I have a 1966 Ford F-100, it has 156k and is in good condition.

I also have a 2005 Smart car, aprox 1500lbs. It is obviously a very small car, about 6 feet or less, end to end.

And, finally, I am moving from NH to CA.

Can the Ford reasonably be expected to be able to make that trip while towing the smart car?

Bonus points if you think that the truck can make the trip with the smart car in the truck bed (yes, it will fit).

 

You didn't mention if your truck is a 6 or 8 cylinder?, if it's a 6 banger I don't know? but if
it is a 352 it probably will if it's in good running order and the trans is OK? is it standard shift or auto? what rearend gears do you have? all of these things come into play when your hauling a load or pulling a trailor?

 

I had a 66 f100 with a 6-cyl and 4-speed. It towed the lighter stuff (like your car) with no problems. Keep in mind i am in flat land Kansas so i don't have much experience with the mountains.

 

I would say, if you think the truck will make the trip, then I wouldn't think the car would have that much effect on it. Will you have to mount the car up or will it fit between the wheel wells? If you had to put it up on a stand of some sort, I would worry about the wind resistance.

 

As long as the truck is in good working order I think it should do it with no problems... especially if it will fit in the truck bed and can be positioned where the majority of the weight is either above or forward of the rear axle.

 

Does your driver's door still have its data plate? Is your maximum gross vehicle weight shown as 5000 pounds? If it's a 2 WD F100 that's the most it can be - it could be less. (4 WD F100s could be 5600 #). As your truck weighs @ 4000 pounds by itself, the most weight Ford wanted you to put in the bed is 1000 pounds. That was with a new truck 46 years ago with new springs and shocks, not to mention drivetrain and brakes. How new are these components in your truck now? I don't have any data for maximum towing weight. You'd probably be OK there - if your truck is mechanically up for the trip. It certainly has the potential to be an adventure. Good luck!

 

You certainly make a good point. I wasn't thinking about max gross weight...just that it'd be easier to haul than tow.

 

First off, I would love to see a pic of a smart car in the bed of a slick!

Second, I imagine it weighs more that 1000# so it would likely be overweight, as has been mentioned, which causes a multitude of problems in steering, handling and braking.

Lasty I might also worry about just the integrity of the 40+ year old sheet metal bed if I was loading it with a smart car. These beds rust and the supports rust, but if a tire is over the ribbed metal only the concentrated weight might make it actually break thru the older rusted metal of the bed.

Come to think of it, NumberDummy weighs over 300 pounds, if you could get him to stand on the bed where each tire would set, you could get a good idea. As a bonus, he lives in CA, so he could spell you while driving and he would be home when you get there.

 

I second this motion!!! Shall we call for a vote??

 

Let me chime in here as a former 66 F100 owner, and someone who has a lot of experience flat towing,
DONT DO IT!
If you're flat towing, the brakes on your truck simply aren't adequate for stopping 2 vehicles. If you put it in the bed, all the weight is gonna be on those dinky little wheel bearings in those old 9" axles. I sure as heck wouldn't trust that for a cross country road trip.
The only way I'd do it is with a proper car trailer with trailer brakes.

 

Sounds like solid information to me. I can tell you I have come down the Mountain passes in Colorado with a trailer, and I was glad to have brakes.

 

Well hmmm,,,,, since I have redone the brakes on my 66,, and front wheel bearings and am very confident in it,,, personally it wouldn't bother me to put it in the bed and head down the road,,, are you mechanically inclined? I mean you do own a "smart car" (HAD to say that,,,!) so the jury is still out on whether they work,, I know for a fact,, eating lots of "Smarties" doesn't alter smartness at all, so,,,
Maybe go load 1500# of bagged concrete/something dense, heavy and easy to load/unload from your local Lowe's and take it around the block,, see what you think about driving 4000+ miles like that,,, Years ago,, we had a 12' Cab-over camper on our 66 F100,,, took it everywhere,,, till dad weighed the combo and found out the camper was about 3300# then he crapped his britches and unloaded the camper, never to be in the truck again,, I share this for the fact, that if your truck is in good condition,, you have new shocks,,, might need air-bags,, and are confident in your driving abilities,, should make for a nice trip,,, as stated,, I would do it,,, but then again,, I am confident in my Truck, my driving abilities and have seen it done,,
And yes,, I have towed for many years and many thousands of miles,, and still do,,, are you going to be over your GVWR,, possibly,, but not by a large amount, and as I said,,I would get the exact weight of your payload,, heck,, buy/borrow a couple ramps and drive it up in and see if it fits,,, if it does,, go around the block or two,, and see what you think,,, I for one say go for it,,,,
(disclaimer,,,only you can decide and take the personal responsibility for your decisions,, and being that we live in a WAY overly Litigious society,, anything I have stated here is all hypothetical and can in no way be held responsible for you spilling hot coffee on yourself and whining that it was hot and wanting a million bucks for your stupidity,,,)

Joe

 

Better measure the puppy again, cuz it's 8' long, at least the US version is. The European version might be a little shorter, because the bumpers are different.

My next door neighbor has a Smart, also has a Hummer II or whatever it's called with a Chevy engine.

He bought the Smart two years ago, when a gallon of regular gas was over 5 bucks a gallon here in LA LA Land. And it's fast approaching five bucks a gallon again.

It's laughable watching him drive up the steep hill we live on. The Smart putt-putts along at about 15 MPH. It's get up and go...got up and went!
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Great Caesars Ghost scooterdude, if I could fit in the cab of one a these trucks, I wouldn't a sold my one owner 1965.

Bought it when I was 20, weighed 185 and wasn't afflicted with spinal stenosis and arthritis. Sold it, cuz I couldn't drive it anymore.

The OP lives in NH, so he'll have to find another fat guy to test the bed strength. And, just wait until he attempts to negotiate Wolf Pass in the Rockies with that Smart in the bed. It's no picnic without a Smart.

He'll be putt putting along at about 15 MPH, hope his trucks cooling system is OK.

 

That road (Wolf CREEK Pass-US160) is the reason I bought my current F250. Every summer I tow my Jeep CJ from Colorado Springs to Durango CO to go 4 wheeling. The 460, 5 speed, and big dual piston power disc brakes make all the difference when towing in the mountains.

 

Even if the OP's Smart Car did fit into the bed of his F100, I think the center of gravity (CG), - causing the load to be somewhat top heavy - would be higher than what a cab-over camper would present.

Although an example of how the CG effects the stress on the axle bearings escapes me now, I am confident that the higher CG would put MUCH more strain on those 9" rear wheel bearings than carrying the CG load lower in the bed.

I would not recommend you haul a Smart Car across town, let alone across the country (over the mountains yet!) in the bed of your F100 truck.

I would, however, have no problem suggesting you tow the Smart Car on a trailer equipped with brakes, given your truck is mechanically sound.

Personal experience: I hauled a '69 Mustang on a utility trailer, I stuffed the car full of auto parts in it, under it, and around it on the trailer (which had no brakes; not legal nor smart!). The tow vehicle was my SWB '65 F100 that wore a topper. Inside the topper was stuffed full of tools & household stuff. The trip was from TX to MI and I experienced no travel issues, but realize that was practically a FLAT trip- a BIG difference! No, I didn't scale any of it, but I'd guess the truck, cargo and trailer tongue weight total was close or over the 5,000-lb GVWR.

Good Luck! Let us know what you decide & how it goes!

BarnieTrk