Michael,
Ok. here's my two unwanted cents:
Get the biggest, heaviest, guttsiest TRUCK you can stand and pay the gas
bill for. You can haul 6000# with an anemic passenger car like a short bed
pickup or El Camino, but it'll be real exciting the first time you have to
stop or get passed by a large 18 wheeler. Personally, I wouldn't use
anything less than a real 3/4 ton truck.
My current rig is a 2 year old Ford 1 ton long wheel base van to pull a
9000-10000# trailer with electric brakes. The combined brakes are just
barely adequate for an emergency stop. A 1 ton dually would have been
better for stability at freeway speeds. I've towed race cars with a lot of
anemic rigs since 1965 and everytime I upsize and upgrade the tow rig, I've
been very pleasantly surprised.
Regards,
Myles Winbigler
Mad Mollusk Racing
-----Original Message-----
From: Michael Frank <mfrank@westnet.com>
To: vintage-race@autox.team.net <vintage-race@autox.team.net>
Date: Tuesday, July 03, 2001 5:27 PM
Subject: Tow Vehicle
>This list has been pretty quiet lately. Here's a little problem I'm working
>on, perhaps some of you can help.
>
>My car will (finally!) be ready at the end of this month, and I'm doing a
>quick hunt for a tow vehicle. I have the loan of a trailer for the rest of
>this season. I don't know all the particulars, but it weighs in at about
>3500lbs, including a well stocked tool box, and has electric brakes :-).
>The car is around 2200, which means I need a vehicle that can pull a
>6,000lb load. My thinking is to buy a decent used truck, at least for this
>year, and either rework it over the winter, or replace it with something
>better when I have more time.
>
>After giving it some thought, I think the best bet is a Chevy something,
>with a 350 engine. I figure the 350 is as generic as it gets, if it breaks,
>you can probably find a spare at any hardware store, in the "crate motor"
>aisle. My question is, how heavy a truck will I need? I'm certain a
>Suburban or Yukon would work fine, but could I get away with something a
>little smaller, like a Blazer? And would it be possible to use something
>cooler, like a short bed Stepside, El Camino or Impala SS? Is a high stall
>torque converter desirable? What rear axle?
>
>Thanks,
>Mike Frank
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