Towing recommendations, questions.

[jseabolt]

I've got a 1998 Chevrolet 1500 Express, 1/2 ton , 5.7 liter engine. I took my Trabant to a car show in DC this past weekend. The van did great (hit 138,000 miles on the way back to Tennessee) but as you can see in the photos, the rear end is squatted more than I think it should.

 

I think some of it has to do with the design of the U-haul trailer. Although I secured the car with some ratchet straps I used the ones that wrap around the front wheels of the car. So this threw some of the weight of the car toward the front instead of the axles on the trailer. I believe if I centered the car on the wagon, it would have taken some of the weight off the tongue.

 

My question is if I installed some air shocks would this help?

 

I installed the biggest rear swaybar on the back Addco had to offer and this made the van more stable at highway speeds.

 

I considered installing some 1 ton leaf springs in the rear but that might be overkill.

 

My other question is this van is listed as a 1500 Express. I found some air shocks on Ebay for a 2500 Express. Dumb question but GM's truck designation has always baffled me. I'm assuming a 1500 is a 1/2 ton and a 2500 is a ton or 3/4 ton?

 

Would the air shocks make any difference? I mean no matter wheather the van is a half ton or a full ton, wouldn't the same shocks fit either?

 

[kevin_nj]

1500 is considered 1/2 ton, 2500 3/4 ton.

Couldn't tell you if shocks would be interchangeable or not.

No doubt, that's not a very safe setup as it sits.

Ideally you want 10-15% of the total trailer weight on the ball. It's more than just how it looks.

[Duelin]

Keep in mind that those Van Conversion Companies ordered the cheapest units that they could to maximize their profit. Then add their decals and accessories and etc. Now if you are going to do a lot of towing I would put heavier springs or at least helper springs on it. Shocks are a matter of choice. But i would get a Weight Distribution Hitch. That way you can keep everything on a level plane when towing. This will give you starting point to research if you think you might want to go that way.

 

http://www.reesehitches.com/product_categories/weight_distribution_hitch?gclid=CJffndnGiMkCFY-VfgoddL4Ctw

[jseabolt]

Yeah you would think as much stuff these conversion companies add onto these cargo vans, they would have ordered a ton or at least a 3/4 ton to compensate for the extra weight. Especially as much as they cost when new.

 

Dad had a 90s Ford F350 15 passenger van. It had a higher center of gravity but was a ton and was much more stable on the highway.

 

Monroe does not seem to off their Max-Air shocks in a 1/2 ton (1500) but Gabriel does offer air shocks for the 1/2 ton.

 

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/gab-49231/applications/make/chevrolet/model/express-1500

 

So if I added air shocks to raise the rear end when towing, would this be just as good as installing 3/4 ton or 1 ton springs?

 

The van's 5.7 liter engine pulled the car and trailer just fine so I don't think I exceeded the towing capacity. I don't know the weight of the trailer but my Trabbi weighs 1300 lbs. Of course I had 4 adults and 1 child and luggage to add to the mix.

 

Dad used to do allot of towing with a camper with his 76 Chevy pickup back in the day. It is a trailering special 454 big block. It was a 1/2 ton but he had 3/4 ton springs installed it in after we bought a slide-in camper.

 

I seem to recall him having one of these weigh distribution hitches. I know the camper was at least 20 foot long. Holiday Rambler.

 

I'd love to restore this pickup. It's currently just sitting out in the field....

 

 

[Duelin]

Keep in mind that springs are for carrying the weight and shocks are to dampen the rebound from the springs. And if you lift the weight off the springs with the shocks. Then the shocks will be carrying the weight.

[desrtrat]

if you were going to tow the car a lot. i would invest in a good used, or new lite weight car trailer. those U Haul's are heavy with serge breaks. then you can use a weight distribution hitch, and E breaks..

 

more info on the car please..

 

[jseabolt]

if you were going to tow the car a lot. i would invest in a good used, or new lite weight car trailer. those U Haul's are heavy with serge breaks. then you can use a weight distribution hitch, and E breaks..

 

more info on the car please..

 

It's a 1981 Trabant 601 "S". It was made in East Germany from 1957 to 1991. Mine is the 1964 to 1991 body style. It was discontinued about a year after German reunification.

 

It has a 2 cylinder, 2 stroke, air cooled engine. It makes 26 BHP. Top speed is around 60 mph. Gas mileage varies. I get 35 mpg where others you live on "flat lands" say they get up to 50 mpg. I just have to push mine harder to make it up hills.

 

I wanted one when I saw them on TV back in 1989 when communision in Eastern Europe was crumbling. And wanted one every since. I had to wait about 20+ years to import one because most states like Tennessee won't allow you to register anything newer than 30 years if it was never sold here.

 

Here are some photos. There is also a sub directory of photos I took at the Parade of Trabants in DC this past weekend.

 

http://s222.photobucket.com/user/turbofiat/library/Trabant?sort=6&page=1