Date:         Thu, 24 Jun 2004 12:13:43 +1000
Reply-To:     STEPHEN OVERMYER <S.OVERMYER@UWS.EDU.AU>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         STEPHEN OVERMYER <S.OVERMYER@UWS.EDU.AU>
Subject:      Re: Towing a Vanagon with a Vanagon
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

 
The weight of a towed load should not exceed the weight of the towing
vehicle...
According to my manual for the T3,the max towed weight the van should
not exceed is (on a trailer with brakes) around 1500kg.
The weight of my van (not a full camper) is given as 1550kg.

However...I have towed right up to that limit, and probably slightly
surpassed it and did not have any problems what-so-ever, other than a
fairly high fuel bill, as one would expect.

I took a car trailer weighting at least 350kgs,probably more, and drove
around 400kms to collect a '76 VW Double Cab
that I was buying for parts for my '76 DC that I had at the time....the
gates alone were worth more than the purchase price....:)
The weight of the '76 DC is quoted in the manual of that year to be
1190kgs...so as you can see the DC plus trailer
combined weight was pushing it. I also had one passenger with me who
came along for the adventure....:)

We drove up and collected the truck and headed back the 400-odd kms the
following day in gale force winds.
I took it easy, rarely going over 80kph (50mph)...not because I couldn't
but because I wanted to stay completely in
control should some idiot cut me off or whatever...I kept the van
generally in 4th gear too, rarely if at all using 5th.

The return trip included unpaved roads,steep-ish climbs up and down
mountain roads. It took us all day to complete the
trip however the van performed the job flawlessly. No overheating, no
hill I couldn't tackle, no brake fade down the other side.
The waterboxer may not be overly powerful but it does have the torque to
pull a load like this and the brakes were quite adequate for the
task.Sure,I was down to 2nd gear on some up hill grades,but I just
relaxed and took my time...getting back with out dramas was more
important than time.

This was about 8 years ago now and I still have the same original
gearbox,clutch and engine (other than the heads;) with
the odometer currently reading around 263,500kms.

Now to tow another T3 is pushing the limits that little bit more and
should be considered carefully however, based on my
experiences towing (I have also towed a 3/4 tonne load & trailer combo
4000kms on a round trip 4 years ago) I feel I should stand up for the T3
and their capabilities.I wouldn't do this every day but doing this on a
few occasions and taking care,it is possible with a waterboxer.

If the distance to tow the van is relatively short and not too steep you
could do it.Whether it is legal or you feel confident with your
particular van is another matter all together....YMMV....

Cheers,
Steve O
NSW Australia
'92 Transporter WBX Kombi
'00 Transporter Double Cab
'03 Transporter Double Cab (work truck)
'78 Landrover Series 3 Soft top (ex-Aust army)