SOT - So You Asked What Can I Tow & Camp in with My 914!?, How About an Eriba Puck? Options

[Tom_T]

In the past, several member on here have asked what they could tow for camping with their 914.

Well how about this little Pucker!?

They were designed with VW's help back in 1957, to be easily towable by VW Beatles (25 hp back then), Isettas, Minis, etc., etc.

So they're definitely Porsche Towable!


& VW of course!





... pay attention to this last one, see it below.

or with a ....



Okay, you get the idea! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/shades.gif)

I'd always just tent camped out of my `73 914-2.0 when she was my DD 1775-85, & I don't know that I'd want to put a hitch on mine when restored - but I could & do just fine with this Puck.

Well .... we picked up another toy yesterday!

I know, I know .... it's "Repetitively Redundant" towed with a Westy full camper, but think of it as a guest house for the grandkids!

Also, since it's a 1970, it's eligible for the vintage trailer events which we go to (the Westy is too young!), we can go with this, & since it's small car towable, we can tow it with the Westy, & with the 85 325e & 914-2.0 - if I put hitches on them.

1970 Eriba Puck (German made Export mode &l finished fitting-out in CA with the CA-HCD RV/Trailer Approval Plate), 12' L (10' L box) x 5.5' W, 660 lbs empty, 70 lbs hitch wt. - sleeps 2-3 at dinette made into bed, 2 burner LP stove, Icebox (some had the optional 3-way fridge), sink & +/-10 gal. fresh water tank, center pop-top lifts for standing room & donw to fit in a normal ht. garage.

Our new Baby - mostly original:



So we'll take the Lil' Pucker for her own inaugural trip with us ]to Puck around the weekend before Thanksgiving for a group camp out with other vintage trailer buddies.

Wife is happy now! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/cheer.gif)

Cheers! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)
Tom
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[porbmw]

Cool!
Have fun! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)

[914Next]

Cool!
Have fun! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)

Very cool, Tom!

[Coondog]

Pretty cool, but that guy towing it behind his motorcycle is crazy.

[DRPHIL914]

That's a cute little pucker (IMG:style_emoticons/default/slap.gif) , sorry couldn't resist. I was a kid in late '60's and 70's and remember seeing these. Money was tight even though Motel 6 was literally like $6 a night, on our trips to CA from MN my dad would stop and a camp site and we would pitch our huge canvas tent, (we had a VW square back at the time), saw those for sure. Would be cool to find one and restore it. Thanks for the history lesson Tom and the walk down memory lane

[Tom_T]

That's a cute little pucker (IMG:style_emoticons/default/slap.gif) , sorry couldn't resist. I was a kid in late '60's and 70's and remember seeing these. Money was tight even though Motel 6 was literally like $6 a night, on our trips to CA from MN my dad would stop and a camp site and we would pitch our huge canvas tent, (we had a VW square back at the time), saw those for sure. Would be cool to find one and restore it. Thanks for the history lesson Tom and the walk down memory lane

This one is the same MY as when I graduated High School Phil!

I maybe saw a few back in the 60's, but our XC camping trips every summer plus some local SoCal camping weekends with us 6 kids, Mom & Dad - first consisted of tent camping out of our `63 Chevy Corvair Greenbriar 9 passenger van, then out of our slide-in truck camper on our `67 Chevy C20 3/4 ton pick-up with Camper Package (327 ci, 4 bbl Holley, AT).

Our kids in turn had a similar level of camping fun with our `88 Westy since it was new.

.

Thanx everyone for all the great comments.

Thos einterested in Pucks etc., look at TheSamba, CL, evilbay. There were 2 others FS when we found that this was available, when I asked the former owner of our Puck about one of them, & he said that his wife had passed & wanted to sell this.

They come up a few times every year or so, but this super nice & well maintained one fell into our laps. So we have more of a charge of taking over stewardship of this nice Lil' Pucker from the former owners.

And the Puck naming fun is endless, & my wife chimes in with them too, but it's not the named "her cute little Puck". So we'll be Pucking Around in it for our first campout with vintage trailer buddies the weekend before Thanksgiving.

However - we won't be bringing it to the PCA GPX 914 Breakfast this coming Saturday, because "Cone Meister" Dick Douglass has limited space for you Teeners, but we plan to be there to visit with y'all!

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)
Tom
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[ClayPerrine]

You need something like this:
View on YouTube

[ValcoOscar]

Great find Tom...

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)


Time to (IMG:style_emoticons/default/jsharp.gif)

Oscar

[Tom_T]

You need something like this:

<object width="475" height="297"><param value="http://www.youtube.com/v/SpwH9WeVEfU&showsearch=0&rel=0&fs=1&autoplay=0" name="movie" /><param value="window" name="wmode" /><param value="true" name="allowFullScreen" /><embed width="475" height="297" wmode="window" allowfullscreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/SpwH9WeVEfU&showsearch=0&fs=1&rel=0&autoplay=0"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpwH9WeVEfU" target="_blank">View on YouTube</a>

Clay -

I actually saw 2 guys in the mid-70's while tent camping out of my 914 at a SoCal State Park - one with one of those "Harmon Shadow" 5th wheel Bug-Rooftop Hitched trailers - as well as their buddy with the more RV-like "Bugaroo"/"Super Bugger" (later was a kit & former bought conversion IIRC, or visa versa) - with the back half of the Beetle cut off for the camper box mounted directly on the floor pan/chassis frame. We had a great chat about them both.

Harmon Shadow:

... Yes - the same Harmon Kardon audio equipt. company did these!
.

Google Found pix - not the actual guys:


.

Or someone else on 914world pointed out that one could just stick 2 Westies together! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

.

Cheers! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)
Tom
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[Tom_T]

Ooooops! Sorry about that! I thoought that I could just ccopy that post from the Awesome Vanagon thread, & it would keep track of the attached pix, but I had to re-upload them all. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/type.gif)

I think that something like this hitch which our Puck's PO made for his `68 Bug, might work with some adaptation on a 914 -



.

I haven't found a pic of a 914 towing a Puck nor other Eriba yet, but FYI here are some other Porsche & interesting tow vehicles with Pucks -

IIRC - This Combo sold for about $189K at Barrett a few years back -


.

Mit Porsche 911 Cabrio -


.

Mit BMW/Isetta 600 3-Door -


.

Mit VWs - Thing (131), Squareback, Fastback & Baywindow Doka -



.

Mit 2L T4 Powered Trike & Bike w/ Sidecar -


.

Mit MBZs & Smart Half-a-Car -


.

Sans Citroen DM Sedan & Wagon/Touring -


.

Mit Opel Kadett & Rekord, & With UK Ford Escort & Dark Green?? -



.

With UK Mini, & Mit New Mini & BMW 3-Cabrio -



.

With Off-Road 4-Wheeler -


.

With "Overkill"!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) -

.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)
Tom
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[Tom_T]

These were the Puck & Familia + VW combos which we saw a few years ago, which started us on this search ....

Splitty with early 60's Puck at Malamut Museum 2015 -
... but the Gal showing it was kinda "Stiff"!


.

`58 Bug with larger Familia at Ocean Mesa Vintage Trailer Rally 2016 -


.

Bay Window with Puck also at Ocean Mesa Vintage Trailer Rally 2016 -


.

Also, when that $186K+/- one near the top of my last post went on auction with Barrett -Jackson a little before the above 3 (2012) -

... odd color change on this last pic, cuz the Bus & Puck were clearly an Aqua color, which is one of my wife's fav colors.

.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)
Tom
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[mepstein]

These are really nice pics and I’m sure you will have fun with your new trailer.

[wndsnd]

Cool thread Tom.

[Tom_T]

These are really nice pics and I’m sure you will have fun with your new trailer.

Hey Mark,

These would be no problem at all to tow with a 914, & the European market had several hitches back in the day sold & approved by Germany's equivalent of our US-DOT, & IIRC one or more was a Porsche approved & dealer sold accessory (also had 356, 911/912/920 versions of Euro-hitches).

I got the longer version of your post in my email notice, & just wanted to put your mind at ease about towing these Pucks & other small Eriba trailers with a 914 or other small cars.

These little trailers have 61-62 years of experience with millions of them worldwide being towed safely by the under-powered & under-braked 1000-1300 cc Beetles/Buses/Ghia/Square/Notch/Fastbacks, Citroen 2CVs, Isetta/BMWs, BMW 700s, Messerschmidt & other Micro-cars, etc.

Eriba designed them in collaboration with VW - supposedly at VW's request to have a camping trailer/Caravan option for their owners.

These were cars with small drum brakes.

By contrast - the later VWs 1500 & up - as well as certainly our 914s with 4 wheel disc brakes & +/-78-100 HP - can not only tow their smallest Puck, but some of their larger models as well - as noted in their chart below.



The larger Eriba trailers IIRC from Familia on up come with surge hydraulic brakes - & they were an option for the smaller Pucks, Fauns & Pans too. You can tell them by the black rubber accordion boot on the tongue/tube at the front, just behind the coupler (see the pic of the Familia with the pic of the blue `58 Bug).

I suppose folks could also add aftermarket electric disc or hydraulic surge brakes to their trailers - if so inclined.

Also note that our Vanagon only has 95 HP & front disc/rear drum brakes - but is twice as heavy itself as a 914 with better engines & brakes - & we towed just fine. Not a "white knuckle ride" at all - & we had one with our bigger Avion T20 when towing "bare ball" with a Nissan Pathfinder - so I know what it can feel like (I resolved that on the Avion by adding a Hensley Cub WD anti-sway hitch before the next trip).

Of course - you don't want to be racing around with a trailer in tow, & there is more danger of inattentive drivers/bicyclists/pedestrians running into you from the side while staring at the dang little thing! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

The speed limit while towing in most states is only 55 mph for a reason, & you have to drive differently, leaving more time/room for stopping, wider swings for turns, & getting a longer run on long & steep grades, & down-gear for grades & stopping (if needed).

So folks - don't worry if your 914 can handle it - just use a hitch that is attached to the original factory recco'd points on the unibody. If racers can put front & rear tow hooks for 914s, then the chassis can handle pulling something 1/3 the 914s weight if properly installed.

Cheers! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)
Tom
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