I recently got a query from someone on the club website, wanting increase the tow capacity of a 1979 Kombi.

" I have a'79 Kombi - I think my towing specs are 1000/80. what do i have to do to get it to 1500/80 ?Thanks"

The 1974 one I have for my Kombi lists the VW Type 2's towing capacity as just 600 kg un-braked, and 800 kg braked, and a nose weight of 25-50 kg. This is consistent across all models, and seems to be for both the 1.6 and 1.8-litre engines.

Was the 1979 Kombi increased to 1000 kg (braked, I assume), and 80 kg nose weight, as the guy says, or is he exaggerating?

Even if this is correct, is it possible (or legal) to increase the Kombi's tow capacity to 1500 kg? In NSW, the regulation says that the tow weight cannot exceed the 'maximum towing capacity of the vehicle' or the 'rated capacity of the towbar', whichever is the lesser. A rule about braked trailers allowed to be 1.5 times the weight of the tow vehicle (or equal for un-braked) only applies when the manufacturer has NOT listed a tow capacity. This is not the case for VW Kombis.

http://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/roads/safety-rules/road-rules/towing.html 

If a way could be found to make it legal, what engineering modifications would you make to allow a 1.5-tonne tow capacity on a 1979 Kombi? Engine, gearbox, brakes, suspension, tow bar design? What should I advise the guy?

Don't know about legalities but I had an engineering firm custom make a towbar step setup for my old bay dual cab. They started with a 2250kg rated tow bar from a 4wd and made some mounts from 10mm plate and welded a second mounting point to the chassis rails. They know and I know that it could handle a couple of ton but I haven't had it blueplated as I probably won't need to tow more than 800kg. I mainly had it built for off-road recoveries. As far as towing stresses on a standard bus, I have a friend who towed my dual cab bus on a trailer with his 78 2lt and it was quite stable for the 200k trip.

The regulations were changed in later years since that was written to allow a greater towing capacity. You would probably just need to read the generic regulations (1.5 times) and the towing capacity stated on the towbar. Engine/gearbox has nothing to do with it.

In NSW, the limit is established by:

"Towing ratio requirement

The loaded mass of the trailer must not exceed the lesser of:
Rated capacity of the towbar and tow coupling.
Maximum towing capacity of the vehicle.
Maximum carrying capacity of the trailer.
Maximum rated carrying capacity of the tyres.

If the vehicle manufacturer has not specified the maximum towing mass, the maximum towing mass is:
One and a half times the unladen mass of the towing vehicle, provided that the trailer is fitted with brakes which are connected and in working order, or
The unladen mass of the towing vehicle if the trailer does not require brakes. "

Even with the 2 litre engine, the max. (braked) towing mass specified by VW is 800 kg.

To (nearly) double this to 1500kg would require substantial re-engineering and would be a serious strain on the drive line. Easier to buy a new Ford F150, rated up to 12,200 lb towing mass, depending on engine/driveline.

That said, I've towed about 2000 kg of racing yacht, trailer (no brakes), tools and spares from Melbourne to Perth, Hobart and Sydney and back behind an HQ Monaro; it may have *ever so slightly* exceeded the legal limit.

hth

Kombi for towing?...T5

Let's go through it again.

The most current NSW rules are listed on the RMS website, which was last updated 20 February 2015 (not in the early '80s). The link is below. Read them first, then come back. I'll wait.

http://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/roads/safety-rules/road-rules/towing.html 

The relevent passage, under the heading 'Towing Ratio Requirement', says:

The loaded mass of the trailer must not exceed the lesser of:
* Rated capacity of the towbar and tow coupling.
* Maximum towing capacity of the vehicle.
* Maximum carrying capacity of the trailer.
* Maximum rated carrying capacity of the tyres.

If the vehicle manufacturer has not specifed the maximum towing mass, the maximum towing mass is:
* One and a half times the unladen mass of the towing vehicle, provided that the trailer is fitted with brakes which are connected and in working order, or
* The unladen mass of the towing vehicle if the trailer does not require brakes.

So to answer your question 'Listed in the owner's manual or on the RMS list?' - it clearly says "IF THE VEHICLE MANUFACTURER HAS NOT SPECIFIED THE MAXIMUM TOWING MASS..."

Volkswagen HAS specified the maximum towing mass. It's in the owner's manual and I reporduced the page above. It's 800 kg braked, and 600 kg braked. The 'One and a half' rule therefore does NOT apply. The wording is pretty clear. Other states may be different.

As for the last point, if it's not legal to tow more than 800 kg with a Kombi, then there's no point in speculating on what engine/gearbox or other improvements to make.

But this is my question. Could the vehicle be modified to tow 1500 kg safely and regularly, and then certified by an engineer to make it legal, as you would do with other major redesign/changes over stock specs?

There are plenty of anecdotes of people towing way-over-spec loads with a Kombi. But the guy with the query seems to want to do it regularly and legally.

Yes Greg, the T5 Transporter has a 2000 kg tow capacity. The VW Amarok is 3000 kg and the Touareg is 3500 kg. A (mostly) unmodified V10 TDI Touareg was once used in a demonstration to tow a Boeing 747.

http://www.autoblog.com/2006/11/22/touareg-v10-tdi-tows-a-747/ 

It's only an owner's manual which probably doesn't mean shit in Australia.
The laws have changed. Back in the 70s you could not tow more than the vehicle weight on any car.
Now you would have to look at the list that the RMS has that the manfacturer specified. I doubt if a 1976 Kombi would be listed.

If the police stop you at Alfords Point Rd for an RMS check on the scales, they don't have a collection of owner's manuals to check the specifications with.

The best idea would be to ask the RMS what the towing capacity is listed at and not people on a forum guessing.