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Bkhansen93
Samba Member
Joined: July 14, 2018
Posts: 207
Location: Coal City, Il USA
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 Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2019 7:28 am Post subject: Tow'd Questions |
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| What makes a Tow'd a Tow'd? It seems to me to essentially be a tiny sand rail. What is the wheel back on these things? |
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joemama
Samba Member
Joined: February 09, 2006
Posts: 1636
Location: La Crescenta, California
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| Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2019 10:18 am Post subject: Re: Tow'd Questions |
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| The Towd was one of the buggies designed by Bruce Meyers. It also featured a tube that could be slid out of the frame and used to tow the buggy. Hence "towd" |
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Bkhansen93
Samba Member
Joined: July 14, 2018
Posts: 207
Location: Coal City, Il USA
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| Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2019 8:57 pm Post subject: Re: Tow'd Questions |
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| I got that part. I know about its origins and such. More or less I’m just wondering if it is essentially a short, lifted sandrail with a unique chassis. Never seen one in person but from what I can tell, the chassis at least isnt too complex or hard to duplicate. |
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jsturtlebuggy
Samba Member
Joined: August 24, 2005
Posts: 4496
Location: Fair Oaks/Orangevale, CA
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| Posted: Wed Jul 31, 2019 8:03 am Post subject: Re: Tow'd Questions |
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The Tow'd was made to be towed to a location for off road driving in the dirt. That is what Bruce designed it for.
They can be use in the dirt, sand, or what ever you want to drive it in.
For sand use a sand rail will usually out perform them as it they were lighter back in the day. Yes I saw Tow'ds in the dunes back in the early 1970s.
If you are over 6ft tall they are not made for you, as there is not a lot of leg room.
Wheel base was close to 80in.
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Joseph
Fair Oaks/Orangevale, CA
Elrod Motorsports
Motion Tire Motorsports
Having fun with Dune Buggies since 1970
Into Volkswagens since 1960 |
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manxvair
Samba Member
Joined: January 11, 2011
Posts: 231
Location: Arizona
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| Posted: Wed Jul 31, 2019 10:24 am Post subject: Re: Tow'd Questions |
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| Bkhansen93 wrote: |
| I got that part. I know about its origins and such. More or less I’m just wondering if it is essentially a short, lifted sandrail with a unique chassis. Never seen one in person but from what I can tell, the chassis at least isnt too complex or hard to duplicate. |
From what I understand recreating the Halo loop of the chassis is the hurdle, the way it was bent back in the day has been the challenge to mimic the original. |
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jsturtlebuggy
Samba Member
Joined: August 24, 2005
Posts: 4496
Location: Fair Oaks/Orangevale, CA
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| Posted: Wed Jul 31, 2019 12:01 pm Post subject: Re: Tow'd Questions |
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The chassis is 2-1/2in diameter tubing that is actually two pieces welded together. Left and right side of the tubing mirror each other. You can see where welds are looking at the chassis.
They are known to break where the formed metal that use to attach the torsion housing is welded to main chassis. I have seen this on more of them then I can remember.
They need reinforcement there.
I think they are a great little buggy and I did own at one time. It is in Australia now.
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Joseph
Fair Oaks/Orangevale, CA
Elrod Motorsports
Motion Tire Motorsports
Having fun with Dune Buggies since 1970
Into Volkswagens since 1960 |
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BL3Manx
Samba Member
Joined: August 29, 2006
Posts: 6767
Location: Northern California
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| Posted: Wed Jul 31, 2019 8:26 pm Post subject: Re: Tow'd Questions |
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I don't know of any sandrails where you are physically sitting on/in a fiberglass body. There are many sandrails which have fiberglass panels covering their frame but none where the firewall, center console, floors, seats and cargo bay are a single fiberglass molding. All Tow'ds were made by B.F. Meyers & Co. between 1968 and 1971. There have been copies but they're not Tow'ds
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