I want to put a trailer hitch on my 72 wagon and found out the uhaul makes them. There website says there’s only fits fuselage passenger cars not wagons. Are the frame rails any different from a regular car vs a wagon. Do you guys think it will work or should I take a different route?
Uhaul trailer hitch fitment
- Thread starter MoparGabe
- Start date
I strongly suspect that anything u-Haul makes will be more universal than not. I'm suspecting the trailer will be more than 1K lbs in weight? What tongue load?
In general, any unibody car is not highly-regarded for trailering use, as a body-frame construction car usually is. Reason? Although there are "frame rails" at the back, they are welded to the car rather than being separate, which means they are like a reinforced area of the car body rather than a dedicated attachment point at the end of a dedicated frame (where all pulling torque is applied). Which is why there are no UniBody 3/4 ton pickup trucks.
From a MOTOR TREND magazine from the later 1960s, the BUMPER should not be the focus of where the hitch is attached, but the rear section of the rails, with some heavier-duty hitches also having some additional attachment points farther forward, near the rear wheels, by best results and to spread the torque forces better.
When the cars were new, many people did use them for trailer towing, up to about 12K lbs, WITH a hitch designed for such. Specifically engineered for the specific car platform, which I suspect any newer hitch probably not be.
Tongue weight is important and could well require some heavier springs to keep the car level when towing. IF you still have the owner's manual, READ IT for factory recommendations.
Back when the cars were newer, many people towed "trailers" with them, usually lighter-weight utility or "camp" trailers. When you saw one with anything bigger, you KNEW it had been rigged for such. In later years, many have moved to HD2500 pickups for any trailer towing use. MUCH better brakes and a suspension that can easily handle the additional weight, plus bigger engines to maintain speeds on hills. AND rear wiring harnesses which support "trailer wiring" at a dedicated junction in the connectors.
If you want to add a 10' utility trailer and a good zero-turn lawn mower on it, that'll be close to 1K lbs combined, so that should be fine. But I suspect that is not your desire.
Just some thoughts,
CBODY67
In general, any unibody car is not highly-regarded for trailering use, as a body-frame construction car usually is. Reason? Although there are "frame rails" at the back, they are welded to the car rather than being separate, which means they are like a reinforced area of the car body rather than a dedicated attachment point at the end of a dedicated frame (where all pulling torque is applied). Which is why there are no UniBody 3/4 ton pickup trucks.
From a MOTOR TREND magazine from the later 1960s, the BUMPER should not be the focus of where the hitch is attached, but the rear section of the rails, with some heavier-duty hitches also having some additional attachment points farther forward, near the rear wheels, by best results and to spread the torque forces better.
When the cars were new, many people did use them for trailer towing, up to about 12K lbs, WITH a hitch designed for such. Specifically engineered for the specific car platform, which I suspect any newer hitch probably not be.
Tongue weight is important and could well require some heavier springs to keep the car level when towing. IF you still have the owner's manual, READ IT for factory recommendations.
Back when the cars were newer, many people towed "trailers" with them, usually lighter-weight utility or "camp" trailers. When you saw one with anything bigger, you KNEW it had been rigged for such. In later years, many have moved to HD2500 pickups for any trailer towing use. MUCH better brakes and a suspension that can easily handle the additional weight, plus bigger engines to maintain speeds on hills. AND rear wiring harnesses which support "trailer wiring" at a dedicated junction in the connectors.
If you want to add a 10' utility trailer and a good zero-turn lawn mower on it, that'll be close to 1K lbs combined, so that should be fine. But I suspect that is not your desire.
Just some thoughts,
CBODY67
LocuMob
Fluid Technician with a hat
4k lb trailer rating, 400 lb tongue weight for the UHaul hitch.
the 1972 Plymouth wagon broacher says towing capacity up to 5500 don't know how comfortable i would be towing that much but that's what Chryslers says
'66 Fury I
Active Member
Having fabricated and installed hitches, I'm sure our cars are capable of hauling trailers in the range of two tons and a bit more. A weight equalizing hitch with sway control and proper trailer brakes are necessary. 3.23 gear is a big plus.
Having said this, remember the age of our cars and be honest about the integrity of the frame, body and mechanical systems. Lindsay
Having said this, remember the age of our cars and be honest about the integrity of the frame, body and mechanical systems. Lindsay
@CBODY67 My 1 ton B350 van is unit body. In 1993 I towed my '52 Imperial hardtop from just north of Philadelphia to Frank Mitchell's place in Columbus, OH with my '77 Newport 400 4 BBL. It had air shocks and I used my 10,000 gross trailer. I do not know if I loaded it wrong or whether the Newport couldn't handle it but I couldn't run faster than 55 without a whole lot of sway.
When Ford introduced their full-size vans in the middle 1970 era, the ones with a real hood and "snout", they were "body/frame" construction, rather than the prior unit-body construction, for the specific benefit of those who wanted to pull trailers with their vans.
I had a business associate who used a Chevy van to pull his two-horse horse trailers with. He remarked about how it was better than his crew cab pickup, due to the shorter wheelbase. That van was a unibody van and he had the necessary Class III hitch to make things work.
In those mid-1980s times, using a van to pull such a trailer was very uncommon in TX. Many had determined that a full-size pickup (usually 3/4 or 1-ton) had much better brakes and a stronger frame under them, plus a stiffer suspension to better handle any trailer it could pull. Not to forget that such a pickup would already have a larger V-8, deeper rear axle gears, and a good transmission cooler because of what it was. Plus a stout aftermarket rear bumper with a larger hitch ball, before Class III or gooseneck hitches became more common on those vehicles.
In some respects, a Chrysler UniBody car can be a good trailer-towing vehicle. Related more to the rear leaf springs, tighter suspension calibrations, and powertrains. When I started going to Mopar Nats in the later 1980s, I was reminded that people used to tow with C-body wagons, as I saw several race car trailers hooked to them on the road. If the car/trailer were sitting level, I knew the rear suspension had been enhanced, if the car was lower in the back, I suspected they lived nearby.
Enjoy!
CBODY67
Just Carbs
Well-Known Member
That #UHI75910 hitch U-Haul shows on the web site don't look anything like the U-Haul receiver hitch that was on Dads 73 New Yorker sedan that we towed an 8,000-pound Air Stream with. It bolted vertically straight through the rails from the trunk, with "big" backing plates in the trunk.
But then U-Haul says the picture don't mean anything, so.
But then U-Haul says the picture don't mean anything, so.
I used to haul my drag car on a trailer with my C-bodies. Started with my '70 SFGT and then went to a '73 NYB. 3500 lb car with a 1500 lb trailer. Used the weight distributing hitch and no sway control. Never had a problem and I used it about every weekend.
That said...
Concerning this..
That said...
My C-bodies weren't 50+ years old at the time. Even nice cars have issues from age.
Concerning this..
The question is the frame rail dimensions and I believe they would be the same as a sedan etc.. Chrysler did publish the dimensions for a frame mounted hitch, but I can't remember exactly where that can be found.
The B350 hauls the 10,000 gross trailer or a U-Haul with the Max on them at 70 with no problem. And I buy E rated tires for both the van and my trailer so they can handle whatever I throw at them. Ask the U-Haul store to check tire pressures. I had Max on their trailer and I before I set off I had to stop and fill them!
Just Carbs
Well-Known Member
Everyone talks about trailer loading in regard to sway. Well sure. But, if the tow vehicle front end alignment isn't right the trailer will be all over the road.
My 98 Dodge B3500 uni-body with 360 motor and 3.91 rear will pull a lot more than what the receiver hitch is good for because of the limitations of the receiver hitch mounting arrangement. The hitch is through bolted to one layer of the thin wall uni-body frame rail wall, the bottom surface, with 6 bolts and backed up with not big enough square washer plates inside the rail. U-Haul rated the hitch itself on this one-ton B3500 at 16,000 pounds, no eefing way. I limit the pull to 10,000 pounds just because of the hitch mounting.
That has nothing to do with a 72 Mopar wagon. EXCEPT, both hitches mount through the "very thin" uni-body rail wall.
I suspect that for towing a trailer the 72-wagon hitch is actually good for about 8000 pounds (barely) with a load equalizer setup, and 4,000 pounds without a load equalizer setup. Or up to 7,000 pounds towing another vehicle with a very low tongue weight tow dolly or tow bar.
Then, brakes, brakes, brakes....................
If the sedan hitch don't fit the wagon, I would find a hitch that matches the wagon rail width and through bolt it through the rail into the trunk. It has worked very well with several 60s and 70 B bodies for me.
My 98 Dodge B3500 uni-body with 360 motor and 3.91 rear will pull a lot more than what the receiver hitch is good for because of the limitations of the receiver hitch mounting arrangement. The hitch is through bolted to one layer of the thin wall uni-body frame rail wall, the bottom surface, with 6 bolts and backed up with not big enough square washer plates inside the rail. U-Haul rated the hitch itself on this one-ton B3500 at 16,000 pounds, no eefing way. I limit the pull to 10,000 pounds just because of the hitch mounting.
That has nothing to do with a 72 Mopar wagon. EXCEPT, both hitches mount through the "very thin" uni-body rail wall.
I suspect that for towing a trailer the 72-wagon hitch is actually good for about 8000 pounds (barely) with a load equalizer setup, and 4,000 pounds without a load equalizer setup. Or up to 7,000 pounds towing another vehicle with a very low tongue weight tow dolly or tow bar.
Then, brakes, brakes, brakes....................
If the sedan hitch don't fit the wagon, I would find a hitch that matches the wagon rail width and through bolt it through the rail into the trunk. It has worked very well with several 60s and 70 B bodies for me.
73Coupe
Senior Member
I would consult the towing guide, such as this one below - look it up for your specific car.
It shows how different classes of hitches are constructed and where they attach. For example, the class 3 hitch offers the largest towing capacity and is weight distributing - such that it has multiple attachment points - at the rear bumper brackets and through the floor/understructure at the front of the trunk.
You'll need trailer brakes too.
@bluefury361 has lots of towing experience with C-bodies, I would recommend research into some of this contributions on here.
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