Packard Forum Index » Pre-War (1899-1942)

I have owned a 5th series 526(?) for all or 2 days, and although I know that it is safe in it's current garage, (it has been there for at least 20 years). I am going to drive back 1,000 miles to go get it tomorrow. I made the same trip yesterday, but without a capable tow vehicle, so 3,000 miles in 5 days.

question is this, I believe it is a 526, so wheelbase I can find, but how wide is it? I don't have a trailer that heavy duty, I need to rent one, anything special I should care about? The brakes(?) are locked, so it will not roll, I have dollies. uhaul has 2 sizes available, the smaller lists a 133 wheelbase max, 79" width. The bigger one not at most stores.

newly addicted,


Ray,

mal should be along shortly. no worries ne is just a lil ocd.

anywho,congrats on your puchase. i would suggest a full trailer as opposed to a dolly. the tires themselves may not withstand the trip. i ran into this same kind of issue bringing my '52 home. i got a buddy with a flatbed wrecker to cut me a deal but this may not be a good option due to the distance. try penske also for trailers. sometimes they have them, and they're 85" wide.

before loading it check to see if its in nuetral,duh, and with someone else try to ease the wheels free with a good push. sometimes man power is enough, but have used a chain to pull a car loose too. most likely the pads are corroded to the drums. if the front wheels come free but the back do not it may be necessary to unbolt the driveshaft from the rearend.

just don't get frustrated. you'll get it home. good luck!

Purchase...., not me, it was my grandfather's first car, having been put away for "safe keeping" in or about 1948. "free to a good home" is about what my grandmother just told me.

Ray,

and I will add pics when I get it

Mike,

I've already "done my thing" in this thread.

Ray,

Sorry, can't help with the track or body width although I did look at the manuals in the Packard Literature and Manuals section here on PackardInfo but without success. Maybe somebody with a 526 or similar era Packard can help?

Ray,

Congrats on the family heirloom. What a wonderful way to have a Packard with 'history'.

I am experienced with towing a Packard 1000 miles on a U-Haul Auto Trailer. The 133 inch fit sounds right. With my Clipper having a 127" wheelbase, there was not a lot of extra room beyond the rear wheels, but it worked. (bumper was over the trailer slightly.)

I am not experienced with the width of a Packard 526, but think it is narrower than my 41 Clipper at the center. The trailer width of 79" sounds about right. My Clipper had only about 2" on each side to spare.

The U-Haul trailer with a left fender that folds down gives more loading width clearance. It also makes opening the driver door easy. I found that helpful.

Driving up onto the trailer can be daunting. It helps to have the wheels in a depression or shallow ditch to reduce the angle on the loading ramps.

My favorite setup is to winch the car up onto my friends trailer. That is slick and less dramatic on rocker panel trim pieces.

DanL

That's the ticket Dan! A come-a-long (racheting hand winch) is key. Try also placing a 2x4 under each of the ramps. The long wheelbase will cause the car to bottom out over the top of the ramps.

I've looked and looked but to no avail as to the width of you model. My 52 is 79 at the fender edges so uhaul was of no use. I'm making an educated guess though and thinking it may be a good option fir you as it couldn't be that wide.

I must've missed a previous post on your 526. Grandpa had taste. And insight! Driven until 48 would maybe lead me to believe that any "improvements" are vintage?

Hi Ray,

I have a 526 and a 533 in Spain.

If I take the 526 data form its "Tecnical Card", a spanish legal document with the technical information of every single car, I get that:

Total height: 76,0 inches (193 cm) /altura total/
Total width: 69,7 inches (177 cm) /anchura total/
Total length: 190,9 inches (485 cm) /longitud total/
Wheelbase: 126,0 inches (3200 mm) /batalla/
Body overhang beyond rear axle: 40,9 inches (104 cm) /voladizo de la carroceria/
Wheel track: 57,9 inches (147 cm) /ancho de vias/
Weight (empty car): 2673 pounds (1215 kg) /peso en vacio/
Maximun weight (full car): : 3608 pounds (1640 kg) /peso maximo/

Hope this will be useful for your 526.

The "Information PACKARD SIX Motor Cars" handbook says:

Shipping weight for Sedan is 4000 lbs. Ready for the road, add 200 pounds (water, gasoline and spare tire). I'm affraid that I have not made a good conversion from kilos.

No information about measures in this book.

When I was trying to find a way to get my '47 home from Illinois I found U-Haul to be a real "pain-in-the-neck." They wouldn't rent me a trailer until they confirmed that their equipment could handle the car. I had no problem with that but, of course, the Clipper wasn't in "the computer system" so I had to wait around for their corporate office to research the issue. A couple days later they called to tell me that they weren't sure if the their trailer could haul it safely. After another round of giving U-Haul the car's width, track, weight, etc...their corporate expert still couldn't give me an answer. Then he asked the dreaded, "who made Packard, anyways?" question. Arrgh!

Instead I contacted a couple of local businesses that sell trailers and found one that rents car-haulers. It was big enough and heavy enough to do the job with no hassles and it cost less than $100. Obviously, I don't know if this option is available in your area, but if it is, I highly recommend it. Besides, dealing with someone that actually knew something about trailers (as opposed to the $8/hr U-Haul clerk who's never heard of AMC, let alone Packard) boosted my confidence about the entire endeavor.

AND...regardless from whom you rent the trailer from...make sure it has a spare and heavy duty tie-downs. If I remember correctly, U-Haul wasn't going to provide either item.

Lastly, I wish you luck getting the car on the trailer. The fellow I bought mine from had an old wrecker that he used to winch the car up onto the trailer. It was a bit nerve-wracking watching the tow line stretch and hearing the car groan, but it worked and nobody got hurt. Without that, I think the four of us would still be trying to shove that beast up those ramps!

Good luck on the wonderful inheritance. (A 526 sure must beat getting Grand-pap's beer bottle-cap collection!)

U-Haul started to give me the same run-around (no Packards in the system).
I had the weight, wheelbase, dimensions data and the rental guy was very helpful. He entered the data into his computer and was able to use that to verify that their trailer fit those vehicle dimensions.

It helps to have a clerk that does not have to ask, "What's a Packard?" or "You said Hewlett-Packard?" or "Is it a Green Bay Packard?

DanL