Any 928 Owners out there?, I have a few questions Options

[Tom_T]

A couple of other solutions to the tongue wt. reduction....

Tuff-Tow (as seen on many racers' rigs RV-towing-Race Trailer):

https://www.shogunindustries.com/cgi-bin/ws...ufftowintro.htm

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Remarkably similar to what Ricky & Lucy used on their old "Long, Long Trailer" movie:


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And the TrailerToad - also used by the race crowd on their RV tow vehicles, which is similar to the Hitch-Helper, but beefier (both are considered hitch extenders & not an additional trailer, since they do NOT articulate at the hitch receiver, but are fixed-point inserts with the new pivot point at the ball at the rear of these units):

http://www.trailertoad.com/

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I'm thinking that these set-ups may be of more use to others with towing issues on here too, beyond my just checking into using a 928 for towing in my case!

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[unpolire]

The trailer she's currently looking at & hot for is a 20' 1960 Avion (looks similar to Airstream, but her hot-to-trot trailers change weekly! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) ), which is about 2600 lbs. & single axle - so it's hitch weight at 280-ish lbs. would be the problem here with using a 928 to tow.

Your wife has excellent taste! The Avion was superior to the Airstream in its frame and construction. I have looked at both to buy, Avions being MUCH harder to find. I have owned a Euro 928S, 5-speed, a wonderful and fast road car. I also recall seeing a photo, years ago, of a 928S4 with the factory tow bar on the autobahn with a pair of jet skis in tow. TUV is so strict in its certification that the 928 is obviously more than up to the task of towing, but I would not tow an Airstream-type trailer larger than a Bambi. My Land Rovers make excellent alternatives to the big trucks with far more luxury The EAS on Range Rovers makes it easy and you can lock it for towing. I still have GMC/Chevy/Ford duallies for heavy/long trailer towing. With a big block, those trucks don't even breathe hard towing anything you can hitch up!

[unpolire]

This is an old ad of what my wife is looking at, being towed by a `60's mid-sized wagon with probably a big straight 6 or V8, but with far less HP/TQ than the 928.



... or a bigger trailer towed by a shove-it! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)


It was far more common to tow travel trailers with cars up through the 1960's & 70's - before the proliferation of today's pick-ups, SUVs, etc. - as it still is in Europe, UK & Canada.

Read here:
http://www.rvlifemag.com/file363/hitchhints363.html


.... more food for thought! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/idea.gif)

The Chevette towing that double-axle travel trailer is the scariest picture that I have seen in years: imagine a winding, downhill road with that trailer, which weighs more than the car, in tow...much less under panic braking.

[Tom_T]

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads/post-10181-1331106537.jpg)

I've talked with the guy who makes this Hitch Helper, & the std. set-up takes 70% of the trailer's hitch wt., & 30% to the tow vehicle (TV), but he can adjust the lever arm action to go to 100:0 or even -65 to the TV (i.e.: negative wt. to the TV for those throwing a bunch of crap in their pick-em-up trucks while towing he said).

So he can custom fit it to the TV & trailer hitch hts. & wts. transferred, match wheels size to trailer &/or TV, etc.

He can also outfit them with optional electric or hydraulic brakes on the Hitch Helper axle, and it has a full spring or torsion bar suspension with shocks on the unit - which he called a "Tag Axle" generically.

EDIT FYI: I'd tried unsuccessfully for several months to get the dimensions & weight specs from the Hitch Helper guy - an email about once a month - after he'd promised to send them to me in the above referenced telecon, in order to see if the combined trailer hitch helper wt. would be within the 928's specs. On the final email he called me up drunk on a Friday night & cussed me out for "...bothering him with stupid details...." etc. - so needless to say, I do NOT recommend anyone doing business with such an unprofessional a-hole who cannot even provide basic specs. for his own product.

Moot point, since my vintage trailer expert who had done the PPI for us on the 1960 Avion T20 shown above has recommended a weight distributing hitch with anti-sway control such as a cam/bar Reese or the Hensley Arrow - or Cub in the case of our small trailer - which is lighter than the hitch helper/tag axles. However, it will require a 2" receiver type hitch similar the Chris' with the silver 82 928 from Lafayette LA in the post above, in order to "plug-in" the Hensley apparatus. FYI for those interested, I'll post the Hensley info at a later date as a follow-up post at the end.

The 928 idea has hit some hurdles with the wife, but the other alternative might be an early Cayenne (03-06). For now we'll just rent a pick-up or SUV for the few occasions we'll tow my wife's "new" trailer to vintage trailer/car events.
[end edit]

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(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads/post-10181-1331107954.gif)

We'd only be towing a Bambi sized trailer, since that Avion T20 is lighter at only 2400# empty - even if 4' longer than the Airstream 16' Bambi in the pic above (it's +/- 3500# IIRC).

So now that I know it can work, we're looking at 928s too. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

The Avion T20 is a "go" for the wife, unless I find a fatal flaw when we go see it in person, but it's been checked out & got lotsa pix - regardless of a TV.

We may just rent a pick-up/SUV a couple of times a year until we find a good 928 & get it all fitted out, or if a 928 ends up being a no-go with the wife.

She still has truck ideas in terms of back seats & hauling crap, but we already have two 5-seaters: the 85 BMW 325e & 88 Westy - & the Westy hauls a lot of stuff for us already. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif)

I need to get her thinking "fun sports car for just us, with an occasional limited use back seat, that can tow your damn trailer in style & comfort" (IMG:style_emoticons/default/shades.gif)
- cuz we don't want/need another big vehicle to only use 2-3x a year!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads/post-10181-1331610045.jpg)

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[Tom_T]

This is an old ad of what my wife is looking at, being towed by a `60's mid-sized wagon with probably a big straight 6 or V8, but with far less HP/TQ than the 928.



... or a bigger trailer towed by a shove-it! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)


It was far more common to tow travel trailers with cars up through the 1960's & 70's - before the proliferation of today's pick-ups, SUVs, etc. - as it still is in Europe, UK & Canada.

Read here:
http://www.rvlifemag.com/file363/hitchhints363.html


.... more food for thought! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/idea.gif)

The Chevette towing that double-axle travel trailer is the scariest picture that I have seen in years: imagine a winding, downhill road with that trailer, which weighs more than the car, in tow...much less under panic braking.

I think it was a joke shot, which my wife wants me to do with "her trailer" & "her Westy" for the fun of it, staged somewhere, but not actually towing it of course.

[Tom_T]

We did end up getting one of these:

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads/post-10181-1331610045.jpg)

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I just rented a Ford F-150 to tow it home from Albuquerque in July:




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A tight fit in our 1921 home's narrow 8' wide driveway! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)



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My wife has been in "full nesting mode" since then - cutesy-ing it up! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

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My vintage trailer expert who had done the PPI for us on the 1960 Avion T20 shown above has recommended a weight distributing hitch with anti-sway control such as a cam/bar Reese or the Hensley Arrow - or Cub in the case of our small trailer - which is lighter than the hitch helper/tag axles.

However, it will require a 2" receiver type hitch similar the Chris' with the silver 82 928 from Lafayette LA in the post above, in order to "plug-in" the Hensley apparatus (see post #24).

FYI for those interested, I'll post the Hensley info at a later date as a follow-up post at the end.

The 928 idea has hit some hurdles with the wife, but the other alternative might be an early Cayenne (03-06). For now we'll just rent a pick-up or SUV for the few occasions we'll tow my wife's "new" trailer to vintage trailer/car events.

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

FYI - Here's what I ended up with for the Hensly Cub WD/Anti-sway hitch (smaller than their Arrow & good for up to 6000# trailers at about 60% the cost of an arrow), & Tekonsha RF wireless trailer brake controller (mounts on trailer, wireless hand unit plugs into cigarette lighter/12v outlet in TV cabin).



The Hensley eliminates sway, allows the trailer to turn tighter & all the WD stuff stays on the trailer (except the tow bar/stinger, as with the ball/tow bar on any hitch).

http://hensleymfg.com/

It also resolves the hitch wt. issues on a 928 - & obviates the need for those tow dolly type units, but the receiver would need to have a beefed-up tube strut forward similar to the 928 factory hitch's long forward link to transfer WD to the front axle.

The Tekonsha RF brake controller is essentially a wireless Prodigy P3, that allows me to use any tow vehicle with the trailer. It's mounted high on the plate in order to allow the Hensley's side strut adjuster arm to clear.

I also got a set of Hensley's McKesh Towing Mirrors as shown on this Cayenne in the pic below, to solve the rear/side view issues with a fat silver twinkie behind the Nissan Pathfinders we were renting to tow, and will use them on the TBD Cayenne S or whatever.



https://www.safetowingstore.com/McKesh-Mirrors-p/70007.htm

For now we're continuing to rent pick-ups/SUVs for TVs +/- 3x a year for vintage trailer events, but would do more if we had a TV in the fleet.

I never could get my wife happy with the 2+2 seating of the 928 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif) , so the hunt continues for a nice 2006-2010+/- Cayenne S with "a real back seat" as she says!
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PS - I also found a German TUV (their version of DOT) testing which rated the 928 to tow up to 4416# braked travel, boat, horse, car, etc. private trailers with a 165# hitch wt. (load bearing ball hitches - no WD data was used in Europe). This is what was on the Porsche factory 928 hitch pix that I previously posted on here. If anyone wants it, send me an email & I'll attach that pdf.

Happy Holidays!
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[Larmo63]

We have a 32' Airstream Motorhome….I plan to tow the 914.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/i983.photobucket.com-17068-1418617847.1.jpg)