Date:         Sun, 28 Apr 2002 23:33:57 -0400
Reply-To:     "Karl M." <thewestyman@MINDSPRING.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         "Karl M." <thewestyman@MINDSPRING.COM>
Subject:      Ever seen a  Syncro TD tow truck?
Comments: To: Turbovan list <turbovans@yahoogroups.com>,
          Syncrolist <syncrolist@yahoogroups.com>,
          Synco list <syncro@yahoogroups.com>,
          Wetwesties group <wetwesties@yahoogroups.com>,
          FullMoonBusClub <FullMoon@hville.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Well.... I ran out of options to drag my new purchase home from western PA
to MD, so why not?

http://www.mindspring.com/~thewestyman/Ottotowtruck.jpg

For those who think a 1.9TD may be lacking in power...hills are a tad slow,
but he'll cruise at 65 mph in the flats! Pulled all but a few hills in the
.77 fourth gear or third. Try that with a waterboxer!

Oh yeah....the tow rig: the hitch is one of the common simple ones that
bolts to the eyelets of the rear bumper brackets, tow bar a common available
model, and a custom channel made to bolt directly to the van's front via the
four 8-mm bolts (this part fabbed by none other than Myron Lind of VA). I
attribute the success and strength of the rig to the allowance of flex in
the hitch bar (and a smooth driver!). Nothing came loose, nothing bent or
broke, in a 250-mile journey, some of it over rough secondary roads.
Amazingly stable, even with crosswinds--I think the rear van sway cancelled
out any sway in the tow truck. Call me crazy, but hey, it worked great!
Funny how Otto dwarfs a common ordinary 2WD diesel Westy. Who needs a tow
truck anyway!

Karl Mullendore
Westy Ventures
1987 Syncro Westfalia 1.9TD 'Otto'