Anyone tow a car with the 1977 American Clipper

[clearblueskymind]

Hi Everyone, I've had my 1977 Clipper since around 1993 and I love it!  I'm just wondering, someone told me long ago not to tow a car because the hitch and chassis were not built for it.  So, I never have.  Is that true?  Has anyone towed a small car behind their Clipper?  Every now and then I think it would be convenient to have a car but I just didn't want to damage anything.  Thanks, Richard

[Toedtoes]

You'll want to have your hitch checked out fully before towing anything.  The clippers didn't come with hitches - they were added after market.  Because the actual chassis ends well before the end of the clipper, many folks just connected their hitches to the plywood rather than to properly attach it to the chassis.

I had mine checked out and was told not to tow and to not put any more than 50lbs on the hitch (bike rack, hitch cargo tray, etc.).  The bouncing around of 50lbs of weight could easily rip out the hitch.

The hitch can be reinforced properly to allow for towing, and many folks do tow small boats, etc.  I was told the most common toad (tow vehicle) used was the Jeep Wrangler - it's lightweight and can be towed flat on the ground (no lifting of the front end needed) so it puts less downward pressure on the hitch.

[clearblueskymind]

Thank you very much for your answering my question.  I've been away from reliable internet access for a while.  But now that I'm settled I have reliable internet access again. For now I'm still not towing anything but I have had a bike rack on the hitch for years and it has held up nicely. Did you get my question about the awning?  I'm trying to find out what the original 1977 awning was made of.  Thanks so much for your kindness and support in the world of American Clippers.