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As some of you may know, I'm planing to drive my VMC Speedster from Katy, Texas to Fountain Valley, California this September.  My biggest concern is the damn thing breaking down. And if it does, just how the heck do you winch it onto a flat-bed without damaging the front fascia that resides just behind and below the bumper.

Does anyone have a proven method of  loading a Speedster onto a flat-bed without damaging anything? And if so, how?

Thanks!

Jason

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I wouldn't overthink it. A good tow operator will have everything he needs, and a bad one could have a two-post lift on the back of his truck and still screw it up.

Having planks available to decrease the approach angle would help (but you can't carry them), as would winching the front wheels "just" on the flatbed, then lifting the back a couple inches to decrease the angle. As the front wheels work their way up, the front will get further away from the flatbed, so it's really only the first few feet you need to worry about.

I'd just tell the dispatcher you have an extremely low car and you need the driver to bring what he needs to deal with it.

@Stan Galat posted:

I wouldn't overthink it. A good tow operator will have everything he needs, and a bad one could have a two-post lift on the back of his truck and still screw it up.

Having planks available to decrease the approach angle would help (but you can't carry them), as would winching the front wheels "just" on the flatbed, then lifting the back a couple inches to decrease the angle. As the front wheels work their way up, the front will get further away from the flatbed, so it's really only the first few feet you need to worry about.

I'd just tell the dispatcher you have an extremely low car and you need the driver to bring what he needs to deal with it.

Stan's last sentence is the most important part. Having transported nearly 300 hundred Ferraris and Porsches in a specially built trailer I have watched just as many Ferraris get brought in to the service centers on flat bed tow trucks. But they aren't your average run of the mill flat bed tow trucks. The last few feet of the flat bed are angled just a bit differently and are designed for low profile vehicles. They also still use ramp extensions from a company called Race Ramps. So IF you need a tow ask for a flat bed and TELL them you have a low profile vehicle and the flat bed better be able to accommodate it or you'll send him on his way and neither you nor your insurance company will be paying for his response time.

Last edited by Robert M

Where do you hook up to on a stock VW front suspension ?

and where on the rear with either a swing axle trans or an IRS trans ?

I have a tow truck chain with a hook that I use to pull it on the trailer with 8ft long ramps  and a 12v winch ,

then  ratchet straps  around the swing axles ,  and another set for the VW front suspension......

But I would like to do it  quicker and better if there is another way ,

Most of these are stock VW bugs  , Ghias , buggies so I do not have to  worry about damaging fiberglass ,   so what do you use ?

Thanks for the info

@imperial posted:

Where do you hook up to on a stock VW front suspension ?

and where on the rear with either a swing axle trans or an IRS trans ?

I have a tow truck chain with a hook that I use to pull it on the trailer with 8ft long ramps  and a 12v winch ,

then  ratchet straps  around the swing axles ,  and another set for the VW front suspension......

But I would like to do it  quicker and better if there is another way ,

Most of these are stock VW bugs  , Ghias , buggies so I do not have to  worry about damaging fiberglass ,   so what do you use ?

Thanks for the info

You can hook onto the lower tube of the front H-beam.

I had custom made tie down hooks made that were mounted on the lower part of the rear shock tower for my Speedster. I trailered my car often so it made trailering very easy. Before that I used thick, wide leather straps that I fed through the rims to protect the rims and the nylon ratchet straps . I fed the straps through the lowest hole on the rim and pulled to the outside and to the back of the trailer's edge to keep the wheel from tucking under. I also blocked the wheel in front of the rear tire. I never worried bout trying to do it fast. I made sure it was secure first and foremost.

@imperial posted:

But I would like to do it  quicker and better if there is another way ,

Most rollbacks use a system like this.

If you’re setting up your own trailer, e track  is cheaper than the versa tie stuff shown in the pic, but both work great.

Last year when I broke my rocker shaft, it had no problem clearing the rollback bed. And my Spyder is looooow. I followed to tow truck to my garage, it didn’t budge using the above tie downs.

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Last edited by dlearl476
@Stan Galat posted:

I wouldn't overthink it. A good tow operator will have everything he needs

@Robert M posted:

But they aren't your average run of the mill flat bed tow trucks. The last few feet of the flat bed are angled just a bit differently and are designed for low profile vehicles.

I just had the unfortunate opportunity to experience this myself when my clutch cable broke on the way to work last Friday.  Luckily I had @Stan Galat's good tow operator with all the gadgets.  Here are some pix...

In pic1 & 2 You can see the extra panel @Robert M mentions that decreases the entry angle...but the operator still stopped before the rear-end entered to make sure.  He also turned the wheels a bit to enter at an angle.  Thankfully, he knew what he was doing so no scraping during loading/unloading...!!

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  • Flatbed0
  • Flatbed1
  • Flatbed2
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@Robert M posted:

That sucks Nick. Hopefully you got it all fixed and you're back on the road already.

Yes, not fun...but back on the road.  The clutch cable wing nut was the culprit.  I found it feeling around next to the tranny once I noticed the cable was dangling.  Threads on the wing nut were stripped but the cable threads seemed okay so I just installed a new wing nut.  I also ordered an extra cable and wing nut to keep in the car.

Clutch adjustment was not consistent with what I was seeing on YouTube vids, so that took a couple of tries, but I think I got it.  I took a good test drive around the neighborhood Tuesday so I'm going to try my Friday drive into work again tomorrow...

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  • Clutch Cable
  • Clutch Cable Wing Nut

As mentioned by several others,I also agree that informing the tow dispatcher of your car set up helps get the right tow flatbed & driver to your location.

FWIW- as for securing, here is what I used for my VS when trailering from SoCal to Colorado Rocky Mountains.

SpeedsterTrailer2Modified my tow strap with a D-ring. Thread opposite end of strap through each  wheel, then through the D-ring then onto the ratchet.

TowStrapDring

Speedster Trailer zoom

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Images (3)
  • SpeedsterTrailer2
  • Speedster Trailer zoom
  • TowStrapDring
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