45 MPH maximum towing speed?

[Kurt (Indiana)]

I didn't see any posts about Brakes.

When U-Haul first started renting trailers..Disc brakes were pretty much unheard of on passanger vehicles.

I speak from experience on this one because my '65 Mustang has front and rear (non power) drum brakes.

If you tow 45 mph there is a good chance you can react and stop a 1000lb trailer with some "pumping" and good reaction time, but it's a possibility that something could go wrong too.

If you stab and hold the brakes on the older cars you will get to a point (quickly) where the brakes hardly respond at all.

The posts about wheel bearing, tire size, and handling are all very relevant but don't forget that the modern braking systems are much different than the old ones.

I hardly ever drive over 60 in any kind of traffic when pulling with the '65 Mustang. It's just too scary to think about.
I like the car and I like the trailer just the way they are.

BTW, an upgrade to front disc brakes is in the future plans.

[Mark72]

Kurt, there are more disc brake kit choices than you can shake a stick at. There are also oe Donor vehicles the parts will work from. I think granada disk spindles will work on a mustang.

Mark

[Kurt (Indiana)]

Kurt, there are more disc brake kit choices than you can shake a stick at. There are also oe Donor vehicles the parts will work from. I think granada disk spindles will work on a mustang.

Mark

Mark I think you're right about the Granada. Should be a "bolt on" conversion from what I've read.

I would need to re-do the lines and add a dual cylinder.

It's in my plans.

Thanks

[Mark72]

Don't forget to replace the proportioning valve with one set up for disk brakes.

[Rick G]

In the early seventies , I pulled my tear drop , behind my '59 ford pickup , loaded with bikes , at 65 /70 mph. But then it had 15 inch wheels.

[Conestoga]

I am trying to decide what to do, and I have about one week to do it...
We have a "gumdrop" camper built on the typical 4x8 Harbor Freight model.
We have replaced nothing on the trailer itself. It has less than 4000 miles on it.

Last winter we took this on a long trip and it was great, so we're doing it again this year.
We drove at up to 60mph on highways and the hubs were just slightly warm on the warmest days.

Do I need to repack these bearings now before the next long trip?

My dad suggested bearing buddies. Could I put them on and skip the repack?

I haven't done much research, but I saw some "high speed" hubs on Northern Tool,
would something like this be an improvement?

Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions!

[bobhenry]

How many hours and how many $ will be lost in an on the road breakdown?

Take 30 minutes and clean , inspect ,and repack the bearings and you will not need to touch them for another year.

A hub for my HF trailer was 25 bucks. I picked it up at a mom and pop farm store.

I was lucky I broke down at their side door. Bearings were fine it was some idiot that finger tightened the lug nuts and got interupted that was the problem.

Had one stud left and bolt holes in the rim were big enough to stick your head thru.

A spare tire and a spare hub~~~~ Priceless!

[Conestoga]

How many hours and how many $ will be lost in an on the road breakdown?

Take 30 minutes and clean , inspect ,and repack the bearings and you will not need to touch them for another year.

A hub for my HF trailer was 25 bucks. I picked it up at a mom and pop farm store.

I was lucky I broke down at their side door. Bearings were fine it was some idiot that finger tightened the lug nuts and got interupted that was the problem.

Had one stud left and bolt holes in the rim were big enough to stick your head thru.

A spare tire and a spare hub~~~~ Priceless!

Hi Bob! I hope you didn't get your head stuck in there.

I am taking your advice to clean, inspect, and repack the bearings.
Another suggestion I got was to get some Timken bearings.
Is this worth the expense?

[Big Dan]

I just went down and bought bigger tires for my h.f. trailer. It pulls alot better over the bumps and there is less worry on long trips. Don't forget to grease. I like bearing buddies.

[Deryk the Pirate]

Its not the how fast you can go that makes me wonder... its the stopping that does lol

[Conestoga]

Bob I owe you a beer!

[bobhenry]

I may have found my answer to the question I asked you on another thread !

[john warren]

you can go as fast as you feel safe,,,,,,but,,,, your on bloody vacation!!!!whats your hurry? do you get extra points in the standings if you beat someone?

[canned o minimum]

"I" tow my 4wide Little Guy with a 1965 VW Beetle...drum brakes all around..

The trailer weighs 775lbs dry The car weighs 1200lbs dry.

My average speed is 70mph when on a LONG haul( I wanna git thar NOW and BEGIN my campin )

Of course, it all depends on "traffic" and I'm a sensible sorta NUT..

But the NUT behind the wheel gits excited when he sees a 5th wheel or a 40ft motorhome and wants to BLOW BY them at 80mph jus fer KICKS.

I repack my trailer bearings annually !!

[Aaron Coffee]

I did see that u-haul has upped the recomended speed to 55, this was on a small double axle trailer.