>There would be a problem managing:
>1) The weight
>2) The extreme ugly
>3) Braking
>4) Getting the tongue weight down

#4 is a big one. Considering that the entire weight of a full Vanagon
is distributed 50/50 over both axles, nearly all the weight of the
"trailer" is now forward of the rear axle, with no support other than
the trailer hitch.

You've now got about 1,000 pounds pushing down on your trailer hitch.
I don't think many of them are rated for this.

The reason trailer hitches have two ratings (tongue weight and
pulling weight) is that anyone can put 2000 pounds in a trailer, but
*properly balancing* it over the trailer's axles will result in
anywhere from full weight to zero tongue weight. The Vana-trailer has
no central axle to balance the weight over, so it's not gonna be easy
to do this.

High tongue weights not only stresses the trailer hitch/bumper
assembly, it helps to reduce the weight on the front wheels of the
towing vehicle (push down on the rear bumper enough, and the front
wheels will lift off (yes, this is an exaggeration) ) which, on some
vehicles, makes the steering "light" (could be not a good thing...)

Bill K: you don't need the entire rear axle assemblies any more if
the trailer isn't providing any "push" power. I think if you were to
just cannibalize a couple of outer CV's so that the stubs go through
the hubs, that will hold things together.

Dave
--
Dave Carpenter

Whatever you wish for me,
May you have twice as much.

"Sometimes I think we're alone in the universe, and sometimes I think
we're not. In either case the idea is quite staggering." -- Arthur C.
Clarke