Model A on a trailer options?

BarracudaBoy

BarracudaBoy

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I have a Dodge Grand Caravan with a Towing package rated at 3800 lbs. I towed it from Minnesota to Tennessee with this type 16 foot trailer and the Grand Caravan didn't feel too Grand doing it. I just sold the 16 footer and was looking at getting something smaller. What would the Barn suggest as the lightest smallest trailer to put a 1930 Tudor on? I have considered a single axle 12 foot but not sure.
 

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Your trailer needs to be long enough to put most of the weight on the trailer axles as well as putting the correct tongue weight on your tow vehicle. This will help to insure that your trailer will be stable and your tow vehicle won't be going do the road with the headlights pointing in the year. The Reese torsion bar system works good for me.
 
My 4.0L Jeep tow's my coupe just fine with a tandem trailer like the one pictured. No it's not a V8 but it made a 400 mile trip just fine. Electric brakes are a must.
 
I don't know about that Dodge Caravan being your pulling engine. I would have kept the trailer and sold the Caravan. Those are "soccer mom" cars. I don't think they are designed for pulling a car trailer. Maybe a snow mobile or ski jet but not another car.
 
flatford39 said:
I don't know about that Dodge Caravan being your pulling engine. I would have kept the trailer and sold the Caravan. Those are "soccer mom" cars. I don't think they are designed for pulling a car trailer. Maybe a snow mobile or ski jet but not another car.
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I do agree with this. I have a similar type van and I would not even think of towing my trailer and A with it. I use a Chev (sorry) pickup.
 
Your lucky you didn't cook the trans,Chryslers have lousy trans in them.ken ct. A good friend of mine over the past 20 yrs hes bought roughtly 5-6 of them brand new,on suggestion of his wife cause she likes them. Hes has trans. troubles with every one of them,hes a honey do so he keeps buying them. Go figure. ken ct.
 
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I bought the van with the heavy duty trans and cooler for towing. I don't have the money for the care and feeding of a truck that will only do the job once in a blue moon. Plus the wife would not be happy driving a truck with four kids! lol. If what I've read is correct the Model A weighs about 2200(?) that means a trailer weighing 1600, if capable, would do it. I figured someone on the barn had figured out a setup to tow that didn't require a heavy duty puller since the Model A only weighs about 400 lbs more than my Chevy Metro.
 
I think your Caravan engineers were probably thinking pop-up campers as the things being towed. I have seen Model A's on single axle trailers, but I would question they're stability on the highway. Double axles obvioulsy track better by nature. Perhaps you could rent a 12 footer and take a ride with the car on it to see how it behaves?
 
Your trailer in the pictures looks exactly the same as the one I have. When you are loading an A on it, you are VERY close to the 3,800 lb weight that is the max tow weight for the minivan. It doesn't surprise me at all that you were unhappy with that combination.

A smaller trailer isn't going to help enough to warrant the expense. No matter what you get, the weight of the A and the trailer will be too much for the van to handle safely. You need to find some solution for towing other than the Caravan.
 
The car and trailer would be a lot of weight for two tires. I think you would be no better off than than you were with your old trailer. Probable would not be as good. Where you load your car on the trailer is very important. To far back and the trailer will be unstable. To far ahead and it will take to much weight off the front wheels on the tow car.
 
For limited use look for a extra older vehicle for towing and parts I have a 1993 GMC 2500 (3/4 ton) van with long body and a 350 ci engine it tows well not expensive to buy only hurts when I fill the 33 gal tank.
 
If you only pull the trailer "once in a blue moon" i'd consider maybe renting a proper tow rig. I had one of those vans and can't imagine pulling anything. even though mine had the "tow" package it was the same ****** with just a bigger cooler on it. My chev HD crew cab hold 5 adults comfortably and gets 15 mpg pulling the car trailer on the highway.
 
Great Lakes Greg said:
I think your Caravan engineers were probably thinking pop-up campers as the things being towed. I have seen Model A's on single axle trailers, but I would question they're stability on the highway. Double axles obvioulsy track better by nature. Perhaps you could rent a 12 footer and take a ride with the car on it to see how it behaves?
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Thanks for the input fellows.

I was thinking along the same lines as you Greg. I wouldn't mind trying a double axle 12 footer but there doesn't seem to be that many around, used anyway. I was considering a 12 foot single axle, but I have the same reservations about stability. Even if a single axle is rated for such weight, I'm not sure how much weight the tires on the axle would be rated for. Figuring that a 12' double axle trailer like the one in the picture might fit the bill for me.
 

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Hi 'Cuda,
Double axle under a car trailer every time. Its much too easy to lose control of a single axle trailer (fishtail, etc.) with a car aboard, and balancing is crucial with a single axle.
You should pull that rig with a vehicle rated at no less than 5000 lbs, for both convenience and safety. Magnetic brakes - do not rely on surge brakes! When hauling a trailer, change out your ****** fluid every 75k miles. Happy Motoring! PS, My own trailer is a double axle 14foot Andersen...
 
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I pull mine with a GMC Sierra with a small V8 and a Tommys aluminum 22 ft. I pull a 50 Caddy and 53 Hudson as well. The trailer has a 6500 Lb capacity and weighs 1400 lbs. With the Model A weight of @ 2500 + 1400 you have a under 4000 gross weight. Now that will place a whole lot of vehicles in that capacity range. Small SUVs not being alone. Featherlite is good also, however, when I bought my trailer, I could not fully open the tailgate with the Featherlite hooked up. Also, buy the longest trailer that you can. When you wish to sell, someday, it opens a larger market. Electric brakes a must as said before. Also removable fenders are strongly advised.
 
good luck renting a tow rig. U-Haul will only rent their pickups for local moves without a trailer so unless you want to drive a box van you're out of luck.

a friend in FL was shopping for a new tow vehicle to pull a fine point car long distance in a closed trailer. I recommended he not consider anything smaller than a full-size pickup.

he wanted something his wife woluld be willing to drive everyday, considered an Accura crossover vehicle. told me the salesman assured him it could pull the closed trailer. I replied the salesman would be warm and cozy at home when my friend is jacknifed in a ditch somewhere in the rain.

he bought the Accura anyhow and has so far been LUCKY. I stand by my original advice that nothing smaller than a full sized pickup is sufficient to pull a car hauler any distance.

full disclosure: my only highway towing experience was a single trip pulling a Roadster from Ohio to Florida on a U-haul trailer behind an E150 van in good weather. it worked very well.
 
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i towed my first "A" home to ca. from michigan on a 12' trailer . beat me & it to death . to short ! ......................
 
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