[TR] Towing a TR3A without a trailer/dolly

[Frank Fisher]

Art
my TR3 came home on a U-haul trailer.
its just barely wide enough in the
middle to get the car on.
if you ask U-Haul they will tell you it does not
fit. and then they wont rent it to you. so you have to mislead them a little
and suggest its an MGB. OMG!
but as most Americans call all British cars MG
you too can feign ignorance.
Frank

From: "amcewen2 at cogeco.ca"
<amcewen2 at cogeco.ca>
To: John Wise <tr3a.60 at gmail.com> 
Cc:
triumphs at autox.team.net 
Sent: Tuesday, May 15, 2012 7:45 AM
Subject: Re: [TR]
Towing a TR3A without a trailer/dolly

Thanks John (and others),

I sort of
wondered if where the bumper attachs to the outriggers was strong
enough but
thought the frame would be even
stronger.

However the lack of lubrication to
the gearbox is sort of turning me off the
idea.  I could disconnect the
driveshaft,
but then I'd have to carry a jack, jackstands, coveralls etc.. and
it starts
to defeat the relaxation & fun elements I
was hoping for. ;)

It's
too bad the track is too narrow for Uhaul trailers....

Art


>
> A long, long
time ago (1972) in a place far far away, I towed my 58 MGA from
Webb AFB,
Texas to Pittsburg PA when I
> left the USAF to start grad school.  I used a
one-off rig that attached to
the front bumper bolts that was designed &
>
built by a local welding shop bakin Big Spring, TX.  Four years later I used
the same rig to tow the MGA from
> Pittsburgh to St Louis (first job after
grad school).  No problems...
>
> John
>
> On  14 May, 2012, at 1:19 PM,
amcewen2 at cogeco.ca wrote:
>
> > Hi listers,
> >
> > Not sure if this is a good
idea or not but Im thinking of rigging my
(daily
> > driver) TR3A to tow
behind an RV without
> > a trailer or dolly (4 down in RV parlance). 
Obviously I cant phone up
the
> > tow bar people and get an off the
> > shelf
mounting bracket for a TR so I was looking at having one
fabricated.
> >
> >
My goal is to not reduce the ground clearance any more then is already
there
>
> so Id thought of using the 4 bolts that
> > go through the frame to hold the
front bumper outriggers on.  If I use
the
> > inner side of the bolt (between
the frame
> > rails) it wont change the placement of the outriggers.  (I dont
have a
> > rad/sump guard to get in the way).
> >
> > I was thinking of a
couple of 18 4-6mm flat steel sections shaped sort
of
> > like Js (or flat
field hockey stick)
> > lying on its back with a piece of say 2 box steel
across the crook of
the
> > J section to act as the mounting
> > point for the
tow bar pins.  That way the bar angle wont interfere with
the
> > bumper and
it raises the mounting point
> > slightly and the pulling stress will be on
the steel and not the welds.
Id
> > put the mounting pins a couple of inches
>
> to the outside of the "J" to make the tow bar resemble a triangle a bit
more
> > in the hops of improving stability.
> > Safety chains would attach behind
the suspension uprights.
> >
> > Ive seen MGBs and even a 356 towed like this
so Im probably not the
first TR
> > owner to try this,  any idea what the
> >
thickness required for the J or the cross piece?  Am I nuts?  ;)
> >
> >
Thanks,
> >
> > Art.
> >
> > ** triumphs at autox.team.net **
> >
> > Donate:
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>
> John A.
Wise
> Ormond Beach, FL
>
> 1960 Triumph TR3A
> Commission No: TS80422L
>
http://members.cox.net/60tr3a/
> http://www.triumphowners.com/876
>
> 1977
Porsche 911S
> http://members.cox.net/porsche911s/

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