Jeep Patriot Forums banner
Cancel
Create thread New Garage Forums

History of "towing capacity" and hitches

Jump to Latest
1 - 12 of 12 Posts

jepstr67

· POTM November 2008
Joined
·
8,881 Posts
Discussion starter · #1 ·
When did vehicles start having a towing capacity? In the 60's owner's manual there is no mention of what should or shouldn't be towed. The receiver hitch seems to have been invented around 1960. I don't recall any common use of receivers until much later except for the ones that used the equalizer spring bars.

All our cars that hauled my dad's huge wooden cabin cruisers, were just heavily built, frame hitches made of steel bar stock. Some were even just bumper hitches, with thin reinforcement bars to the frame. Never had a problem either. My dad always drove Buick convertibles. 53, 56, 63, 67 all photographed towing big boats all over Minnesota.
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
#2 ·
Well... at that point, I think it's fairly safe to say that's when all/most vehicles on the road had real engines in them. Meaning, you could tow pretty much whatever you would need to with whatever vehicle you had. You didn't have people trying to tow, say, a ton of bricks with a 4-cylinder 115hp engine.

Our ever-increasingly litigious society no doubt also influenced the inclusion of towing capacity--it is possible people who got into trouble towing stuff they had no business towing began getting after the automakers and blaming them for not specifying the maximum capacity. It may be the automakers began including that information to cover themselves in those situations.

Of course, this is pure idle speculation on my part. Take it for what you will.
 
#3 ·
I'd suspect it also had to do with warranty repairs as well. If you towed a 10,000 lb trailer with your Ford Comet and blew the transmission, well, the manual didn't say you couldn't so it would have to be fixed under warranty.

I remember reading an article by some big wig engineer at GM talking about how they changed option availabilities on certain models to alleviate certain warranty claims. Like if you ordered a big block, solid lifters, 4-speed with bench seat and radio delete, you couldn't get AC. Apparently guys were running at the track with the AC on and grenading AC compressors due to the high engine rpms. It was an interesting article actually. I wonder if I have it saved somewhere...
 
#4 · (Edited)
Well, I'm not saying that never happened, but "back in the day", weight savings were paramount. Some cars were even available with aluminum front clips. I find the likely hood of anyone getting a car to run deleting the radio as a weight saving, but wanting the A/C system's weight and additional engine heat, and the H/P drain while running down the strip remote. I'd also hazard a guess that the GM engineers who labored over getting the best output from the engine while still keeping it somewhat streetable would not be pleased with anyone hanging an A/C system on their creation. $.02 from a former "big block" owner.

Sad, Mercury is already being forgotten, even before the end:).
 
Discussion starter · #5 ·
langsta said:
Well... at that point, I think it's fairly safe to say that's when all/most vehicles on the road had real engines in them. Meaning, you could tow pretty much whatever you would need to with whatever vehicle you had. You didn't have people trying to tow, say, a ton of bricks with a 4-cylinder 115hp engine.
Click to expand...
Yes! In the Willys it takes a whole 6 cylinders to get 115 HP! ;) (and I can tow 2+ tons of bricks with it)
Not very fast, but there is no doubt the rig is plenty strong all the way around otherwise.
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
#8 ·
Think of all the other "safety innovations" that came along at the same time like seatbelts. Likely towing capacity recommendations came about after one too many accidents from somebody towing their "huge wooden cabin cruiser" behind a car down a steep hill :wow:

It doesn't seem that long ago before the popularity of SUV's that cars used to pull travel trailers. Perhaps because of the never ending downsizing of cars.

I've learned that just because my trailer weigh in at 5,000 lbs and the towing capacity of my vehicle is 5,000 lbs too doesn't make it an easy tow or stop. Ideally you want more towing capacity than load.
 
Discussion starter · #9 ·
JeepFever said:
Think of all the other "safety innovations" that came along at the same time like seatbelts. Likely towing capacity recommendations came about after one too many accidents from somebody towing their "huge wooden cabin cruiser" behind a car down a steep hill :wow:

It doesn't seem that long ago before the popularity of SUV's that cars used to pull travel trailers. Perhaps because of the never ending downsizing of cars.

I've learned that just because my trailer weigh in at 5,000 lbs and the towing capacity of my vehicle is 5,000 lbs too doesn't make it an easy tow or stop. Ideally you want more towing capacity than load.
Click to expand...
I have towed several times where the trailer is heavier than the vehicle. It isn't fun and I avoid it if possible. Never without trailer brakes though. That is just asking for trouble. Common sense can get you out of any expected situation regardless of how crazy the load, but the unexpected will cause problems.

I took a picture of my Gremlin towing a 24' pontoon boat. The pontoon weighs so little it isn't a problem but is looks silly as heck!
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
Discussion starter · #11 ·
JeepFever said:
I imagine we've all seen this video; Run Away Caravan
Click to expand...
I once saw a guy towing a mobile home, NOT A CAMP TRAILER, down a long steep hill in Ortonville, MN with a small, old, narrow front tractor. Old tractors are not known for their brakes. He had it in a low gear and the engine was just screaming from being pushed. He almost dumped the whole thing on the turn at the bottom of the hill. :doh:
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
Discussion starter · #12 · (Edited)
I thought of another thing too. Back in the 1940's and 1950's when my dad was towing the cruiser around, there were no freeways, or even 4 lane roads, in rural MN. "Highways" routinely made 90 degree corners, jogged over half a farm and continued the original direction again. Maintaining an average speed of 45MPH even without a boat would have been a real trick. At those slower speeds, safety really wasn't an issue.

It is a situation I run into almost every day. Some of the things most young drivers assume are standard, are not for me. I constantly have to examine if the vehicle I'm driving is really made for what I may encounter on the highway today. That is one reason I usually drive the Willys on the old US highways. The slower more interesting roads that existed when the car was made.
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
1 - 12 of 12 Posts
About this Discussion
11 Replies
5 Participants
Last post:
jepstr67
Jeep Patriot Forums
posts
678K
members
55K
Since
2006
Join our community to discuss the Jeep Patriot & Jeep Compass. Find answers to all your Jeep Patriot technical questions.
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
Jeep Patriot General Discussion Engine and Drivetrain Newbie Check-In Suspension and Tires Electrical and Audio