Towing with an A-frame

[Roo]

Anybody here got a vehicle with an A-frame they tow?

Looking into it as it cuts out the need for a trailer to transport a vehicle.

Did you have to go through any legal hoops?

certification on the towed vehicle?

I plan on connecting lights via trailer plugs to run tail/stop/indicators and having the a-frame removable and mounts hidden by the bumper so the bumper will be off while towing.

More than likely use some angle/box section bolted to the chassis legs which will then attach to the a-frame in some way

Cheers

[gotasuby]

It\'s a bit of a grey area. We have a frames that bolt onto factory cars and they work mint. But best to call ltnz to find out currant rules

[DRFVDR]

towed vehicle must be at Trailer WOF grade ( so bugger all if under 2500kg)

as the towed vehicle is under 3500kg no cert needed for connection as any backyarder can build a legal trailer= the same ( this is being looked into at the moment so may change)

what do you intend to a tow and be towed with as there are a few things to be considered

some one on here had a wee upset towing an A framed car ( not to sure on set up but caused 3 right offs ? )

[Roo]

Want to tow the gf8 with my diesel laurel, I guess the biggest question would be the brakes, I\'ve towed with it before and lost no brake performance, but the wrx is double the weight of anything I\'ve towed

Those little brake meters or whatever they sometimes use for wof\'s could probably tell me if it\'s stopping effectively?

[Joker]

drive the laurel hard and see if you get brake fade? upgrade brakes to suit : I\'d be going the other way around and towing with the WRX for its braking performance

is a loose : loose situation and a braked trailer would be ideal behind the laurel (but again adding weight BUT increasing braked performance to cope with it

[ADIKT]

Thought you wouldn\'t be able to tow the wrx? Thought they need to be on a flat bed?

[DRFVDR]

A few issues

1/ laurel is not heavy enough to tow the WRX, tow vehicle should be heavier by a fair bit( especially if the towed "trailer" is unbraked)

2/ Cannot flat tow a AWD subaru at any great speed/distance it will lunch the gearbox.

[ADIKT]

 We are borg said:

A few issues

1/ laurel is not heavy enough to tow the WRX, tow vehicle should be heavier by a fair bit( especially if the towed "trailer" is unbraked)

2/ Cannot flat tow a AWD subaru at any great speed/distance it will lunch the gearbox.

Pretty sure its RWD (removed front shafts) ? cant see that it would make much of a difference though

[DRFVDR]

Yeah dunno

still would not risk it myself

[Roo]

Yeah it\'s rwd so no gearbox issues there

I did wonder if the laurel was going to be heavy enough, idk what they weigh but i\'d assume it was ~1600kg?

[nztintin]

from experience issac\nzkaos? A framed his wrx from auckland to manfeild, thrashed it around the A framed it back to auckland and it was all good, he was behind a commodore and he started having brake issues over the desert road, the wrx kept trying to push the arse of the commodore around corners.

I wouldn\'t recommend towing any great distance with an A frame, braked trailers are worth their weight in gold!

[lachlan]

how the fuck is it going to lunch the gear box ?

you cant tow them with one axle off the ground ala most tow trucks

isnt the definition of acceplatbe brakes regarding towing being able to stop in 7 meters from 30kph ?

[Roo]

Hiring a car trailer is still an option, and may be the way I go.

The track I will use is only an hours trip each way and relatively straight.

Issue with a-framing is if I lose it and crash it may not be in a good/safe enough state to tow back

[gotasuby]

We have towed a car from Auckland to chch on a frame. With a tx legacy haha. And no problem towing a AWD manual gearbox any distance. Autos are different though.

[Joker]

..as in you can/should NEVER tow an auto with any wheels turning/on the ground

[gotasuby]

 JoKer said:

..as in you can/should NEVER tow an auto with any wheels turning/on the ground

Correct unless engine runs but then why would you be towing it