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germanbilly
Samba Member
Joined: October 18, 2013
Posts: 378
Location: Victorville
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 Posted: Tue May 12, 2015 12:49 pm Post subject: Installing Thing Shop Skid Plate and Tow Bar Brackets |
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Installed the Thing Shop Skid Plate and Tow Bar brackets after talking to Thing Shop. This Skid Plat works great for attaching the Front Beam to the front bumper and gives a lot of added strength to the front bumper. Attaches to all 4 front beam bolts and to the front bumper. Have used this tow bar for years towing a BMW 318 behind our Motor Home.
GB
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Madkel
Samba Member
Joined: May 02, 2008
Posts: 106
Location: North San Diego County
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| Posted: Tue May 12, 2015 2:37 pm Post subject: |
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That looks great and will make hooking up the tow bar a lot easier to do.
Where did you get the tow bar that hooks up to the bumper and do you think it will be as strong as hooking the beetle tow bar up to the front beam?
Thanks
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germanbilly
Samba Member
Joined: October 18, 2013
Posts: 378
Location: Victorville
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| Posted: Tue May 12, 2015 2:53 pm Post subject: |
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| Madkel wrote: |
That looks great and will make hooking up the tow bar a lot easier to do.
Where did you get the tow bar that hooks up to the bumper and do you think it will be as strong as hooking the beetle tow bar up to the front beam?
Thanks |
I use a bar like this one http://www.ebay.com/itm/5000-LB-2-Arms-Universal-A...mp;vxp=mtr
I have had it for years. I just don't like having to crawl under the car to put the VW one on. Also I can check all the connections with out having to crawl under the car. I have used the front beam ones and they are a pain. Plus this one folds up and stores behind the rear seat.
GB |
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GI Joe
Samba Member
Joined: April 28, 2005
Posts: 2012
Location: Athens, TN
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| Posted: Tue May 12, 2015 3:11 pm Post subject: |
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Plenty of vehicles are towed from the front bumper, AS Long As the mount points are tied into the frame(wether it's unibody, or full frame)... Rv folks do it All the time..
POP Had one similar to Billy's on Our Thing back in the day... Never had an issue, never had any tweak age to the bumper/frame...
For the minimum time I tow Our Thing, the beam mount type works Fine for me, although I've got a VW specific flat bed trailer to use now.... 
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'74 Thing, "Our Thing"....
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'71 Beetle RPU
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8080337#8080337
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germanbilly
Samba Member
Joined: October 18, 2013
Posts: 378
Location: Victorville
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| Posted: Tue May 12, 2015 3:26 pm Post subject: |
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When you are traveling with a motor home and have a trailer with a car on it is a pain to find a place to park the trailer and the car as they take up so much space. Just unhook the car and park it in front of the motor home. And a lot easier to get going again.
GB |
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Al Capulco
Samba Member
Joined: October 31, 2005
Posts: 532
Location: Northridge, CA.
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| Posted: Tue May 12, 2015 9:25 pm Post subject: |
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| I still like the look of the factory front skid plate found on military 181, just harder to find. |
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lqqkatjon
Samba Member
Joined: July 02, 2013
Posts: 36
Location: St. Cloud, MN
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| Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2016 7:43 am Post subject: |
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| Al Capulco wrote: |
| I still like the look of the factory front skid plate found on military 181, just harder to find. |
Any pictures of that skid plate? still trying to decide if I should fab up a skidplate, connection between the beam and the bumper, or just buy the thingshop one.
I have a couple stowmaster 5000's I picked up used for about $50-100 each. they make great towbars, because like I said, they fold up to the bumper, and they slid around, so getting it on the ball is really easy. Locks in place when you pull forward.
the mounts also allow removal of the towbar as well.
http://roadmasterinc.com/products/towbars/stowmaster.html
have used many other types, just like the stowmaster over the rest.... but I would not spend $500 on a new one, they are numerous and can be found for alot less. I even found used base mount for my CR-V pretty easily for $100. |
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germanbilly
Samba Member
Joined: October 18, 2013
Posts: 378
Location: Victorville
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| Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2016 11:13 am Post subject: Re: Installing Thing Shop Skid Plate and Tow Bar Brackets |
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The pictures I posted are of the Thing Shop plate. It bolts to the beam at the bottom bolts and then has a bar that bolts from the top beam bolts to the bumper. The plate is almost as thick as the bumper and is very high quality. I have the brackets bolted to the bumper so the tow bar is just 1 pin in each side and it is ready to go.
GB |
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74 Thing
Samba Member
Joined: September 02, 2004
Posts: 7395
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| Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2016 5:49 pm Post subject: Re: Installing Thing Shop Skid Plate and Tow Bar Brackets |
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| How much do you guesstimate that the skid plate weighs and did you need longer beam bolts? |
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germanbilly
Samba Member
Joined: October 18, 2013
Posts: 378
Location: Victorville
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| Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2016 9:20 pm Post subject: Re: Installing Thing Shop Skid Plate and Tow Bar Brackets |
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Aprox 25 lbs and no did not need longer bolts. I checked the depth and the threads and the bolts do still catch all the frame threads.
GB |
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