with a whopping 4 cyl engine. I remember it distinctly because I was the youngest and always had to sit on the "hump" in the back seat.

How we got anywhere I don't know.


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## goneflyfishin (Jan 12, 2007)

My parents had a 70 chev wagon with a 400? engine in it, needed it to pull all 8 kids and a trailer full of cloths and stuff.


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## cookie9933 (Feb 26, 2005)

Some of those station wagons were pretty beefy. I recall a neighbor's Pontiac wagon from the 70's that had a 455 cubic inch engine, a 400 turbo-hydramatic trans, full perimeter frame, about 6 leaf springs for rear supension, etc. Built like a pickup truck really. Wheelbase was probably a little deficient for a long trailer, but otherwise it had the goods.

Bill


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## kyoutback (Jul 12, 2004)

I've posted this before but I always like looking at it again. I need to see if I have any better pictures of it.


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## Carey (Mar 6, 2012)

My dad was a traveling insurance salesman, so we had tons of new campers and wagons in the 70's.. He made great money so they bought a new camper and a new wagon almost yearly..

I was born in '65, and can remember a '68 Galaxy wagon towing a 16 foot Shasta. Then they got a 69 Chevy kingswood estate wagon with 454.. I wish I had that car now, fliper headlights and all! They towed a 22 foot camper with it.. Then traded for a '71 Torino wagon.

Then a '72 Satelite wagon with a 440.. I remember dad pegging the 120mph speedo in that one.. I begged him for weeks.. They got a 24 foot Jayco about that time too..

Then they got a '73 LTD wagon, yellow with wood..

They then traded the whole Wagon and camper for a '74 Olds 98 regency and a 28 foot Jayco.. No more wagons after that.

After that they bought class c motorhomes..

Then us kids got to old to wanna go..

But since, they have had many motorhomes..

Now they drive a conversion van.. lol

Carey


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## 3MurphsOutbackin' (Sep 26, 2006)

My dad had a 72 Olds Vista Cruiser, with the windows on top and along the top-sides in the back. My three brothers and I would get stiff necks staring out at the sky looking for jets and birds on long trips! That was the mean, green, woodsided hauling machine...455 Rocket, Turbo 400 transmission, posi-traction, dual exhaust, air lift shocks and a factory installed 2" hitch. I don't remember a camper but he hauled around the 22' boat like there was nothing behind us. I remember mom smacking him







when he got it well over 110 MPH in Montana - we thought it was cool - the power poles along US 2 looked like a picket fence. They don't build em like that anymore.


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## mountainlady56 (Feb 13, 2006)

Me and first hubby had a Pontiac Parissiene station wagon and a 16' (yes, 16'!!) Scotty camper. That wagon was one of those with the woodgrain sides. However, it didn't want to tow in the mountains or up long grades, even though hubby insisted it would do fine. 
My grandparents towed with huge Dodge cars with big powerful engines, the last being a early 70s Chrysler Newport. My granddad was a master mechanic, and put all kinda extra radiator coolers, transmission coolers, etc., on them. They would tow anything, anywhere.
Darlene


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## Insomniak (Jul 7, 2006)

What's really funny is that those old cars had engines that were bigger than the BIG engines in today's BIG trucks. Course, they weren't nearly as high-tech - just brute-force power. That old 454 translates into about 7.5 liters! Wonder what kinda mileage I'd get if I had one of them in the Tundra?


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## GoVols (Oct 7, 2005)

My parents pulled a 1975 Coachmen TT with an early 70's copper brown Ford LTD station wagon. I recall my dad putting air shocks on the LTD, and having to pump them up at a gas station before we hooked up to go camping.

Incidentally, we laid the rear seat flat and me and my brothers had the whole back end like a playground. No seat belts in the good old days!


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## bill_pfaff (Mar 11, 2005)

Two percherons with a 16.5 Conastoga


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## OregonCampin (Mar 9, 2007)

My dad used to pull a 18' trailer with a CJ5 - plus 4 kids, the dog, etc. We would put our dirt bikes inside the trailer as well (1970's version of a toyhauler). We would camp in places that a 4X4 was required to get through (ie: pull through rivers, ravines, etc) - not sure how we survived, but we made it! There are stories of me being rolled in that jeep (no trailer attached) before I was even born - I think my mom was about 4 months pregnant at the time.

When I was about 10 he bought a full sized Bronco and that became the new tow vehicle.


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

bill_pfaff said:


> Two percherons with a 16.5 Conastoga


Hey! Us, too


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## sia (Jul 7, 2007)

Yeah, my dad had a bronco for years. He was not happy when he traded in for a Dodge ram. (sorry guys). He is going back to a ford this year. I would have loved to get my hands on his bronco for towing now.


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

Until 2 years ago when we finally convinced my aging father to sell his boat and trash the trailer, he carried his 22' then 34' sailboats on an _*old*_truck-chasis-turned-sailboat-trailer (did I mention that it was _OLD_?), towed by your basic Chevy station wagons (several! Wonder why they died?







) and a simple ball hitch. There were never "weight distribution" or "sway" bars...there were trailer lights but I don't recall anything about brakes. But the station wagons were always *blue*...did that make the difference?

When Kathy & I bought our first TT, he offered to come "teach us how to drive it"







....then, when he sold the boat (finally!) he offered to tow that rattle-trap of a "trailer" up and - - - oooooooh - - - we could have it! Free and everything!!! As it was, he had to have it carted away!! He still 'offers' all kinds of advice on towing the Outback "safely"









Wondering how we ever survived launch & haul-out weekends - the 2x/yr that trailer was used....over at least 30 yrs (after the truck that originally "owned" was done with it)!


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## tdvffjohn (Mar 10, 2005)

63 Chevy pulling a 16 ft TT. Used to love to sit backwards in the rear seat but usually on long trips, the second and third seats were folded down so we had one big play area.

John


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

My mom and dad bought a 19' nomad trailer from my grandfather and pulled it first with an old chrysler new yorker and then got rid of that for a slightly newer yellow ford ltd. When I was talking hitches with my dad a while back I mentioned the dual cam and he said he had a set on the nomad, didn't realize it's been around that long.

Then in 72 we bought a volkswagen pop-top camper, flat four, dual carbs, that thing was a dog but took us all over the country. They sold that for a 78 volkswagen pop-top camper, that thing had fuel injection, sweeeet








. Now they're selling their class A for a leisure van class B.

Mike


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## ftroop (Sep 1, 2006)

My dad towed with a 71 Plymouth Gran Fury Coupe. Big and long, with a 360 V8! we had wd bars and all. Our trailer was 22ft. He could lift the back end of the car off the ground with weight distribution! I find it interesting that I have come full circle from tent to pop up, to our outback, and now I am teaching the things my dad taught me 30 years ago to my boys!! Life surely is interesting!!


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## okgwarden (Apr 27, 2005)

Some of those big station wagons packed a wallop! In 1968 I saw a Buick station wagon run a red light in downtown Tulsa and knock an armored truck on it's side! I was impressed! Robert


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## Sluggo54 (Jun 15, 2005)

One of the dumber things I did - bought a '69 postal jeep (DJ5-A). It was in great condition, had less than 10,000 miles. It cost a whole $850.00, with a new red paint job. I sawed some wheelwells out of the flat-bottom rear quarters, pin-striped it, swapped out the upholstered stump for a set of Honda Civic seats. Super comfy seats, btw. Put big tars on it, welded a hitch on the bumper, and rented a huge old Huck Finn popup. We hauled that thing near 5000 miles across Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota, Iowa, Missouri, and back to Kansas. IOW, we circumnavigated Nebraska. Had to get out the phillips screwdriver and crank the headlights down when sun set the first day; the lights were confusing aircraft.

Had a great trip, though. Biggest gripe was power (2/3 of a Chevy six) with a Powerglide two speed tranny, and the ten gallon fuel tank. At least it was left hand drive.

Sluggo

http://cache.jalopnik.com/assets/resources.../Poker_Jeep.JPG


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

> Had to get out the phillips screwdriver and crank the headlights down when sun set the first day; the lights were confusing aircraft.


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## Calvin&Hobbes (May 24, 2006)

Never had a trailer, but my dad had a 1975 Ford f-250 (w/ a 360 FE big block, 4 bbl) and a 15' "Frolic" slide in camper. We did a ton of traveling in that truck, and I always got to ride up over the cab. I used to wave to everyone while we were driving, but my parents didn't know that. When we got to our first campground, my dad said "Jeez, there must have been 500 people wave to us today- they sure are freindly in these parts!" I never told them I was causing it.
I am still amazed though, when my dad ordered the truck in 1974, he deleated the radio option. The truck just had a big plate that covered the radio spot. My mom and dad drove to Florida and back (2500 miles) at least a dozen times- WITH NO RADIO! can you imagine???


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## Rubrhammer (Nov 27, 2006)

IN 1964 my dad bought our first trailer. A year old 13' Arrow. Yes I said 13'. I slept in the hammock over the dinnette right next to the factory equipped propane lamp. It was pretty close quarters for the 5 of us. It had no brakes and he towed it with a 63 Rambler 550 Classic with a 219ci staight 6. We never had a problem with the combination. 
Bob


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## renegade21rs (Oct 8, 2006)

OREGONCAMPIN said:


> When I was about 10 he bought a full sized Bronco and that became the new tow vehicle.


I felt my '88 Bronco was too short to tow with when I had a 16-foot popup, so I moved up to an F-150.
Now, I think my F-150 is too small to pull my Outback !


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## hyewalt34 (May 9, 2004)

I pulled my first sailboat with my Ford Pinto! The sailboat mast hung over the windshield!!!. Later, we pulled the Coleman tent trailer with a Dodge K car and then a full size Buick station wagon with my wife and 3 little girls and all the camping stuff crammed in!
I am much happier with the F150 and the 21RS.









Walter


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## kmcfetters (May 7, 2005)

I like that photo kyoutback----thats cool!


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