Towing capacity

I have routinely towed a Harbor Freight folding trailer when I moved. Each trip was 165 miles. I have never weighed the trailer loaded but I am guessing it was close to the maximum weight of 1000#. I built my own towing reciever using the bumper mount brackets as a guide. I made it a point to never load the tongue with more than 70#. I have a '67 bus with a 1776cc and two barrel carb. I towed at a maximum of

65mph and pulled it over the summit on I-80 between Larramie and Cheyenne with no problem but had to slow to 45 mph.

Dear George,

The towing capacity of any vehicle is determined by its ability to STOP and is usually defined by the vehicle's gross laden weight. For an early Transporter your max would be about 800 lbs, for later models

-- especailly those having disk brakes -- the max is about 1200.

Using a trailer having its own braking system changes all that.

Tongue-weight reflects the ability of the prime mover to steer the tailer and is usually kept fairly low.

As a point of interest, the early bus with its outboard gear boxes makes an excellent prime mover.

In my opinion, here in California the best tow-bar package for the early bus was the dealer-installed option that tied the hitch to the rear axle housing and supported the tow-bar/hitch with a pair of diagonal struts that connected the bumper brackets to the ceiling of the engine compartment, which was re-enforced by a large plate.

-Bob Hoover