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Posted by: rdauenhauer Sep 9 2016, 01:48 PM

I'm in the process of manufacturing a new version of the very popular & now defunct Flat Tow Brkt..
I'm updating it and will make it available, alone, or as part of a tow kit.

Made specifically for the 914. They are now heavy duty steel angle cross bar design rather than flat bar. This provides this version a couple key advantages IMHO:

1st. Strength. An angle is inherently more ridged that a flat piece of the same dimension.
2nd. Geometry. The new x-bar also allows the pin lynch points to be about 1" lower then before (while actually improving its strength).
3rd. Convenience. One of the few complaints I had with the original version was the need to carry its associated hardware independent of the bracket. Now it has mount points to carry the included bolts & spacers.
4th. Features. Offered before only as an add on for additional cost, this version also includes boss'es for safety chains

As I described above, when mounted, due to its tight proximity to the tub, the original location of the pin lynch points was a bit of a challenge because you HAD to remove your front spoiler or risk damaging it when towing.
With my new design if you run one of the various "LE" style FG spoilers, this should no longer be a concern (with properly setup hitch & tow bar geometry!).

*If you still run the OE steel valance it will still be necessary to remove before use.

You can still use either the Beetle or V style adj. tow bar, though the first offered will be for the V style or with my "kit".

The fist batch is limited # of units. I am offering them at the GROUP BUY rate of $100.00 + ship. Once those are sold the standard rate will be $159.00 +ship for the universal bar/bracket.

They are a quality product, that has been fully tested on my own cars.


I owned the original bar since 2006 & cant count the # of times I've used it.

Who needs a Bracket?

Posted by: sb914 Sep 9 2016, 02:17 PM

I have v8 conversion with cut out bumper and wheel wells,Will this work for my car ?

Posted by: rdauenhauer Sep 9 2016, 02:24 PM

As long as the Front A-arm suspension points are intact and you don't have anything protruding BELOW the existing front trunk area between them YES!

Posted by: dlee6204 Sep 9 2016, 02:24 PM

How about some pics? What will be the final finish be on these?

Posted by: rdauenhauer Sep 9 2016, 02:30 PM

Working on that right now
Initial finish will be epoxy paint, & looking at Powder coat dependent on the usual factors: demand & price point (trying to keep it down)

Posted by: sb914 Sep 9 2016, 02:54 PM

I'd be in than.

Posted by: Marty Yeoman Sep 10 2016, 11:39 AM

Posted by: 914_teener Sep 10 2016, 12:24 PM

I am in.....pending pictures and confirmation of how it fits and connects.

Posted by: JRust Sep 10 2016, 12:46 PM

Hey Rich I'd like to see this with the attach points higher. Do you think it would work to have the metal arc up with another attachment point for strength just under the from bumper? It would mean the attached points would have to come through any spoiler. Still I would love to have the bar up higher. Closers to where Mike Bellis mounted his.

Posted by: Mike Bellis Sep 10 2016, 01:38 PM

Who me???

What are we talking about here? The tow bar or the mounting brackets or both? The Super Beetle bar is still available and many of us have them. What the market needs is the mounting brackets that are NLA. Biggest problem with the traditional brackets are they are too low and drag on the ground.

I would like to see brackets that use the SB bar and tie the suspension points to the dog bones and mount the bar just below the bottom of the bumper. That would be ideal.

Sorry if I hijacked this thread...

Posted by: JRust Sep 10 2016, 04:41 PM

Yes I mean the part we bolt onto our car that the tow bar attaches to. I'd like the ear that the tow bar attaches to just under the front bumper. Would get it higher in the air & keep it from scraping like mine does on damn near every driveway under the car now

Posted by: larryM Sep 11 2016, 09:15 PM

here we go again - http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=234703

.

Posted by: PanelBilly Sep 11 2016, 09:46 PM

Put me down as a maybe. I've never flat towed before. Let me do some homework. What do you do about the tail lights?

Posted by: 914_teener Sep 11 2016, 10:06 PM

The tow lights are from HF and go on the engine grill (magnetic I thing) and plug into your tow hitch harness.

So this has been on my docket for a while.

So is it custom brackets so the front valance and bumper do or do not need to be removed? Can you use the SB tow bar? Is the Rennmmetal brackets still available?

Just wondering.

Posted by: Mike Bellis Sep 11 2016, 10:40 PM

Rennmetal bracket no longer available. I built brackets into my roll cage so I can use my SB bar. I do have the lower edge of my bumper notched for the brackets but that's OK with me.
I flat towed from the SF bay area to Medford OR without any issues. I bought tow lights from Amazon cheap and ran the cable through the car and out the front hood. Worked well. I even had several cops pass me up along the way.

Posted by: euro911 Sep 12 2016, 09:41 AM

Cool, Rich. Waiting to see some pix

Posted by: eyesright Sep 12 2016, 11:03 AM

Hmmm, I'm really considering for the 914...might it also serve to flat tow my 912? That would be a clincher.

Posted by: euro911 Sep 12 2016, 11:19 AM

I didn't even think of that. Great question.

Posted by: green914 Sep 12 2016, 05:32 PM

I have been talking with Mark at 914 Rubber about making a flat tow kit. Not sure if he will make them if he knows you are going to.

Hope to talk with Mark this week, if he is not going to make it you can count me in for one.

Posted by: rdauenhauer Sep 13 2016, 02:10 PM

Well sorry for the delay all, i've been scrambling around behind the scene.

I was trying to work out a distribution agreement that might benefit everyone but at this point it doesn't look like that is happening.

I also reached out to the the original producer of the bar to ensure there wasn't any intellectual property concerns, and got his approval to manufacture this update to his design.

So Ive updated the thread revised pricing, and are offering the first run as a GROUP BUY. Once those are gone, pricing will increase (see 1st post in thread)

R.

Posted by: Kansas 914 Sep 13 2016, 02:15 PM

Rich,

Thanks for doing this.

I am in for the group buy if still available

"The fist batch is limited # of units. I am offering them at the GROUP BUY rate of $100.00 + ship."

Posted by: jd74914 Sep 13 2016, 02:32 PM

I'm in for a group buy too pending seeing some pictures.

Posted by: rdauenhauer Sep 13 2016, 02:38 PM

That I've been advised on early 911 & 912 cars, although the A-Arm setup is the same or equivalent to the 914,
one diff. is the mount location for the protective cup & front hole is further forward.
May be worth looking into for future.

Posted by: MLedesma Sep 13 2016, 02:52 PM

I am in and want one. I already have a "V" bar.

Posted by: Andyrew Sep 13 2016, 02:56 PM

In for the Group Buy

Posted by: Eric_Shea Sep 13 2016, 06:18 PM

Ball Size? Didn't see that anywhere.

Posted by: Coondog Sep 13 2016, 06:36 PM

I am in......

Posted by: Mike Bellis Sep 13 2016, 06:37 PM

I'm down for a group buy.

Got any pictures of what I'm agreeing to buy?

Posted by: 76-914 Sep 13 2016, 06:38 PM

What he said. +1

Posted by: 914forme Sep 13 2016, 07:00 PM

Posted by: Mike Bellis Sep 13 2016, 07:04 PM

This does not really tell me what I'm buying.
http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=294018
Images on the vendor page look like google images.

Posted by: 914_teener Sep 13 2016, 08:43 PM

Posted by: housepumpinpc Sep 14 2016, 07:11 AM

Sounds good... Pictures anytime soon?

Posted by: rdauenhauer Sep 14 2016, 02:06 PM

Sorry, juggling family work health hobbies blah blah...
No Pics yet as my prototype is with the laser guy.
I assumed that with the existing links and comments, folks would understand that this is the fabricated bracket. perhaps I should change the heading to Brkt. vs Bar? (EDIT: Done)
It attaches to thier 914 allowing the use of the V type adj. tow bar.
Depending on your car & its use, you can leave it attached permanently or install it as needed.
Again to clarify this 1st run is for this version, I already have a 2nd ver. that will be universal allowing both/either or, V & fixed Empi style bars.
In lieu of Pics I whipped up a simple drawing (not to scale ) in MS Paint (what a ) that will give a visual and help to compare the changes I introduced to this ver. from the orig.

@ Mike: yes that's all they are.
@ Eric: I dunno drop trou & chk?
@ Jamie: I think I understand your comments /desire as I too have a moderately tall Trk. and getting enough drop to get the tow bar level is challenging. Raising those points means extending & offsetting the tangs. With the orig brkt I think that would introduces too much torsion on the X-bar, with the changes I've introduced it may be possible.


Attached thumbnail(s)

Posted by: Eric_Shea Sep 14 2016, 02:10 PM

2" or 2 5/8" or will you be making both?

(It is a real question)

Posted by: rdauenhauer Sep 14 2016, 02:17 PM

Erc this is the NLA brkt. as Mike B mentioned earlier in the thread.
Not another of the readily available Draw-Tite adj. V or EMPI style "tow bar(s)"
(I just edited the heading)
Sorry for the confusion

Posted by: Eric_Shea Sep 14 2016, 05:52 PM

Ahhh... gotcha. Just the bracket, the tow bar comes from others.

Danke.

Posted by: Mike Bellis Sep 14 2016, 06:33 PM

Thanks for the picture. That sits too low for my 914. I saw JRust towing with a setup similar and his bar was ground down because the bracket is so low. That's why I built mine to mount the bar at the lower edge of the bumper.

I still might be down for the group buy but I'm sure I would cut it up and modify it to suit. I'll take mine in pieces and raw if available that way.

Posted by: Kansas 914 Sep 14 2016, 06:34 PM

Rich,

Please let us know which tow bar you use for "compatibility" reasons.

Posted by: Andyrew Sep 14 2016, 10:11 PM

^Same, I would probably weld mine in as well above floorpan line.


Quite different than I was picturing. I think I will hold off till I see the clearance on a lowered car.

Posted by: rdauenhauer Sep 14 2016, 10:52 PM

Mike I use the V or Draw-Tite style. My LE runs 60 series tires and is lowered slightly, but nowhere as serious as some. I find I have to use a 6 or 8" (I forget) drop receiver on my Trk. to get the bar as close to parallel as I can.

That is one of the reasons I chose the V style. The Super Beetle bar has about a 6" drop but the (pin) mounts raise back up at the bar end 2".
The V bar mounts straight out from the bracket tangs.
The other reason is you can simply fold it up & throw it in one of the trunks if you need to. You cant do that with the Super Beetle bar.

Posted by: rdauenhauer Sep 14 2016, 11:08 PM

maybe this will help visualize. Doesn't show it very well in this drawing but the bars actually swoop down from the hitch a good amount that is partially recovered by the tangs at the ends of the tubes


Attached image(s)

Posted by: Andyrew Oct 1 2016, 09:25 AM

I was looking up flat tow brake systems and found this. This could work really well for our system. Very mechanical with little to fail.

http://www.etrailer.com/Tow-Bar-Braking-Systems/Blue-Ox/BX88100.html?feed=npn& amp;gclid=CjwKEAjwvb2_BRCb_s7Yo7_ZlHASJABz6L0jO0yLSLS7HHfPJNTdRQ4MX_C_T7fjA_TUXI
tupVkRoBoCotfw_wcB

Posted by: 914werke Sep 19 2020, 03:13 PM