Nearer to Burringbar NSW 2483 the better! (1:40 south of Brissy)

Want to make a retro motorcycle trailer to match me bug!

Wide 5 prefered, knackerd is ok! Bus or Bug whatever....

Let me know what you have lying around!

Cheers
Dave

Have you considered using an old irs rear end out of a type 3, could be modified to suit your application and would be simpler to use. just use early drums to give you the wide five.

I was going to suggest this - I have a late type 3 rear end (4 stud) and have also utilized the shock mounts and put disc brakes on it (it carries my work tools - about 650kgs all up - plus loads on top lol). A lot easier to set up I reckon.

Let me know if you want pics.

Sounds good, I would love to see some pictures!, very early stages for me, so far I just thought a beam would be easier....

Any Type 3 rears out there?

Cheers
Dave

Even an irs rear end cut out of a beetle.

I was thinking that....I just gave a mate an IRS pan.......Bug ger!

The good part about a type 111 rear end, is that it unbolts out of the car - makes it a bit cleaner & easier.

Here is some photos that I have of mine, but if you are interested, I will get some better ones.

Looks good, I would like to see more when you get a chance!
Cheers
Dave

Here you go Dave - sorry for the delay.

Here are some more photos of the trailer. Mine is a bit different, because I have had the centre spline section of the torsion tube cut out and made to rotate, then bolted arms onto it with a big nut at the top, then a threaded rod through that so I can change the torsion bar setting - wind the trailer up and down. I mainly did this so I can wind it up, drop the legs on my toolbox that sits in the trailer, then wind it back down, open the tailgate, and wheel the trailer out from under the toolbox.

I have also utilised the lower shock mounts to fit shock absorbers, fitted a sway bar (especially good when carrying long timber, scaffold planks, ect.) and fitted disc brakes.

Here is a photo of the complete set up from the back of the trailer



and here is the arms off the rotating centre spline section with the nut and adjusting rod still looking from the back



Here is a photo of the arms and the adjusting rod looking from the side



and here is the bottom of the arms and the rotating section of the torsion tube



This is how I wind the threaded rod to raise and lower the suspension. It is an old ratchet lever I found at a 2nd hand material place. It had a whole other section to it which we cut off.



and this is a photo of the whole draw bar set up with the ratchet lever for adjusting the torsion bars/height of the trailer and the override draw bar for the disc brakes. There is also mounts for a big metal box with my compressor in it that I can clip onto the draw bar.



I realise you don't need all these features, but I was just pointing out why it looks more complicated than what you probably need.

Let me know if you want more detail on any parts of the set up, or more photos of anything.

Who's a clever feller!

Nice work....have the Fed's ever pulled you over questioning your max towing capacity etc?

I think I am getting my old IRS pan back (bug) so let the cutting begin.....

Cheers
Dave

I have only been pulled over about my load once - I had about 20 x 6m lengths of 70x35 on the top racks of the trailer, and they seemed to think it could be a bit much.

Love your work Jeff that's great!

Seeing as you are a clever sod, you could get an ATV winch with remote control, and adapt it to youtr ride height adjustment system....worth it just for coolness no one could fail to be impressed!!

Awww ........ don't go putting ideas like that in my head - I am busy enough now

Ha ha you know you're going to do it now......

Now on a boring note...from the RTA we can only legally tow 1.5 times our empty cars weight (about1000-1200kgs depending on how fat your bug is) when the trailer has brakes.
Also read from an official VW document that the beetle can only tow 400kgs unbraked....

I think the heaviest I have towed was about 2 tons. I cleaned up a job I finished in Beechwood. I had my big box trailer, and had it half full of dirt & stones, which then got very wet from the rain. I then loaded all the left over hardwood etc. from the site - up to about 6.5m long, and stacked up to about 1800 high. I drove the 30kms back to Port Macquarie in the rain.

The only hassle I had was coming down to the one-way bridge over the railway. I slowed right down in case a car came the other way, and sure enough, one did. I was stopping to let him off the bridge, and as I was coming to a stop - about walking pace, it jack-knifed on me. It didn't even go far enough for the draw bar to hit the bumper bar, but it was a nuisance.

I think I was pushing the envelope though.

My work trailer with a normal load - tool box & tools (no extra gear on top or on the racks, and no compressor on the draw bar) is about 650kgs

Being rear engined, the beetle seems to handle it VERY well.

Hey Jeff

what are you running in your Beetle? We have a country buggy that i eventually want to pull our camper trailer with. Its about 700kg ringing wet, so curious to see what motor your got. Hows it go on the open road etc?

Nice!

Yeah would love to but unfortunately will be at work (in Tamworth)

What brakes you running jeff?

I am running stock discs on the front, & Volks Conversions disc on the rear and on the trailer. I put them on the trailer because when I have had blokes with utes (and not much weight in the back) tow the trailer, they struggle a bit, especially in the wet. They are good in an emergency stop with the but too. :-)

Cool thanks Jeff! Yeah that's what i was thinking, be disc conversion all round for me .. I think brakes on the trailer would be a legal requirement given the trailer weight vs car weight (i think someone mentioned that already).

When my trailer is empty, it is well under the weight to require brakes, and the brakes are not mentioned on the rego. Because it is basically a car rear end and it was easy to fit brakes to (it would have been just as easy to fit stock type III rear drums), I ended up fitting them, partly for the cool factor, mainly to make it safer, and partly because I could.