Towing Trailers With '50's Buick's, Who's Done It

[NTX5467]

One key item in towing a trailer is "wind load", not just the weight of the trailer.  Once underway, the trailer's  weight is not too important, unless changing speed (+ or -), but "wind load" is a constant situation.  That little pop-up was just floating in the wake of the '48, but the AirStream behind the '57 was a constant "drag", even with its rounded design.

 

NTX5467

[avgwarhawk]

9 hours ago, 50jetback said:

 

Haven't had experience towing a modern caravan/trailer behind a 40's or 50's car but did travel from Seattle to Flint in 2003 co-driving a 1948 Buick pulling a small 1960's era pop-up camper trailer. I was lucky enough to be able to join a group of BCA members driving from Seattle to Flint for the 100 year celebration of Buick. The small camper trailer was a breeze to tow and had no adverse effects on the 48 Buick.

Of more interest though was on the same trip a 1957 Century Caballero towed a large airstream caravan, seemingly effortlessly from Seattle to Flint and return. I have no idea what the weight of the Airstream would be but in all likelihood heavier than what you are considering.

The other thing is we all had a sense of adventure on that trip but I have just realised it was 14 years ago!! 

 

As for towing caravans across country, well we do it in Australia but to a large extent that is because of a shortage of accommodation away from major cities. You don't have that problem in the US and as others have said you can get a lot of motel rooms for the cost of a caravan and additional fuel you will no doubt use.

 

 

 

Most convincing post for me. Specifically the time, money and energy to set up the rig and what money saved not having to book hotel rooms becomes an illusion as the cost to operate will overrun any would be savings.  The fun factor of camping and seeing the country behind the windshield of a 50's era Buick is certainly adventurous and some how romantic but is it worth the worry of the next grade to climb? Additional mechanical parts being dragged behind that could potentially go deeper into your wallet?  For me, reading and following the Route 66 adventure thread that a husband and wife enjoyed with us via pictures and written word is enough for me to see that is the way to go. I was and still am envious of their trip on 66. Book rooms. Allow the hotels to handle the house keeping. Plan each leg daily. Also, many hotels offer reward points for various free goodies up to and including free nights stay. 

 

Just something to mull over as plans are laid for new adventures in a Buick.

[60FlatTop]

I would be the first to vote for a motel. And there are a lot of them out there. What would be a compelling argument to convince me to hook up a camper and tow it to meets with my car?

 

Topics like this remind me of an incident when I Wife decided to do day care. She had my Son and Daughter, as well as three other children in her care on a gray New York winter's day. The grocery store is only two and a half long blocks away. She decided it would be great fun to combine Walt Disney and Grandma Moses into a bundled up winter walk to the store, just a little storybook adventure with hand holding, giggling, and maybe even a song.

The trip took and alternate direction and snow began dropping in those large flakes that coating everything.

I had left work early that day and changed my route to come through town on Main Street. I got to the north end of town. Off to my left I noticed a dark group of people against the totally white background of the covered objects and the large floating flakes. It was my Wife and the five kids, all huddled in the parking lot of the grocery store and all crying. They all scrambled into the car, lots of sniffling and sobbing all around me. The picture book dream had not worked out as planned. My Wife said she had never been so happy to see me. We got home and the three extras didn't need to get unbundled and were soon picked up.

 

The image of them in the snow, all crying, is etched in my mind. It has surfaced often over the intervening years. Well, it just did again.

 

I can see the Australian trips. Being in the States I could be talked into a trip to the Outback, yeah, The Outback Steakhouse next to the Sheraton.

Bernie

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

 

  Boy, have we gotten soft! . Life is just too easy.  

 

  Ben

Edited July 23, 2017 by Ben Bruce aka First Born (see edit history)

[old-tank]

Drive that 54 to the upcoming meet in Denver.  Come a few days early and drive I-70 to Dillon, CO and calm your nerves with some local craft brews.  Close by is Loveland Pass.  Drive to the top and start thinking about all the parts on that Roadmaster that you had your grubby little hands on.  Drive back to Dillon and some more brews.  If you still want a trailer I will buy the beer!

[RivNut]

On 7/21/2017 at 0:39 PM, wndsofchng06 said:

Yes. Uhaul uses these and i think they work nicely.   I had a brake control on my 52 international that ran a line to a t-block and fluid pressure actuated it.

 They work nicely until you try to back them up.  Then the same pressure is exerted on the master cylinder as braking.

[RivNut]

On 7/22/2017 at 10:29 AM, old-tank said:

Install some 3.9 gears from a standard tranny car, but good luck finding a speedo gear to match.  Try a roadtrip without the trailer first.

The original owner of my 63 Riviera towed a large Airstream all over the U.S.  The modifications he made to it were the aforementioned 3.91 rear gear (apparently he burned a couple of valves while lugging at highway speeds), an auxiliary transmission cooler, a full hitch receiver, and electric trailer brakes.  He also added a full set of gauges to compliment (not replace) the OE "idiot lights."  Transmission gears shouldn't be a problem.  There are firms that make "in-line" units that you can gear to get accurate speedometer readings or do as I do, just use the speedometer built I to to your GPS unit.

[RivNut]

1 hour ago, old-tank said:

Drive that 54 to the upcoming meet in Denver.  Come a few days early and drive I-70 to Dillon, CO and calm your nerves with some local craft brews.  Close by is Loveland Pass.  Drive to the top and start thinking about all the parts on that Roadmaster that you had your grubby little hands on.  Drive back to Dillon and some more brews.  If you still want a trailer I will buy the beer!

If you're taking I-70 as Google Maps would indicate, when you get to Salina, go north on US-81 until you get to KS-18.  Then go west on KS-18 until you get to Colby where you'll pick up I-70 again. You'd never think that Kansas would be as scenic as it is once you're off the highway.

 

 

 

 

It's not as flat as you've been led to believe.

Edited July 23, 2017 by RivNut (see edit history)

[NTX5467]

So now we know why Old-Tank went to CO on the way to the national meet last year?

 

Whether digital of real, it took some work to make that image happen, plus the reflection through the windshield.

 

The evolution or road building equipment probably had a large influence upon the resultant routes of many highways, especially in non-flat areas.  Seeking indirect routes UP hills/mountains for an easier grade, if possible, plus "water crossings" that didn't require long bridges to cross.  From horse-drawn to fossil-fuelled "horsepower" and the more modern equipment of the middle 1960s.

 

As metal buildings "on the farm" have evolved into "barndiminiums" (living quarters in one end of the barn), with the 50' horse trailers pulled by $70K "light-duty" crew-cab pickups powered by 910 lbs/ft of diesel engine torque, I'm wondering how soon they might evolve into the "modern travel trailer" for people rather than just for horses?  Some already have "tack rooms" and "changing rooms", but not "living rooms".  Being aluminum and double/triple axle, bring on the hot tubs, BBQ grilles, and ice boxes!

 

NTX5467

[dei]

So MrEarl,

You are being fairly quiet and taking in what has been posted so far but here is "ONE FOR YOU" (and I don't mean a Bud ).

 

I went out to my Car Club / Museum site who hosted the 'Canadian Coasters Car Club' tonight on their way across Canada starting in British Columbia and saw this!

 

Thought it might peak your interest.

 

 

It is an event with 75 cars towing trailers plus another 85 cars travelling across the country and while I did not actually talk to the owner (due to the many conversations with many of the participants) I took what pictures I could to prove this is possible!

 

This unit was equipped with an equaliser setup.

 

Does this look like the frame is not strong enough as previously posted?

 

So while 'NOT' dismissing anyone's concerns regarding highway speeds and safety here, do you really want to let Canadians have the jump on the fun you are looking for if the rig you are looking at is about the size of this?

 

By the way, they are ending the tour in Newfoundland, Canada and then.... have to travel back home. 

Follow your dreams Sir.

 

  

[MrEarl]

Doug and others, THANKS for all your input and please don't think Rita and I  haven't been listening to and using each and every pro and con comment to make a knowledgeable and unbiased decision as to how to proceed with this possible adventure. I have always gathered the facts and pros and cons before making decisions whether when I was working or in our personal lives such as here.

It basically boils down to this. The 54 Buick's just simply don't cut it when talking about pulling the size trailer Rita and I would want to use to do this in. Even with all of Willies and others upgrades, the 200 horses of the 54 would be struggling to make the trips we have planned. I even got as far as considering an engine swap to a 56 engine with 260 hp and/or adding the McCullough supercharger I have. Most of the Buick/trailer pulling scenarios seen above show either later model Buicks (57 and on) pulling the size trailer we are considering or in Dougs case the trailer is smaller and likely doesn't contain the one most important luxury Rita is demanding, a bath room.  So we are now considering other pull vehicles and depending on that decision perhaps even a bit larger trailer.

And regarding hotel rooms vs trailer camping, and not to offend, but gentleman I absolutely despise and abhor modern day hotels. Always have and guess always will. I personally would rather sleep in the back of a a pick up truck camper shell in a rest stop (done many times) or a car trailer in a Walmart parking lot in the middle of summer than in a modern day hotel. ( You reading this Bob Coker )  People have quirks, I guess that is just one of mine. Rita has only been west of the Mississippi traveling by roadway 2 times . It has always been our dream to see the USA and all it's wonderful state parks and off the beaten path highways and bi-ways using the Buick and a vintage trailer and not through the plate glass window of a 4 story hotel room. 

 

So the saga continues of mating up a vehicle to a vintage trailer. I really like Ed's idea of a first gen Riviera and since that has been in my ever deepening bucket list may look into that. Also entering a new Enclave or possibly Tahoe/Yukon into the equation. Either of these will require selling a couple of '54's. We are in no big hurry, Rita retires next spring, I have a garage to finish and we have a lot of home improvements on slate before hitting the road probably the following year. So we have time to work it all out.

 

Again thanks for all the above great comments and opinions. I knew I could count on my Buick family to help us make this important decision. 

 

Here is what we are considering. It is a 2015 re-issue of a 1961 Shasta Airflyte camper. The look of a vintage with modern appliances, plumbing and other amenities. We are considering a 16 ft but they also come 19 ft.  While some may consider the additional cost for the "cute" factor a bit much, I don't. I don't need a trailer to be cute, if I was any cuter I couldn't stand myself.

 

http://roamingtimes.com/2015/11/10/2015-shasta-airflyte-16-reissue-travel-trailer/

 

 

 

 

 

 

[dei]

NICE! 

My wife feels along the lines your Rita does regarding the bathroom issue.

Some of these 13 to 15 foot units have been retro fitted to accommodate a small bathroom but as you say, are not huge units in total. 

The one comment some made was that if they had to do it again they would want a unit that had two axles. One reason was for the four wheel braking and the other for the stability with towing. 

Obviously each of us has our own views and needs.

Shoot, three couples had teardrops and this gang has been on the road for 5 weeks so far......

 

I didn't get inside to see the layout but I know my wife would love to travel in it. 

 

Keep us posted and have fun getting there.

[Bhigdog]

1 hour ago, dei said:

NICE! 

My wife feels along the lines your Rita does regarding the bathroom issue.

Some of these 13 to 15 foot units have been retro fitted to accommodate a small bathroom but as you say, are not huge units in total. 

The one comment some made was that if they had to do it again they would want a unit that had two axles. One reason was for the four wheel braking and the other for the stability with towing. 

Obviously each of us has our own views and needs.

Shoot, three couples had teardrops and this gang has been on the road for 5 weeks so far......

 

I didn't get inside to see the layout but I know my wife would love to travel in it. 

 

Keep us posted and have fun getting there.

 

Here you go, Lamar. You've been figuring it backwards. DRIVE something like the above and PULL one of your 54's.....................Bob

[MrEarl]

1 hour ago, Bhigdog said:

 

Here you go, Lamar. You've been figuring it backwards. DRIVE something like the above and PULL one of your 54's.....................Bob

 

I've barely resigned myself to selling a couple of  54's for to afford a trailer. Selling the house for one of those, I don't think so?

 

Re dual axels, I'm not looking forward to backing a single axel at all. ?

[NTX5467]

(So NOW we know why Lamar stays at home?)

 

Concur on 5th wheel dbl axle unit!  Use a HD2500-type vehicle for towing, rather than something smaller.  Resale will be higher with a diesel, but with a higher maintenance cost.  And, of course, the requisite 5th wheel hitch package from a reputable manufacturer.

 

IF you or anybody else is considering a newer Buick SUV to tow with, get one with the FACTORY tow package!  Otherwise, you'll spend a good bit of money to retrofit the necessary wiring harnesses and fuse block!  Get it that way from the factory, where it's less expensive.  BUT there ARE limits of GCVW that could be exceeded with your desired trailer's weight.

 

HD2500 Duramax, Allison trans, 5th wheel, fancier trim option, shortest bed length (results in rear seat leg room of "limo" proportions!) . . . for a GM truck.

 

As far as "seeing the USA" from behind a plate glass window, when did they become mobile?

 

I know that many like to "trailer" to areas not normally scene, which is fine, but to me, a campground is a different type of "hotel".  I like to get out and drive around the area to see what's there.  If I trailered, I'd have to find a secure place to leave the trailer while I cruised around for a while.  Not to forget about the various "sanitary deposits" which would need to be drained from the trailer every so often.  To me, too many negatives to deal with in trailering, versus a comfortable and smoooooth car and a nice hotel at the end of the day.  But that's just me.

 

Why not lease a motor home, stay in towns where you can get a daily rent car for excursions, and THEN get a nice newer Buick that you can use everyday?  Let your route be a connect the dots affair between the larger campgrounds.

 

Enjoy at any cost!

NTX5467

[NTX5467]

Remember those comments about "young and adventurous"?  That WalMart parking lot might be welcoming to overnight travelers and have banks of video surveillance cameras, but I don't believe those places are as safe as they used to be.  Same for roadside parks, possibly?  I'd much rather sleep in a strong building, behind a thick door, and on allegedly clean sheets each night, with plenty of hot water in the morning (oh and "free" breakfast of varying menus) than on a windswept parking lot relying on an occasional drive-thru by a local law enforcement operative.  40 years ago was a "different world", in many respects.  At least if you might "pass" in your sleep, the morning maid would find you, rather than several days later in that roadside park.  There are many different ways to experience "adventure", which can be "age-related", by observation.

 

AND . . . make sure that trailer has ALL NEW tires on it, right before you leave town!  NO matter what!

 

Everybody has their own level of desired/assumed risk orientation, which I respect.

 

NTX5467

[Bhigdog]

2 minutes ago, NTX5467 said:

Everybody has their own level of desired/assumed risk orientation, which I respect.

 

Traveling with Mssrs. Smith and Wesson always adds to my comfort level.............................Bob

[dei]

Not to be subversive about hotel / motels but there is bed bug issues (even with reputable name hotels).

^{Don't ask....}

Edited July 29, 2017 by dei (see edit history)

[JohnD1956]

Glad you were able to finalize a decision, somewhat.  The main thing is to hit the road.  The other main thing is to think twice about those by-ways and back roads.  In my limited adventures, the words of the tour guide when we were passing through Dolan Springs AZ.  always come to mind. While looking like a nice place in the middle of nowhere, I asked, "what was the main industry here?"  Then answer:  "petty crime" !  Since there was little for anyone to actually do as a job,  it seems the crime rate for burglary - etc was exceptionally high.  And unfortunately it seems like some societal misfits today go out of their way to do maximum damage just because "why not"? 

( Not that a Hotel is any less susceptible).

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

 

  Lamar, do not listen to all these pantie waists'.!  Go for it. As that Canadian group plainly shows, your Buick is up to the task. And I assume you and Ms Rita are at least as tough as the Canadians. I know I am. Except I will yield to them on the cold.

 

  See you in Denver? With our trailers? Hope so!

 

  Ben

[NTX5467]

Can't be a "Panty Waist" when going "Commando".

 

NTX5467

[60FlatTop]

Imagine doing this with a trailer in tow!

 

 

[NTX5467]

I understand the lure of the open road, blue skies, and natural settings and the desire to wake up each morning to be greeted by mountain streams, the sun filtering through tall trees, and "sounds of nature".  I also understand the desire to strike out toward the horizon each day to see what's there, needing only a safe parking place each night, to reflect on the day's adventures (or mis-adventures).  Be that as it may.  In many cases, a trailer on the back of a suitable tow vehicle is the way these desires are achieved, but a rented cabin in the mountains might provide similar things.  Just as a resort "with views" could do similar.  Or even an Air BnB rental.  But for some, the variability of the schedule and route is important.  Still, a certain level of planning is generally needed.  With a trailer, the placement of good campgrounds, roadside parks with pull-through spaces, attachment to facilities, etc. might be a little too much to plan for . . . .in advance of their need.

 

Every mode of travel has its own related "costs".  Whether monetary (investment or daily expenditures), activities (making allowances for where one might go with and/or without a trailer in tow),  and that "sleep in my own bed" issue.  This is a very complex matrix of issues to consider!  Everybody has their own priorities in these considerations.

 

Key thing is to make your best judgment calls on each item under consideration!  Plus "Living to tell about it, pictures optional".    Only by "doing it" can you best determine what "not to do" or" what to do differently" next time (if there IS a next time).  But above all . . . . ENJOY as best you can!

 

NTX5467

[old-tank]

On 7/29/2017 at 8:18 AM, MrEarl said:

I absolutely despise and abhor modern day hotels

I don't like towing.  Much more stress to watch tow vehicle and towed vehicle; slower speeds; limited choices for fuel and food (truck stops); rougher ride (you get bounced when the tow vehicle hits a bump and again when the trailer hits that bump); people are less friendly than if you drive a 54 (you get lots of waves either way...thumbs up for the 54 and middle finger for the trailer rig); trailers have lots of flats and blowouts, but never in a convenient place; if you think it is hard to find a hotel, try to find a campground in a "destination" area and at least the hotels answer the phone if calling ahead.  Hotels on the other hand will have lots of interesting people at the breakfast (rivals WalMart shoppers emails); and friendly people too (We are often asked where the nearest Dollar store is located --- ok, I would have combed my hair if present).

I don't like towing, but I do like sitting behind that big ol' steering wheel while the 322 strokes on down the road!

[Bhigdog]

All of the above is correct and call me crazy but I actually like to tow...................Bob

[Beemon]

MrEarl, drop the 56 322 in and add the supercharger. Even if you don't tow, you can finally say you put the McCulloch on a Buick.

[60FlatTop]

On 7/29/2017 at 9:18 AM, MrEarl said:

to make a knowledgeable and unbiased decision

 

I have never made a decision that wasn't biased. What road is paved with attempts to be unbiased?

 

Then.

 

High water.... something, high water. Oh, what's that saying?  something, something, high water. It's on the tip of my tongue.

Bernie

[60FlatTop]

Along a similar vein, I got a call from a decent guy on Denver who rents exotic cars. The one we discussed was a Porsche Boxster for four days next June. It is not a bad deal but I told him to look for a Bentley Flying Spur. I'll probably end up with an Escalade from Enterprise.

Bernie

[KongaMan]

I've taken 5 lengthy road trips in the last year (two 5000+, one 3500, one 2700, and one 1600).  I've slept in hotels, tents, and (most often) the back seat along the side of the road.  I drove from south Florida to Alaska a few years ago; I spent 62 night in a row in a tent.  At no point in any of those trips did I ever wish I was hauling a trailer.  But many is the time I had some choice words for the guy in front of me who was.

 

I get the idealistic desire and all that, but as a practical matter, you can buy a lot of gas and hotel rooms for the price of a trailer, you can go a hell of a lot faster without a trailer, you won't beat the crap out of your tow vehicle, and you can see a lot more.

[cxgvd]

Interesting topic, there is no best way to travel.  Everything is pro and con.  Bev and I pull a car hauling trailer with a truck and we carry tent camping gear and camped during the trip to the recent AACA Vintage Tour.  Camping gear adds little weight, takes a bit of space in the truck box, security and washrooms are provided by the campground and hotels are still an option.  I hope to try a weekend tenting trip driving our '39 Century in a local Provincial Park soon.  

 

Ten years ago we used a '69 Skylark to pull an open car hauler about 4000 lbs, worked but not well.  Later we had a '96 Roadmaster wagon, better but still not great.

 

Gary

[buick5563]

I am way too much of a princess to want to camp. I heart hotels.

 

BUT, I love that Shasta. I have restored two full size Spartan trailers and a few smaller ones, but would love to have a new trailer.

[MrEarl]

On 7/22/2017 at 11:29 AM, old-tank said:

Install some 3.9 gears from a standard tranny car, but good luck finding a speedo gear to match.  Try a roadtrip without the trailer first.

 

That was going to be one of the easiest retrofits to the 54 Roadmaster I had figured on. Remember the parts car Roadmaster 322 with the export adjustable rockers? Well, while looking for a good rear end to pull for someone, discovered that that car had a 3.9 gear in it and it was a good one. So I would reckon that the speedo gear would likely match.

Even with that rear end, would a 55 Dynaflow (or 56 if I wanted to go as far as retrofitting the torque tube and shaft) with the variable pitch torque converter help improve handling of load and grades. Or not? The 55 has variable pitch stators. The stall speed at low angle (cruising) is 1400 RPM. At high angle (performance) it is 2600. The stall speed of the '54 Dynaflow is 1700, period. So doesn't higher stall speeds increase the temperature of the transmission and hence the transmission fluid. So which would be the better transmission for  pulling a load cross country, a 54 Dynaflow or 55/56 Dynaflow

[Beemon]

Low range would most likely help with engine braking and hill climbing, however, may be more work than its worth to put your frankenstein Buick together. 

[old-tank]

21 minutes ago, MrEarl said:

(or 56 if I wanted to go as far as retrofitting the torque tube and shaft)

Retrofitting not needed with the big series, except maybe the trans mount cross member.

That RM would be more stable, but try with your Century?

The RM should work with 3.9 and supercharger, just get ready to use highest octane (40-60 cents more) and 8 mpg.

Or, just drink a few beers before retiring so you don't think about who slept on that motel bed and what they did on it.

[MrEarl]

19 minutes ago, old-tank said:

Retrofitting not needed with the big series, except maybe the trans mount cross member.

 

So a 56 transmission length with the existing 54 torque tube would work on the Roadmaster?

 

19 minutes ago, old-tank said:

The RM should work with 3.9 and supercharger, just get ready to use highest octane (40-60 cents more) and 8 mpg.

 

Interesting note here- the supercharger actually came off a 55 Century estate wagon owned by someone who owned a mobile home park and used the car to pull mobile homes with. But I really don't want to get into adding the supercharger to the Roadmaster. I would however be interested in hearing what components from a 56 322 might be swapped over to my 54  322. Would the heads and the improved Carter carburetor do it. I don't want to get into pistons and lower engine parts? I have a low mileage (48,000 mile) 56 Century engine for a possible donor but want to retain the original 322, don't want to do a complete engine swap. 

[RivNut]

My idea of roughing it is a hotel with no pool and a black and white TV. 

[NTX5467]

If you're going to start swapping parts, better plan on at least ONE year to get that prototyped, quality controlled, and "shake down runned".

 

When you use an AT for braking assist, in "over-run", it makes the fluid in the torque converter go directions it doesn't want to go, which builds MORE heat than sitting there revving the motor, trans in gear, against the foot brake.  The biggest aux cooler available should be used, anyway.

 

That low stall converter would be better for highway towing, but the higher rpm switch-pitch would be better for acceleration.  I believe the switch-pitch might be the best all-aroiund solution, provided you keep in "tight angle" most of the time.

 

CBODY67

[MrEarl]

That's just it, trying to keep it in "tight angle"...

I probably don't know enough about what I am talkiing about here, but while negotiating hills and grades wouldn't the 55/56 tranny be switching to it's pseudo "passing gear" and higher converter stall speeds all the time, thus building up heat. I would "think" the 55/56 unit would be a better choice but would hate to make the swap and realize I went in the wrong direction. 

[60FlatTop]

I have a friend who owns a 1950 Hudson Commodore 8. Over the past 30 years he has let it sit idle for years. I have been the one to resurrect it each time. The rings are sticky and it is really hard to get started after setting. After about 200 miles things are back to normal and the runs great.

OK, where am I going.

He wants the engine rebuilt, begging for it, but the car doesn't need it. One time we were walking from my garage to my house when I was working on his car. He stopped in his tracks and said "I don't care what you say. I am not going to let you talk any sense into me."

 

The car is sitting in his garage again. A while back I stopped and peeked in the windows. I told my Wife I was thinking about liberating the car from him. She told me that was a very good choice of words.

 

To the last post, "IF" I decided to tow I would wait until I smoked the first transmission before I did any major work.

 

It is still summer. Put a hitch on the car, get a camper under $2,000, and go somewhere. Sell that camper after the test.

Bernie

[MrEarl]

On 7/30/2017 at 5:40 PM, old-tank said:

I don't like towing.  Much more stress to watch tow vehicle and towed vehicle; slower speeds; limited choices for fuel and food (truck stops); rougher ride (you get bounced when the tow vehicle hits a bump and again when the trailer hits that bump); people are less friendly than if you drive a 54 (you get lots of waves either way...thumbs up for the 54 and middle finger for the trailer rig); trailers have lots of flats and blowouts, but never in a convenient place; if you think it is hard to find a hotel, try to find a campground in a "destination" area and at least the hotels answer the phone if calling ahead.  Hotels on the other hand will have lots of interesting people at the breakfast (rivals WalMart shoppers emails); and friendly people too (We are often asked where the nearest Dollar store is located --- ok, I would have combed my hair if present).

I don't like towing, but I do like sitting behind that big ol' steering wheel while the 322 strokes on down the road!

 

While I would not like a full time job towing trailers, in my experience of towing trailers over the last 25 years, it has always been a rewarding one and typically one that left  memories of on the road experiences (most good and even the bad ones I typically considered good as I certainly learned something) meeting people on the road and at destinations,  seeing sights I would never have seen otherwise and the real fun part is unloading the new to me Buick's, whether they be drivers or parts cars.

I was a driving instructor in the Marines and my favorite class was on backing long body 5 ton cargo trucks pulling short body single axle cargo trailers. Anyone failing any of my classes got to wear a logging chain necklace for the rest of the day, I would usually run out of necklaces during that class.

After I got out of the Marines, a friend and I hit the road west in my '68 Volkswagen bus. We spent 4 months getting there and truckin around the hills of northern California, Santa Cruz, Big Basin, Redwoods, Castle Rock and the beaches down below the mountains. I ended up leaving my friend in CA, his choice, and heading back east with a girl. The bus broke down in Lyman Wyoming and we spent 3 weeks in a Shell station parking lot waiting for her parents to wire money and to have the bus engine rebuilt. Ahhh the days of bicycling to a big lake and skinny dipping in the frigid and leach infested water.   

Over the last 25 years I have towed trailers with a 1500 Silverado from coast to coast and Miami to Canada either hauling emu, goats or Buick's. A rough estimate would be of no less than 175,000 miles. The 96 Silverado had 275,000 on it when I traded it for another.     The tales I could tell of those trips!!! From Hells Angels giving me grief and the finger while sitting next to me and my trailer full of aromatic goats in stalled traffic on a hot July day coming into Chattanooga from a trip out west to Paradise CA. (you know that trailer had to be smellin ripe) to sharing many miles of smiles with my good friend Bob Coker while pulling his toy trailer with his Ford diesel dually and never hearing one of his stories twice (and never once jumped a curb). Then there was the time when I sold the last of my goats and delivered them along with the goat trailer to some friends in Texas and my son Jordan and I continued west to the Canyon and made a big 4 week long loop back around to Georgia. All the time sleeping in the camper cab on back of the Silverado. Jordan still thanks me for turning him onto the "good music" we would listen to in those travels. And the two camping trips he and I took every spring 4 years straight to the Okefenokee, and hauling his Trooper to and from Uhwarrie National park for a week of camping and four wheeling in the mountains. Not to mention all the Buick buying  trips I took by myself which was a great relief from the daily work routine and associated stresses of those days. Listening to good music going down the Buick Highway glancing back and seeing the headlights of another '54 Buick in the rearview mirrors.... that is stress relieving, even with the occasional tire blow out,  life can't get no better  

 

So ya see folks, I associate pulling a trailer and being on the open road with the good times of my life. Now all I want to do is to share some of those miles with my dear sweet Reet, while we still can. And damn it, I want to do it in a Buick. What could be wrong with that.  I've been a bit surprised at the number of  naysayers here and I appreciate where you're coming from and Rita and I have listened to and took to heart all your comments but our minds haven't changed.  Hopefully we can still figure out how to use Buttercup to do it in, but if not may resort to a later year maybe even into the seventies wagons, or perhaps look further into the Enclave. Last resort will be a Tahoe/Yukon but if that becomes the case, it by God will have portholes on it. 

 

Sorry for the long post, I'm sure only but a few are still reading, and to those I say thanks for listening... just had to say.....