Towing Capacity?

[Ken T]

I've been bouncing ideas of the possibilities I have with this thing if I'm able to get this thing running correctly. The thought of putting a trailer behind it with a smoker on it to sell food sounds fun. Of course I'd need to have a custom hitch made for it. I'm wondering how much weight this can tow if I start designing/building a trailer in the future? With it being a 1 1/2 ton truck, I'm assuming it can handle a lot. But, I'm learning and have been wrong with some of my previous assumptions. I can't find any info when I do a search on the internet.

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[swedishsteel]

Pulling a trailer you need horsepower to get it going and good brakes to get it stopped-I would suspect your old fire engine is lacking in both

[Ken T]

Originally Posted by swedishsteel

Pulling a trailer you need horsepower to get it going and good brakes to get it stopped-I would suspect your old fire engine is lacking in both

Refurbishing the brakes is #2 on the list.

[51504bat]

It's got hydraulic brakes and probably really low gears since it was a fire truck. I wouldn't pull a fully loaded equipment trailer but I wouldn't worry about a single axle concession trailer with electric brakes. But that's JMO.

[38 coupe]

That fire truck looks heavy to begin with. Adding a light trailer behind it probably will change the driving dynamics a bit, but not outside of reason. First get it driving nicely by itself and see if it feels like you would like to haul a trailer with it. Slow and long braking distances are probably part of the deal. The mechanical side of the truck should handle it, we have all seen pictures of how much weight these trucks moved back in the 30s and 40s.

[Ziggster]

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Lots of science actually goes into truck trailer dynamics, but in your case it should be fairly straight forward. Looks like rear of truck is a fair distance from rear axle centreline, so even though it is a “truck” you need to be cognizant of tongue weight due to that cantilever effect. Should be obvious, but any trailer hitch must be tied into the frame and not any other metal work or decking in your case. Also, make sure track width of trailer axle(s) match that of your rear axle. This is very important as if it is narrower, this can lead to dynamic instability. Tongue length and trailer axle(s) distance to hitch is another important variable in determining dynamic stability and manoeuvreability. In other words, a large vehicle like that fire truck, needs an equally large trailer. We’ve all seen folks towing a wheeled log splitter home from Home Depot. Lol!

[rich b]

Maybe just have fun with your old truck; putting it back to work as a commercial motor vehicle may bring up all kinds of surprises.

[Kurt in NJ]

How much water do you plan on carrying?

[Tim Ayers]

As others have mentioned, get it running correctly first. Your previous post showed you've got some serious rust/scale issues to deal with and remedy.

[alanwoodieman]

that fire truck is a first response pumper that originally had 500 gallons of water so pulling a smoker would be no problem

[blucar]

I would suggest doing what many people have done to haul a vintage cat around. Put the body on a late model F 450-550 chassis, in the long run it would be cheaper and safer than trying to patch together and old truck to do a new truck job. I have several friends that have put a vintage COE body onto a late model RV chassis to haul their custom car to car shows. If you are cleaver about how and what you build it can be licensed as a '41 Ford saving a bunch of money on license's/tags.
I did that with a '64 pickup body on a '97 chassis.

[trulyvintage]

Find a good “ meat and potatoes “ welder.
My primary welder is in the countryside
outside of Iowa City, Iowa and mainly
works on farm equipment.

Get a sturdy Class 4 or 5 universal
receiver hitch and have the welder
fabricate mounting plates to attach
it to your vehicle.


Jim

[Ken T]

I figure I have about a years + or - worth of work on the truck, approximately. Per the registration, it weighs 10k. I was wondering if it might be able to tow a trailer similar to the one here. I have to build the trailer and that’s why I was curious what the towing capacity is.

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[petehoovie]

Originally Posted by Ken T

I figure I have about a years + or - worth of work on the truck, approximately. Per the registration, it weighs 10k. I was wondering if it might be able to tow a trailer similar to the one here. I have to build the trailer and that’s why I was curious what the towing capacity is.

Attachment 537408

[Model51]

The answer to your question regarding the towing capability of your truck can be calculated with information found in the 1941 Ford Dealer Showroom Album. There's a table listing the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) for your truck based on several equipment choices. You will need to know exactly which spring set is installed on your truck, the current gross weight of your truck, tire sizes and maybe a bit more to be able to calculate the maximum GVWR.

Back in the day, pneumatic brake systems were installed on the truck and trailer to provide safe stopping power. Old time pictures show massively overloaded trucks pulling heavily loaded trailers, but that was before regulations, modern traffic and a bit less concern about safety. I bet some of those loaded trucks never got faster than 15 miles per hour with those loads.

You will still have a relatively weak engine pulling all that weight and everything needs to be in tip top condition. Also, be sure you check you state motor vehicle requirement for weight classes and driver licenses.

Based on the picture of your trailer, or one like it, I'd recommend a modern diesel engine truck to haul it around and enjoy your fire truck as an antique fire truck.