Author |
Message |
Nate M. Samba Member
Joined: August 11, 2003 Posts: 1306 Location: Anacortes, WA U.S.A.
|
Posted: Thu Dec 31, 2015 10:17 am Post subject: Just when I think I've seen it all. . . |
|
|
This comes in. . .
It's a "push trailer' built out of a 70s Beetle. What is a pusher trailer you ask?? It's f*ckin' scary that's what, but more on that later. It's used to push an all electric vehicle down the road allowing it to (a) not use battery power (think redneck hybrid) and (b) when on cruise control, the regenerative brakes charge-up the vehicle as you are pushed.
The reason i say it's f*ckin' scary is because you have a VW motor and trans (in 4th gear) held at WOT behind you with no dead-man switch. To stop the car, you have to now brake not only the car you are pushing, but also against a motor at WOT. It's a ready-made law suit on wheels.
Just buy a hybrid if you must. . . _________________ Regards,
Nate M.
Squarsche build
Heavy Metal Affliction feature
For heaven's sake, put a type4 and a Porsche 5-speed in there. . . It's the right thing to do!! |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Letterman7 Samba Member
Joined: March 14, 2004 Posts: 3198 Location: Downingtown, PA
|
Posted: Thu Dec 31, 2015 1:35 pm Post subject: Re: Just when I think I've seen it all. . . |
|
|
Darwin award winner. How does it "push" when going into a corner? That's just a PITT maneuver... won't be long before he hits your evening news about killing himself and/or someone else with it. Don't you have DMV regulations out there? |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Bama Dave Samba Member
Joined: April 19, 2015 Posts: 963 Location: Alabama
|
Posted: Fri Jan 01, 2016 1:51 pm Post subject: Re: Just when I think I've seen it all. . . |
|
|
WTF? Stay far, far away from that rig. _________________ David Richerson
1970 Beetle
1971 Super
1972 Baja
hellthorne wrote: |
First off, I know i made stupid decisions that led to my predicament, so while you are welcome to tell me that I am an idiot for doing the things I did, please know that I am already aware of this. |
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
sixfootdan Samba Smartass
Joined: February 13, 2002 Posts: 4848 Location: \Lo*ca"tion\, n. 1. The act or process of locating.
|
Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2016 8:34 am Post subject: Re: Just when I think I've seen it all. . . |
|
|
Scary for me cause it's in my neck of the woods! _________________ Schrodinger's cat walked into a bar and it didn't.
GO SEAHAWKS!!! |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Air-Cooled Head Samba Member
Joined: October 15, 2002 Posts: 4070 Location: Chicago Suburbs
|
Posted: Mon Jan 04, 2016 12:44 pm Post subject: Re: Just when I think I've seen it all. . . |
|
|
Nate M. wrote: |
What is a pusher trailer you ask?? It's used to push an all electric vehicle down the road allowing it to (a) not use battery power (think redneck hybrid) and (b) when on cruise control, the regenerative brakes charge-up the vehicle as you are pushed.
The reason i say it's f*ckin' scary is because you have a VW motor and trans (in 4th gear) held at WOT behind you with no dead-man switch. To stop the car, you have to now brake not only the car you are pushing, but also against a motor at WOT. It's a ready-made law suit on wheels.
Just buy a hybrid if you must. . . |
First, wouldn't the weight of pulling the trailer drag down the batteries (thereby defeating the purpose)
And how is the transition from battery-powered to trailer-powered accomplished? Manually (like stop, get out, start the trailer)?
What happens at stop signs? How does the trailer get to 4th gear, WOT, from the driver's seat?
Lastly, what does the owner want you to do to it? _________________ Everything known to man has been written.
Readers are Leaders! |
|
Back to top |
|
|
eyetzr Samba Member
Joined: October 09, 2013 Posts: 1423 Location: Toronto, Ontario. Canada
|
Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2016 4:41 pm Post subject: Re: Just when I think I've seen it all. . . |
|
|
I think Nate should strap it to the back of the Squarsh. May help with the top end, or a good starter pusher. Add a quick disconnect when you get up to speed. _________________ I think he meant "rare", as in "not well-done" |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Mal evolent Samba Member
Joined: March 31, 2009 Posts: 2912 Location: San Antonio, Nuevo Mexico
|
Posted: Wed Jan 06, 2016 6:28 am Post subject: Re: Just when I think I've seen it all. . . |
|
|
put a 6 kw generator on a trailer, AC to the charging point, same end result. _________________ 73 Beetle Baja, Ghia front brakes, Type 3 rear brakes, 2220 ( 94 X 80 ), Weber Progressive, Bosch SVDA, '97 Mustang seats
Baja Bugs for Volkswagen Virgins: Index |
|
Back to top |
|
|
EVfun Samba Member
Joined: April 01, 2012 Posts: 5446 Location: Seattle
|
Posted: Sat Jan 09, 2016 5:39 pm Post subject: Re: Just when I think I've seen it all. . . |
|
|
A pusher trailer usually is not set with a wired throttle. Most of then have a cruise control system set up in the pushed vehicle, so they hold a speed and cut off if the driver brakes.
I think they are still a bit unsafe because being pushed through a trailer hitch is less than stable, but I didn't want to leave out the idea that they where without control.
At the front end (EV side) if the vehicle is in neutral it will just coast. If it is an EV with regen braking (most every factory EV, but few home built EVs) then leaving it in "drive" will result in coasting level regen and braking will provide regen based on the EVs designed hydraulic regenn split. _________________
Wildthings wrote: |
As a general rule, cheap parts are the most expensive parts you can buy. |
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
Miked914 Samba Member
Joined: August 18, 2009 Posts: 127 Location: Santa Clarita, CA
|
Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2016 11:51 am Post subject: Re: Just when I think I've seen it all. . . |
|
|
This guys been doing this for years, EV944 + VW Rabbit Pusher _________________ Mike D.
'68 Fastback w/T4
'74 Porsche 914-6 3.0 Hot Rod
'73 TinTop Westy
'13 VW Sportwagon TDI |
|
Back to top |
|
|
ach60 Samba Member
Joined: May 14, 2001 Posts: 4139 Location: Santa Maria
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
MacLeod Willy Samba Member
Joined: February 18, 2014 Posts: 933 Location: Ontario Canada
|
Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2016 8:02 pm Post subject: Re: Just when I think I've seen it all. . . |
|
|
[quote="Air-Cooled Head"]
Nate M. wrote: |
And how is the transition from battery-powered to trailer-powered accomplished? Manually (like stop, get out, start the trailer)?
What happens at stop signs? How does the trailer get to 4th gear, WOT, from the driver's seat?
Lastly, what does the owner want you to do to it? |
I would say he puts an alligator clip to the coil and pull starts it till he gets pushed, the hope for good brakes to stop it when all hell brakes loose.
That is effin scary even for my nerves! |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Daftendirekte Samba Member
Joined: July 26, 2010 Posts: 20 Location: Salem, Oregon
|
Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2023 2:06 pm Post subject: Re: Just when I think I've seen it all. . . |
|
|
Zombie thread!
So, actually dude does have control of the coil, or did in late 2017 when I encountered this outfit in Los Angeles.
It's light-activated. You notice the 4-pin trailer wiring harness? SO when it gets current, two things happen. One, the coil on the engine gets it's power. I don't recall it being on a separate circuit, though in hindsight seems like pulling coil-driving current out of a circuit fused for lights seems not quite right.
The second thing is an air brake solenoid that works on the clutch arm, which bump starts the engine in 4th gear.
As he described it, it's for freeway cruising only and he DOES have control over the engine running via his light switch.
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
oprn Samba Member
Joined: November 13, 2016 Posts: 12633 Location: Western Canada
|
Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2023 3:04 pm Post subject: Re: Just when I think I've seen it all. . . |
|
|
Cool concept! Especially for a VW Bus in the mountain passes. As for it not being legal... I highly doubt any laws have ever been invented that cover that one!
Anyone who thinks it was built and used without any control from the tow vehicle is not firing on all cylinders mentally. You could not even get out of the driveway with it rigged like that!
I can see this working pretty well with an auto stick or better yet a fully automatic transaxle. _________________ We had the stone age, the bronze age, the industrial age and now we are in the age of mass deception and mind control for corporate profit. (The mass media age) |
|
Back to top |
|
|
NJ John Samba Member
Joined: September 21, 2007 Posts: 2175 Location: HdG, MD & NJ
|
Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2023 6:52 am Post subject: Re: Just when I think I've seen it all. . . |
|
|
Back in 1975. My father’s wrecker jumped the timing chain while at the track. We pushed the wrecker with the stock car racecar in tow. The racecar did the pushing. And somehow me at 9 years old was sitting on the floor of the loud racecar, while my teenage neighbor worked the gas. It got us to my uncle’s, who lived a lot closer to the track than we did. _________________ 1973 standard, yellow, lowered, 3” narrowed front, 1600 blo-thru turbo w/single dell 15.4@86, so far
11.41 et buggy. Long gone
Let’s go O’s! Let’s go O’s!
https://www.youtube.com/@AirSpooledGarage |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Dusty1 Samba Member
Joined: April 16, 2004 Posts: 1366
|
Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2023 1:27 pm Post subject: Re: Just when I think I've seen it all. . . |
|
|
Got a Prius already. I want one of those.
Hold my beer and watch this!!
.
. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
DeathBySnuSnu Samba Member
Joined: August 25, 2012 Posts: 1180 Location: MS
|
Posted: Thu Mar 23, 2023 4:55 am Post subject: Re: Just when I think I've seen it all. . . |
|
|
Dusty1 wrote: |
Got a Prius already. I want one of those.
Hold my beer and watch this!!
.
. |
A couple years ago a stumbled across a group or forum that did this. Just by the shear quantity of pictures it must have been on Facebook.
But the was a lot of chat about set up, what car the use, ect, building a pusher.
Search for it if you are interested. It seemed as if pushing was common knowledge. _________________
modok wrote: |
And look at the SHAPE of the curves, just smooth, like gods own slingshot. . |
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
scottyrocks Samba Member
Joined: August 19, 2016 Posts: 2645 Location: Long Island, NY
|
Posted: Thu Mar 23, 2023 8:38 am Post subject: Re: Just when I think I've seen it all. . . |
|
|
Pardon my lack of imagination, but how the heck does that thing go anywhere without turning into a giant tank-slapper?
It reminds me of trying to drive backwards with a trailer hooked up. _________________ “If you care for a thing long enough, it takes on a life of its own, doesn't it? Mending old things, preserving them, looking after them – on some level there's no rational grounds for it.”
– D. Tartt, 'The Goldfinch' |
|
Back to top |
|
|
|