[Vwdiesel] trailers and ferrets!

[Doyt W. Echelberger]

I lived in Europe for a few years, and pulled a trailer over the Alps three 
times, first with a VW Squareback and then a Volvo 144S. The consensus was 
that a trailer should weigh less than half the weight of the tow vehicle if 
the trailer has no brakes of its own. This realistically limited the 
trailer weight to about a thousand pounds.

The hitch attachment to the unibody resembled a three-fingered metal hand 
reaching into the trunk, with each of the fingers bolted to the floor of 
the trunk, and a single vertical bolt to the bumper at the wrist, using the 
bumper as a secondary support for handling the downward weight on the 
hitch.  The horizontal force of pulling the trailer was handled by the 
fingers.

Hitches are better at pulling a trailer than at preventing the trailer from 
climbing into the trunk during a panic stop. Take both pulling and pushing 
into consideration in your design. If you pull a trailer often enough, you 
will probably experience at least one panic stop, and one sudden swerve to 
avoid a collision. Design it to survive those events. Then drive so as to 
avoid or mitigate them.  Slow, steady, assured-clear-distance. Don't tow on 
wet pavement or ice.

Doyt

 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
At 10:25 PM 10/7/2010, you wrote:

>I was mulling over adding a trailor hitch to one of my vw's, either a 91 
>jetta or 86 cabrio
>
>I came to the conclusion that i should weld up something than bolted on to 
>the brackets holding
>the bumper (which are bolted to the unibody).
>
>i would haul more than ferrets, but not much.
>
>any earned wisdom someone wants to share.
>
>ray
>
> > From: LBaird119 at aol.com
> > Date: Thu, 7 Oct 2010 20:05:55 -0400
> > To: Vwdiesel at vwfans.com
> > Subject: Re: [Vwdiesel] trailers
> >
> > In a message dated 10/7/2010 2:42:26 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
> > mark at shepher.fsnet.co.uk writes:
> >
> > > I'm saying that with that trailer on the back of my Quantum, and not
> > > filled
> > > with sand, but a few ferret cages a ferret race track, a marquee etc,
> > > filled
> > > near flush with a covering, my mileage gets BETTER!
> >
> > That's because you have them all tethered to a wheel and harness their
> > running to assist the car. Ferret hybrid!
> > Loren
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