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Wed May 22, 2013 11:43 pm

Sorry if this is a duplicate but I couldn't find anything on it with a search...

I'm looking for ideas on creating a class A style trailer hitch for my 72 Super...

I plan on also making a teardrop to pull with it, but before I invest to much time and $ on a trailer... I wanted to make sure I will be able to pull it.

Any specs or ideas out there (I'm sure this has been done plenty of times).

I have T bar bumpers (and no intention of going to a factory bumper again)... So my wonder is, can I build a tow hitch that mounts to the bumper mounts and it be strong enough to actually hold while pulling a trailer?

Any other thoughts on where to mount it?

Thu May 23, 2013 2:09 am

I used half inch thick steel drilled to fit the bumper mounting holes with a 2 inch angle iron crosspiece between them then welded a plate to the center to mount the hitch ball. this was on a 70 beetle.it worked fine for me, never pulled anything very heavy with it though, maybe 600lbs at the most.

Thu May 23, 2013 6:06 am

Jeredhedrick wrote: Sorry if this is a duplicate but I couldn't find anything on it with a search...

I'm looking for ideas on creating a class A style trailer hitch for my 72 Super...

I plan on also making a teardrop to pull with it, but before I invest to much time and $ on a trailer... I wanted to make sure I will be able to pull it.

Any specs or ideas out there (I'm sure this has been done plenty of times).

I have T bar bumpers (and no intention of going to a factory bumper again)... So my wonder is, can I build a tow hitch that mounts to the bumper mounts and it be strong enough to actually hold while pulling a trailer?

Any other thoughts on where to mount it?
You could probably fabricate something if you know how to weld.
Hit the junkyard and look for a fullsize truck with a frame mount hitch and cut the tabs off of it.
Shorten the beam and re-weld tabs on to mount to your existing bumper mounts.
Also, keep in mind that the teardrop is going to weigh around 900 - 1000 LBS once completed and stocked.

Thu May 23, 2013 6:29 am

It is always cool to see this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56XL0TysIn0

Thu May 23, 2013 10:20 am

That IS cool. Do you think it was bolted thru the roof? it looked like it was.

Thu May 23, 2013 11:04 am

77kafer wrote: It is always cool to see this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56XL0TysIn0

I was showing a coworker that video yesterday. I have made it my mission in life to track one of those down.

Fri May 24, 2013 10:51 am

I fabricated one for a '69 once out of a main leaf of truck spring. Mounted it inside the bumper between the brackets and welded a homemade piece to it from the inside to attach the ball. I pulled a 15-ft. Chris Craft V-bottom with a 40 hp Evinrude to the lake and back. Braking was squirrely on steep hills or around bendy curves.

You can buy a factory-type hitch which puts a cross bar under the transmission mount and bolts through a couple of holes. Then the rear support is bolted to the bottom of the rear bumper. It looks pretty nice and is very thick steel. However, the pretty hitch doesn't improve the braking. I modified one a couple of years back to make a front tow bar for my woods buggy. This picture will give you a general idea of what the hitch looked like before I got ahold of it!

Fri May 24, 2013 11:33 am

There are a few of them in the classifieds. Here is one...

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1447296