Date: Mon, 10 Feb 2014 17:55:08 -0800
Reply-To: Stacy Schneider <vwcrewman@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Stacy Schneider <vwcrewman@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Silly idea?
In-Reply-To: <1392069140.83153.YahooMailNeo@web164602.mail.gq1.yahoo.com>
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Should have reached over and disconnected the Negative lead from the battery. Or had someone do it for you. Too bad it was salt water . Fresh water normally won 't cause Any damage .
Stacy
Sent from my iPhone
> On Feb 10, 2014, at 1:52 PM, Robert Keezer <warmerwagen@YAHOO.COM> wrote:
>
> Ralph,
> I'd like to add a word of caution based on an experience I had launching a boat with my Westfalia .
> The danger is that after you set the handbrake, and go back to launch or trailer your boat, that the rear wheels being submerged in water, might cause the the parking brakes to slip, and your Vanagon will roll backwards , flooding the engine and transmission.
> It happened to me, at the La Conner public boat launch years ago, which is very steep. I had just enough time to get in and stomp the brakes down, or it would have slid into the channel. Water came in the cargo area just past the rear z-bed.Ruined the transmission and engine.
> I had a cell phone, a policeman came and waited, but I had to keep my feet pressed down hard on the brake pedal waiting an hour for a tow truck, all the time the relays in the engine compartment were buzzing, and the van shaking from the flow of the channel, late at night.
> And salt water!Man was that freaky!
>
> You need a very long trailer tongue, and the rear tires should not be deep enough to submerge the brakes.
> I later observed a local company used a 4WD truck to launch boats there, using a front hitch.
>
> I earlier had been at a boat launch that wasn't steep, but I still had to submerge the rear wheels to launch the small boat.
> You have noticed that most boaters use a pickup to launch boats.
> I never used a Vanagon to launch a boat since.
> The taller tires will help.
> If you absolutely have to use your Vanagon to launch a boat, don't rely on the e-brake , which brakes the rear wheels only, but have someone use the footbrake, which brakes all four wheels, while you or they launch or trailer the boat.
>
> Happy boating!
> Robert
> 1982 Westfalia
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>> ________________________________
>> From: Ralph Meyermann <ralphmeyermann@GMAIL.COM>
>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>> Sent: Monday, February 10, 2014 10:17 AM
>> Subject: Silly idea?
>>
>>
>> Hi Volks, I may have another silly idea. I am planning on having my diesel
>> ratio transaxle rebuilt with a 1st and second ratio change to a 4.13 and
>> 2.25 if my memory is correct to aide pulling my small fishing boat out of
>> the water. My silly idea is that with 215/75/15 bfg all terrains matched to
>> my diesel ratio transaxle is about the same as my dk transaxle with my
>> 195/75/14. I was thinking that when I'm bringing the boat camping I will
>> run the 14" wheel package to take some load off the engine/transaxle and
>> when I am not bringing the boat Ill use the big wheel package to gain some
>> hwy speed? It's so crazy, it just might work??
>> Velma 82 1.9L AAZ td westy
>>
>>
>>
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