Towing

[chinze57]

In my service manual, in the maintenance section, I see that the 64 Dart was rated to tow up to 1500 lbs, or 3500 if you had the heavy duty version. Where was there a tow hitch hooked up?

I might add that to my dart if it’s simple enough, but mostly I’m just curious.

 

[Kendog 170]

Someone was designing a draw-tite type hitch but I don' know what came of it.

 

[cudamark]

I've seen a variety of hitches on early A-bodies. Some just bolted to the trunk floor and rear bumper for light weight towing. Others were mounted to the frame rails.......either bolted or welded, which to me would be heavier duty and a more desirable method. Any good hitch shop should be able to do that properly. You'll need to let them know what weight trailer you will be hauling.....both tongue weight and total towing weight. You may have to get heavier duty rear springs or helper springs added to keep the rear from sagging too much. Hopefully, you already have disc brakes on the front! Those little 9" drums are pitiful just for standard use. Add a trailer and you're in dangerous territory.

 

[Professor Fate]

Trailer Hitch | For A Bodies Only Mopar Forum
Trailer hitch | For A Bodies Only Mopar Forum

 

[Lord Sparky]

I think my car would break in half at the rust points. The undercoating is holding it together.

 

[BillGrissom]

Anything factory in 1964 would likely have been a flat-bar hitch. I don't recall the current square receiver hitches until the 1980's, and first on pickups. Strangely, my the factory hitch for my 1985 M-B 300D was a curved tube ending in a welded-on ball (I put a receiver hitch on mine). Hitches on cars have always been more popular in Europe and I think some Euro-cars still have those fixed balls. I don't have hitches on my A's, but put one on my 1965 C-body, which is similar underneath just bigger. I used a generic hitch from K-mart which has an adjustable square tube which attaches to the rear frame rails. It has the smaller 1.25" receiver (rated 3500 lb), and is a bit forward of the bumper so not very visible. I did pull a car trailer once, but mostly have used for a bike rack or hauling shelf. I have air-adjustable shocks on the rear, which helps. It would probably fit on my 1965 Dart.

 

[67Dart273]

I had a 2" receiver installed on my 70RR in San Diego in the early '70's. My old now gone electrical engineer friend's Dad, who was a retired USN chief, worked at a place called "Horner and Golem". I don't know what-all they did but but it was a big old shop. They tucked that thing RIGHT up against the fuel tank. "At the last minute" before I left the car someone said something about "melting my air shock tubing." I said something else and it turns out they intended to permanently weld the thing onto the car. "OH NO" I says.........I want to be able to pull that tank if I need to. So they made some very neat overlapping straps, welded those to the frame extensions, and bolted the hitch assy to them.

I towed a fair amount of stuff with that car, including a '70 Cuda from San Diego to N end of Idaho upon discharge. Made several "Jeep" trips to various, Lethbridge CA, Calgary, and Moses Lake, WA amoungst others.

 

[RustyRatRod]

I have a really heavy duty 1 1/4" receiver that bolts to the frame rails. I got it form a member here. It's really nice and very heavy duty. I was supposed to get pictures and measurements for @memike awhile back and forgot till I saw this.

 

[65 Cuda 340]

The hitch on my 67 Barracuda just bolts to the spare tire well up front, and to the rear valance. (I've replace the bumper since this pic was taken.)

The hitch my 65 Barracuda used to have bolted to the spare tire well up front, and to the bumper in the rear. Here it is in 1970.

Both hitches are obviously light duty hitches. The hitch on my 65 is long gone because my Dad hauled trailer loads of sand with it, which was enough weight to bend the crap out of the bumper and the rear legs of the hitch, and also left a 4-6 inch long rip in my spare tire well. He did the same thing to what is now my 67 Charger, bent the you-know-what out of the rear bumper and ripped the spare tire well.

I'm more careful with the hitch on my 67, which I found on a junkyard 68 Barracuda back when you could still find A body Barracudas in the junkyard. It is stout enough to allow me to haul a couple of motorcycles back in the day when I didn't have a truck. (I confess I'm a lot older and heavier now than I was when this picture was taken in the early nineties.)

I still have the 67, its hitch and the trailer my brother-in-law built, but the motorcycles are long gone. Here's what the 750 Honda looked like when I finished with it. The meth-head I sold it to ruined it.

 

[Charrlie_S]

Back when I was young(er) and foolish, I used a bumper to bumper tow bar to tow a 1963 Ford Galaxie 500 miles with a 64 Dodge Dart 170 3 on the tree.

 

[BillGrissom]

Here's what the 750 Honda looked like when I finished with it.

My first vehicle was a 1974 Honda 350-4, bought new. I noticed you changed to the 4-into-1 exhaust which was the rage then, and Honda eventually began selling them with that (~1976?). The same companies which had advertised 4-into-1 in magazines, claiming "30% more power" seamlessly switched to selling 4 individual pipes claiming "30% more power". Interestingly, the 1965 Dart HiPo came with a single exhaust because engineers found it gave more power than dual exhaust. Never liked riding a motorcycle and was thrilled after selling it and buying a used 1969 Dart slant.

 

[67Dart273]

The hitch on my 67 Barracuda just bolts to the spare tire well up front, and to the rear valance. (I've replace the bumper since this pic was taken.)

View attachment 1715728241

The hitch my 65 Barracuda used to have bolted to the spare tire well up front, and to the bumper in the rear. Here it is in 1970.
View attachment 1715728242

Both hitches are obviously light duty hitches. The hitch on my 65 is long gone because my Dad hauled trailer loads of sand with it, which was enough weight to bend the crap out of the bumper and the rear legs of the hitch, and also left a 4-6 inch long rip in my spare tire well. He did the same thing to what is now my 67 Charger, bent the you-know-what out of the rear bumper and ripped the spare tire well.

I'm more careful with the hitch on my 67, which I found on a junkyard 68 Barracuda back when you could still find A body Barracudas in the junkyard. It is stout enough to allow me to haul a couple of motorcycles back in the day when I didn't have a truck. (I confess I'm a lot older and heavier now than I was when this picture was taken in the early nineties.)

View attachment 1715728243

I still have the 67, its hitch and the trailer my brother-in-law built, but the motorcycles are long gone. Here's what the 750 Honda looked like when I finished with it. The meth-head I sold it to ruined it.

View attachment 1715728244

The REAL question is, do you still have that WIFE!?

 

[65 Cuda 340]

The REAL question is, do you still have that WIFE!?

Oh yeah . . . She's the one who bought me the 67 Barracuda and the two motorcycles. Plus, she's older now, of course, but, unlike me, she didn't put on any weight.

Running joke of ours is that when we first started dating, I asked her if her mother was fat. When she reminds me of that now that I've put on weight, I tell her she should have asked me that question.

 

[chinze57]

I have a really heavy duty 1 1/4" receiver that bolts to the frame rails. I got it form a member here. It's really nice and very heavy duty. I was supposed to get pictures and measurements for @memike awhile back and forgot till I saw this.

If you can get some pics that would be helpful. Might take it somewhere in Atlanta and see if they can’t make one.

 

[chinze57]

The hitch on my 67 Barracuda just bolts to the spare tire well up front, and to the rear valance. (I've replace the bumper since this pic was taken.)

View attachment 1715728241

The hitch my 65 Barracuda used to have bolted to the spare tire well up front, and to the bumper in the rear. Here it is in 1970.
View attachment 1715728242

Both hitches are obviously light duty hitches. The hitch on my 65 is long gone because my Dad hauled trailer loads of sand with it, which was enough weight to bend the crap out of the bumper and the rear legs of the hitch, and also left a 4-6 inch long rip in my spare tire well. He did the same thing to what is now my 67 Charger, bent the you-know-what out of the rear bumper and ripped the spare tire well.

I'm more careful with the hitch on my 67, which I found on a junkyard 68 Barracuda back when you could still find A body Barracudas in the junkyard. It is stout enough to allow me to haul a couple of motorcycles back in the day when I didn't have a truck. (I confess I'm a lot older and heavier now than I was when this picture was taken in the early nineties.)

View attachment 1715728243

I still have the 67, its hitch and the trailer my brother-in-law built, but the motorcycles are long gone. Here's what the 750 Honda looked like when I finished with it. The meth-head I sold it to ruined it.

View attachment 1715728244

that’s one good looking motorcycle.

I’m not planning on hauling anything big, but having a hitch would be helpful if I need to. Might be driving cross country this summer and would be nice to take a bike with me

 

[memike]

I have a really heavy duty 1 1/4" receiver that bolts to the frame rails. I got it form a member here. It's really nice and very heavy duty. I was supposed to get pictures and measurements for @memike awhile back and forgot till I saw this.

Wow, I forgot all about that yes, get a picture and measurements wold be very cool

The hitch on my 67 Barracuda just bolts to the spare tire well up front, and to the rear valance. (I've replace the bumper since this pic was taken.)

View attachment 1715728241

The hitch my 65 Barracuda used to have bolted to the spare tire well up front, and to the bumper in the rear. Here it is in 1970.
View attachment 1715728242

Both hitches are obviously light duty hitches. The hitch on my 65 is long gone because my Dad hauled trailer loads of sand with it, which was enough weight to bend the crap out of the bumper and the rear legs of the hitch, and also left a 4-6 inch long rip in my spare tire well. He did the same thing to what is now my 67 Charger, bent the you-know-what out of the rear bumper and ripped the spare tire well.

I'm more careful with the hitch on my 67, which I found on a junkyard 68 Barracuda back when you could still find A body Barracudas in the junkyard. It is stout enough to allow me to haul a couple of motorcycles back in the day when I didn't have a truck. (I confess I'm a lot older and heavier now than I was when this picture was taken in the early nineties.)

View attachment 1715728243

I still have the 67, its hitch and the trailer my brother-in-law built, but the motorcycles are long gone. Here's what the 750 Honda looked like when I finished with it. The meth-head I sold it to ruined it.

View attachment 1715728244

I miss my 550 4K fast and dependable, same paint, 4 to one headers, black and beuityful fast machine
Wish I had your 750, very nizze

 

[RustyRatRod]

Ok, here is my receiver hitch. I don't know WHERE this thing came from, but it's a NICE one. Probably JCWhitney, Montgomery Ward or Sears back when they all actually sold GOOD stuff, because it is STOUT. As mentioned, I got it from a member here. Blasted it, epoxy primed it and sprayed it with epoxy black. You SHOULD be able to duplicate it with the pictures and measurements. If you need something else, let me know.

 

[LO23M8B]

When I had my 65 Dart the hitch bolted to the frame rails and the bumper. Used it a few times to pull a car trailer with a vehicle on it no problems at all. It was a aftermarket unit. Not a receiver type.

 

[chinze57]

Ok, here is my receiver hitch. I don't know WHERE this thing came from, but it's a NICE one. Probably JCWhitney, Montgomery Ward or Sears back when they all actually sold GOOD stuff, because it is STOUT. As mentioned, I got it from a member here. Blasted it, epoxy primed it and sprayed it with epoxy black. You SHOULD be able to duplicate it with the pictures and measurements. If you need something else, let me know.

View attachment 1715728594 View attachment 1715728595 View attachment 1715728596 View attachment 1715728598

thank you rusty. Next time I’m under the car I’ll take some measurements and see how it compares and figure out if I can build one. I’m a competent mig welder and that looks simple enough.