Like I told the fellows the other day ............... "you never run out of
friends if you have a pickup truck".
Go rent one if all your friends have Vanagons and VW Busses.

Stan Wilder
www.engineceramics.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Dennis Haynes" <dhaynes@OPTONLINE.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Tuesday, July 20, 2004 5:24 PM
Subject: Re: Travel trailer towing a few miles with vanagon?

> Since it is only a few miles, why not ask/pay someone to move it for
> you? My guess is the weight you list is the empty weight. Is the trailer
> really empty? Tongue weight should be 10-15% of the trailer weight. This
> is almost 500 lbs, again empty. This much tongue weight calls for the
> use of a weight distributing (equalizer) hitch. Also, the tow vehicle
> needs controls for the trailer brakes. No way would I do this with a tow
> loop mounted hitch. Can you do it? Maybe, but I think the risks are not
> worth it.
>
> Dennis
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf
> Of Jim Felder
> Sent: Tuesday, July 20, 2004 2:34 PM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Travel trailer towing a few miles with vanagon?
>
> I plan to take my parents' 20-foot travel trailer to the gulf for them
> (350 miles away).
>
> I'll use my dad's truck or have it towed to get it down there, but the
> truck will have to come back home. After several weeks on the campsite,
> the plan is to tow it a few miles away to the long-term storage
> facility, then go take it out when they want it set up, then put it
> away again.
>
> I plan to do this with my vanagon. Any reason I can't? It's the gulf,
> so it's level. It's nearby on small roads, so it's slow.
>
> The trailer weighs 3336 lbs. The tongue weight (I think) is 250 lbs.,
> not more than 500 as I recall.
>
> Is this doable if I take it easy? Can I use a bolt-on hitch? Any hitch
> recommendations?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Jim