Flat towing a Hudson?

MikeWA

Going to San Diego next summer- was going to trailer the '48 w/ standard trans with overdrive, but now considering towing it with a tow bar behind the motor home.  I've trailered it several times, kind of a hassle to tie down, etc., not to mention the extra weight of the trailer.  Other than tire wear (nearly new radials, I'll never wear them out), what are the pluses and minuses?  

Frankvintagefullflowcom

Mikey,

What? What happened to our Ed, Frank and Mike caravan deal?

A dolly might be advisable but in either case, I'd remove the propeller shaft for that distance. No need to remove it completely, just break it at the rear joint, wire it very securely off to the side and go for it. Don't forget the E-Brake. Seen that happen.....not pretty.

Hint: Don't look in your mirrors.

F

Jay_G

So you are considering towing a car of that weight a long distance without any sort of supplementary brakes on the trailered car?  I know when I tow my 1910-1953 cars I am really happy I have them on a trailer that has brakes.  These things (late 20s - 50s) are heavy and at 60 MPH if you have to stop or slow down it can be a real challenge. Just from a safety perspective I would not even consider any distance at all without a trailer equipped with brakes.  To many crazy people out there that do stupid things in front of you.  Then there is going down steep hills....... especially if it waggles a little.....

Just my two cents. Jay

junkcarfann

No need to disassemble the driveshaft and still have the rear gears spinning. Instead, tow it backwards with the rear wheels on a car dolly rented from U-Haul. Tie the steering wheel real tight to the door post. I have towed a full-size car completely across the US that way with no problem.

Glowplug

As you have I made multiple moves with the military.  I did not own a trailer and usually towed my Stepdown with a tow bar.  I learned early on to pull the rear driveshaft connection at the rear. I also determined that bolt on chain pull towing did not remain tight.  This lead to unstable towing. A friend shared his flat tow bar design that eliminated these problems.  It incorporated two used bumper guards to locate and fasten the tow bar to to the Hudson.  I had a tow bar made in this design and towing my cars became trouble free.  Most of my tows were 1000 miles plus.

On the use of tow dollies:  do not use them.  The dolly fenders will hit the fenders on a Stepdown.  I learned the hard way towing a convertible!

Ol racer

FYI
Towed with a home made tow bar for many years with no problems.Today there are real nice collapsable Tow Bars available up to 7500lbs and start around $100. Suggest look on E Bay and dont use a Dolly. A Large RV probably has sufficent braking capability since many RV's tow support vehicle's.

BillUSN1

I use the HD 80" dolly. You can get them with or without brakes. Due to the crawl space, I just leave the drive shaft connected. Manual in neutral, OD in free.

MikeWA

Enough cautionary tales that I think I'll just use my car trailer- have done it before, it works fine.  If I had to rent something, I might go with the tow dolly instead.  Thanks for all the comments.