Would something like this be a good idea?(hitch on the roof)

[ioan]

[Mojave Bob]

I really doubt it. I have always wanted to see the portion of that video where they hit a bump in the road, and all the windows in the car shattered. Or the part where they pulled into a campground at the end of a rough road, and the doors were jammed shut. Granted, the idea looks really cool, but I think there are valid reasons that the company died, and nobody carried on with the idea.

[dales133]

I really doubt it. I have always wanted to see the portion of that video where they hit a bump in the road, and all the windows in the car shattered. Or the part where they pulled into a campground at the end of a rough road, and the doors were jammed shut. Granted, the idea looks really cool, but I think there are valid reasons that the company died, and nobody carried on with the idea.

Yea exactly what I thought, not to mention if you realy slammed on the picks or rear ended someone the whole roof would crush in

[Richard Miller]

Many years ago, around '73 or '74, I was stopped at a service station in Snyder Texas, and a 4 dr hard top Caddy (I'd guess around '67-'68 Fleetwood) pulled up to the pumps pulling a trailer mounted in the same way (pivot mounted to the drip rails) as the VW trailer rig above. It was about a 30'-32' factory trailer
and the car had California plates, it didn't look like a hack job, but a very well engineered setup. I never did talk to the people in the car but I've wondered about many times since then.

[anon1]

That video led to another video of [correction: Let's Make A Deal] giving one of those campers away. The commercial for it shows them off-roading with it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rv3rLu4th4c

[tony.latham]

I've got two theories on this question:

A. It's a joke or
B. the question about the concept isn't a joke

Here are my answers

A. Yeah, that's a damn funny video.
B. No, it's not a good idea to tow something heavy down the road in a manner that the concept hasn't been engineered and mechanically tested to failure. If something fails while towing a trailer it could result in a fatality. I've got a Class III hitch on my truck –safe for 3500 pounds. I'm okay hauling my 1300 pound missile down a two lane highway at sixty MPH with it.

Now, if you're serious about this concept, I didn't mean to offend you with my grating answer, but we need to consider the safety of others on the highway when we tow trailers.

T

p.s. I looked at your build log and it's a sweeeet trailer.

[George Taylor]

The video is not a joke. They are extremely rare, knew of only one for sale. The VW bug is a fairly strong at the edges of the roof where this thing mounts. Now saying that, would I go 65 down a highway with it....??????????

[treemaker]

65 down the highway? With a 53h.p. VW?
Maybe on a down hill with a big tailwind.

[tony.latham]

George:

"The video is not a joke."

I'm aware that the video was meant to document a product, certainly not created as a joke. My response was for ion. He asked, "does this look to be a good idea?" I think he may have meant it as a facetious question.

Tony

[jstrubberg]

Let's see. We usually mount a hitch to a 2 inch (or more) tube steel frame extension.

Mounting one on a 12 gauge sheet metal drip rail.

No thanks.

[dales133]

If you saw the specs in aussie that would never fly.
I'd love to own it though if I was like Jay lenno or something

[George Taylor]

Wait a minute. Do not give the VW a bad name saying it has 53hp. It could have had 60!

[OP827]

Some guy has actually found one unit, maybe the only one ever made, it was in quite bad looking shape and now they are restoring it!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpwH9WeVEfU

[tony.latham]

I'm sticking to my answer: No, it doesn't look like a good idea.

However, here's the patent for the roof hitch: http://www.google.com/patents/US3827722

Looks like a great way to end up with a quickee convertible.

T

[rowerwet]

I would be concerned about the pivot being mounted so high, seems that cross winds, oncoming truck buffets, or abrupt lane changes would put that twisting load way up there.