Well, we will have to see in that regard. I can always have another long piece made if I want, as all the pieces are detachable. I suppose one could telescope the end pieces and pin it too, if they wanted to try that option, too. U'll have to ask my welder guy just what he thinks would be the strongest to use. May be something to consider. I don't see this bar as having chronic use.
I don't really see an issue with a tow bar welded by a professional welder. The back yard hobbiest can add a small plate on each side of the welded area if they are not confident in their welds. Weld the edges of the plate length ways along the corners of the square tube. Not across the tube. The easiest way is to take the tubing to a tube bending shop and have them bend it for you. In a situation where you are going to support the weight of the bike with the front wheel off of the ground I would probably use a slightly thicker material than usual. Probably not a real problem but one less thing to worry about. Safety chains are a must for this. Thought should be given to the fact that if something breaks of the hitch comes off of the tow ball the front wheel will hit the ground causing it to try to steer in whatever direction it is pointed. A normal trailer will usually just drag along behind in this situation so it is important to be sure you have strong chains properly mounted. Bob
Iv'e been thinking about a tow bar for my rig for some time and while i was looking over the Harbor Freight site, i came across a tow bar for $80. Seems like a good bet for towing by the forks ,at least on my 80 honda f terraplane set up. all you would have to do is, make up a set of C shaped clamps for around the lower legs. what do you guys think?
I looked at HF tow bar setups and was thinking of adapting one of them in the past. I never followed through on that, as I got sidelined with other projects at the time. I don't know which in particular you are speaking of, or how it would adapt to your particular sidecar rig. I was always amazed at how well my old stock VW tow bar actually handled in hauling all of my previous Model A Fords across country in the past. It was very light and required no adaptations to fit on the cars.
The fellow who did my welding is a certified welder and knew exactly what this project was to be used for. Even so, I didn't watch him directly welding it, as I had burned my eyes with a bad flash burn in the past and I recently had surgery on both eyes for cataract removal. I didn't want to chance any further eye damage, so I didn't watch his work as he did up this piece. I still have some additional trimming of the rear of the long bar and some drilling of holes for another receiver to the rear and the receivers on the frame. I found a removable tow light that pins to a receiver and had all the wiring and pig tails to it. at Walmart, for under $10 bucks. This is cheaper than getting some magnetic tow lights, so I'll pick up another receiver to stow in my old Nissan beater truck that I'll use for towing. I'll address the issue with my welder when I return to have the final work done by him, but I am pretty sure he covered all the bases when he made the original long bar to this setup. If any additional support is needed, I'm pretty sure he will let me know. Never wrong in the least to suggest looking at such though. Safety is only as safe as you make it.
I am always updating the pics at my flickr set regarding this. I have not actually hitched the rig up to my truck. I have a battery swap in progress and didn't want to get out in the rain or the cold garage floor any more than I had to today. Eventually I'll update this set and show the tow bar setup as it progresses to completion. I am a firm believer in safety chains and my rig is set up for that. I don't believe I have taken any pic of such, yet. Most of the pics explain what the pic represents, so anyone else can easily adapt whatever they believe works best for their own setup or rig.
Like say, this is a work in progress, but getting nearer to completion all the time. Wish my bike was running at the moment, as I do what to see if there is any real difference in handling when the tow bar is actually in place on the bike. I really don't expect to keep it stored in the receivers all the time, but it is always nice to know of any driving change characteristics in advance. This surely adds some ballast, but where it adds it may make change in driving. I'll be glad to check it out as soon as my new battery is in place and the rig is all put back together. My particular model of Ural is a real PITA to remove and re-insert a new battery. It is not a 10 minute affair in the least. Qualifies as actual work and for someone who is retired, work is a dirty word. 🙂
http://www.flickr.com/photos/a1930ford/sets/72157628257545359/
It flicks over to allow the direction to switch the entrance rim up off the street and then shops within the crack structure when not in use. It is an exciting tow bar mod.
If you want to see some interesting tow bar thoughts or useage, just journey into about 6:32 minutes or so of this video clip from YouTube and see the Ural train at the factory. Interesting to view, for sure. How many Urals did you see being hauled on that tow bar train? 🙂
Talking about towing with a rope or chain reminded me of a little excitement I had about ten years or so back. I was headed home on I-5 just into Washington near Kalama riding the old Convert with sidecar when the transmission quit working. Actually what it was, the torque converters in the early models were welded up sheet metal parts that had a reputation for periodic failure. The old Guzzi's are a fairly simple bike to work on and knowing the issues I had a good supply of tools on board that I used to refer to as ballast. I pushed it off of the road onto a grassy area and tore it apart. A while later I had the motor/transmission out and separated and parts everywhere. It was starting to get late in the day and I was getting concerned about having it back together before dark. About that time a pickup pulled up behind me. Turned out the driver was a member of the local GWRRA chapter and lived just a couple miles away up what turned out to be an interesting if rather twisty road. He offered to tow me to his place and let me use his garage and tools to complete the repair. Wow! Saved! We loaded most of the parts into his truck and used a long rope to hook my rig on behind. I told him I had good brakes and could keep the line tight so we wouldn't have to worry about slack issues while towing. The part I forgot to tell him was how sidecar rigs react to right turns. If someone offers to tow you on a line don't forget that part. To say it was an exciting few miles is an understatement. I got the rig fixed in his shop and they even invited me to dinner. Couldn't ask for any more than that from a fellow rider. Barry 🙂
Bill Johann does it differently on his Ural.
If it links, then here is another method to tow.
Pat Huey - 2/21/2012 1:41 AM Bill Johann does it differently on his Ural.
This looks exactly like the Harley had, except it wasn't much heavier that the tube one on the video. As I said before,ours had a clamp on the end for old style steel bumbers. Similar to this, but only about 12 inches wide.
It would be useless today.
Here is his video. He says he hit about 71 MPH with this rig behind his truck. He says he does not worry over tranny problems, as he travels in neutral. Me, I am not so sure what happens to both the engine or the tranny when the bike is in neutral, as far as what still gets lubricated or not. I guess it can be debated. I have a setup I am making that uses some pvc pipe to hook over the gear shift lever on my Ural. It keeps the lever from being accidentally engaged. I need to finish it off as a DIY project, but I believe it will be pretty simplistic and work as a safety measure.
I don't see Sidecar Mike's pic showing, so I guess it didn't link in the above post.
Pat Huey - 2/24/2012 5:49 PM ... I don't see Sidecar Mike's pic showing, so I guess it didn't link in the above post.
Try it now. It should show up.
No, but probably problem with my old browser.
Now?
Yes, I had thought it may be my browser. I'm sort of laughing about the bumper attachment, as I recall just how flimsy my Model A bumpers were. The attaching bolts were well known to be rusted and easy to break on those old Model A's. My '42 Chevy bumper wasn't much better, either. 🙂
