The Cal-look Lounge

What do you use for car to pull your trailer to all dragracing competition. I´m in the process to choose a car or a buss to drive with to different competition... It would be nice to see what you people got to drive and also to sleep in! Pics please!

Regards
Todi

I got this badboy  ;D
(http://www.volksforum.com/albums/files/1/3/7/0/towservice001.1.jpg)

Michael

This is what we use below, we were going to use out splitscreen but sold it and bought our motorhome! It cost us quite a bit to get a decent towbar fitted but it tows really well, and we have somewhere to sleep :) Its also used to home and feed several refugees at race meets, or it gets really busy when it rains!! ;D

(http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd37/StripTeaseRacing/Front.jpg)


(http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd37/StripTeaseRacing/inside.jpg)

This may not apply to you European guys, but here is mine. Close to 20 mpg and I tow close to 5000 miles a year. 2004 Dodge Dakota with a 3.7L V6. It's even been over the Rocky Mountains a few times from Central California.

(http://home.comcast.net/~mlawless29/Denver06j.jpg)

. Sorry Double post

My old pick up. Tows very nicely, your typical short geared cal-looker has trouble keeping up on the road! :D

(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r151/gingabloke/BicesterTowsml.jpg)

Sorry for crappy phone pic, will have to dig the camera out next time.

 8)

How do you fasten that on the bug, what about steering etc.
I know it's illegal overhere, but i would like to know how that towing device looks/works. Thanks !

"An Ill Eagle Is A Sick Bird"

Here's mine:

(http://img158.imageshack.us/img158/9312/dsc0225.jpg)

It's only a 1600cc Type1 engine with dual Kadrons. Not very fast but it works better than expected. I'm working on a 2.2 Type4 engine right now, should be better then...

its dead reliable though ole ;) oh and your car doesnt weigh that much ;D

Ole, that setup is great. I love it.
I'll bet that's fun to ride around in, even if it is slow...

I got an old rusty Ford Explorer with open trailer.
Not much really, but reliable.

Very nice combo Ole,like it very much.  ;)

It attaches to the beam, they tow fine but you can't reverse with it. Some people get easily confused though, I remember one guy loading a ferry having a go at a Bug only to find out there was no one in it.

 :)

Motor home for racing, general towing i use a To#¤ta Landcruser. had a grand cherikee jeep once but it was rubbish, soon went back to a To#¤ta. hill's are never a problem!

I thought you were supposed to put rear engined cars backwards on a trailer  ???

No, just wherever the balance is right.

I had a widened caravan chassis as my trailer, and when I used a nose weight guage to find out how much weight was on the tow ball, I found that my car had to go on forwards, with the header flange level with the back of the trailer. I borrowed the gauge from a friend of my Dad, who had it for his caravan.

Back on topic, I towed the race car with my 1970 Bay (2 litre T25 motor), 1981 T25 (same engine) and my Dad towed with his 1995 Audi A6 (2.5 turbo diesel). I've got a 1991 Passat 1.8 now and have towed my caravan with it, although it's not that quick off the mark with something on the back...

Depends where the wheels of the trailer are. If you look at the American trailers their wheels are a ways back on the trailer (increasing their nose weight).  European trailers have their wheels in the middle of the trailer so to lighten the nose weight. The American way is the best way but our European cars don’t like a lot of weight on the hitch.
Word of warning too little hitch weight and you’ll be wagging the trailer as soon as you get any speed up.  So that’s why you should put the car on backwards in Europe.
You’re supposed to put some scales under the jockey wheel and balance it out that way, I can never be arssed ,  you get a feel for it after a while.

Thanks Mat, guess i have to go for the real (expensive) way then ...

Late reply, not much computer time at the mo'.

Pretty much as Mat says although reversing isn't impossible. It hooks under the front beam's lower tube and is retained by the locking pins.
The steering lock has to be released for towing, not that the Ragtop has one.

(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r151/gingabloke/Tow1a.jpg)

To add to that, the Ragtop has the towing electrics wired into the loom so that it uses the car's rear lights instead of a separate light board.

In an ideal world I'd use a trailer but they cost money and have to be stored somewhere etc... :)

Thanks G.

Problem with an A-frame is that they're not legal for use on a motorway, other than for recovery of a broken down vehicle. You can use them on A-roads perfectly legally, just not on motorways. All this is dependant on the car being towed being totally road legal (MOT, tax, insurance) AND within the specified weight of the tow vehicle as it becomes an unbraked trailer. Seems mad, the car has to be road legal, then gets classified as a trailer...

Hi everyone, (first post) ;D 

The DVKK is really about Astro/Safari vans... :D


My setup,

Nice simple flat trailer! Did you build it yourself?

Very nice and low, but brakes ? I couldn't get away with it over here.

Same overhere Neil. My only options are either: one axle,  or (preferred) two braked axle. But these things are getting overhauled,
and overhauled again. Second-hand prices do not go lower then 1000 - 1200 EU for some "descent" ones.

Its Lanny Hussey's  trailer :-[  Not sure if its a U-build or not... either way its a great trailer and Lanny is nice enough to let me use it when I need it.


Mirko

Mine, T5 double cab 195 HP ( 174hp + ABT reprogrammed), tested to 170 km/h and still drive straigt as an arrow.

If ever someone wants to buy a new car or a good used from 2006 on, this is the best you can get . T5 Multivan Beach , now called California Beach . It has all you need for spending the nights over the weekend and pulling your trailer . I hope it works many many years .
This was on the way to Norway 2007 ,

It can get toped by this one :-)  http://www.volkswagen-nutzfahrzeuge.de/de/de/fahrzeuge/California/ausstattungsvarianten/california_beach_aufstelldach.html

Udo

Very Nice Combo, Udo !

truck trailer and car

A few years ago HVWs had an article on building a bug trailer by the Palmers. It didn't look that bad but I am not sure if my little mig is up to the task. (Plus I have visions of the trailer with beetle passing me on the highway.)

--louis

I still think the t4 will slower :D  and break down more


cheers richie

Holy shit - 170 km/h WITH trailer?

Whats so strange with that BB... my little 1,9 TDI had no problem with 160 cruising speed and once or twice 180... solid as a rock... it's a long way to Spa :P
But that's many 100000's of kms ago....

Impressive.. need to stop changing my car so often and focus on finding the right set up for going high speed trailing. Or even better, buy a trailer so that I do not reed to rent one.

NO.... what am I talking about. Totally forgot.. I have a street car capable of going anywhere by itself. No need for trailer.

Sorry - my mistake.

 :D

Here is what I used or will be using again...once my Car will be finished... ::) ::) ::)

It's a T4 Caravelle 2.5l 150HP...

Frank

Hi Frank

what year will we  see this again ?

Udo

No more like will we see it ever again. :D ;D

Mistakes are easy to make  :)

You know what, you should buy a trailer and fit a hitch to the bug! That way your girlfriend can join you and Vegard in the streetcar, not be stuck behind you in a Volvo... ;D ;D ;D

 :D

What I really should do is to buy this http://www.finn.no/finn/bap/object?finnkode=13511074 williams 136 trailer and find the magic balance spot. I notice that some of you prefer to back you car on the trailer and I reckon this is one way to get more weight on the ball. I know this can be a problem with a small, single axle trailer like the Williams 136.

What ball weight do you prefer? Heavy? light? If I remember correctly you did some research on this JHU? At what weight did you find that your car had the best balance?

Best rgs
BB

We will see, have another Project on the Road currently... ;) ;D ;D

If it does not get finished This Year...it will be next Year for sure...!!!

Frank

 ??? ::) ::)

Frank

What I did was read the registration papers for my Audi, in there it said 70kg on the hitch. Now, I don't know if this is set from Audi itself or from the Norwegian authorities but what I did was to place the bug straight over the boggy wheels and unhitched the car, then I placed a bathroom scale under the hitch of the trailer and moved the bug forward until the scale read 70 kgs. Since then I have never felt the trailer act on the car.

Smart and simple, thanks for sharing. 80kg max on my Volvo. Never had a feeling that a trailer was stable and that is why I was suprised over the speed you guys had. 

1st Annual Trailer Drags, Gardermoen, August 17th 2009?

Anyone?  :D

here's one of my towing possibilities...

the ProFormance bus does need a fresh engine... hopefully before Chimay....

allot of times i've used a bmw wagon (525 and 325i) with A frame or Trailer, never had a problem...
 or my dad's Mercedes Vito TDI works great too

If money was no object... i would get a massive TDI T5 i think

right on!

and damn you at the same time. i have been wanting a webasto for the squareback lately  ::)

and a kanoo to come to norway as well ::) ::)

very cool 8)

My old Ford LTD.

That car was so Shit it was cool well in my head it was. :D

(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b115/gold65turbo/gold101.jpg)

Only uncool thing about that is you owned it.. :P ;)

on rig safe then kev ?


cant belief thats another picture of martins car being towed, any pictures of it driving or is that a dream !!!

 ;D

Nah... I think Martins beetle is the push wagon.