Text by Patrick Bell.
Today we have a gallery of tow vehicles and trailers in a variety of settings. Most of the vehicles are cars, and most of the trailers are of the recreational type, with a few U-Hauls used for moving. Cars as personal tow vehicles used to be the rule, but of course now they are the exception. These images are mostly from the 50’s and 60’s with one from the 70’s for good measure, so hitch up a chair and enjoy the ride.
In the first image, we have a pleasant looking couple with a ’62 Plymouth Sport Fury hardtop towing a Trailblazer camper. The Sport Fury was a late entry in the ’62 model year, reviving a nameplate that was previously used for one year in ’59. Plymouth’s new downsized restyle was not selling well and this was a way to boost sales. They came standard with bucket seats and a console, and had a unique grille, wheel covers, and other exterior trim. The 318 V8 with a 2 barrel carburetor was also standard. From the looks of the air cleaner on this one, I would say it had one of the larger, 4 barrel equipped engines. It looks like it was running hot, with the hood open and a puddle of water on the ground. The front license plate is not an official one, but it does say ‘Grand Canyon’ across the top and ‘Arizona’ on the bottom.
The camper has an air conditioner on top, and bringing up the rear is a ’57 Ford Custom or Custom 300 Fordor Sedan.
An image search reveals this is Route 66 in the Ozarks, which would mean Missouri. It must have been a slow go in this ’53 Chevrolet Bel Air 4 door sedan towing a West Wood Trailer Coach that is longer than the car. It is a warm summer day and the lady on the left has a picnic basket style purse.
A Cadillac would certainly be a powerful and comfortable tow vehicle and I am sure this ’56 Series Sixty-Two Coupe was no exception. With a canoe and a small pop up type trailer this one does not seem to be overloaded, but the canoe might cause issues on a windy day. The car also has a made to fit bug shield, and it is a warm day perhaps in the southwest USA.
“On the way to Florida” is how this photo is labeled in a search, presumably for a fishing trip. It looks like a truck stop in the background, and I am not sure about the large building. The tow car is a ’55 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Deluxe Holiday Coupe that could use a set of whitewalls to brighten it up, and the boat and trailer both look new. In the background is a ’54 Chevrolet Bel Air 4 door sedan.
The Silvanus’s may be snowbirds. A search brings up a caption that indicates they are heading back north after a Florida trip. They are well equipped for life on the road with this ’57 Ford Country Sedan with an Illinois license plate with a matching boat and very nice looking camper.
This gentleman looks like he is ready for spring but winter just won’t let go. The featured tow rig is a V8 powered ’57 Chevrolet Two-Ten Townsman (six passenger) or Beauville (nine passenger) wagon with a matching camp trailer. The car was registered in Spokane County, Washington, where the seat is a city also named Spokane.
Here we have a ’57 Plymouth Custom Suburban 4 door with a V8, Sportone trim, and towing a small camper. They are parked in a picnic area of a seaside park in a tropical looking location.
This is likely a late spring or early summer photo but it does not look very warm. A plain looking ’63 or ’64 International Travelall with a custom bumper and towing a small camper. It makes me think of a U.S. Forest Service truck but there is no door sign. International was an independent company whose specialty was farm equipment, but they were ahead of their time in many ways as this large, four door, SUV body style is very popular today.
Another comfortable tow car, a ’62 Pontiac Bonneville Vista in resale red with a Cree camper. It is equipped with towing mirrors that are clamped on the doors instead of the fenders. The lady behind the wheel looks like she is ready to go.
Moving day in or out of a duplex with a ’62 Dodge 330 4 door sedan and a U-Haul trailer. There is a new plant in the yard protected by a small fence.
One more moving day, this time with a clean ’64 Ford Country Squire and a 14 or 16 foot U-Haul, with a ’63 Chevrolet C10 bringing up the rear. The grass is green and the flowers are blooming so it is a summer day.
What IS that down the road? Three out of the four seem to be interested. They are traveling through farm country in a ’63 Mercury Colony Park towing a Corsair camper with the front roof extended to make room for a bed. It appears like they pulled off the road in a shady spot for a rest or perhaps a meal.
A nicely restored ’62 Chevrolet C10 Custom Cab Fleetside short wheelbase pickup from Oregon is towing an Aladdin camper trailer. The ranch style house is located at the bottom of a hill.
The load looks full and the passengers are outside the car. This ’68 Plymouth Fury VIP 2 door Fast Top with a license plate I can’t read is towing a large pop up camper and the low sun is in everyone’s eyes. The VIP was the luxury version of the Fury, their answer to Ford’s LTD and Chevrolet’s Caprice. The LTD and Caprice were much more successful as the LTD name lived into the eighties and the Caprice into the nineties while the VIP name died and was forgotten after a four year run. This car was equipped with one of the ‘Commando’ V8’s, which was the 383 or 440.
In the carport is a ’68 full size Ford, the driveway a ’60 Comet 4 door sedan, and speaking of Caprices next door is a ’67 Sport Sedan.
Tire changing time. I have done it many times on the road but it has been a long while since the last one. This ’72-’75 International Travelall from Michigan has a full load, including a motorcycle and a pop up camper. It looks like a cold day in the desert. 1975 was the last year for the Travelall and pickups. Increased competition from GM’s restyled 4 door Suburbans in ’73 plus the fuel crisis finished them off. The Scout model soldiered on for five more years until it too bit the dust.
Thanks for tagging along and have a great day!
I can only imagine that poor ’53 Chevy’s 216CID Babbit Pounder wheezing along with that massive trailer .
From the late 1950’s through the mid 1960’s we had IHC Travelalls, good trucks when you had 6 brats .
No trailers though, we used a Cottage tent all over New England .
-Nate
It’s got the 235 six. Same engine used in hundreds of thousands of big Chevy trucks hauling big heavy loads. Yet folks kept buying them…
55 Olds 98, 324V8 240hp 4sp castiron Hydromatic, leave it in third gear and it’ll pull like a road tractor. ( still on the night shift Patrick?)
The photo with the U-Haul and the two door Dodge in front of a duplex, looks like a typical military housing unit for lower ranking enlisted members.