Towing with a Duster.

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Clelan

Clelan

Inferno Red Duster
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Would it be possible to safely tow a Duster with another Duster? I am thinking about super light 16' open trailer, possibly even custom made to get the tongue weight as light as possible while still following the tow vehicle without flailing around.
Thinking it would be fun to tow my race car with my street car. Short trips like 35 miles to the track, or 15 miles to Cars & Coffee type events.
Has anyone done this?

Cley
Screenshot_20250615_213622_Gallery.jpg
20250326_170221.jpg
 

No reason why you couldn't. But, What drive train do you have? A 318 could tow but the 904 and a 7 1/4 is a little on the weak side IMO. Any V8 with a 727 and a 8 1/4 or 8 3/4 rear should be good. Make sure your hitch is heavy enough. Hard to come by nowadays. What will the car and trailer weigh together. Tongue weight isn't the whole thing. Class 2 goes up to 3500#. You might need a class 3 hitch because of the total weight.


I just talked myself out of it. Get a pick up.
 
As long as your street car cooling system is up for towing the trailer and racecar, I see no problems. The only thing is, finding a hitch for the street car, they haven't ben offered in years and I'd steer away from the "universal" and "bumper mount" hitches.
 
You could on totally flat land, light traffic, and slower speeds, but I wouldn't. Duster's really were never meant to be tow rigs, but many have towed small 2 wheel trailers with them without issue.
 
Cley.... time for a tin grill D150, two tone and poverty caps.... THAT with your Duster on the back would cook the chicken!
 
If you want to safely tow, use a 3/4 ton. I had used my 75 D100 shortbox clubcab and it is marginal. Local ok but any Interstate driving-not. I've watched a lot of videos where people don't use a heavy enough tow rig. The outcome usually isn't pretty.
 
You would have to go to a custom hitch shop, one where they actually  make the hitch for your needs. My 70 Dart had a monster of a hitch on it when I bought it, no idea what it was used to tow, likely a travel trailer, but the hitch itself had to weigh at least 100 lbs, all 1/4 inch steel plate. You would also need a brake controller in the tow Duster. It would be pretty cool to see, no question.
 
Towing a light utility or camping trailer would be one thing, towing another A-body is something else entirely.

This was the factory info for ‘67, although I can’t imagine it changed all that much
IMG_9541.jpeg


Even at 2,000 lbs you’re probably only at half what you’d need to be at to tow another Duster. The trailer is gonna be at least 1,000 lbs by itself (my steel 18’ trailer is 2k). Plus the weight of the Duster.

You’d have to build a custom hitch, nothing you’d be able to just buy would be heavy enough or include the reinforcement you’d need on the rear frame rails to do it right. The engine and transmission wouldn’t even be the issue, heck even the chassis would be less of a concern for me than the braking and suspension.

I mean, is it possible? Sure. Custom hitch, frame connectors, you’d need a trailer brake controller (and a good one!), probably airbags in the rear unless you wanted to run really stiff springs all the time. And the brakes on the trailer would need to be very good as well.

It’s not something you could just casually do, you’d need to make concerted effort to turn the one Duster into a tow rig and those modifications wouldn’t make it a nice street car unless you really invested some money in the tow equipment.
 
I used to regularly tow a 16' ski boat full of camping gear over the Coquihalla Highway, no drama.
The cops may check your vehicles tow weight, here, trailer and load can't be more than 1/2 tow vehicle weight.
Good luck, looks cool.
 
No way. My trailer might be heavier than average, weights about 2K MT. That is ALL I would want behind an A body, WITHOUT a load.
 
Inertia said:
I used to regularly tow a 16' ski boat full of camping gear over the Coquihalla Highway, no drama.
The cops may check your vehicles tow weight, here, trailer and load can't be more than 1/2 tow vehicle weight.
Good luck, looks cool.
Click to expand...
Wow, I didn't know that in Canada. you'd need a 10k pound vehicle to tow 5k pounds!
 
Lol. Towed a 71 Duster I purchased seven hours across Manitoba with a 71 /6 Dart using a U-Haul tow dolly. I had a class 2 frame hitch built and installed just for the trip. Seemed a lot safer than the many towed with a rope and a brakeman in the towed vehicle
 
OneOfMany said:
Lol. Towed a 71 Duster I purchased seven hours across Manitoba with a 71 /6 Dart using a U-Haul tow dolly. I had a class 2 frame hitch built and installed just for the trip. Seemed a lot safer than the many towed with a rope and a brakeman in the towed vehicle
Click to expand...
Been there and done that, with a tow dolly, car hauler, and a crash test dummy on a chain. Lol
Must be a Winnipeg thing!
 
In 1974 my friend and I were driving out the PA Turnpike in my '64 Belvedere wagon when the TF unceremoniously died at the Breezewood Exit! We took the bus home and I drove back with a tow bar and flat towed it home with Mom's 1962 Lancer GT with a 170!
 
My 64 Fury wagon, ordered with a Sure-Grip, and has power drum brakes that work fantastic.
It had a hitch installed with wiring, probably soon after it was new.
PO cut the ball/mount off.

I thought about returning it to use, but I don't have a small landscape trailer anymore, and I couldn't imagine towing my car trailer with it, even empty, without at a minimum functioning trailer brakes.

Wagon weighs a lot, and could easily pull another car, but I'm not going to try to stop another car with it.
 
I think your state patrol will give you your answer.
Don't do it for safeties sake. You would be a danger to every vehicle or pedestrian around you.
 
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