Sounds like Dad. He crewed for a V8 FX at Castlereagh in the late 60s. The car lived in Cronulla, and was flat towed out west each race day. Driver sat in the FX for the journey. Coming home one night down Heathcote Road he was startled to hear the FX fire... then start pushing him home. Those days were long before random breath testing. I presume that for a FED tilt trailer you would need to jack the trailer drawbar up to get it to tilt, drive the nose on, put the rear wheels on, then lower the jack. Assume it will not auto-tilt with the axle so far aft (?). Cheers, Harv
On a tilt trailer all you need is a pivoting drawbar / tongue [a single axle or rocker equalizer suspension allows the deck to tilt] It helps if the deck is 50/50 balanced and the payload always settles at a point of equilibrium. But with a rear heavy dragster the 50/50 deck would be impossible so the axle will need to be moved rearward. A couple of van door gas struts help the deck to tilt in this situation. here is a photo showing the tilt deck pivoting drawbar / tongue [this trailer has a 50/50 balanced deck] In this example ^^^ the pivot is also the front spring hanger bolts [shown below before welding]
The pics of the R&C Dream Truck on it's side are vivid enough for me to not even consider a single axle trailer for anything larger than a riding lawn mower. Seen too many of them get the " tail wagging the dog" from improper loading. It's happened to me, a small 4x8 loaded with firewood behind a CJ 5, almost turned me over. My own fault, trying to get those last few sticks, ended up with not enough tongue weight, easily done. Just a little inattention in loading could have caused a disaster. I sold the single axle and built a dual axle 6x16. It pulls straight even when the weight is heavy on the tail.
As mentioned, some period fenders and maybe some pinstripes or lettering would make your modern tandem trailer the talk of the town.
Some of these old trailer pictures would scare the beegeebers out of me to even think of hauling anything on them. Man guys had big nuts back then.
I think this is the first thing you need to figure out before going forward. Borrow some scales or bring the car to a commercial scale, and then you can better determine what kind of trailer will be needed.
If you want a single axle trailer purpose built, I also agree the torsion axle is where its at. Stability and such a good ride. I like the torsion axles and run a down angle to get the drop so the trailer floor is much lower, easier for loading and unloading. I agree a good tire and wheel are needed for single axle trailers for sure. An extended tongue is also key as it makes the trailer less prone to do weird junk in emergency situations. For your kind of car, low trailer with small pull out ramps out of the back would work perfectly. If you do a tandem, retain the torsion axle and get the tongue weight right dry, it will also pull like a dream. The ride is night and day difference vs conventional springs. Wide and low is the key to any trailer stability when towing with a car on it. I like the extra length so I don't have issues backing into tight spots. Tilt trailers are good for conventional cars, not so good for FED due to length of the cars and weight placement. I used to work in the trailer business, there was a trailer that was brought in on trade, tandem axle car hauler tilt deck on torsion axles, All made out of square and rectangle tubing. Two runners down each side, open middle for tie down ease. best trailer we ever had, the owner kept it as a rental for 10 years and someone offered him a stupid amt. of money and he finally sold it. If I had to rebuild it, I would use the decking they use on commercial car haulers, has holes all in it and is galvanized, you can tie down by wheel straps instead of on frame or axles..
Just for the record, the Dream Truck was being towed on a tow bar and not a single axle trailer. Mick
You're right Mick. I had forgotten that it wasn't on a trailer. Same results though! There was some famous car that was wrecked on a single axle trailer, I remember seeing pics of it. Wish I could remember which one it was.
Not dumb, but the towed vehicle has to have brakes, and you cannot do it with a race-only car. It might have been a thing "back in the day" but now, as I have mentioned, if it is a vehicle, and has a wheel on the ground, it has to be registered and insured, at least in California. Some might "get away with it" but it could get ugly trying to get the race car out of impound.
I kept my Bonneville record-holding roadster licensed and insured. And it weighed a great deal less than the towing vehicle, so it was, in my opinion, safer for short jaunts than a 2-wheel trailer.
Flat towing, its been a long time ago but i used to work at a family owned 24 hr gas/cafe. i used to set and watch car after car being flat towed from up north to the local bondo alley. It has been many years ago though. And dream truck, I think it had been flat towed across country before the accident. I do remember a local round rack racer, had a very low solid axle trailer he towed all over the south with. A 32 ford wheel base is 108 in, so it will only be maybe 110 in
That ‘55 Chevy looks cool but…. Two scenarios can happen with a single axle trailer . 1) you loose a wheel , then what ? 2) you break a wheel hub , then what ? Loose the ‘55 and the owner is walking with his tail between his legs . That maybe tradition but not cool . Just like two legs , two shoes or two girls are better than one
I'm curious as to the dynamics of wrecks happening while flat towing. Years ago I towed my '55 Chevy Gasser with a long home built tow bar. never had any trouble with it other tan the front wheels would sometimes get turned while cornering. We would have to stop and straighten the steering wheel. Later someone told me that there was some sort of cable arrangement that could be used to steer the towed vehicle. I never saw anything like that and went to a tandem axle trailer. What generally happens causing the tow bar accidents?
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