towing pakage?

Reply #15 – October 24, 2006, 04:51:32 PM

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

towing pakage?

Reply #16 – January 09, 2007, 02:15:28 PM

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.

towing pakage?

Reply #17 – November 28, 2011, 06:15:07 PM

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.

towing pakage?

Reply #18 – November 30, 2011, 05:53:15 PM

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.

towing pakage?

Reply #19 – November 30, 2011, 07:37:07 PM

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.

towing pakage?

Reply #20 – December 01, 2011, 09:18:21 AM

I'll get it out this weekend and snap a few pictures of it.

towing pakage?

Reply #21 – December 04, 2011, 05:10:35 PM

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

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

towing pakage?

Reply #22 – December 04, 2011, 05:20:35 PM

Thanks!
thats very helpful.
the more the better :D

towing pakage?

Reply #23 – December 06, 2011, 01:30:04 PM

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.

towing pakage?

Reply #24 – December 06, 2011, 01:35:46 PM

three more...