Date:         Tue, 4 Jul 1995 10:47:26 -0400
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         SSGSPEAR@aol.com
Subject:      Re: Towing a bus

>Hi,
>	Having just bought Jeff Schneiter's bus, I am faced with the problem
>of getting a bus with no engine from thr Bay area to San Diego (about
>500 miles).  Unless I can send it UPS :)  I think the only option is to
>tow it.  The problem is how.
>
>	I found out that I can rent a trailer from U-haul for $50/day.  This
>is the kind that the whole bus would sit on (but it has no winch - how
>do you get a non-mobile automobile up on it??).  Great, but what do I
>tow it with?
>
>	I have a Mustang with more than enough power to pull the bus, but
>it only weighs 3000 lbs, and towing a 3,000+ lb van behind it might not
>be good for stability.  It might not even be legal.  Then there is the
>fact that the Mustang is a unibody, and it might take some doing (and a
>lot of money) to get a hitch attached to it that will handle the load
>and not twist the body.  Plus, the Mustang is a weekend drag racer, and
>putting a 30lb trailer hitch on it is not good for 1/4 mile times.
>
>	So, that leaves the bus.  I know, it only has ~65 horsepower, but it
>weighs 4,000 lbs and has a good strong frame to mount a hitch to.  And
>I don't care about a hitch being welded to it.  And it would be kinda
>cool to see a VW bus towing another VW bus, no?  And I could take the
>coastal route to avoid the 4100 ft "Grapevine" hill.  I want to do it.
>A class II hitch (3,500 lbs/300 lbs tongue weight) should do fine,
>methinks.  Am I insane?  I wouldn't be in a hurry, and I don't care
>about going fast.  Am I crazy?  Nuts?  Please tell me I'm not...
>
>-David

I been down that road before with a 1972 Westfalia, twice.  This is what I
did.

1.  Going from Indianapolis, Indiana to South Zanesville, Ohio:

The camper was running but I had to carry a lot more stuff than I could ever
put in it, i.e. disassembled metal shed and a front deck for the house.  So I
rented a U-Haul truck for that stuff and a tow bar (also from U-Haul) for the
camper and towed it that way for the 240 miles (60 miles under construction).


2.  Going from South Zanesville, Ohio to Burnsville, Minnesota:

The camper was NOT running for this one.  I had no choice but tow.  I got a
Ryder this time (it was cheaper!) and a tow dolly that just carries the front
wheels.  This didn't have a winch either but with the help of the next door
neighbor and his son we got a running start and pushed it up on to the dolly.
 Actually it went on the dolly on the second try, I had the driver's door
open the first time steering and found out that the open door does not clear
the fenders on the dolly!  Caught me between the door and the camper (sounds
like an embarrassing moment to me:-) ).  But it made the 900 mile trip with
no problem except at a motel where I thought the parking lot went all theway
around the building an it did not!

This are just a couple of suggestions.  It is cheaper to rent it and take it
to the van and back.

Good luck!!

SSG Brad Spear
1972 (those doors hurt!) Westfalia