Towbar setup for an X

D

Damonfg

Daily Driver
Hey guys, I am looking at flat towing my X a few thousand miles.

Wondering if anyone has any pics about tow bar setups. I have an adjustable tow bar, but havent yet begun to look at attaching it to the X. Thoughts ? Pics ?

I am not 100% confident in attaching to the tie down points up front and am contemplating removing the bumper and attaching the tow bar to where the bumper shocks anchor to the body.

Someone must have done this before, I'd figure. Any pointers ?
 
Papa Tony wrote the book on this..I'm sure he'll chime in sometime...IIRC he said he was going to the East Coast this week, so maybe it'll be a day or so before he checks in.

Meantime, search N54...
 
Here are some fotos... maybe a bit better...

Sorry... I can't seem to get any larger or clearer fotos. Give me a call or write if you need any further info. natolial(at)pacbell.net or 661-296-7277

This adapter fits '79 and later cars, a similar one can be fab-ed for earlier. It actually pulls the car on its tie-downs and is stabilized (left and right) with one brace of its own and the aluminum bumper. I have traveled THOUSANDS of miles with it and loaned to others with nary a mishap.

A simpler method is to remove the bumper all-together and bolt the tow bar pads directly to the bumper shocks, making a simple adapter if necessary. Do use at least Grade 5 bolts. Same would be true for a '74 I imagine.

As always I close with.... NEVER, EVER, try to back up!





 
I did this to my late model X. I got the tow bar at Harbor Freight and bolted it to the stock bumper, after removing the bumper strips. This way, the holes could be covered by the strips when the tow bar was not on it. I towed it this way 1000 miles without issue behind my '88 Vanagon. The only real issue is it was hard on the paint of the X nose.

I also wired in the X wiring to the trailer harness on the Vanagon so that the van's turn signals, running lights and brakes were repeated on the X. That part was kind of fun to figure out.

I disconnected the X battery and turned the key to on so the steering wheel was free to rotate. Worked great.
 
I need to borrow that thing.... I have a Fiat stuck up in the Desert...

:)

Wait I need to get an SUV....


OK maybe next week I will have one... :)
 
Never do that!

Hi,

I may post pics later but I had some bad experiences. Bolting a towbar to the late bumper is NOT a good idea. The logic behind this is the bumper shocks are not made to resist to pulling, they are made to absord shocks when pushed. Even then, it worked for me thousand of miles before I made a mistake. I forgot to unlock the steering wheel when I left from a stop at a restaurant when I was driving back home after a 1000 mile trip.

A few seconds later, I saw in my rearview mirror my X1/9 going in another direction while I heard the sound of the towbar scrubbing the aspalt. The bumper aluminium bracket broke and the bumper stayed with my towtruck while the Fiat could go free!

I was just leaving the parking lot soI was not going fast. The X1/9 manage to stop itself into the middle of a crossing without any hit, but I was really lucky.

If I had to tow the Fiat again, I would make tubes replacing the bumper shocks and weld/bolt them to the tow bar. Then I could always refit the bumpers afterward cause nothing else would be modified for that device.

Daniel Forest
Montreal, Canada
1987 Bertone X1/9
1980 Fiat X 1/9
 
WHAT? I gotta agree with Daniel...

I don't think the bumper shocks themselves would be a problem, but the thin extrusion of the aluminum bumper should NOT be able to handle the stresses as Daniel points out. He states he forgot to turn the key so that the wheels would turn and that caused the problem... and also states the aluminum brackets failed, not the bumper itself. (p.s. I am able to insert the key, turn it on, turn the wheel, and then turn the key of. As long as the key remains in the tumbler, the wheels will turn. I dunno if this is RIGHT or not, but works for me. I do check it again though after every stop.)

I guess that would attest to YOUR statement that you towed it without any problems and the bumper itself is fairly strong on the aluminum brackets. Hmmmmm...

I guess my method using the tie-downs (to pull) and then affixing the adapter again to the bottom of the aluminum bumper, also submits it to "side stresses" which are now somewhat "halved" by the crossbar on the adapter itself.

Finally, I guess we ALL have been LUCKY at one time or another but I have much confidence backed up with at least four thousand miles I have towed my car... and another 3 or 4 thousand miles Dick Waldren towed a few X's back and forth to Texas while using it.

Oh... I also considered doing the same with the lights as you suggested but made up a portable light bar instead using a $20 dollar HF trailer lighting harness. In this way I can use the tow bar and harness for other vehicles as well.

All and all... Flat Towing has it's peculiarities but can be done safely. Trailering has got to be safer but adds to the cost and WEIGHT which could prohibit most SUV's today from towing a car on a trailer. Many 4 wheel car haulers EXCEED the weight of our beloved X's...
 
The weak point is probably the bumper shocks as mentioned. While they don't easily come apart I'm sure it's been done. The load isn't great, since the weight of the car is on it's own wheels. When an X is resting on it's wheels, a child can push/pull it on level ground with effort. That's the tension load applied. No doubt that if I was towing with something more powerful than my Vanagon, the risk of pulling the bumper shocks apart would increase.

Adding 2300 lbs. to the load the brakes have to stop is probably the larger concern. You have to be vigilant and not overwork your brakes.

The weirdest part was not really being able to see the X behind me, so I was always watching on turns to check it was there.
 
So Tony

That pic is a bit small to make out, but in concept do I have this right?

A square bar runs parallel with the bumper, and on each end a plate (angle?) runs back to the tie down lugs, and then the tie downs are "sandwiched" to those plates ?

I am going to have to look at running to the bumper mounts too.

Will be looking at 3000 mile haul, and having had to rescue a buddy after his 928 towbar broke, I can't afford to take any grief :)
 
For what it is worth

In 1985 from Houston to Rhode Island and again in 1997 from Rhode Island to Albuquerque I did exactly what Greg described. Yes, keep the key in the ignition or the steering lock will come into play. I discovered that in the first few blocks. Many thousands of miles of trouble free towing after that. A nose bra is your friend for any towing, too.
 
Damon, I might have what you want

I towed an 87 X from northern NH to my house using a tow arrangement like what tony describes, but with
1 important exception...

The previous owner drilled the tow mounts right into the bumper. !

So all I have to do is remove the bumper with the tow hooks attached, and include it with the tow bar.

The only caveat is I haven't looked to see if the tow hooks are attached to the bumper mounts. (shocks)
If the answer to that is "no", I would put a 3/16" plate behind the tow hooks and attach them to the bumper
mounts to insure that the bumper (aluminum extrude) isn't the only thing holding the car to the tow bar.

If you want to borrow it for the trip, you're welcome to do so. Just let me know.
 
Got some ideas

Awesome input guys.

I am thinking of a bar between the tow hooks, and adding some tabs to bolt it to the bumper at the factory mounting holes for the fog lights. Just using those to keep the bracket elevated properly, then tie the hitch to the bar between the tow hooks.

This may all come together.... If I can pull this off, I'll keep the X. Otherwise, if I can't move it on my own, it's going to be for sale so let the vultures begin the queue :)
 
What about the motor?

My father once towed a Chevy Vega 1000 miles and did not disconnect the driveshaft. When he got the car to Texas the motor was blown. Problem was compounded by the fact the car was owned by my brother and his family. Didn't go over too well. What did you guys do to avoid this catastrophe? Its something to keep in mind about long distance tows.
 
The manual transmission floats in oil

And the wheels have sealed bearings.
The turning shafts alone keeps the oil moving.
Having the motor run makes no difference.
I've towed X's hundreds of miles without any problem.
 
I forgot to include this drawing...

If you print it out on an 81/2 x 11 sheet of paper, it is an "exact" template to follow for both the 2 x 3 inch angle iron and a 2 x 2 inch crossbar.



The top crossbar can be 2 " square tubing or 2 inch angle iron and adds rigidity to the side forces. Additionally, hole #2 is used to bolt the adapter UP to the bottom of the stock late model bumper (where two OE holes exist for road or fog lights) and adds even a bit more side to side rigidity.

Always bolt up hole #1 first to the inside of each tie-down (not between the two stamped pieces... (I use washers to shim the stamped tie-downs flush to the adapter) and then PULL it forward before tightening the bolts. This should insure you are pulling the car with JUST the tie-downs and the bolts in #2 holes to the bumper are just there for side to side stability, and NOT pulling on the bumper. Besides fitment issues, that is the primary reason both holes are SLOTTED.

I hope this helps... the drawing should expand online a bit larger but printing it should make it really clear.
 
Strange, HA... Now I remember...

OLD AUTOMATIC transmissions came with TWO oil pumps. One in the rear of the trans so you could actually push start the car over about 25 mph. They discontinued that "feature" but I don't remember when. Still, if the car was in neutral, is should not have affected the engine I think.

So yeah, I remember disconnecting the drive-shafts whenever we towed or flat-towed an AUTOMATIC any long distances back in the day. We usually disconnected the U-Joint caps on the diff and then wired the shaft up out of the way.

NEVER have I seen a manual trans have a problem like that unless it was in gear. Ya think there would be a lot of PULL BACK if it was and one would notice...
 
Yep, I recall back in the day (late '70s) when prepping my brother's car for a tow from PA to AZ, when we rented the towbar from UHaul the instructions they provided recommended that for automatic trans cars, the driveshaft should be disconnected.
 
Damonfg said:
Hey guys, I am looking at flat towing my X a few thousand miles.

Wondering if anyone has any pics about tow bar setups. I have an adjustable tow bar, but havent yet begun to look at attaching it to the X. Thoughts ? Pics ?

I am not 100% confident in attaching to the tie down points up front and am contemplating removing the bumper and attaching the tow bar to where the bumper shocks anchor to the body.

Someone must have done this before, I'd figure. Any pointers ?
Click to expand...


Damon, I have the perfect setup for you. It's a Blue Ox shock absorbing tow rig with modified front bumper struts from an X-1/9. It's collecting dust so lets barter...
 
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