Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2000 15:04:29 -0400
Reply-To: The Bus Depot <ron@NETCARRIER.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: The Bus Depot <ron@NETCARRIER.COM>
Subject: Re: trailer hitch for sale...
In-Reply-To: <000a01c012c7$d7d31260$ce2bd5d1@8>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
> Ron... what is the load capacity of the hitch you sell... load and tongue
> weights please. And for the list... how much can a vanagon reasonably
> tow... I know the big issue is brakes, but is there a towing load rating
> somewhere?
The hitch is genuine VW/South Africa, and designed specifically for the
Vanagon. It replaces the stock bumper brackets and pushes deep into the
frame of the vehicle. Included are two sets of bumper brackets, one for
metal bumpers and one for Wolfsburg plastic bumpers. It is neccessary to
bend (metal bumper) or notch (plastic bumper) the bottom of the bumper just
slightly to clear the hitch, but the minor modification would be underneath
the bumper where it is invisible once installed. (Interestingly, the
plastic Wolfsburg bumpers actually have a little mark around where the notch
should be; perhaps the German version of this hitch required the identical
notch.) The hitch comes with a 1-7/8" ball. While the ball does fit U.S.
spec trailers, the way it mounts to the hitch European spec, meaning that
you would not be able to buy another sized ball here in the U.S. if 1-7/8
didn't meet your needs. However, some customers/listmembers have reported
that they had a receiver hitch mount fabricated for it for about $75 at
trailer or welding places, after which you could use any size you wanted.
Volkswagen did not see fit to include a load rating for the hitch, but
anyone who has seen it would agree that it is a monstrous unit, very heavy
duty. This is not at all like the lightweight one that has been sold
aftermarket in the U.S., which has only about a 100-150 lb. tongue weight
and can only support the smallest of utility trailers. It is a safe bet
that the hitch could probably handle more of a load than the Vanagon could.
Regarding the Vanagon's towing load rating, I don't recall what it is but I
believe it is listed in the owners manual.
As I said, these hitches are currently backordered and will not be in stock
for about 8 weeks. Part number is S121.
- Ron Salmon
The Bus DepotŪ, Inc.
www.busdepot.com
(215) 234-VWVW
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