Show what you tow!

[SilverSquirrel]

I just picked up a used Harbeck sailboat trailer. German, late 80's.
Seems very solid. Has a funky brake setup that i am going to ditch. I think it was used for a star class boat. I am putting my rhodes 19 on it. Its only going 6 miles, twice a year.
Boat and trailer weigh 1800 lbs. Is this too much for the tdi dsg sportwagen with a curt hitch?

Unless that 6 miles is at 100% throttle on a cold engine up a 10% grade both ways, you won't hurt anything .

Thanks. Anyone familiar with harbeck trailers? Where can i get parts in the usa if i need them?

 

[coalminer16]

Diesel mower

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[NarfBLAST]

Diesel mower

Sweet! Here is a picture of my gasoline powered D110 which regularly travels 60 miles or 100 km round trip to keep the lawn looking perfect out at my wife's grandfather's house. Long story. Also, never mind the giant magnet powered by the giant lemon on the roof racks. This was taken the day before I left for the Great Lakes Mistake LeMONS Rally.

 

[FJ40Jim]

We're thinking of replacing the ALH/5MT Golf with a 2011-14 JSW TDI/DSG. Can it handle towing the Scamp 13? Thinking of engine emission durability and auto tranny durability.
The Golf continues to tow very well, but at 280k it's starting to look tatty.
Thanks for any insights!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1umNYqsfac73K47O8JnSL2U0DQCY5QO-P/view?usp=sharing

 

[Fix_Until_Broke]

I'd think that towing would help all the emissions equipment live longer - EGT's are naturally higher when towing so it does not have to regen as much since there's enough heat in the exhaust to do it "naturally"?

Couldn't say on the DSG and towing. Guessing again that as long as it's not constantly shifting back/forth under high load it would be just fine?

I'm really speaking out of turn here as I'm still driving an ALH/6MT

 

[jason_]

Dsg is a brute. Malone tune mentions Hydraulic pressure modifications for the clamp force.

I plan to delete and tune both. Let that turbine free wheel!

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[dremd]

Once I decided to turn in my DSG car I started abusing it heavily. The only thing it hiccuped at was trying to push a parked Prius (parking brake on)out of the way. The DSG would push for about 10 seconds then stop and allow you to retry. I towed some heavy stuff, and gave 0 craps. Granted it was only 15K miles.

 

[kjclow]

We're thinking of replacing the ALH/5MT Golf with a 2011-14 JSW TDI/DSG. Can it handle towing the Scamp 13? Thinking of engine emission durability and auto tranny durability.
The Golf continues to tow very well, but at 280k it's starting to look tatty.
Thanks for any insights!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1umNYqsfac73K47O8JnSL2U0DQCY5QO-P/view?usp=sharing

I'm not sure when VW started saying don't tow with the dsg, but for my 10, it says it's capable of 1500 pounds. IIRC, the European rating was 1500kg or 3300 pounds. If you're not having issues with the ALH, I think you'll be fine with more power and the dsg.

 

[Stealth TDI]

Hello,

My daughter started as a General Service Technician at a local auto shop a few months ago. I bought her this roller cart about two months ago:

I outfitted her with some tools, too. She has bought more tools and quickly outgrew the cart. So I got her something larger from Home Depot online. It arrived crated and needed some minor assembly:

Working alone with this 380-lb crate, there was no way I was going to completely unload it to install the casters. So I had to get innovative. My driveway is sloped, so I needed to raise the rear end up so I could slide the cargo rearward. My clutch did NOT like this maneuver...

I used a series of sliding and jacking maneuvers to get the casters mounted...

Then I had to lift the end so I could get ramps under the casters...

I used a winch to pull the cabinet into transport position...

My daughter managed to transfer some tools to the cabinet and was putting it to good use by the end of her work day.

Scott

 

[casioqv]

What's the normal coolant temp for when you're towing.

IMO it should be impossible to exceed 100C, or else you have some components not in top shape. I can climb a long steep grade at full throttle with the A/C on and a trailer, and not get over 100C (usually only 95C max) in my '01 TDI golf. If you are getting higher temps I'd check that both fans work, and if so replace the radiator and thermostat.

 

[casioqv]

Hi, just wondering how you're getting along with the 2'' receiver from Tesla? i was inspired by your post and have found one. Planning on this set up for my mk6 Golf. Would be great to hear about your experience with it so far. Thanks.

I am really happy with the 2" tesla receiver, it's really a proper 2" hitch solution without any custom parts. I've done a few long trips towing my sailboat with it since the install. A huge advantage is that I can get the ball height just right for different trailers.

I found it pretty easy to get also, since most model X cars come with them, but the model X really doesn't work well for towing (kills the range), so people don't use them.

 

[Lightflyer1]

IMO it should be impossible to exceed 100C, or else you have some components not in top shape. I can climb a long steep grade at full throttle with the A/C on and a trailer, and not get over 100C (usually only 95C max) in my '01 TDI golf. If you are getting higher temps I'd check that both fans work, and if so replace the radiator and thermostat.

The newer cars are different than yours. They seem to have higher temps than the older cars by some degree. My old 2013 Passat tdi and now my 2015 Beetle tdi run around +/- 203F on a normal basis. Others have reported running hotter temps when towing of around +/- 230F.

 

[casioqv]

The newer cars are different than yours. They seem to have higher temps than the older cars by some degree.

I wonder what the reason for that is, and if it can be "fixed." Maybe they just have a higher thermostat setting to reduce emissions or increase efficiency?

Keeping a water cooled engine under 100C at any speed with 100% sustained load is a recommended spec I got from an old mechanical engineering textbook, which also makes a lot of sense to me, as it guarantees you won't boil over even if you need to run the system unpressurized with plain water in an emergency (e.g. due to a leaking radiator). Admittedly, very few consumer grade diesels can do this, but the A4/MKIV/ALH TDIs definitely can, and it makes towing less stressful (for me and the car).

 

[Lightflyer1]

IIRC the engine/emissions is more efficient at higher temps.

 

[phantom1260]

The newer cars are different than yours. They seem to have higher temps than the older cars by some degree. My old 2013 Passat tdi and now my 2015 Beetle tdi run around +/- 203F on a normal basis. Others have reported running hotter temps when towing of around +/- 230F.

It also depends on what your source of information is. If I were to go by the gauge on the dash it did not really move from 90C when it showed 103C on the OBD gauge

Now with the colder weather the car struggles to get above 85 C but the gauge on the dash still shows 90C

 

[Lightflyer1]

Most people here know the idiot temperature gauge shouldn't be counted on for any temp readings. Those are only done accurately through the OBD port and sensors. The temp gauge is more of a on/off switch than anything else. Either cold or hot.

 

[kjclow]

I would say it's more of a Goldilocks switch. Too hot, too cold, or just right. Well, right enough.

 

[FJ40Jim]

A pic from our recent trip to Florida. This is actually somewhere in South Carolina, near Lake Wateree.
The 01 Golf pulling the freshly painted '82? 83? Scamp travel trailer.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OI6ReFHkd3ItjQubfJSij8VIajxzCjrV/view?usp=sharing

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Y7v84eGn8u3afxfSA

 

[PB_NB]

A pic from our recent trip to Florida. This is actually somewhere in South Carolina, near Lake Wateree.
The 01 Golf pulling the freshly painted '82? 83? Scamp travel trailer.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OI6ReFHkd3ItjQubfJSij8VIajxzCjrV/view?usp=sharing


Edit: lemme try to get the pic to show up....

What sort of weight is the Scamp coming in at? Looking forward to seeing the pics.

 

[FJ40Jim]

Somebody smarter than me will hafta make the pic show up. At least the link seems to work now.


I haven't weighed the scamp, but fully loaded I expect its 1500lbs. That with full propane, clothes, a couple gallons water, people food & dog food, bike rack, bikes....


The weight doesn't effect the car much, but the aero drag at highway speed is huge.

 

[PB_NB]

The Scamp looks great. It probably weighs about the same as our Camplite. It looks like it is sitting quite level and not putting too much load on the hitch.

I know what you are saying about wind drag. Ours has a huge frontal area and it seems to be affected at about 65 mph. Below that, the wind effect is manageable.

Do you notice any fish tailing over 60 mph? If your load is more to the rear of your trailer, you might experience some of that a higher speeds. It happened to us once and it was a bit of a nail biter until we got it under control. Now I just load everything up front and it doesn't want to fish tail at all.

Now you just need to paint the Golf to match

 

[3L3M3NT]

A pic from our recent trip to Florida. This is actually somewhere in South Carolina, near Lake Wateree.
The 01 Golf pulling the freshly painted '82? 83? Scamp travel trailer.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OI6ReFHkd3ItjQubfJSij8VIajxzCjrV/view?usp=sharing

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Y7v84eGn8u3afxfSA

Here are your photos.

To make it easier you could get a free account at imgur and upload your photos there. You'll just have to edit the size of the pictures after you upload them. I usually stick with 1,000 on the width and then it automatically calculates the height of the picture to keep the original aspect ratio. https://imgur.com/

 

[sandmansans]

@pb_nb
I take it you dont have the Westfalia module? Trailer stability control would've been nice in That situation for you.

"Do you notice any fish tailing over 60 mph? If your load is more to the rear of your trailer, you might experience some of that a higher speeds. It happened to us once and it was a bit of a nail biter until we got it under control. Now I just load everything up front and it doesn't want to fish tail at all"
Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

 

[kjclow]

A pic from our recent trip to Florida. This is actually somewhere in South Carolina, near Lake Wateree.
The 01 Golf pulling the freshly painted '82? 83? Scamp travel trailer.

Sharp paint job.

 

[PB_NB]

@pb_nb
I take it you dont have the Westfalia module? Trailer stability control would've been nice in That situation for you.

I am not too sure what the Westfalia module does.

When we first started towing, I was trying to keep the load on the hitch relatively light so I loaded most of our stuff in the middle so I could pickup the hitch easily. Then when it happened we were doing about 70mph and got passed by a tractor trailer while there was a cross wind. Since then we have changed the trailer wheels to low profile wheels to eliminate the sloppy side to side movement from the 13" radial tires. We have a sway controller which is tightened up when used.

I can also use the brake controller to apply the trailer brakes if it was to happen again.

It really comes down to making sure there is enough tongue weight on the hitch.

Now that we have had the trailer for a few years, we feel very comfortable pulling it anywhere. We haven't had any more swaying fish tailing issues but we did work on the whole towing approach to fine tune our situation.

 

[sandmansans]

I am not too sure what the Westfalia module does.



When we first started towing, I was trying to keep the load on the hitch relatively light so I loaded most of our stuff in the middle so I could pickup the hitch easily. Then when it happened we were doing about 70mph and got passed by a tractor trailer while there was a cross wind. Since then we have changed the trailer wheels to low profile wheels to eliminate the sloppy side to side movement from the 13" radial tires. We have a sway controller which is tightened up when used.



I can also use the brake controller to apply the trailer brakes if it was to happen again.



It really comes down to making sure there is enough tongue weight on the hitch.



Now that we have had the trailer for a few years, we feel very comfortable pulling it anywhere. We haven't had any more swaying fish tailing issues but we did work on the whole towing approach to fine tune our situation.

Yeah so the module is the correct/OEM way of towing with the vws. It ties into the canbus system and provided feature such as trailer stability control. Stability control for your trailer, so if it wags the tail of the dog etc, the stability control system brings it under control. It ties in the alarm system too and others depending on what modules you have. Like automatic shock leveling and remapping of the engine to tow
Heres an animated video

https://youtu.be/PmeFfQmhVAs

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[Lightflyer1]

Somebody smarter than me will hafta make the pic show up. At least the link seems to work now.

How to post pics in my signature below.

 

[SilverGhost]

@PB_NB and @sandmansans - That type of tow module didn't really become viable in US until MkVI SportWagen.

I have heard of rumors of older MkIV cars being capable, but the wiring, coding, and supporting control module hell was much more substantial than the simple plug in and go with later cars.

Jason

 

[PB_NB]

I am pretty sure VW or Westfalia wouldn't have any modules for the MK4 cars. The supporting systems just aren't in the cars to monitor all the bells and whistles.

Our Beetle uses K-line OBDII so we don't even have the Can-bus technology. Sort of like Flintstones square stone wheels!

That video is pretty cool!

 

[romad]

I am pretty sure VW or Westfalia wouldn't have any modules for the MK4 cars. The supporting systems just aren't in the cars to monitor all the bells and whistles.

You mean like this for my wagon? The wiring kit is: Part number: 321457300113



https://www.westfalia-automotive.co...kupplung/vw-golf-iv-variant/305223900113-356/


You can find your particular vehicle via this page:


https://www.westfalia-automotive.com/de/en/produkte/produktfinder-konfigurator/