Working Wagon!!

So my in-laws came down from Dallas this weekend and wanted to go on the lake Saturday evening. Then my son, brother, and some friends wanted to go out again Sunday, so the Roady lugged the boat to and from the lake twice this weekend. I used a full tank of gas towing and had all three rows of seats full of people and lake junk.

I love that car. Tows great, has zero issues pulling the boat up the ramp out of the water, and looks so good sitting in the line of SUV's in the parking lot with the empty trailer on it's back. It gets TONS of thumbs up and looks.

Yesterday there was a guy in an F350 Super Duty pulling out the same time I was. He was pulling out a small pontoon boat, and his wheels are spinning and he's slipping and sliding. I put the Roady in low and pulled right on out....not a lick of tire spin.

- Loading up. Look at that grass....can't tell we're in a drought can you? OUCH!

- Towing kiddos on the ski tube

- Having fun with the kiddos

- Sun setting over the lake and hills.

Nice way to spend the weekend!

-Mike

Mike, if you wanna see working. I'll have to post pictures of mine loaded with chairs, flowers, a portable podium and my purple strobe lights installed.

Towing a boat and he calls it working

The old gold run of the mill rusty roady had 22 bags of 88lb bags of cement in the back,.

Nick

This is working.

800 miles from home through the mountains in NY and PA at Interstate speeds (65 mph). Taken in northern South Carolina and we made it back in one piece!! And thats with a wonky tranny and 2.93 gears.

Bill

convert2diesel wrote:

This is working.

How much does that trailer weigh?

I like seeing these cars getting used! Who needs a SUV right? Ha!

I need to get a pic of the Roady in the parking lot at the boat launch, empty trailer on it's back, with 20 other SUV's and pickups with trailers on them around it. It really stands out!

So far I've lugged cars on my tow dolley, motorcycles on the trailer, the BBQ pit, and now this boat. I still need to get some variable-rate rear springs, but other than that it tows like a charm!

-Mike

I'm anxiously awaiting my school refund check to do new shocks and springs. Between moving my dorm room full of stuff up to Jacksonville, and hauling around 500 traffic cones for new-student move in, my poor rear end is a-saggin'.

No biggie, nothing rubs, and those air shocks have been in need of replacement for awhile.

jeffracer wrote:

convert2diesel wrote:

This is working.

How much does that trailer weigh?

5,500 lbs. dry. I don't carry any water while traveling (at 10 lbs/gal why use the extra gas?) so with luggage and vacation stuff about 5,800 lbs.

Bill

81X11 wrote:

I like seeing these cars getting used! Who needs a SUV right? Ha!

I need to get a pic of the Roady in the parking lot at the boat launch, empty trailer on it's back, with 20 other SUV's and pickups with trailers on them around it. It really stands out!

So far I've lugged cars on my tow dolley, motorcycles on the trailer, the BBQ pit, and now this boat. I still need to get some variable-rate rear springs, but other than that it tows like a charm!

-Mike

Mike:

Before you spend money on variable rate springs, remember they don't do anything for you until they hit about 1/4 compression. This means your already squatting at the back before the VRs kick in. Just find the highest rated conventional spring (I used the HD spring spec'd for the Roady sedan commercial chassis) that will work and use an airshock as opposed to the bags. New springs are rated for loaded hieght and load capacity. Your local parts store will have the charts.

Yes you have to change out the shocks every couple of years but they are cheap (70 bucks). Found the bags were prone to blowout and really had a hard time maintaining ride hieght when loaded. Maybe the bigger industrial grade bags are better but at 500 bucks a pair, you'd have to replace the shocks 4 or 5 times for the price of the bags.

Bill

Great to see you and yours getting so much use out of the boat.Bet the PO would never guess how much work you have put into it or how much use that it has seen in the short time that you
have owned it.As always great pics too.
JG

convert2diesel wrote:

81X11 wrote:

I like seeing these cars getting used! Who needs a SUV right? Ha!

I need to get a pic of the Roady in the parking lot at the boat launch, empty trailer on it's back, with 20 other SUV's and pickups with trailers on them around it. It really stands out!

So far I've lugged cars on my tow dolley, motorcycles on the trailer, the BBQ pit, and now this boat. I still need to get some variable-rate rear springs, but other than that it tows like a charm!

-Mike

Mike:

Before you spend money on variable rate springs, remember they don't do anything for you until they hit about 1/4 compression. This means your already squatting at the back before the VRs kick in. Just find the highest rated conventional spring (I used the HD spring spec'd for the Roady sedan commercial chassis) that will work and use an airshock as opposed to the bags. New springs are rated for loaded hieght and load capacity. Your local parts store will have the charts.

Yes you have to change out the shocks every couple of years but they are cheap (70 bucks). Found the bags were prone to blowout and really had a hard time maintaining ride hieght when loaded. Maybe the bigger industrial grade bags are better but at 500 bucks a pair, you'd have to replace the shocks 4 or 5 times for the price of the bags.

Bill

I've got those coil-over Gabriel "overload" shocks in the back now. I figured with the overload shocks and variable-rate springs that's solve the "squat" when towing. Had not heard about the commercial-grade springs, but will look into those. Rear springs are for sure my next wagon mod for sure. Thanks for the reply!

-Mike

Flasheroo wrote:

Great to see you and yours getting so much use out of the boat.Bet the PO would never guess how much work you have put into it or how much use that it has seen in the short time that you
have owned it.As always great pics too.
JG

Thanks Jim, and yes, I really want to show my buddy Jon his "old fishing boat" as he called it. I put the new seats and bow pads in it Friday. The carpet is spotless, the boat is waxed, new stereo and speakers, outboard is all tuned up and has a new starter, speedometer is fixed, diving platform is repaired, added anti-slip pads for climbing in and out for swimming, and repaired the bilge pump. I even installed "Big Dog" air horns on it and a Firebird steering wheel center..ha...you can sure hear it coming.

Such fun! I still want to get a bimini top and hopefully next spring move from a 50 to an 85hp outboard. The 50 runs good, and pulls a tube fine, but won't pull a skier up. It's just not that powerful, but fun for cruising around as it is. It's my first boat....learning a lot about them....and my family is sure enjoying it!



-Mike

We need more pics of your wife before we believe you!

Here's mine doing a little work!

Now thats a working wagon.Is it me or is that tailgate a little crooked?
JG

My tailgate is straight.........rusty, but straight. lol

Good to hear as it looks kinda crooked in that first pic.Great pics by the way of a wagon proving
a truck is always necessary.
JG

Ahhhhh, now I see what you are looking at.
If you look closer, the tarp that I laid inside the back is crooked, and makes the tailgate and rear area look out of square or crooked. Its just my tarp, as It kept sliding around on me!

This is my working rust bucket! My Caprice doesn't get treated like this!

I have a trailer so neither of my wagons get loaded up like that!I am sure they will handle it
easily but with a trailer it just doesnt make sense to me.The most weight I have ever put in
my OCC was 12 sheets of 1/2" 4x8 plywood!With the air ride it road pretty level but I knew
I had something for that 305 getting up to speed.
JG

Ok you guys all win! I give!

Its not about winning, its all about WAGONS!

With Air-lift air bags, theres no reason to be afraid to load my woody down! lol

Pat's got a pic of my working wagon from this weekend, but he won't be able to post it until his fair maiden is done making him pay dearly via retail therapy for paying more attention to wagons than her. Haha

I had 5 jackstands, a 20x20 tent, my stuff, and a big ole cherry picker that fit in there like the wedding night - all in the back of my Cavalier wagon. I only bottomed out half a dozen times, killed the battery, and had to drive back home with a leaking water pump, but my wagon was a workin' baby!

Edit = here tizz, as poached from the thrash thread.