Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2006 21:12:52 -0700
Reply-To: Rich Bennington <rich.bennington@CHARTER.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Rich Bennington <rich.bennington@CHARTER.NET>
Subject: Re: Hitch install
In-Reply-To: <de48c0be0609110719y9538d2s2027a87520236b00@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Helmut,
There are several factors that affect "tow rating". Things like radiator
capacity, transmission, gear box design, rear end design, frame strength,
hitch strength, braking, etc. VW had something like a 1300 lb max tow
rating, if I recall correctly, on the vanagon. You can put a stronger hitch
on, but it won't increase the tow rating.
I have one of the GoWesty mounts that go on the stock bracket mounts. The
hitch itself is VERY strong with a 2" receiver -- would easily get a 5000+
lb tow rating (class III-IV) if installed on another vehicle. The tow hook
mount arrangement looks pretty strong too plus the GoWesty hitch has a third
connection in the center of the hitch, connected to a crossmember which
keeps it rock solid. I'm quite impressed. (Just connecting to the tow hooks
alone might sag a bit with enough tongue weight, so it's the right design)
HOWEVER, the engine cooling on the vanagon, the transmission, and the engine
power are clearly the limiting factors. Having done a lot of towing on
various size vehicles, I wouldn't tow much more than about 1000 lbs with the
vanagon. (OK, maybe 1300 lbs on the flats for a short distance!) There
will be others that will claim they have towed way more, but I believe in
being safe and being realistic. Around where I live (mountains), we never
tow more than about 80% of the tow vehicle rating and even less on a vehicle
with little torque.
That all said, my bike rack has never been so solid, and I tow a light open
trailer for Kayaks, bikes, and windsurfers. Check carefully the weight of
your trailer and cargo if going bigger.
--Rich
<
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM] On Behalf Of
Helmut Blong
Sent: Monday, September 11, 2006 7:20 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Hitch install
While I have my rear bumper apart, I'm thinking I might fabricate a
square-receiver hitch. Don't want to do any serious hauling - mostly for a
hitch-mount bicycle carrier and maybe tow a small cargo or boat trailer. I
plan to just span the stock brackets with some square tube and either
project through the bumper or drop below the bumper. I think a
through-bumper install would be slick.
I've seen the tow eye mounted hitches and I think I recall that they are
rated class I for about 1000#. Can anyone tell me if this rating is with the
stock bracket mounts? I was just looking at a photo of a South African hitch
that seems to have much longer brackets and presumably additional mounting
bolts. I don't want to overload the stock brackets but I figure that if the
class I tow eye hitch works, my proposed install should be even sturdier.
Opinions? Knowledge?
cheers,
mordo
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