Does anyone have any leads to a car dolly for sale, please? We're looking to take the Speedster to Florida in January and wouldn't chance driving it through upper States. Thanks.
Original Post
Classified postings do not allow for discussion (replies are not allowed). Direct message the member if you would like to discuss the item.
The Classified section is open to any individual (non-commercial firms) posting of items for sale. Members posting commercial advertisements must be enrolled in a Supporting Merchant program.
Postings without relevant details (PRICE, location, condition, etc.) will be deleted.
Replies sorted oldest to newest
Does anyone have any leads to a car dolly for sale, please? We're looking to take the Speedster to Florida in January and wouldn't chance driving it through upper States. Thanks.
Expect to pay $850 plus for a new dolly, used dolly's retain their value you'll find them for $650 plus.
Some speedster exhausts will hit the ground when loaded on a dolly. On one speedster I bought, I had to deflate the front tires to get the tail pipes to come up some from dragging on the ground.
Lastly, there are 12' single axle trailers in the $1,400 price range that have a 2,900 GVW rating and will make your long tow, safer.
Some speedster exhausts will hit the ground when loaded on a dolly. On one speedster I bought, I had to deflate the front tires to get the tail pipes to come up some from dragging on the ground.
Lastly, there are 12' single axle trailers in the $1,400 price range that have a 2,900 GVW rating and will make your long tow, safer.
Can I say Tow bar? See a number of posts on details - very easy to use and cheap to build.
I think Wild Bill and others just completed one. Send him a email.
I think Wild Bill and others just completed one. Send him a email.
I flat towed my donor VW from FL to Va with 4 cyl Toyota PU with absolutely no problems. After few miles you don't even know its there. The VW tow bar ($60) is easy to hook up, light weight and easy to store. That said it may need to be modified - on CMC where it mounts is where front bumper mounts! Harbor Freight has some cheap ($9.99) magnetic (oops) light setups for safety.
This summer I flat towed Baby from Olympia to Vancouver and back with no issues. Well, one, I messed up the paint on my hood by letting the tow light wire drape too low and rub on the hood. Anyway, the superbeetle tow bar from EMPI was cheap and pretty easy to modify for use on the IM. Took a day of fiddling and some welding to create a bracket that stays on the car. Now, installation is a snap and I can drag Baby anywhere.
Tomm
Tomm
Attachments
Images (3)
Go here for plenty of cheap tow bars!
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/search.php?submit=yes&type=text&keywords=tow+bar
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/search.php?submit=yes&type=text&keywords=tow+bar
Thanks for the ideas and leads, guys. A tow bar is what I will do. I'll be pulling it with a 4x4 Dodge Ram so the drop from the ball on the truck down to the tow bar is 15 1/2". Combine that with the need to narrow a stock Beetle tow bar anyway means that modifying an existing VW bar would be more work than making a new one, not mention the cost and shipping of an existing bar to me. I'm not familiar with mild steel thickness' though. Sched 40 1.25" ID steel
tube is 1.66" OD and 2.27 lbs per foot. Is that what others have used ? I'm guessing it might weigh in at about 30 lbs when finished. Wild Bill...did you ever make note of the thickness of the steel tube on your cut up stock tow bar ?
tube is 1.66" OD and 2.27 lbs per foot. Is that what others have used ? I'm guessing it might weigh in at about 30 lbs when finished. Wild Bill...did you ever make note of the thickness of the steel tube on your cut up stock tow bar ?
My bar is this one. It's dimensions uncannily matched what I needed.
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=280516
With the beam mounts from a standard bug bar grafted on.
Note that when using a narrower towbar, the bar can slide a bit side to side as it's not flush with the ends of the beam itself as a standard bug bar does. To remedy this, I used these bar clamps to act as "stops".
http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/GSDRVSM?PACACHE=000000166625631
~WB
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=280516
With the beam mounts from a standard bug bar grafted on.
Note that when using a narrower towbar, the bar can slide a bit side to side as it's not flush with the ends of the beam itself as a standard bug bar does. To remedy this, I used these bar clamps to act as "stops".
http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/GSDRVSM?PACACHE=000000166625631
~WB
Attachments
Images (1)
Certainly not a solution for everybody, but it cured my problem of insufficient ground clearance. Just redesign the nerf bar mounts. No problem with rain gutters or driveway entrances when you hinge the bar in FRONT of the towed vehicle. Hitch drop doesn't need to be so radical either.
Note, on a standard VW tow bar, the hinge point is at the front axle beam, and grounding the front fiberglass is almost a given.
Note, on a standard VW tow bar, the hinge point is at the front axle beam, and grounding the front fiberglass is almost a given.
Attachments
Images (2)
Thanks for the ideas lads. Got the towbar done last week and will test drive it today. 76" ball to beam with a 14.5" drop for the Dodge 4x4 truck. Only glitch is that I have to drive the Speedster up on 1" blocks to allow the tow bar to go under the sway bar. 2" muffler clamps permanently bolted to the front beam keep the bar centered.
Attachments
Images (1)
Looks like you got it down, Dave! Nice. I always carry a small floor jack for installing/removing the bar. It rides on the passenger floor of Speedy whilst in transit and stows in the tow vehicle at the destination. Makes it easy to take the bar off. Good Luck.
~WB
~WB
Towbar is the way. Over 2000 miles towing my Spyder behind a Subaru wagon. Works well.