Buick56S Posted July 11, 2021 Share Posted July 11, 2021 Hi Gentlemen, I have installed a hitch on my Buick for towing a small camper. The instalation of this hitch needs to be officially approved by a technical inspector (German bureaucracy...). The inspector accepts the design of my hitch, but he asks for an official Buick document showing the towing capacity. My 1949 ownersguide tells, I shall contact the Buick Service Department for obtaining a trailer hitch bulletin, to get information like weight limits etc. Does anyone of you has this bulletin? Many thanks, Markus 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted July 11, 2021 Share Posted July 11, 2021 While someone may have that document, you may want to try Buick Heritage Alliance | Dedicated to the preservation of all things Buick And SloanLongway.org - Home Both groups have a lot of Buick Motor Division documents, but both will also charge you for copies of the same. Your Buick looks great, and I like the trailer too. What type is that and what are the stats for it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne R Posted July 12, 2021 Share Posted July 12, 2021 Hello Markus,--wonderful Buick and trailer van, this probably is know use for you, but some interesting facts in here. It is from my owners manual 1964 Buick Electra-Wildcat, Le sabre, and yes i realize it is 15 years later. It was placed on page 32 right next to area in manual, for changing tires, so check your owners manual----they dont always list these items in the front index.---hope you can read it--the bloches are my bad camera.--regards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buick56S Posted July 12, 2021 Author Share Posted July 12, 2021 John, Wayne (what a funny coincidence...), Many thanks for your hints. I will contact the BHC and Sloane, perhaps they have some further information. The trailer was a DIY project. Initially I just wanted to build a tear drop trailer, but for some reason it went bigger and bigger... Length is 17feet, weight 1400lbs, but no interior so far. The Buick is almost stock, apart from rear gear ratio. I have changed to 3.6 some years ago, but I think I have to go back to 4.5 again, since the Buick is suffering quite a lot because of the trailer weight. Currently I am searching for a complete rear end, including torque tube and propeller shaft. The plan is it, to have a "short" towing rear end, and swap to a "long" highway rear end in case I dont tow... Perhaps one of the European AACA members has such a rear end left. I found some in the US, but shipping to Europe is a lot of $$$. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted July 12, 2021 Share Posted July 12, 2021 I am impressed that you built that trailer. It looks fantastic. Is your 1400 lbs an estimate including the interior? Good luck on your search for information Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hans1965 Posted July 13, 2021 Share Posted July 13, 2021 20 hours ago, Buick56S said: John, Wayne (what a funny coincidence...), Many thanks for your hints. I will contact the BHC and Sloane, perhaps they have some further information. The trailer was a DIY project. Initially I just wanted to build a tear drop trailer, but for some reason it went bigger and bigger... Length is 17feet, weight 1400lbs, but no interior so far. The Buick is almost stock, apart from rear gear ratio. I have changed to 3.6 some years ago, but I think I have to go back to 4.5 again, since the Buick is suffering quite a lot because of the trailer weight. Currently I am searching for a complete rear end, including torque tube and propeller shaft. The plan is it, to have a "short" towing rear end, and swap to a "long" highway rear end in case I dont tow... Perhaps one of the European AACA members has such a rear end left. I found some in the US, but shipping to Europe is a lot of $$$. Markus, I know a Dutch guy who is selling Buick parts of the early 50s. He has a 3.90 complete rear axle that I considered for a while, but I wanted a 3.60. Not sure if he has something in the other direction, 4.45 or so. Pm me for contact details. This Dutch guy is very expensive, but still cheaper than importing from the US. He wanted for an exhaust manifold 450 Eur. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buick56S Posted July 13, 2021 Author Share Posted July 13, 2021 On 7/12/2021 at 2:30 PM, JohnD1956 said: I am impressed that you built that trailer. It looks fantastic. Is your 1400 lbs an estimate including the interior? Good luck on your search for information Many thanks, John. But I produced a huge pile of aluminum scrap until it looked like that... The 1400lbs is the current weight without interior. I expect some 150lbs more until it is complete. Hopefully the Buick can cope with this boat anchor... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buick56S Posted July 13, 2021 Author Share Posted July 13, 2021 13 hours ago, Hans1965 said: Markus, I know a Dutch guy who is selling Buick parts of the early 50s. He has a 3.90 complete rear axle that I considered for a while, but I wanted a 3.60. Not sure if he has something in the other direction, 4.45 or so. Pm me for contact details. This Dutch guy is very expensive, but still cheaper than importing from the US. He wanted for an exhaust manifold 450 Eur. Hi Hans, could you be so kind to send me a pm? So far I don't have the permission to send mails to other members, since I have not yet met the minimum content item count (???) Thanks Markus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1953mack Posted July 13, 2021 Share Posted July 13, 2021 On 7/11/2021 at 9:53 AM, Buick56S said: . . . My 1949 owners guide tells, I shall contact the Buick Service Department for obtaining a trailer hitch bulletin, to get information like weight limits etc. Does anyone of you has this bulletin? - Buick published a 6-page pamphlet that came out for 1951 thru 1953 Buicks. Towing with a 1949 Buick should be similar. - I am sending you a PM with my e-mail address if you are interested in receiving a copy of this with Buick's suggestions addressing hitch design, overload springs, tires, trailer brakes, etc. Thanks. Al Malachowski BCA #8965 "500 Miles West of Flint" 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hans1965 Posted July 13, 2021 Share Posted July 13, 2021 31 minutes ago, 1953mack said: - Buick published a 6-page pamphlet that came out for 1951 thru 1953 Buicks. Towing with a 1949 Buick should be similar. - I am sending you a PM with my e-mail address if you are interested in receiving a copy of this with Buick's suggestions addressing hitch design, overload springs, tires, trailer brakes, etc. Thanks. Al Malachowski BCA #8965 "500 Miles West of Flint" Al, could you send me that as well, please? Thanks a lot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Gonzo Posted July 23, 2021 Share Posted July 23, 2021 Markus, unfortunately I don't have any information that will help you get the documentation you need, but I did want to jump in to say that you have a beautiful '49 and that trailer is amazing. Great job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTX5467 Posted July 26, 2021 Share Posted July 26, 2021 FWIW, there used to be a thread in here that has pictures of older Buicks pulling house/travel trailers. There were some of the later-40s cars, as you have, too. Looked like the older cars had truck tires on them rather than the normal "car" tires. I would certainly suggest an aux transmission cooler for the DynaFlow, if it is an automatic transmission car. Trailer looks good hooked to that Buick! NTX5467 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buicknutty Posted July 26, 2021 Share Posted July 26, 2021 That is a great looking car and trailer. Very impressive that you built it yourself, and the weight sounds quite light for that size of trailer. I hope all goes well for you. Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now