what did the towing package consist of? i am looking into buying a "teardrop" camper trailer. i have a 86 cougar with the 5.0 and AOD transmission. would the transmission hold up to towing? i wouldn't think the wieght would be alot. How hard is it to put a towbar on? any ideas?
well... i dont really have any specifics on that.. but i DO think that the fuel tank on a towing package equiped cougar/tbird is the smaller 18? gallon tank vs the 21-22 gallon tank. other than that id say the car should be able to handle it with the 5.0 and the Aod. u may wanna step up in gears if your gonna tow alot... but try it out with the factory gears and see if you like it.
Factory towing package consisted of larger 10" drum brakes, heavier duty springs, and revised rear end gear (3.08) with Traction-Lok. All the gas tanks remained the same.
With a Class III hitch you'll be fine for towing. You'd definitely need to mount an external trans cooler though. Heat is the #1 killer of any transmission, especially the AOD and its weak OD band. A locking center section is recommended. Gears too...if it were me I wouldn't go less than 3.27's. So long as your stock brakes are in good shape you'll be fine there. Springs...I'd look into cargo coils for help. They're a great investment for these cars anyway, and their advantages will be a boon for towing.
I know before I changed the springs in my 88 it was no where near suffering from the sagging arse like some cars apear to be. It could have supported a smaller camper like that easy. Now finding one of the hitches.....
Where can I find one of these hitches? ;) (http://"http://www.foxtbirdcougarforums.com/showthread.php?t=10557&highlight=class+III")
Not sure where to get one. I know my 84 T/c has a hitch on it and the PO towed a couple of cars for me in it with a car dolly. I think I'm gonna take the hitch off mine. I'm not sure what class it is. Can't be much. It is just a big piece of metal bent into a L shape. I can't remeber the spec stamped into it. I'll look and see at lunch time.
Don't forget that if you're planning on towing something larger than 1000 pounds it should have brakes, either electric or surge. This according to the owner's manual, anyway (although I know I've towed much more than that on my utility trailer that doesn't have brakes, including my garden tractor and attachments)
I know i have a class III hitch on my Sport. Ive never used and and my brother in law never used it before me when he owned it but the person that owned it before him apparently used to tow a boat with it. Which i believe is what lead to the tranny burning up shortly after my brother in law bought it. I think thats why the put the stupid air shocks in too. I think im going to remove it cause i dont really have a use for it but i know its bolted to both frame rails and the sticker is still on it that says class III.
Do you have any pictures?
Depending on the specs, I might buy it from you if you decide to remove it.
Ok well now im not sure if it is really a class III. IT is rated for 3500 lbs but it only has the small reciever. I dont really know much about hitches but the sticker says 3500lbs with a tongue weight of 350lbs
Here are some pics:
seeing that second pic makes me want to get a sandblaster and get under there and stop that rust.
Heres a few more pics:
Thanks for the pictures. It looks like you have a Class II hitch.
I guess I'll just design/fab one myself. Ho-ray!
I had one installed on my '84 T-bird in '97. It cost $150 at "The Hitch Man, Inc." They installed the wiring for another $30.
I agree. This looks like a class 2.
I have a class 1 "Hidden Hitch" converted to class 3 tube size on my cougar. I had torched of the class 1 u shaped tube and welded a class 3 setup that is to be bolted to the bumper on trucks. Bought this bolt on piece from Tractor Supply.
I did this to be able to use my class 3 bike carrier.
I concur...that's got to be a Class II. There was one of those on the T-Bird when I first got it. The decal fell off but that looks identical to what was there.
Well thanks for the info. I think im gonna ditch it ive had the car for over a year and havent used it yet and i dont think i ever will especially after i get my truck on the road
Yup, that is a class II for sure (looks identical to mine). Best bet is to buy from and have installed at a Hitch Shop. You should be fine with most of the recommendations (Moog Cargo Coils, trans cooler if you want your trans to last although it will not kill it if you only make a couple trips a year and are not in the mountains, etc.). I would go with surge brakes for sure if they are available for your camper most especially if you have 9" drums. Electric brakes are a pain to adjust (from what I hear) but are also a valid option, although you have more wiring and such to do. The surge brakes are virtually a no setup arraingement. Just make sure that they have a way to lock them out for backing up the trailer or you will get frustrated (they will apply when backing up unless locked out). Even if you have 10" drums (even with 11" front discs or all disc brakes), you should have brakes on the camper for safety reasons. Believe me, they help big time and have kept me from wrecking in sudden slowdowns on I-75 in mid-Michigan (those of you from MI who have gone "up north" on a Friday night know what I am talking about). Also, for god's sake... do not get those tiny trailer tires! If the option is available, get the 12 to 14 inch wheel/tire combo on the camper! Also, you have to ensure that your cat's rear tires are of the proper load rating, have a high temp rating and are at 35 psi when you tow. In addition, if you have the "System Centry" module (lamp out warning, etc.), the trailer light wiring has to be done differently than standard else you will not get lamp out warnings.
You also have to be careful about tounge weight. I would not go over approx. 250 - 270 lbs. on the tounge, assuming your frame rails are solid and in good shape. The back will squat pretty good at those weights, even with Cargo Coils! You could add "in spring" air bags from Summit to help the squat when towing although I still would not exceed the tounge weight listed above.
Oh, just to help you out a bit further: I pull a Jayco 12A "pop-up" camper w/ surge brakes, 13" wheel/tire combo. The thing is as long as my `88 XR7, can't see over the top from inside the car and I have to use side mirror extensions. Loaded weight is about 2,600 lbs (+/- 100 lbs) w/ 10% of the weight on the tounge (e.g. 260 lbs +/- 10 lbs). I have a 3.55 gear and it pulls the camper quite nicely. Moving from a stop and general speed increases are still peppy, though no where near blistering :D
Last thought: If you are going to other states, make sure you have a "3-way" refrigerator (120v/12v/Propane). Some states, like Ohio, do not allow open flames on trailers while on the road so you would need the 12v from your car to run it. You will have to add appropriate, fuse protected, wiring w/ a cut off switch from the car using a trailer wiring harness designed for this purpose. Might be a good idea to add a 12v battery to the camper as it will reduce the load on the car ( you can charge the battery from time to time while driving) and will allow you to save on propane if 120v is not available where you are camping.
Sorry to bump such an old thread, but has anyone else got some photos of tow hitches and how they're mounted?
I had a look under my car and couldn't see any obvious places for it to mount to.
I have a class II that bolts to the rear sub-frame. It's currently off the car but I could post a few pics of it will still help.
Yeah that would deffinately help.
I'm going to have to get somethig custom made, or make it up myself, so that would be great.
I'll get it out this weekend and snap a few pictures of it.
Here are some pictures of a Class 3 I have yet to install in my '85 Thunderbird if they would help. It is a Draw-Tite 41242
(http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d31/TheEskimo/Vehicles/127_5252.jpg)
(http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d31/TheEskimo/Vehicles/127_5253.jpg)
(http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d31/TheEskimo/Vehicles/127_5254.jpg)
(http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d31/TheEskimo/Vehicles/127_5255.jpg)
(http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d31/TheEskimo/Vehicles/127_5256.jpg)
And this page has the installation instructions and some other information:
http://www.draw-tite.net/apps/prodinfo/details-all.asp?prodid=41242&cat=1042&path=1000
Thanks!
thats very helpful.
the more the better :D
Here are the pics of my class II that I had on my car.
I removed all of the identification when I had it painted Dark Charcoal to match the lower part of the car so I can't tell you what brand it was, but I know it was one of the main brands like Reese or Draw-Tite.
three more...