Gotta tow some stuff

Vango Conversions · Posted: Thu May 16, 2013 12:33 pm Post subject:

If you already have a van and you need to tow a couple bikes or a quad every once in a while, go for it.

If you're looking at getting a VW van to tow with, I honestly can't think of a worse tow vehicle. VW transmissions aren't that strong for towing and they're very expensive if you break them. You can buy a decent truck just for the price of a new VW transmission.

Let's see, weak transmission, weak engine, weak breaks, short wheelbase, sounds like a great tow rig!

0to60in6min · Posted: Thu May 16, 2013 4:18 pm Post subject:

I used to tow a 15' boat full of camping gear and stuff with my 85' 1.9 WBX... I have seen people tow a full westy camper with a westy...

do you need to tow something heavier than that?

danfromsyr · Posted: Thu May 16, 2013 4:31 pm Post subject:

yeah guys but he's asking to tow with an aircooled van in the VT & NH Mtns

in a situation where the overtaxed aircooled engine drops a valve seat and you have to leave a trailer with 2 motorcycles (valuable?) on the side of some random mtn road.. quite likely where there's a steep or long grade.

not saying I don't tow the wrong things at times. but certainly take terrain into account..
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nelinor · Posted: Fri May 17, 2013 12:07 am Post subject:

crukab · Posted: Fri May 17, 2013 2:31 am Post subject:

Here you go nelinor :

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Snort · Posted: Fri May 17, 2013 6:18 am Post subject:

Would love to see more pics of trailer, with goats inside please

Vango Conversions · Posted: Fri May 17, 2013 1:13 pm Post subject:

At least if you're towing a trailer with a motorcycle and you break down, you'll be able to ride the motorcycle home or to get help Laughing

crukab · Posted: Fri May 17, 2013 5:16 pm Post subject:

Snort · Posted: Fri May 17, 2013 6:35 pm Post subject:

I think a case could be made for posting this in the pictures of dogs in vans topic.

tarandusVDub · Posted: Wed Dec 31, 2014 2:31 pm Post subject:

I love that photo of the goats in the van ~ classic.

I am contemplating towing this spring, and have searched for info on how often folks have put 5 or 7 pin plugs in for trailers with brakes?

I was thinking of putting a Toyota 4 pin/7 pin combo plug in my bumper with a brake controller in the cab, but may have some issues with making the electronics work ~ anyone do install this type of system or similar that has worked well?

Happy New Year!
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greggearhead · Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2015 4:34 pm Post subject:

As I think it has been presented here pretty well -

Can you tow with a Vanagon or Eurovan? Yes.

Are they good to tow heavy loads with? No.

My 1990 Vanagon has a hitch, and I would have no problem towing my cycle trailer or other smaller load (<1500lbs). Any more than that and I would look at getting a dedicated tow vehicle.

I've owned a full-size 3/4 or 1 ton truck ever since I started buying and selling more vehicles, and needing a real truck to haul things for the house. Could I have used a VW for some of this work over the last 20 years? Probably. Would it have been as easy or safe? No.

For me - a car trailer and a full size truck are a requirement. Maybe not someday, but for the foreseeable future, I use them a lot more than I thought I would.

Edit - forgot to add. I towed a Formula Vee on a common 4x8 trailer, using my Quantum Syncro eons ago. Loaded facing forwards, with lots of tail weight, it wagged around a lot. Backed onto the trailer, it towed absolutely awesome.

With that same Syncro, I flat towed a 2wd Toyota pickup that likely outweighed the Syncro, and had no problem until I needed to make a sharp, off-camber/uphill turn and the truck pushed the Syncro a LOT in slow motion.

Use your best judgement
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tarandusVDub · Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2015 4:57 pm Post subject:

Here is the puzzle I'm trying to piece together.

This spring I need to go back east to pick up some inherited family belongings, and get ready to sell my parents house. I so badly want to take the van on this road trip for personal time, and to visit some friends on the East Coast and then down to North Carolina to pick up our belongings. I would live in the van for a week or so as i was sorting through house stuff and doing some landscaping, and then a straight shot home to Montana.

Would my van be up to the drive back with a small u-haul trailer, probably not more than 1200 to 1300 pounds total? The 84 westy 2wd manual is in really good shape with a 2.5 liter Subaru conversion, big brakes up front and disc brakes all around, & a rebuilt tranny by Daryl at AA a couple years ago.

Most of the way back obviously is pretty flat, although lots of wind in the middle part of the country can slow you down quite a bit. I certainly don't want to burn anything up or break anything, but would so love to take the van on this trip. Adding a brake controller and 5 pin tow system seems like a good idea but not sure at this point.
_________________
1990 Syncro 16" DoppleKabine 2.1 DJ 112i
________________________
Sold: 1972 Bay Campmobile; 1984 Westy, base model, 2WD.

danfromsyr · Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2015 5:01 pm Post subject:

what hitch do you have? and make sure that U-haul will even rent to you before you commit.

but with ~165hp yeah you'll be fine.. just drive sensibly and look far down the road for potential issues.

tarandusVDub · Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2015 5:29 pm Post subject:

I have RMW Pikes Peak bumpers with the 2" ball. Good thought on checking with u-haul. They have a 4x8 that is 850# and a 4x10 that is 900#. I'll go with the smaller one if possible. The furniture I'm picking up won't weigh more than several hundred pounds. What is your thought on trailer brakes?
_________________
1990 Syncro 16" DoppleKabine 2.1 DJ 112i
________________________
Sold: 1972 Bay Campmobile; 1984 Westy, base model, 2WD.

thatvwbusguy · Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2015 6:13 pm Post subject:

Trailer brakes are great as long as they are set up right to work with the controller. In my area, the UHaul trailers don't have brakes until you get up to a 12' trailer.

I have a Stealth Phantom2 5x10 all aluminum trailer that tows great, but I have never loaded it up with much weight when pulling it behind the van. I have considered installing an electric brake kit on the trailer and a brake controller in the van, but have been holding off until I have an absolute need to do so (and to keep all my friends from asking if they can borrow the van and trailer all the time when they have big stuff to move)...

It looks like the only open utility trailer UHaul offers for towing with a Vanagon would be their 5x9 Utility Trailer w/ Ramp (no brakes on this model). http://www.uhaul.com/Trailers/5x9-Utility-Trailer-with-Ramp-Rental/RT/ With pickup in Boston, MA and dropoff in Seattle, WA the base charge would be $805.00. You would need to know the weight rating of the Pikes Peak hitch to allow you to rent from UHaul as well.

You could probably find a good condition used 4x8 utility trailer on craigslist for about the same price and have something to keep or sell to recoup some of the money once the trip is over. Maybe someone here on thesamba needs something brought from out west to the east coast (engine conversion, transaxle etc), which could help to pay for some of your gas money along the way...
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tarandusVDub · Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2015 6:27 pm Post subject:

Great ideas Jay thanks. I need a closed trailer though to protect a piano etc. Did you determine what a vanagon could haul on their website based on tow capability? I like the idea of buying a trailer rather than renting as I need one anyway but for long term have been looking for an open utility trailer. I'll look up your model to see what is like.
_________________
1990 Syncro 16" DoppleKabine 2.1 DJ 112i
________________________
Sold: 1972 Bay Campmobile; 1984 Westy, base model, 2WD.

thatvwbusguy · Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2015 7:02 pm Post subject:

The trailer I listed is an open utility type, but they do have fully enclosed as well. Maybe a used snowmobile hauler would do the trick? They seem like they are really light weight and I see them for sale in the northeast on a regular basis.

A piano is probably more weight than you want to pull with a Vanagon unless you have really good brakes on the van and brakes on the trailer. I helped move a full size classic upright piano a couple years aho that weighed about 700lbs (but felt much heavier, since it was so ungainly to handle. Not a very good time to say the least. Since the weight of the frame and the soundboard both favor the rear of the piano, it made the trailer really sketchy on the highway.

I'm sure a horizontal (baby Grand etc) piano would be more friendly to trailer, but will probably take more people to lift safely.

I would definitely try to figure out the exact size and weight of the stuff you need to haul, then plan the smallest trailer possible to present the least strain on the van. And don't forget to get the load rating of the hitch in writing from RMW or UHaul won't be renting you anything.
_________________
Jay Brown
'85 Zetec Westfalia
Newmarket, NH

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.
If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

tarandusVDub · Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2015 7:08 pm Post subject:

It's an ancient small upright, more sentimental than anything, but I may be underestimating the weight. Will try and get more info on that first, and some documentation from RMW.
_________________
1990 Syncro 16" DoppleKabine 2.1 DJ 112i
________________________
Sold: 1972 Bay Campmobile; 1984 Westy, base model, 2WD.

Abscate · Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2015 7:09 pm Post subject:

Up to 2000 pounds total trailer plus load no trailer brakes required. Keep your speed at 60 or less. Tongue weight of at least 10 % of load , measured with a scale, is essential for stability. You can't guess at this or test it with your hand, measure it!

I tow loads between 500-5000 pounds for one of my businesses with my Eurovan.
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IdahoDoug · Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2015 10:26 pm Post subject:

Just a thought for you. We moved across country using a large open trailer and had a full dining room set and piano on it. I went through your same decision process between buying an enclosed or the non enclosed. Here's how you haul delicate stuff on an open trailer. Get a huge 90 dollar truck tarp twice as long as your trailer. Lay tarp in trailer and put objects on it and pull rest of tarp over them for full wrap. Secure by rolling excess UNDER objects. Now full streaming rain rolls off outside and no spray comes up from underfloor. We had zero water problems in thousands of miles. So buy a Craigslist trailer back east, repack the bearings and pull your stuff home.
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