Just like so much of life, the evolution of car carriers was always in the direction of more. More cars per load, that is. Here’s a typical load of big Cadillacs in 1960.
And below is a load of 1965’s; 50% more of them.
Car Carriers of the Day: From Four Cadillacs to Six In Five Years
– Posted on August 8, 2020
At our dealership, while we do have large “stinger” type carriers hauling in 8 to 9 cars on a load, we have numerous, if not more of the 3-car haulers pulled by one ton trucks. Heck I even see a few 2-car carriers being pulled by single wheel heavy-duty pickups. The latter are usually newbies with plates not authorized to haul the weight of three cars; heck the trailer itself will weigh three or four tons. Actually saw one with a bumper hitch pulling about 15k pounds. Truck frame was bent, already. I assume these one ton trucks just haul from the rail yards in town. I’m gonna assume they have lower overhead costs.than the class 8 rigs.
Only one ’65 Fleetwood….Sad news!
Carrier with the 65’s on it is pulled by a Chevy E-80. The E series was a version of the GMC B series with a 6V-53 Detroit Diesel, an engine better known for making noise than power.
6V-53, You got that right, screaming Jimmy, can you imagine riding inside a armored personnel carrier with that Jimmy screaming in your ears? Turbocharged versions were pretty decent for power. The regular ones were kind of like a screaming child, whats all the fussing about?
Those B series sure disappeared pretty fast, I don’t recall ever working on one or even seeing one at the dealership. Probably mostly owned by fleets doing their own service work.
It was one of those trucks that got junked first time it needed more engine work than an ‘in frame’. Diesel powered GMC B’s, Dodge CN’s, International Fleetstar A’s, diesel powered Ford N’s. Tough to get the engine out, usually had to remove the cab completely. Yes, they were popular with fleets too.