Towing A-Frame for Split Bus & Beetle

[retrovan]

Have been asked, if I would be interested in making these for forum guys.

Will do a costing, and let you know what the cost would be on this thread.

Then we can take it from there............

Herman

[retrovan]

@retrovan.

Lost the thread but are you keen to make and sell A frames like the one you made for move you kombi?

Got to do some tuning around for mine and would be easier with an frame.

Hi Klaus,
Here is the thread, would you want to make one your self, you welcome.
Will make one for you, but bit busy with work right now, may take 2 months.
Let me know.???

[Ron&Gill]

I like your approach and I'm impressed with the result. However, the problem I have with A-frames is that they are so big. Putting it in the back of the car on your way there or on your way back is a mission. I once saw a well engineered triangular A-frame that folds flat. That impressed me. It was good and heavy and all that. Looked the business.

How about designing something like that?

Now you might say, you shouldn't tow a bus with a vehicle that you can't fit an A-frame into, and you might have a point, but that's not the issue...

[Klaus]

@retrovan.

Lost the thread but are you keen to make and sell A frames like the one you made for move you kombi?

Got to do some tuning around for mine and would be easier with an frame.

Hi Klaus,
Here is the thread, would you want to make one your self, you welcome.
Will make one for you, but bit busy with work right now, may take 2 months.
Let me know.???

Thanks bud, will you be Willing to put up the design specs? I will then give it a bash. If not then I'm keen hang on until you get some time to build one and I can contribute some funds to your projects!

[retrovan]

Hi Ron,
Did look at the fold up type, but found that they all have weak spots on these joints.
Still say, because towing is so dangerous, the best thing you can do is to make sure that the link between the two cars is as strong as possible, You can tow a car with a section of wire, but when things go wrong, you need the connection to be solid, so you can pull out of danger.
my design was tested with this in mind, and to the point of lost control, without it deflecting.

If you need to transport it, use a roof carrier like me......
sorry, best I can come up with.....

[retrovan]

Hi Klaus,
Did not design the tow bar for selling, but to help others on the forum to tow safe, and enjoy their cars.
Because of the mess with the moving, will take some time to post these plans, but will do it with pleasure.
If you still have trouble, will help you make one.........

[Ron&Gill]

Hi Ron,
Did look at the fold up type, but found that they all have weak spots on these joints.
Still say, because towing is so dangerous, the best thing you can do is to make sure that the link between the two cars is as strong as possible, You can tow a car with a section of wire, but when things go wrong, you need the connection to be solid, so you can pull out of danger.
my design was tested with this in mind, and to the point of lost control, without it deflecting.

If you need to transport it, use a roof carrier like me......
sorry, best I can come up with.....

Yes, I agree, but whenever I mention a fold up one, what springs to mind is one that you take out folded, give it a shake and "Presto! A fully functional-Inspector-Gadget-A frame." Well, I know that is a bit Hollywood, and that is indeed the one I saw, so I was thinking more in line of spending 15 minutes bolting it together with M15's or something like that. So maybe my terminology was bad. Not a fold-away, but one that can be disassembled... Is that better? It also has it's advantages when storing the thing, which is the condition it is usually in, stored.

[Klaus]

Hi Klaus,
Did not design the tow bar for selling, but to help others on the forum to tow safe, and enjoy their cars.
Because of the mess with the moving, will take some time to post these plans, but will do it with pleasure.
If you still have trouble, will help you make one.........

That will be fantastic.

[retrovan]

..... is one that you take out folded, give it a shake and "Presto! A fully functional-Inspector-Gadget-A frame." Well, I know that is a bit Hollywood,.....

good one Ron...

Yes I do know what you mean...

As a future project, will be taking my frame, and doing just that, fitting "slide in" joints into the strait sections to make it "fold up" and then testing it again, but no time now, will be a future add on to this thread..........
Should work.....

[Ron&Gill]

A blow up one, maybe? I mean you can buy all kinds of blow up things:

a blow up mattress
a blow up boat
a blow up girl friend
a blow up suicide bomber

why not a blow up A frame...

[Tony Z]

speak to Gill, maybe she can "blow up your A-frame"

[Ron&Gill]

speak to Gill, maybe she can "blow up your A-frame"

Oi! Behave... I'll set Bratley on you...

[Tony Z]

Oooo the fear....

Sorry guys, hijack over

[retrovan]

Blow up........

Fold up........

Pulling.........

Screwing it.......

Sorry guys are we still talking about A-Frames.........

[retrovan]

Finally got down to making a 2nd copy of my Bus/Beetle A-Frame tow bar.

The reason for this is so that I can now work out a costing, as the prototype was made with long hours, lots of changes, lots of tests, so the correct cost could not be calculated.

Will be sending the A-Frame in for galvanising, then the final cost sheet can be completed.

Will also post photos of it, as well as the Type 3 frame, as it is totally different to the other Bus/Beetle one.

Herman