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jeremyrockjock - Bus tow bars - [email protected]
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vintagevolks
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 12:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Looks like I need to add one of these to my Christmas list.. Laughing
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70Crew
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 28, 2006 10:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I bought the collapsible tow bar a few months ago and just used it for the first time. I put it on a 1970 crew cab. I had to remove 1 grease zerk and the stabilizer bar. All said, the first installation took maybe 1/2 hour. The printed instructions were helpful. No problems with fit. The 2 piece feature was really helpful, I'd recommend spending the extra $50.

I towed the crew cab about 8 hours on the freeway, pulling it with a Honda Pilot. It didn't like sharp corners - a function of what you are towing, not the bar itself. Other than a little noise over bumps, it pulled flawlessly. Great product, professionally built, quick shipping. Nice job Jeremy.

A word of fair warning - take lots of money on your trip. Gas mileage was dismal, and the toll booths nick you for being in a different class (goes by # of axels?).
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airkooledchris
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 05, 2007 5:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

is there one out there that will fit a vanagon by chance?
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jeremyrockjock
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Joined: January 01, 2002
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Location: Richmond, Verjinya
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 09, 2007 7:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

No, sorry they don't fit a Vanagon.

I have improved the design to make it so that you don't have to take the steering dampener loose. Now all you have to do is slip it on and install the pins.

Quote:
A word of fair warning - take lots of money on your trip. Gas mileage was dismal, and the toll booths nick you for being in a different class (goes by # of axels?).


I hear ya. I towed a bus to NJ and it cost me crazy money at the toll booths. I was not happy.
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Sunroofgod
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 6:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Excellent product and quality! Thanks again Jeremy, the tow bar works great!
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lickity split
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 11, 2007 10:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've had mine for 3 1/2 -4 years. I own a VW shop. I have used it more than 50 times and loaned it out more than 15 times. Never one problem or complaint.

I took a 90 Jetta front bumper and drilled 2 holes in it so the bolts can go through and I can use it to tow 85-92 Jettas and Golfs. It works great.

Just 1 question.
1) can you modify the bar I have to the newer style so I don't have to remove the steering dampner?

Thanks a million. A very happy customer.


Ronnie
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j0nathan67
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 12, 2007 6:19 pm    Post subject: jeremy really helped me out customizing my tow bar!!! Reply with quote

jeremy is a great guy, he took my bug tow bar that a guy was supposed to have converted to tow a bus and it broke. jeremy welded his removable bus adapter on it and i have used this to bring a 66 bus from SC to TN 250 miles and i used to tow a 78 camper from TX to OK and then OK to TN almost 1300 miles total and this thing followed all the way home nice and straight and was easy to hook up here are some pics good luck if you need a bus tow bar deal with this guy and he'll hook you right up!!
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.
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Olde Volks Place
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 6:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have read all 3 pages and I like what I have read about quality,helpfullness with issues etc. However I am new to the bay window scene and know nothing about damper removal and only recently found out it having a booster (7Cool westy. I would feel better about buying one if these issues would be handled and all I had to do would be to hook up and take the steering lock off and go.

I also do not see any gussets for strength and that concerns me after having a beetle snap a new tow bar in half. I found out later that the ft beam kp/lp needed rebuilt so I feel that is what caused the tow bar to fail. as the ft tires would snap hard to the left and right even at low speed turns and I mean 5 mph they would still rack real hard. I say that to say this I think gussets add strength to the weak areas and would be a good addition.

I will be talking to the builder soo to address these issues and place an order.
keeping them alive and on the road (beetle)55,60,61,63,64,65,67, and a 78 Westy.
Brad
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jeremyrockjock
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PostPosted: Tue May 01, 2007 6:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hey Brad, I only gusset the two piece model due to the joint. Also The beetle tow bars are not a thick as schedule 40 pipe. My tow bars are much heavier. Another thing is a beetle tow bar only has one cross bar. That allows it to twist easier. The bus tow bars have two cross bars. I have build approx 230 of these by now and only have heard of the issues addressed in this thread. Also the new model is made so that you don't have to remove anything from the bus. Just slip it up and pin it.
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VW JUNKY
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PostPosted: Thu May 03, 2007 6:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hey, can I retrofit my my towbar i got from you to make it so It won't get in the way of the stabalizer? Point being that I used it today getting my towtruck back to my house after the guy dropped it off across the street. I had a heck of a time getting the stableizer off to use the bar.
by the way it is a great bar and heck i had to beg my friends to let me have it back! LOL!
later
Erick
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jeremyrockjock
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PostPosted: Fri May 04, 2007 7:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here are some drawings of how to modify the older design to clear the steering dampener.
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Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

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EL DUB
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PostPosted: Sat May 26, 2007 4:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Great bar, restoring my bus and dragging the thing all over the place, its quick and easy to hook up and makes life a helluva lot easier. Fast shipping and great product thanks again.
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i1970blivit
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 29, 2007 12:37 pm    Post subject: VW Bus Tow Bar - Review Reply with quote

Bought the $250 Collapsable Bar from Jeremy in May 2007. Great quality item. Dealing with Jeremy was straightforward. I have used it to tow my 1970 Bus with my Toyota Land Cruiser 1200 round trip miles so far. Interstate Driving was tricky until I got the hang of it. Any speed over 55 on level or slight decline requires constant acceleration to keep the bus from squirming. Averaged 62 miles per hour with top speed of 74 in parts of I-95 in South Carolina.

Here is how it looked when hooked up.

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Plan to tow from Washington DC to Virginia Beach in July for a week at the beach.

Thanks Jeremy.

AL
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mrlimbo
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 8:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

VW JUNKY wrote:
Hey, can I retrofit my my towbar i got from you to make it so It won't get in the way of the stabalizer? Point being that I used it today getting my towtruck back to my house after the guy dropped it off across the street. I had a heck of a time getting the stableizer off to use the bar.
by the way it is a great bar and heck i had to beg my friends to let me have it back! LOL!
later
Erick


That is my only complaint with this towbar. My 67 has a sway bar on it and it hits the towbar putting pressure on the pins. Even with the drop hitch on the tow vehicle, I still have to lift the tow bar and its resting on the sway bar. I bend pins in it quite often. I've got a few thousand miles on the bar without any other trouble. But either because the bus doesn't turn fast enough on sharp corners or the pressure of the sway bar on the hitch, it bends pins.

I've been thinking of revamping the bar to clear the sway bar. And perhaps putting larger (1/2 inch) pins instead of the 3/8 inch pins it came with. I tow'd a 64 bus without a sway bar and it didn't bend the pins. It actually seemed to work better, the turns were better and it tracked behind the Eurovan like it wasn't there.

I figure a two inch drop below the beam and the sway bar won't interfer at all.
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kdwelker
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 30, 2007 10:46 am    Post subject: tow bar Reply with quote

Jeremy! Thanks for the tow bar and fast shipping...I'ts a beauty...Ken
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jeremyrockjock
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 06, 2007 4:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

It has recently come to light that there are beams somewhere between 1965 and 1967 that have the steer dampener on ther driver side of the beam. I am trying to come up with a way around this without loosing too much strength at the clamps but right now on these particular beams you will still have to take the dampener loose. Sorry. It is tricky making something universal for so many years and styles of bus beams.
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islandveedub Premium Member
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 09, 2007 10:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for posting this Jeremy. I had purchased the towbar for my bus, and thought there was a mistake because the clearanced bar for the steering stabilizer was on the passenger side, but my stabilizer is on the driver's side. I was thinking of clearancing the driver's side according to the diagram posted above, but don't want to sacrifice the strength. I'll probably just remove the stabilizer when I tow. I wonder if a previous owner changed my beam, cause my bus is a 62.

Aside from that, the tow bar is very well made. Nicely painted, solid welds and good fit. Jeremy kept in touch the entire transaction and sent me a tracking number.
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weinerwagen
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 09, 2007 4:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Do one for us Vanagon folks, you got a buyer

My diesel Vanagons run forever, its the freaking air cooled 80 that dies like flys
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nohabusguy
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 16, 2007 7:05 pm    Post subject: Tow Bar Reply with quote

I bought this tow bar around 3 years ago, but just finally got around to using it this weekend. I towed my 67 double cab behind my Honda Pilot and went about 440 miles roundtrip to attend a VW show in New Jersey. For any one that is apprehensive about towing, and in particular towing an old bus, this was my first time towing anything. I had to take off the steering damper, which is very easy -- just a 17mm ratchet and its off in a couple of minutes once you crawl under the bus. A previous post indicated a problem with a bus outfitted with a sway bar -- I echo that concern. I opted not to take off the sway bar, and in doing so, you need to lift up the bar (putting pressure on the sway bar) to get it on the ball hitch. If you do not take off the sway bar like me, I highly recommend getting a drop hitch (purchased from U-Haul for about $60) -- I could not get the tow bar on my ball without dropping it quite low. I did not have any problems with the zwerk grease fittings on either side of the beam as the tow bar cleared them just fine. On the freeway it towed great -- I generally went the speed limit (either 55 or 65 mph) and if the bus started to squirm, I just slowed down for a couple of moments. Overall, the tow bar appears well made and would I highly recommend this to anyone!!
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VW JUNKY
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 24, 2007 5:30 am    Post subject: Dude please make tow hitches for splits! Reply with quote

Hey, i have seen your latest hitches and they a look awsome! How about a hitch like the old westfalia hitches for the splits! With maybe a 2inc reciever instead of the old permament ball! You could tie into the axel tubes like the westfalia hitches like you do with the front tow bars!
Check this site for old hitches.

http://so23westfalia.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=67&Itemid=50

later
Erick
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