Date:         Tue, 6 May 2003 15:38:33 -0400
Reply-To:     David Brodbeck <gull@GULL.US>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         David Brodbeck <gull@GULL.US>
Subject:      Re: Tow Hitches any for sale or borrow? a little help?
In-Reply-To:  <14BA86B4.0B9EEFC5.007135B8@aol.com>
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

On Tue, 6 May 2003, Steve Cotsford wrote:

> I rented a U-Haul dolly but in order to do so I had to provide a heavy
> enough tow vehicle with a "class 1" hitch.

If your tow vehicle can take the extra weight, I've had good luck towing
VW vans on U-Haul Auto Transporter trailers.  This gets all four wheels
off the ground and gives you a little wider stance.  I'm sure Vanagons tow
fine on dollies but they look so tippy to begin with that I've never been
comfortable with it. ;)  The Auto Transporter also is equipped with surge
brakes, a definate plus.  (Of course, U-Haul can rent you a truck to tow
with, but that gets expensive.  They won't let you rent a pickup for this,
they insist you need a 19' van to tow with.)  I towed a '75 bus with a
Ford E-150 this way, and an '82 Vanagon with a 19' U-Haul box truck.  The
trailer was stable even at high speeds.

I prefer to load the van on the Transporter back end first.  It probably
doesn't matter, but I always worried that loading it the other way would
tip too much weight off the tongue and cause fishtailing.

(Off-topic tip:  Don't try to put a 2-door Honda Civic on an Auto
Transporter unless you plan on crawling out the window.)


David Brodbeck, N8SRE
'82 Diesel Westfalia
'94 Honda Civic Si