Winter Beater Build 2.0- '66 Short/Fleet BBW

[theastronaut]

Finally got around to building a more substantial hitch than the one it came with. I used 1/4" wall 2.5" tube, 1/4" plate, and split a 2.5" tube diagonally for braces. It mounts using existing holes and is mostly hidden- nothing hangs below the bumper or bed sides.










It was a tight fit getting the receiver tube to clear the bed and the drop hitch to clear the bumper. Ended up being 1" higher than the trailer ball when the trailer is level, I can live with that.




Also installed a trailer brake controller. I wanted something as hidden as possible with proportional braking, Redarc's Tow Pro Liberty fit the bill with a remote mounted box and only a small control knob to mount on the dash. I had already wired it for a four pin trailer harness, so I bought a 4 to 7 adapter/socket and only had to run a wire for the brakes to the socket.









First trip with the hitch and controller fitted- 690 miles round trip to a Festiva show near Raleigh NC.






I stopped at a truck stop on the way home to weigh it.. it was a bit heavier than I was expecting, and explained why it was more sluggish than I thought it would be. It did really great flat towing the other Festiva, I didn't think the added 1300 pounds of the trailer would make as drastic of a difference as it did, but I've also added the camper shell since then and it's pretty hefty. This is about the limit of what the 250/3 speed can pull and reasonably keep up with traffic. The weight ticket was with me out of the truck and off the scales, about 1/8th tank of gas, and some parts and camping equipment in the bed. Add my 170 pounds and a full tank and it was just under 7500 pounds. The rear air bags and relocated shocks handled the added weight with no issues- zero sway or instability even at 80 mph, but its underpowered or at least undergeared when you hit steep hills- the wide ratios of the 3 speed means you can't downshift unless you drop to 45-50.