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Flickvw
Samba Member
Joined: June 28, 2014
Posts: 21
Location: South Dakota
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 Posted: Sun Aug 31, 2014 9:43 am Post subject: Prepping Ghia for towing with a VW tow bar |
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| I have been reading the posts related to this subject. Most deal with using a drop hitch and adding 11 to 18 inch extension as well. I have a VW tow bar and would like to tow ours behind our RV on trips next year. Is there anything I should do to prep the car for this or check in route occasionally to make sure I am not damaging anything mechanically? We have a 1971 with manual transmission. Thanks. |
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iowegian 
Samba Curmudgeon
Joined: February 16, 2005
Posts: 9829
Location: Somewhere between Dubuque and Keokuk
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| Posted: Sun Aug 31, 2014 3:32 pm Post subject: |
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Transmission in neutral (double check this)
Steering column UNLOCKED.
Disconnect battery. |
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kiwighia68
Samba Member
Joined: October 20, 2013
Posts: 2875
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
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| Posted: Sun Aug 31, 2014 3:33 pm Post subject: Re: Prepping Ghia for towing with a VW tow bar |
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| Flickvw wrote: |
| I have been reading the posts related to this subject. Most deal with using a drop hitch and adding 11 to 18 inch extension as well. I have a VW tow bar and would like to tow ours behind our RV on trips next year. Is there anything I should do to prep the car for this or check in route occasionally to make sure I am not damaging anything mechanically? We have a 1971 with manual transmission. Thanks. |
Do you have a photo of the VW two bar? I'm going to ask someone to manufacture one for me - not to tow anything but to carry 2 bicycles. I saw one at The Fop's yesterday - the real VW one - but I would like to have one made with a removable hitch part right at the back.
_________________
Festina lente - hasten slowly
1968 Ghia named Emiko
Resto completed Dec 2015 |
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didget69
Samba Member
Joined: July 22, 2004
Posts: 4927
Location: Raleigh, North Carolina
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| Posted: Mon Sep 01, 2014 8:12 am Post subject: |
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^^^ I think you might be confused on the OP's use of towbar? HOW do intend to put bicycles onto a towbar that isn't used for towing?
bnc
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I never found the need to impress people with any mechanic certifications, trophies or track wins... unless it was for Mom to post on the refrigerator door. |
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RHough
Samba Member
Joined: May 12, 2013
Posts: 299
Location: Canada
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| Posted: Mon Sep 01, 2014 9:17 am Post subject: Re: Prepping Ghia for towing with a VW tow bar |
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| Flickvw wrote: |
| I have been reading the posts related to this subject. Most deal with using a drop hitch and adding 11 to 18 inch extension as well. I have a VW tow bar and would like to tow ours behind our RV on trips next year. Is there anything I should do to prep the car for this or check in route occasionally to make sure I am not damaging anything mechanically? We have a 1971 with manual transmission. Thanks. |
A few things to look at. The Ghia is low and the nose is long. A standard VW tow bar will fit but may interfere with the front bumper and limit the up and down movement. On my '72 I pulled the front bumper off to get some clearance.
Second is height. The tow bar should be as close to level as possible. This required a drop hitch on my Honda Pilot. On some driveways the hitch or tow bar might hit the ground. No big deal if you are careful.
Last is turning. The Ghia nose / standard tow bar brings the Ghia very close to the tow vehicle. Some people have damaged either Ghia lights or the tow vehicle lights. I used a hitch extender to give me piece of mind.
That said I towed my car home from Colorado to British Columbia at normal towing speeds with no problems at all. I checked the tires, wheel bearing temp, and transmission temp at every stop once I was sure the car was happy I just drove.
If you are concerned about the odometer ... pull the cable off the speedo to prevent logging towed miles.
Cheers,
Randy |
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mountainkowboy
Samba Member
Joined: April 06, 2008
Posts: 951
Location: Socal
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| Posted: Mon Sep 01, 2014 12:06 pm Post subject: |
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Back in the day when I had a lot of Ghia's I took a standard tow bar and extended it 10"s it was rather easy and eliminated the interference issues that are common with a Ghia and a regular VW tow bar.
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Chuck in Socal
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71 Super Convertible...DD
78 Honda CB750K
06 Honda CR-V (wifes)
63 IH Scout 80 "Beater" |
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NOVA Airhead
Samba Member
Joined: July 20, 2005
Posts: 5221
Location: Richmond, VA
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| Posted: Tue Sep 02, 2014 7:28 am Post subject: |
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As mentioned extend the tow bar but also add safety chains to the hitch side and the axle side. The hitch side cradles the bar in the event it becomes uncoupled. The axle side safety chains wrap around the beam in the event a cotter pin come loose.
What to check? Just take a look around to make sure your pins are still in place and the hitch is secure. Also that the car is still in neutral.
Also check what your RV manual says on the drop. Mine says no more than 4 inches.
You may want to consider some type of shield in front of the car. You will kick up a lot of dirt even with a mud guard.
I did a trip last summer through the US in my RV towing my Thing - about 5K miles without a problem. Here is a pic from a stop along the way:
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Ghia Owner Emeritus |
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