I hear that.It's no Autostick,so I don't have to worry about that.

Looks like our plans have changed again lol.We're going to make the 3 hour drive to Cookeville and stay at a hotel there on Friday night.Then,he's suppose to drive the Beetle,yes,drive it,from Knoxville to Cookeville and meet us in the parking lot.We're going to trade funds there.I'll probably stick with the Auto Transport Trailer if U-Haul will let me rent it with that Ranger lol.Surely they will though.If not,I'll stick with the dolly.

Anyone on here live in Cookeville?Figured we might meet up and have a late supper at a resturant Friday night or something lol.

Nightrain

 

Well,looks like there's another change in plans lol.They're gonna keep changing it until it's next year before we go and get that Bug...

My dad and I going next Friday,March 12th,to Knoxville to get the Beetle.We'll probably stay over at Cookeville since I'll be doing all of the driving and at the point of 10 hours on the road,we're probably going to be pretty tired.

I'm going to talk to this Bug Mechanic again.U-Haul is giving me some static on towing the Bug with either the tow dolly or trailer,so I'm going to talk with him once again to make sure that it won't hurt the Bug if I tow it with a dolly and the rears on the ground.Hopefully is won't.

Nightrain

 

One more question...If I get a tow dolly and take it to Knoxville with us to ensure that we won't have any problems getting one there,would it hurt to leave the OD on in his truck instead of ruining our gas mileage on our way up there?It is an auto and the dolly weighs no more than 650lbs. if I'm not mistaken.

Thanks for any insight.

Nightrain

 

its a beetle...can't you just toss it in the bed and bring it home...

 

lol...Thought of that.Didn't seem right though lol.

You know...I seriously thought about pulling my 5'x10' single-axle utility trailer up there.It's a perfect fit .

Nightrain

 

I repeat - the Bug makes a good trailer. I pulled mine on one trip (loaded to the roof with stuff) from Texas to South Florida, unloaded the stuff, took off the tow bar and drove it to work. I made several trips like this, traveling at highway speeds loaded to the max, with no problems. That old tow bar was the best $35 I ever spent.

 

Thanks again dono.If I get the "BugPack" tow bar,will I need to purchase the mounting plate also?It's says that it's only for Super Beetles and his is just a regular coupe I reckon.No big deal there.Where does the tow bar hook on if there's no mounting plate?

We'll probably pick up a tow bar from JCW before we leave just in case something comes up with the dolly.I'll probably just try and get the dolly in Knoxville and put the fronts of the Bug on it and drag the rears.

Nightrain

 

My old tow bar clamps to two points on the Bug's bumper. The second part clamps with universal clamps to the center of the tow car bumper. I always put cloth strips between the clamps and the bumpers so as not to scratch the chrome. The two parts are joined togather with a steel pin which has a hole for a safety pin. There is also a safety chain between the two parts. It is easy to just pull the pin, remove the chain and drive the tow car solo. Too bad you are not close, you would be welcome to it. Good luck, have a safe trip.

 

Well,I reckon we're leaving tomorrow afternoon.Dad and I were able to get off Friday and Saturday and we're going to make the trip together.Probably going to go to Kingston and spend the night at the Days Inn tomorrow night and then make the 45-minute commute to Knoxville Saturday morning.We're meeting the seller at 8:00 that morning.Then,heading back home.Should be fun .

I bought a tow bar from Peek Performance,which came in yesterday.Everything looks good and I think that it will work great.I just got back from TSC with some safety chains and a trailer wiring harness to hook the taillights on the Beetle up so they'll work for marker,brake,and signal lights.I've got a wiring diagram for the Beetle and I've already found the wires that I'm going to need to splice in to .

I've been talking with some people and they said that it should be an easy trip.I'm not worried about towing the Beetle,just some potential traffic that we're going to have to deal with.

BTW,do you think that it would hurt the Ranger to keep the OD turned on while towing the Beetle?I can't remember what the Owner's Manual said,but I believe that you're suppose too.These Tennessee Hills can be pretty hard on an auto lol.The Bug and our equipment will probably come in somewhere around 2,500-2,750lbs.

Thanks again fellas.Wish us luck and keep us in your prayers.

Nightrain

 

Work the OD manually. When you're going uphill and you can hear the rpm getting low, switch it off. Going downhill & on flat ground, switch it back on. Listen to the engine & pay attention to the amount of "load".

 

Thanks Dealford.But it won't hurt the OD either way?It's going to be mostly interstate,so the engine will be wound up pretty good.

Nightrain

 

just watch that your don't burn out the tranny every now and then give it a bit of gas and note the acceleration on the flat not a prob but watch out for the hills

 

Well,we made the trip.This Beetle is the bomb.I think that I'll buy me one now .But don't worry...I'm keepin' my Ranger .Anyway,we bought a tow bar,but it didn't work.The wheels wanted to see-saw back and forth after you made a turn with the Beetle.We ended up getting a U-Haul Tow Dolly and made the trip home with that.The tow bar did come in handy after we got it home though lol.

We turned the OD on one time the whole way home.There's a 6-mile long 5% grade on the West side of Crossville I believe.I turned it on down that hill since the truck was running warmer than it normally does.The temp needle usually only moves about 1/4 of the way up,but it stayed about 1/2 way up until I turned that OD on going down the hill.Didn't hurt anything though.The truck still runs and drives perfectly.You just can't get anything better than a Ford Ranger .

Anyway...I thought that I'd let you guys know that we made it home safely.Thanks for your help on everything.And thank you Ken for letting me put this thread in this forum .

For future references,if anyone plans on towing a Beetle with a tow bar,carry along some bungee cords and tie each side of the steering wheel to the clutch and brake pedals.It'll save you alot of time on stopping and straightening the wheels.I still wouldn't reccomend using one for interstate towing.That's probably just me though lol.

Thanks again.

Nightrain