On my 90 Tristar, the maximum towing capacity is 2200 kilograms (yes
that's close to 5000 pounds!) Your 82 might not be able to tow much,
but VW made changes over the years to the T3's capabilities.

On Sep 23, 2009, at 7:39 PM, Michael Snow wrote:

> On Wed, Sep 23, 2009 at 6:36 PM, pdooley <psdooley@verizon.net> wrote:
>> A pretty good while back people on the list were discussing making
>> a 2 axle
>> trailer from a vanagon body, basically removing the drive train and
>> interior
>> and keeping everything else.
>
> Aside from the novelty aspect, this seems incredibly foolish.  My '82
> owner's manual says that the maximum towed load is 1000 pounds.  A
> lightweight, single axle trailer is handy for hauling large and/or
> dirty stuff.  I cringe every time I see photos of a Vanagon being
> towed by another Vanagon.  I see more of them on the German web sites
> than anywhere else.  It seems patently unsafe to me.  My second car is
> a Toyota Tundra 4x4.  It has just enough towing capacity for a Vanagon
> on a car hauler, and towing like this is not comfortable for anything
> but short distances.  There is no way for a Vanagon to do this safely.
>
> --
> Michael Snow
> 1982 Westfalia 1.9TD
> http://slowmachine82.blogspot.com/