Old Trucks as Tow Rigs?

If you want something cool buy a late 60s early 70s truck and upgrade it. If you don't want another project buy a late 90s 3/4 ton and be done.

Trust me the idea of an old truck seems cool but if it is truly meant to be a workhorse then buy a workhorse or you'll spent race car $$ on tow rig comforts.

Threads like this make me hate how everything old here is rusted beyond repair. Maybe I should head south and buy an older truck to bring up. Maybe buy 2, and tow one up with the other. Make some money.

In my experience, late 70s to early 80s is the pits for trucks. Pollution control had made them terrible. The mid (86) to late 80s is a big improvement.

bigev007 wrote: Threads like this make me hate how everything old here is rusted beyond repair. Maybe I should head south and buy an older truck to bring up. Maybe buy 2, and tow one up with the other. Make some money.

Stop by my build thread if you want to see how an old southern truck can rust!

Now, not as bad as a northern truck... but it still needed: A pillars, B pillars, rockers, inner rockers, cab supports, floor, kick panels, door bottoms, fender cups, battery tray and radiator support. Oh, tailgate, bed front panel, lower bedside and splash shield. Almost forgot.

I've thought through this battle many times because I really want a mid 70s long bed Ford, but I just can't justify it. As many have said the trucks of that era just don't stack up for ultimate load capacity. I have a '97 Explorer that is rated to tow more than a '75 F250. The brakes of the era, the amount of power, and the general sturdiness (especially 40 years later) just don't hold up.

To pull your Integra on a dolly ti will probably be fine with minimal upgrades IF you get a disc brake truck in good shape AND you are careful and brave. WHEN you decide a flat trailer is better (which won't be long) you're going to start reaching the far edge of comfortable towing without dumping a bunch of money into the tow rig instead of the race car.

OTOH, the best of both worlds would be a late model chassis with an old rebody if you could find a late model chassis SMALL enough. But that is a big project. Like, that would be your hobby instead of racing.

Granted, my focus is towing a little more weight than you want to tow - my mustang is 3450 plus a trailer and tools. I also want the ability to tow a fair sized sailboat which could bush 6k lbs too.

I haven't given up on having an old truck as a toy but I've given up on towing a toy with one. Newer ones are just better at doing the job, and that's the whole reason I buy a truck normally.

Bravenrace and nonack both have good tow vehicles for sale in the 2014 classifieds. I bought a 2003 dodge new to replace my Trailduster that I used the five years prior. It was a world of difference and cheaper in every way (but the buy in). I have a 1991 dodge heavy half that I use now and have no complaints.

ddavidv wrote: A tool for the job of towing is like comparing Harbor Freight to Craftsman tools--they both can do the job, but one will do it with a lot more confidence and less stress.

This. A tow rig is a tool. Tools that are finicky cause me anger. The proper tool makes the job much easier and more satisfying. I've come to the conclusion that my towing tool needs to be quiet, reliable, have A/C and comfy seats. It should be a nice place to be after getting hot and sweaty in a noisy race car.

chandlerGTi wrote: Bravenrace and nonack both have good tow vehicles for sale in the 2014 classifieds. I bought a 2003 dodge new to replace my Trailduster that I used the five years prior. It was a world of difference and cheaper in every way (but the buy in). I have a 1991 dodge heavy half that I use now and have no complaints.

I came here to say this, but you beat me to it! I'm selling because I'm racing on two wheels now, but when it's time for towing big things again, I'll be looking at the same era of trucks. Capacity per dollar, you can't beat the late 80s-early 90s stuff from the big three.

spitfirebill wrote: In my experience, late 70s to early 80s is the pits for trucks. Pollution control had made them terrible. The mid (86) to late 80s is a big improvement.

One good thing during this time is emissions only hit the 1/2 ton trucks (under a certain gross weight), 3/4 ton and up were pretty much devoid of emissions equipment.

My 03 Silverado in the open classifieds is almost down to challenge priced too.
I could throw in a step side bed and 50's Dodge cab and nose for not a lot more if you really want to get old truck character, and a trailer to haul the parts home and your car later.

/end shameless plug

In reply to tuna55: That sounds like most mid 2000s trucks in my area I'm not sure if I've read your build, but I will.

The body on frame swap is the easiest to do to have an old truck with tow capability. But an old truck can perform.

We had a 96 F250 Powerstroke not super old but still. It was a great truck, the rear window did not roll up all the way, so it was louder at speed than should have been. The wife was not a fan of the noise, even at idle. The old Powerstroke was, well, an old diesel really.

Truck ran and pulled great. Though when we got our enclosed trailer 28' with an extra foot of height in it it wasnt as thrilled. It would do it, but it took some effort even for one of the best pulling engines of the day. With trailer brakes it wasnt new truck good, but it wasnt bad.

The older trucks from this, with a flatbed and a single car, you should be fine. Larger than this may cause clenchage.

The biggest issue is NVH. After we bought the '13 Ram 3500, my wife is not keen on having a lot of noise in another truck. I firmly believe if you take the time, strip the interior, dynamat the whole thing and put it back, you will increase the joy 1000%.

ddavidv wrote:

David, I meant to post this on CC when you first got it, but I love that Lightning. Old and unique enough to be cool, but still new enough to have all the creature comforts and capability you want. If I wasn't firmly in the "pickup as DD" mode with my 2011, I'd be all over one of those as a tow rig.

I really wouldn't mind one of those early 90s Dodge D250 trucks.

For short haul towing, like under an hour, something from the 90s is fine. But for anything longer than that I dont want anything older than 2009. Because comfortable seats, good steering, quiet, etc. Is totally worth it. The new 1/2ton trucks just ride just like sedans but taller and they tow better than their 90s 3/4ton counterparts and get better gas mileage doing it.

yupididit wrote: I really wouldn't mind one of those early 90s Dodge D250 trucks.

That's my truck...

Mines a w150 with heavy axles but it does the job (when it isn't rusting into pieces).

After 15 years spent in barn-limbo, I will soon be putting this truck back together. Its a 77 C-20 with a ton of heavy duty options, including a 454 engine. When it goes back together it will get a boosted big block and will be used to pull a race car and my tractor anywhere I need to go. When I retire my wife and I will use it to pull an Airstream all over the country while we look for a place to live the rest of our lives.

I inherited a 75 f150 360FE/c6 2wd ext cab short bed truck from a great uncle.

It ran and drove beautifully for a 1975 anything but i only towed with it once before deciding it wasnt enough (/any) better than the 96 Dakota i had around at that time to justify keeping it purely as a tow rig.

In general i think old trucks tow pretty crappy compared to new trucks, but i ALSO think that you can compensate for all sorts of deficiencies by going slower and trying harder. One time a Toyota Tundra towed the space shuttle. Im pretty sure it was going ONE mph. But there's the rub. I think i can tow all sorts of things safely with non-ideal tow rigs, and i have, but how much of your time or mental energy are you willing to commit to what is truly just an A-to-B endeavor? Towing with questionable setups can be very safe, but if you're doing it right it won't be relaxing or time-efficient.

I still want to buy a ~72 f150 longbed that another uncle has. It may not be the best tow vechicle, but since none of my towing is very tightly scheduled or over very long distances, im ok just cranking up my awareness and lowering my speed at the expense of being tired after a 3 hour tow. And it IS much cooler than a plain jane newer truck that is only functional but not pretty or a conversation starter.

bigev007 wrote: Threads like this make me hate how everything old here is rusted beyond repair. Maybe I should head south and buy an older truck to bring up. Maybe buy 2, and tow one up with the other. Make some money.

Hells yes, that's exactly what I do. I bought my '65 F100 in NC and the Lightning came from Knoxville, KY. The '65 wasn't rust free, but it had no issues with the floor, door bottoms, rockers, cab mounts, etc just the usual rotted radiator support they ALL get from having moisture collecting cavities.

I'll probably use my IHC for short distance towing....its also more truck than has really been posted in here though....

yamaha makes a point

http://www.oldmacks.com/trucks.htm

though they may be out of the price range?

Leafy wrote: For short haul towing, like under an hour, something from the 90s is fine. But for anything longer than that I dont want anything older than 2009. Because comfortable seats, good steering, quiet, etc. Is totally worth it. The new 1/2ton trucks just ride just like sedans but taller and they tow better than their 90s 3/4ton counterparts and get better gas mileage doing it.

That is almost exactly what I was going to say. Some the new 1/2 tons are pretty darn stout yet comforatable. I use to tow with a 90's Ford and will never go back... .

Dav wrote: I use to tow with a 90's Ford and will never go back... .

It's so funny what we feel is acceptable. My '93 feels like a high end luxury car compared to my '65. I guess it's sort of like when I drove a 911 for the first time--you don't know what you're missing until you try one. I just need to stay out of trucks built after 2005 or so.

I Tow my track car (94 Se-r) on an open trailer with my 81 land cruiser. Other then being a celebrity in the paddock everything else about towing with it sucks. Much less stressfull when I use my wifes 07 Denali.

ddavidv wrote:

Dav wrote: I use to tow with a 90's Ford and will never go back... .

It's so funny what we feel is acceptable. My '93 feels like a high end luxury car compared to my '65. I guess it's sort of like when I drove a 911 for the first time--you don't know what you're missing until you try one. I just need to stay out of trucks built after 2005 or so.

Yeah, its all relative. I live at a really high elevation and recall years ago towing with a V10--and feeling like I was pulling with the Oxen of Helios.

Then I did the same with a new turbo-diesel--and immediately considered the V10 an underpowered POS... .