So since I've sold my t-bucket a few years ago I've gone and bought a 69 vw beetle. I know a bit off topic. But I know you guys have alot of ingenuity and may be able to help my dilemma. I'm going to pick up the car with a u-haul car trailer. The car doesn't run and the brakes are seized. If I cant get the brakes loose. I have some wheel dollys to position it. Then I was thinking i could just use a come-along to yank it onto the trailer being only 2,000 or so pounds. The other problem is getting it off the trailer. Two ideas I have are placing a 4X4 across my 10' garage door and use it as an anchor for the come-along to get it off the trailer. The other is disconnecting the truck from the trailer, pull the truck behind the trailer, block the tires and use the come-along on the truck since its alot heavier than the vw. Once it is off the trailer, i can put it back on dollys and push it in the garage. Does anyone have any suggestions?
I sure wouldn't anchor it to the garage door opening, get a buddy with a truck and just pull it off, done it many times Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Sounds like a good plan , I would use the truck to pull it off the trailer. I freed up vw brakes with a 10# hammer .
I wouldn't anchor it to the garage door opening, if the wall anchors in the cement are rusted, missing, or poorly installed, you could make a big mess. Pull it both on and off with your truck, lot easier to unhook and block the trailer then messing around with a come-along.
That is what i was kinda thinking with the garage door. Though it would be on the first course of masonry, not something i would want to mess up. Thought i have heard of that being done before. Thanks
do not use the garage door frame to pull it off unless you want to make a 1 door to a 2 door . your going to need some wheel chocks to lock the trailer in place as even with a rolling car the u-haul I used kept rolling back when I tried to pull my 50 off and it rolled easily on flat ground . try the 2 truck method or put the wheels on peices of plywood and then slide the car back off pulling it as the plywood will slip better than the rubber wheels on the steel deck .
what I usually do is pull the tire and wheel off and beat on the drum with a big hammer. That usually breaks them free.
you should be able to get them free. But if not, your loading idea will work. Help make it easier by taking a bottle of dish soap and use it to lube the path onto the trailer. As far as unloading, you may be able to anchor a pulley to the very rear of the trailer, then the comealong to the front of your bug and winch it most of the way off. Once the rear wheels are on concrete, lube the trailer and pull away. It should stay put and unload itself.
Can you hook your come along to a tree or another vehicle and drive out from under the beetle? I've hauled well over a hundred vehicles home with this anchor system. Just be sure to watch the trailer closely as you pull out from under the beetle to prevent damage to the trailer if the beetle were to go sideways.
They usually come free if you beat on them with a big hammer, be careful where you hit and don't bust the brake drum. I just pound on the wheel, just outside the bolt circle. But, if someone left the hand brake on hard, you are screwed. In that case go to the dollar store for a few bottles of shampoo for a $1 buck or 2. Jack the car up set the tire on a smooth plank or 2X8 coated with shampoo and it will slide easy.
A good friend who owns/runs a local roll back goes to a local wrecking yard and buys beat up black plastic truck bed liners for $10. He cuts them up into 2'x2' squares, uses them as wheel slides, a little dish soap under the squares, the groves/ribs track pretty wheel under some weight.
Another way, if you don't care about the drums, is to drill a few holes in the face of the drum, 'twixt the hub & where the shoes would ride. Then chisel the circle, so's the hub turns free. It'll roll nicely, but of course then it won't stop well, either. I did this on a field car ('53 Stude hrdtp), 'cause I couldn't get the drums broken loose from the shoes. Hammered, tapped, pried, cajoled, etc. Nope - so out came the drill, large sharp chisel, & larger hammer. I thought they'd split, but they just cut easily. Couple hrs later, + a 4-tire change, I had an easy-rollin' Stude. Marcus...
from experience; check to see if the wheels or tires are rubbing against the frame. springs etc, we assume that if the wheels tires bolt up everything is ok, this has happened more than once to me and then just a few weeks ago. also messy but works grease the tires slides on the trailer a bit easier
You are planning on using a U Haul car hauling trailer ? You are in Michigan ? Wait until it warms up a day or two above freezing - use some other trailer - round up (3) other guys - get some tools including a 10# hand sledge - should be able to handle it o.k. Jim
Hi. to load it on trailer if you have another vehicle avalible is to jack knife the trailer right in front of the car to be loaded. Leave trailer hooked to tow vehicle as you do not want the trailer to move. Take a second vehicle & back it up right in front of trailer & use long tow strap over trailer to car to be loaded and skid the car right up on trailer & strap down. Someone should be in car being loaded in case the brakes come free you don't want it to come off front of trailer. To unload back up to a large enough tree & strap or chain car to tree and just slowly drive the trailer out from under the car. Then jack up car & use wheel rollers & put in shop & work on brakes & do it right the first time. Good luck, Jim
1. pour water behind the tires and let is freeze. (did it once in NE.) 2. use sand to slide it off and on the trailer (did it many times)
So I got it home. Lucked out a little. Picked up the U-haul and drove 2 hours north to pick it up. We assumed the rear was frozen because of a damaged brake cable and it didn't budge when pushed. Put the back on some casters and gave a shove and the front broke loose. Partial Success. Got it positioned to the ramps, took it off the casters and hooked up the come-along. Back tires broke loose. Great. Got it all loaded up with some pushing and the come-along. Had to load it backwards because we had no space to maneuver it around with the snow and lack of moving easily. Had to tape up the rear wing windows since the clasps weren't installed completely. Unfortunately the tape gave about 30 minutes from home, wind caught it and flipped it open, shattered that window. Was new glass. Luckily its easily replaceable but what a bummer. Got it home. Told my wife to get in. And with some help shoved it down the trailer into the garage. Now to begin tearing it apart. Thanks for the suggestions. It helped me be prepared for when i got up there with the uncertainty about it.
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