<VV> Towing with a Corvair ~ "unsafe at any (towing) speed"

[Charles Lee]

I've towed Corvairs with other Corvairs with the seatbelt from the 'rescued'
Corvair as a 'tow-bar' !

My cousin Ellen had spun the car out (see pix) and hit the guard rail so
hard it broke the door hinges, which we didn't discover until it the door
fell off on the ride home!  (Now, THAT was fun, going back through traffic
to collect it!)

The cops saw us collecting the missing door and would not let us drive it
anymore (although it was registered and insured), they thought it was
"unsafe at any speed" ~ probably not the first to say that ?

Tie one half of the belt to the bumper of one car, and the other half to the
bumper of the other car, and ~snap~ them together for a 'quick release' when
you get home !

The bad news came when my brother, in the towed Corvair, decided to test the
strength of the buckle, and pulled the rear bumper into a nice "v-shaped"
wedge, but neither broke !

So, we hooked them together with the seat belt (after the cop was gone) and
towed it the rest of the way.

Where there is a will, there is a way, as long as there's no cop to
interject his "opinion" !

Charlie


-----Original Message-----
From: virtualvairs-bounces at corvair.org
[mailto:virtualvairs-bounces at corvair.org] On Behalf Of Joel McGregor
Sent: Thursday, November 10, 2011 10:55 AM
To: Vair Views
Subject: Re: <VV> Towing with a Corvair

I've never towed with a Corvair but I've towed many a Corvair and other
vehicles on my 16' flatbed (no brakes).  I do have a load leveling hitch now
but haven't had the chance to use it yet.  I've towed hundreds of cars with
that flatbed and often the weight was way over the tow vehicle.  Most of
it's life it was towed by either a '79 Seville or a '78 Caprice.  It's had
all forms of Corvairs on it except Ultra Vans or course.  It's also towed
Astro vans, Delta 88s, Caprices and other heavy vehicles.  The heaviest load
was a trailer full of Corvair parts I picked up  that probably weighed
10,000 lbs.  (lots of engines and transaxles)  
The last few years it has been pulled by a friend's '88 Jimmy.  Almost
anything towed is heavier than that.  The key is loading it correctly and
using your brain.  Be responsible and everything will be fine.  If you don't
have enough tongue weight or don't allow enough distance to stop you are
asking for trouble.
I've got some electric brakes that I intend to install someday.  Then I can
pull it with a Corvair if I can come up with a hitch I am satisfied with.
I don't tow in the mountains because we don't have any in my driving radius
from DFW.
Joel McGregor
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