TheSamba.com :: View topic - Educated Guess/Actual Knowledge on Bumper Towing

Sun Nov 09, 2008 5:21 pm

Towing 80 Vanagon 700 miles + and want to use a standard type of RV extra vehicle tow bar. Two U shaped barckets will be attached to front bumper with 1/2 inch bolts through holes drilled in bumper. Question?: Willl the bumper and the 4 bolts holding the bumper to bumper backplate be able to stand the pull.

Sun Nov 09, 2008 5:45 pm

Sun Nov 09, 2008 6:56 pm

To expand on Bill's emphatic no, I'll add the observation that that front bumber is WEAK!! It's thin metal that will bend if you stand on it, absolutely not strong enough to use as your tow anchor points. No way, no how.

Sun Nov 09, 2008 7:02 pm

The front bumber is just a skin of sheet metal over a heavy duty underneath.
I've seen several Vanagons with tow bars on them, but I'm not sure how they put them on, I'm pretty sure they drilled through the bumper.
IT might be easier just to take the bumper off and attach it to whats underneath.
How you do it, I don't have a clue, but I know it has been done before.

Sun Nov 09, 2008 10:04 pm

Roadmaster is the only company that makes a towing setup for the Vanagon. I have one on my '87 for towing behind a motorhome. You will need to drill a few holes under the front end. It doesn't involve the bumper, which as everyone agrees is worthless. Do a search for Roadmaster baseplate VW. Several dealers carry them. I also posted a couple of photos last year.

Mon Nov 10, 2008 6:13 am

I have a 'Tow'd / Dinghy' set up that was on the first Westy I owned.
This steel subframe bolts under the front of the Vanagon, and was used to tow the Vanagon behind a large motorhome.
It was custom made and is WAY overbuilt, but still tucks right under the van, it was used to tow a Westy all over the US. Frame runs across the front behind the bumper, and down the sides of the spare. I have the tow 'A' frame needed to hitch to the tow vehicle.

I can send pictures for you to copy, or I would love to sell it.

This frame was fabricated from standard steel parts, any welding shop could make one, if shipping costs are too high.

Mon Nov 10, 2008 7:00 am

as to your first question, you cant just bolt it to the bumper "skin", the chrome/shiny thing. you first have to remove that, two bolts under the black rubber pads, and then possibly teh end caps if they are bolted on. then you can use any tow bar, and simply bolt it up to the real bumper. it is thick and plenty sturdy. i work at rocky mountain westy, and we have designed a tow bar just for a vanagon. heavy duty and nice looking. www.rmwesty.com we dont have it on the website right now, but you can find all the contact information available via the website if you are interested. but if you have a towbar, you should be able to bolt it up to the van with minor effort.

Mon Nov 10, 2008 9:06 am

My apologies to Rocky Mountain Westy for saying Roadmaster was the only source. When I was looking for a tow setup for my Vanagon I did not find yours.

Mon Nov 10, 2008 9:55 am

swmontana can you post a picture of the roadmaster brackets. i'm debating on using those or making a custom off road looking bumber with brackets welded one.

Tue Nov 11, 2008 9:45 am

VWLOVR See here:http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=231459&highlight=roadmaster

Tue Nov 11, 2008 10:08 am

I have taken the chrome bumper off and towed several vanagon's this way. Here is a picture of my set up

You can also go to www.vwtopia.com/towbar and look how I did it.

Tue Nov 11, 2008 10:15 am

Yikes!

I don't think I'd go 800 miles with a vanagon suspended by two bolts.

Something that bolts to the front subframe seems like the way to go

Wed Nov 12, 2008 8:18 am

It all looks good towing in the dry. It gets a little hairy on new asphalt in a rain storm trying to slow down. Luckily no one was coming the other way. In my case, I was pulling a rabbit with a rabbit. Even though the tow bar was securely mounted to the rabbit, when it jack knifed, the tow bar twisted like a pretzel and then side swiped the car I was driving. I had nightmares for 6 months. Ever since, I use a flat bed trailer behind a suburban or I call a towing company. Your results may vary.

Wed Nov 12, 2008 4:17 pm

swmontana wrote: VWLOVR See here:http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=231459&highlight=roadmaster

thanks, duh, search. i'm still undecided. i think for the price of those brackets i could make or get made a custom off road lookin bumber with mounts built in and not lose approach angles like i would with those brackets.

i better figured it out fast, we're going full timing in january!

Wed Nov 19, 2008 10:27 pm

It might be overkill, but when we went to set up a tow bar for my '82 westy I welded two lengths (approx 1 foot long) of square steel tubing under the frame on the bus, purchased a stowmaster tow bar, and then made brackets that plugged into the square steel tubing with standard tow pins under the bus and attached through the towbar with large bolts, which still allows the tow bar the up and down movement. Towbar plugs into a 2" receiver on the back of a friends truck/RV. I've been towed a total of about 2,000 miles this way no problem.

I would never trust the bumper, and would question even the metal behind it.

Wed Nov 19, 2008 11:29 pm

Since my # 1 Westy was towed back from Pendleton OR via a strap/chain white knuckle all the way through the Columbia River Gorge and all of there splenduous crosswinds.....( still cannot believe we made it the 200+ miles w/o ticket or accident :oops: )I have only towed Westy's with a Tow Dolly- rent one/borrow one/buy one and save the other hassles. You also will be many peoples best friend when they need roadside recon.....just my.02 :D Wind storms, rain and incliment weather are then much less of a factor....

Thu Nov 20, 2008 6:35 am

DBibeau wrote:
I would never trust the bumper, and would question even the metal behind it.
If you can't trust the metal behind it, it's probably not worth moving. That is one stout structure. I cut 2 windows into it to get the nuts installed for the 2nd bolts. Must be 14 or 16 gauge steel.
Actually, the load involved in towing in normal circumstances are extremely low. I'd guess no more than a few hundred lb.
Shear forces on the bolts while turning might be somewhat higher than that.
Braking is where bigger forces come in, but most of that should be compression on the bar itself, not the bolts.
Many states say that towed loads over 1500lb need brakes. There are actually devices to do this, (Tow Buddy) but not cheap.
the neat thing about flat towing is that it uses very little fuel, because the towed vehicle is in the envelope of the towing vehicle.
I think I got about 12mpg pulling one Vanagon with another. Stopping was a little dicey, though. Pulled a Vanagon with my wife's Grand Cherokee 1600 miles, piece of cake.
Al