Towbar Questions

[braidmeister]

Have any of you guys used a towbar with your Beetle? I've got a 30' RV and I am thinking about taking a trip down to the Keys in February. I'd like to have my Beetle for getting around town so that I can leave the RV hooked up at the camp. My thought is, just because a towbar exists for the Beetle, doesn't necessarily mean that it won't screw up my transaxle. Thoughts? Any problem towing it up to 65mph on all four wheels? I know some vehicles cannot be towed because of lack of lubrication in the trans...I don't think there is a problem towing, but I figured I'd ask some of you more seasoned guys about it. (BTW - the car is a 4-speed, not an AutoStick)

It looks like JBugs has one for about $80 - Makes me wonder if I will have to beef it up for that price  s#r

Thanks!
-Brady

[Baha (Shawn)]

No problem using a towbar. The $80 pricetag is correct it's a $5 coupler and $10 bucks worth of steel. I use them all the time. We towed Marc's (luvgroovesalad) baja home from Englishtown after he broke a clutch cable. We did 65 all the way down 295. Without the engine running, the transaxle would probably be cooler than when youre driving. No gear friction etc.

[braidmeister]

OK - Cool. Just wanted to make sure. Now I'll have to get some skirts for underneath the coach so that I don't wail the front end of the Bug with road debris & rocks...

[Baha (Shawn)]

Just remember... You can't back up while using a towbar!

[braidmeister]

Ahh! Good thinkin! I forgot that it pivots on the beam...

-Brady

[Bugaru "JAY"]

 Brad. Your talking about approximatly a 3000 mile round trip, do you really want to drag a VW that far, VW tow bars aren't really made very Beefy? Most I've flat towed a VW was about 1200+ miles, had no real problems, but was concerned, that a mounting pin or weld could pop off. Espically with a Motorhome, you really can't see what's going on back there? Heck consider shopping online and you could probably find a nice one down there very reasonably priced, FL has a ton of nice VDubs. Make the arrangements, pick it up on your way through, drive it around and tow it back home. If you don't like it your recover your cost easily. If you do tow your also going to need a good size drop to your tow hitch so that it lines up stright.

Also, if your not ready for that Tow Bar yet and can hold on a little longer we'll working on a Club discount from JBugs. 10% on most items. I just need to finish the details with them. Another though is checkout say Mid America Motor works. They may be slightly higher in price but it's a large shipping item so your save there since Mid America is in IL not So-Cal..

[braidmeister]

If I don't tow the vdub, I'll tow my 2000 S10 'dog truck' instead. The bug weighs a good 1000# less than the S10. I just need a grocery getter etc. I need another vehicle/project etc like a hole in the head. I would rent a car before I bought one...

Thanks for the tips.

-Brady

[Baha (Shawn)]

a trailer would be a better choice but if you get the towbar you also need to get safety chains. I use 2 6'ers and attach to the beam.