I find it is OK to back up.. but not for any great distance and only
on a smooth road surface. What you need is a buddy to walk beside
the "towed" car and turn the steering wheel so the front wheels
follow a natural line. But take it really slow and make sure the
buddy knows to shout out to you to stop if things seem to be getting
out of control. If he gets it off line a bit, it is hard to get it
back. Best then to stop and go forward for a few feet and start
again. This is handy for driveways that are up-hill. Cheers,
Brian
Darby wrote:
>
> centex wrote:
>>
>> a buddy is gonna make a tow bar for me. I have a 74 & 70 non-super
>> bug. should the tow bar be configured for bolting around the lower
>> beam of the front suspension or is it the top or both? also, when
>> actually pulling the bugs, is the locking mechanism on the steering
>> wheel engaged or do i tie rope from the seat posts to keep the
>> wheels pointing staight? the bar will be made to look like a Y or
>> triangle type thingy. pros/cons welcomed. this board is a welcome
>> rest-stop on the internet superhighway. many thanks in advance !!
>>
> @@ Tow Bars are available for $50.00 or so brand new and pass D.O.T.
> standards for safety. I would suggest one of those. The steering can
> not be locked, the steering wheel needs to be free to turn, do not
> lock it or tie it. Ususlly on a bug you turn the key on then off and
> as long as you don't remove the key the steering will not lock. On
> one of my 74's it locks as soon as the key is in the off position so
> to tow it I need to unhook the batt & leave the key "On". One more
> item you can NOT back up period. You will ruin the tow bar and risk
> damaging the front axle. If you need to back up the towed car you
> must unhook it and move it that way.
>