Safe To Tow?

[345 desoto]

I'd LIKE to tow my 56 Studebaker Sky Hawk (3,000+ lbs) with our '88 Chieftain MH...either on a car dolly or flat. Any thoughts on this?....

[DavidM]

The 1988 Cheiftain comes in models from 24 to 34' at GVWRs of 12-15,000 lbs. It has a Chevy 6.2 liter in the shorter coach and 454 Chevy or a Ford 460 in the larger ones. Should be able to pull 3,000-4000 lbs just fine.

David

[creativepart]

Do you think you'll be able to find a baseplate for that vehicle? That alone would be a miracle.

Since it's rear wheel drive I doubt it can go on a dolly.

[345 desoto]

DavidM - Our '88 Chieftain is a 22 footer with a 454.


creativepart - I plan on disconnecting the drive shaft. I've used a tow dolly a number of times, doing this.

[Bo Walker]

Wow 345, I hope you post a picture of your rig with the Studebaker. I wish I had my 1953 Studebaker pick up ready to tow.
I bet you can have a base plate custom made, maybe by a local craftsman. I had steel parts fabricated at a welding shop. I even had them put the holes in the pieces. It works great with my Jeep Wrangler.

[Digger72x]

Put the rear wheels on the dolly and lash the steering wheel so it just moves a little both ways and you should be able to without disconnecting drive line. This was an acceptable way for us "older" campers to have a car or dune buggy as a toad

[pastordon]

I have a drive shaft that allow you to install in a towed vehicle that also allows you to engage and disengage the transmission by pulling a lever. Perhaps you could purchase one of these and save a lot of work. It came with the rv along with a roadmaster 4 down tow bar.

[NeilV]

If the Chieftain already tends to run hot you may need to address that first before adding a load to it. You may need to go through the cooling system and the transmission first to ensure the antique drive train in the Chieftain is up to the task. Transmission band adjustment, new filter and a larger transmission cooler may be required on those older motor homes before loading them up with toads, etc. Also consider adding a Water Wetter or Lucas Super Coolant additive to the cooling system after a good cooling system flush using a 50/50 blend of white vinegar and distilled water.


A thorough inspection of the rear frames that the hitch is attached too is also in order since many times those are mounted to extensions of the rear frame and not the P30 truck chassis and are mild steel that rots more easily than the truck chassis does.

[jmo01830]

Wife and I just sold our 93 Itasca Passage 22RB, 454 throttle body and towed our 1973 340 Dodge Charger with a dolly and just disconnected the drive shaft at the differential and let the shaft tied to the exhaust. With the hills in the Northeast, and down into Penn., there was no problem at all. We just bought a 2014 Itasca 26HE and don't anticipate any problem towing with that.