Show what you tow!

Thorne said:

I've only owned one trailer (old garden trailer converted to utility box trailer) that didn't have any sort of suspension, and it scared me half to death -- and I've been towing boats and trailers for decades.

Trailers really need springs and/or shocks of some sort, or they go rapidly out of control at speeds over 40mph. Even torsion axles are a disaster when the trailer is empty, so should only be used on trailers that always carry weight (like teardrops).

Both the converted garden trailer with no suspension, and my empty utility trailer with torsion bars were dangerous to tow on the freeway unloaded -- they'd do 3' hops at the slightest bump. Not recommended!

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I built a coil-and-shock suspension for my motorcycle trailer to replace the original ordinary leaf springs, for all those reasons plus more. It no longer pounds tie-down straps until they work loose or break, it no longer rearranges the contents of my toolbox, and it doesn't transmit bump impact loads into the hitch and the car.

KISS principle: Normal trailer axle, "truck arm" geometry (although the two arms are brought to a single attachment point - doesn't have to clear a driveshaft in the middle), Panhard rod. You have to get the pivot point heights correct in order to minimize axle steering, but I did that, and the trailer is very stable on bumpy surfaces. If I were to do it again, there are a few improvements that I would make (could use more roll stiffness), but it works well enough as is.

TDIJetta99 said:

I typically tie them down through the control arms in the front (they have a 2" hole near the middle), and in the rear I go around the axle beam..

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Yeah - same here - that is why I had to ask when I saw the straps going through the wheels.

I've got it down to a science now - run the car up the ramp and stop so I can get under the front with the axle straps in the control arms, then pull forward until the rear hangs out over the ramp to get around the axle beam, then pull forward to center the car on the trailer.

When I saw those photos, I second guessed myself for going through all that trouble.

wouldn't you wear out your suspension prematurely by making the car bounce more than necessary on the trailer?

JasonCzerak said:

wouldn't you wear out your suspension prematurely by making the car bounce more than necessary on the trailer?

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It "bounces" very little -

The theory is that if you did tie down to the body, when the car does "bounce", your tie downs will come loose with each "bounce" - the car will never remain tight on the trailer.

NarfBLAST said:

ndaminco, Sweet! Have fun at the fest!


I saw a 2010 Golf TDI Wagon with a massive load balancing hitch and an airstream on the back today! Anyone know who owns this package? Picture taken on the Queen Elizabeth Way near the Burlington Skyway Bridge in Ontario Canada at 3pm today:

Golf_TDI_pulling_AIRSTREAM

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That is simply awesome!!!! It got even better once I noticed the big truck behind it also pulling a camper...
I wonder what load balancing hitch they used... I looked around a bit and could find one for a class 1 hitch... but then I'm still pretty new to towing equipment...

I ended up finding a used Scamp at the last minute. Bought it from someone driving a TDI, by the way. They didn't tow it with their TDI, though.

I just returned from a trip towing my motorcycle nearly 2,000 miles. Had no trouble maintaining 75 mph, even on inclines. Got 30 mpg too! Oh, and I also rode the bike 2,500 miles starting in Columbus, OH, circling Lake Superior and returning to Columbus.

Circling lake superior!? Sounds like a lot of bugs in the face to me, haha. Great adventure though.

shizzler said:

Circling lake superior!? Sounds like a lot of bugs in the face to me, haha. Great adventure though.

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No bugs actually, but a lot of rain and cool temps.

Picked up some new toys to play with...

Horizontal Bandsaw, Turret style manual punch press and a gas engine powered welder/generator.

The bandsaw is pretty heavy with a high center of gravity. The welder/generator behind the axle kept the tounge weight in check. Lot of push on curves. I don't know of a scale nearby, but I'm guessing 2500 lbs

Sweet saw!

Nice Tools! That kind of equipment is getting hard to come by.

2,500 pounds??? That sounds like an extremely conservative estimate to me. That's a serious load!

A little reserach has found that the Rotary Turret Punch Press is ~425 lbs, the welder/generator is 550 lbs. Have not been able to find much on the band saw other than it will cut 8x12 rectangle and is 1.5 HP. Someone else selling one claimed that it weighs 1600 lb which seems a little heavy to me but if they're right, it's not too far from 2500 total + whatever the trailer weighs.

Believe it or not, the punch press is still available brand new (same design/company as from the 1930's) as is the welder/generator and similar band saws (with many more features being 25-50 years newer). Not sure if the quality is the same anymore though. Best thing is that everything works!

Fix_Until_Broke said:

Believe it or not, the punch press is still available brand new (same design/company as from the 1930's) as is the welder/generator and similar band saws (with many more features being 25-50 years newer). Not sure if the quality is the same anymore though. Best thing is that everything works!

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Wow! Good stuff. BTW, I wasn't being critical. It just looked pretty heavy to me. You can't make good machine tools light, and that's one industry that if it's a good design, the age of the design doesn't matter.

I'm going to buy a westifila hitch from the PF Jones in the UK for my 03 wagen today and I was wondering what you did about wiring.

Is it worth the about ~$50.00 for a 7 pin connector and by pass or is it better to just get a wiring harness for a US source?

Sorry fleuger 99, I missed the question on the A/C. It is a RV-4 with a pumped up engine with inverted systems.

Aquaticmind said:

I'm going to buy a westifila hitch from the PF Jones in the UK for my 03 wagen today and I was wondering what you did about wiring.
Is it worth the about ~$50.00 for a 7 pin connector and by pass or is it better to just get a wiring harness for a US source?

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It depends a little on what you are planning to tow... but I would start by installing a POWERED converter. This will come with a flat-4 connector for trailer lights. This will not have a brake control line, 12v power line (for charging RV battery and running RV fridge), or a back-up light line.

Once you have the flat-4, you can get a flat-5 (adds brake control) or a 7-round RV plug. eTRailer has a nice kit for installing a brake controller and a 7-round connector for about $50, but you need to have the flat-4 first, anyway.

Again, I recommend a powered converter. The reason is that it not only converts the separate turn/brake lights to a common light trailer system, but it also takes power from your car's battery to run the trailer's lights instead of robbing power from your car's lighting system. It takes a few more minutes to install, but you will really be glad you did... especially after seeing how tiny the wiring is on your car. Your trailer's lights will most likely be brighter, too.

The nice thing about a flat-4 system is that you can keep the wires tucked away in your spare tire area and just hang it out the trunk when you are towing. A 7-round is usually installed on the bumper or on the trailer hitch, and adds a lot of bulk and more exterior wiring that could be damaged.

By the way, we will be camping in the Scamp for the first time this weekend! We'll be towing it about 230 miles round trip up to Gettysburg, PA with the Scion xD. Yeah... it's a gasser and not a VW at all... but it's my daily driver. I have been frantically finishing up all the little projects today -- I got the new door hinges and door handle installed, new door seal (foam), new trailer lights, replaced the broken leveling jack, fixed the front bunk bed support, etc. Oh, and I tightened up the coupler, too. Don't forget about this, especially on an older trailer! Somebody over on the Scamp forum just had their trailer come off the hitch from being out of adjustment! No damage, fortunately.

I'll get some more pics of the Scamp now that it is cleaned up, shined up, frame painted, and has the proper tail lights.

a link or two in my sig on trailer wiring. Not my posts and specific to passat, but it should be easy to envisage how to modify it for any car.

And yes, I also installed a powered converter and I am glad I did. I put a cig plug on it in just plug into the power socket in the rear when I need it.

So.... What's the easiest (not cutting into the car) type hitch are you guys using? I'm looking to put a hitch on the car and tow less than 2,000 for sure. I'm also wondering what the lightest kind of trailer is.....

domboy said:

I like this thread! I tow a few things with my 03 Golf.

A 4x6 Utility Trailer, mostly for hauling trash to the landfill. No idea how much it weights, but it's pretty light.

And an Aliner Classic camper:

Side view hooked to the Golf:

From the front... doesn't look as silly from this angle...

Unloaded weight is advertised at 1430lbs, Dry Hitch Weight is 175lbs. I don't think this includes the weight of a full propane tank or the battery, and ours has trailer brakes and the off-road package (3000lbs axle and better tires/rims), the later adds either 35lbs or 113lbs, the documentation is a bit confusing on that. Guesstimate around ~1550lbs. I've got a hidden hitch and a proportional brake controller on the Golf. I have to thank NarfBLAST, as seeing the old popup being towed by his Golf at post #35 gave me the courage to seriously investigate towing an Aliner with my Golf. It does very well. Might need some hight on the rear suspension perhaps, otherwise I'm very happy with the setup. See more on this in my thread here.

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Yeah, that utility trailer is just the type of trailer I'm looking for to haul a motorcycle and some storage bins. It needs sides, but even those that only surround the cargo floor with a few inches is enough.... What brand is that? Cost?

Fix_Until_Broke said:

Picked up some new toys to play with...

Horizontal Bandsaw, Turret style manual punch press and a gas engine powered welder/generator.

The bandsaw is pretty heavy with a high center of gravity. The welder/generator behind the axle kept the tounge weight in check. Lot of push on curves. I don't know of a scale nearby, but I'm guessing 2500 lbs

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nice find!!!

VocalVirgo said:

So.... What's the easiest (not cutting into the car) type hitch are you guys using? I'm looking to put a hitch on the car and tow less than 2,000 for sure. I'm also wondering what the lightest kind of trailer is.....

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I do not regret drilling two holes into the spare tire well of my Golf for the front outriggers on my Draw-Tite hitch. edit: I think all hitches for the Golf involve some drilling.

This web page show the three most popular hitches for the Mk4 Golf with pictures: http://www.etrailer.com/hitch-2001_Volkswagen_Golf.htm

VV,

VocalVirgo said:

Yeah, that utility trailer is just the type of trailer I'm looking for to haul a motorcycle and some storage bins. It needs sides, but even those that only surround the cargo floor with a few inches is enough.... What brand is that? Cost?

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I bought a nearly identical trailer over 10 years ago at TractorSupplyCo.com (visited the store) for $200. Lowes and Home Depot have them, too. I think they can be had for around $450 today. Pay their sites a visit for ideas. Given inflation and the condition of my trailer, I could probably sell it for what I paid. But, even if I can't, the trailer's paid for itself over and over again by me not needing to rent.

Scott

From Texas but in a Sam's Club parking lot in Billings MT. I was impressed. It was a scamp trailer

VocalVirgo said:

So.... What's the easiest (not cutting into the car) type hitch are you guys using? I'm looking to put a hitch on the car and tow less than 2,000 for sure. I'm also wondering what the lightest kind of trailer is.....

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I recommend what I have, a 4'x8' utility trailer. Big enough yet not too big, empty weight around 500-600 pounds max. Single axle. Used ones around $300-400 or so, new around $600-700.

Smaller than that? not very useful. Bigger than that? too heavy.

There are several hitches that will work very well if you keep the max weight at 2000-2500 pounds or less.

coalminer16 said:

From Texas but in a Sam's Club parking lot in Billings MT. I was impressed. It was a scamp trailer

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That's a pretty sweet setup right there. That Beetle is loaded down!

That's the same model Scamp I have. I just towed mine about 230 miles last weekend with the Scion. I know... I don't tow with a TDI any more, but you guys still let me hang out here because I'm so cool.

Anyway, It was all hills between here and Gettysburg, and I got about 24 MPG towing the Scamp. I took it to a CAT scale a week ago and it is about 1,200 pounds empty (except for propane). I figure we had about 150 pounds of stuff in it. It's nice to be able to toss most of the luggage and baby stuff in the Scamp instead of trying to pile it all in the car.

McBrew, I keep wondering, why did you get rid of the TDI?
Sorry to get off of topic.

To keep it on Topic, I towed a 37 foot Horse trailer full of hay a few weeks ago, it was a Diesel towing, but unfortunately it had a Ford Badge on it.
I wish I could have figured out how to adjust the electric brake controller, the brakes surged like mad when empty. It took 20 psi to do 65 empty and 9 psi to do 65 loaded LOL. I was glad it wasn't my Fuel/ vehicle/ trailer.

dremd said:

McBrew, I keep wondering, why did you get rid of the TDI?

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It was a combination of a few things. Mainly the fact that I don't have the spare time to work on a high mileage car... and especially not a high mileage German car! I say that having owned nothing but German cars up until now.

I miss the ride quality and the low end torque. I get a little lower fuel economy (37-42 MPG without a trailer)... but the 1.8L Toyota engine in my car is known for being very low maintenance, so I think I'll come out ahead as far as per-mile cost of ownership. I'm not bad-mouthing TDIs... it's just how the math works out.