Need some info on a Bugeye

[jlaird]

Width,length, and weight of tub?

Weight of vehicle full up?

My problem is towing one home behind an extended cab Ford Ranger with the towing bumper, etc.

Book says ball weight should not exceed 200 lb. ok balance the load. I can put eng, trany, etc in the bed and tub on some kind of trailer.

Uhaul seems to want me to have a full size pickup.

What I am looking for is options.

Comments!

 

[Matthew E. Herd]

Do you mean a tow dolly? The bugeye's gonna run about (i'm guessing) 1500 lbs. Mine is listed (kerb weight) at 1900, and that's with huge bumpers, etc. The dimensions are: less than 11'8" long, 4'8" wide. Typical tongue weight on a trailer is 10% of the trailer's weight. With a tow dolly, it's gonna be next to nothing.

The ranger can pull it, for sure, but what is the ball rated at? I mean, the in-bumper ones are not as secure as a reese-style receiver. A class 3 hitch w/ 2 5/16" ball can handle roughly 8000 lbs. The 1 7/8" or 2" balls (and lesser hitch) can handle somewhat less, but still at least double the weight of a bugeye.

In my experience with UHaul (when I brought mine home), they were the most incompetent people I've ever dealt with, concerning towing. Don't take their advice, just use their equipment. We rented a tow dolly, and specifically asked if the 2 5/16" ball (for the horse trailer) was ok for their dolly (because we have a 1 7/8" ball for the sailboat as well). "Yeah, it's fine." When we get there ... sure enough, it has to be 1 7/8" or 2" and we have to buy it from them, because it's not worth the hassle of going back to get it.

Now, the 'gentleman' who installs the ball on the hitch installs it upside down (like one would do for a car, even though we have a full sized chevy truck). Naturally, I told him that was incorrect, but he said, "you need the extra height." Whatever. Sure enough, when we put the tow dolly on, it's way too high. Forget it, it's adequate. If I was towing my car trailer, the back end would have dragged on flat surfaces with it set up like that!

Don't get me wrong, the company provides a service and they do it well (before anyone gets excited). I am not bashing the company! However, I've found that the help they hire (managers included) are the next best thing to incompetent. If you want trailer advice, talk to a shop that does RV's and trailers, not the folks to work at UHaul.

 

[jlaird]

Hmm, had not thought of dolly. but this is a roller. Might have to get a couple of new tires mounted but no bigee.

 

[Matthew E. Herd]

You might have a hard time getting a full size car trailer that the ranger could handle. I mean, it can do it, but they probably won't rent it to you if they've got it. Without a proper receiver, it's a little touch and go. Under no circumstances would I flat tow it.

 

[Matthew E. Herd]

Also, budget tires for these car go for about $30, so you could easily purchase and mount two, just for now. Write them off as necessary for getting it home. A tow dolly would run you about 50 bucks a day, I'd expect (much cheaper than a regular trailer).

 

[ChrisS]

When I picked up my two I put the parts car in the bed of the truck and the other in a 6'x12' open trailer from uhaul. Fit the car, engine, tranny, and assorted parts in the trailer fine. The only issues you may run into are that they require a class 2 hitch which I don't think a bumper mount will cover so you will need to get a receiver hitch, and they may only rent the trailer local and not one way, but they may be flexible on this. Talk to your local office since they will be the receiving dealer. They may be able to work it so it adds to their inventory. Good luck. Take a look at this: https://www.britishcarforum.com/ubbthread...true#Post136786

 

[jlaird]

You guys are great. I know the ranger will handle the tow dolly, and as you said budget tires are cheep. Engine, trans, and other parts will ride in the bed just fine.

However, if I knew what kind of tires I wanted I could even just do it at the time, hehe, and charge it off to delivery.

Tis a flat run from Texas to Florida, interstate all the way so that's a help as well.

Thanks again for the great advice, like most advice you always think afterwards, how come I didn't think of that.

 

[Matthew E. Herd]

Why not have a look at tirerack.com, or BJ's, or whatever your favorite tire installer is. I'm fond of BJ's for tire installation, as they provide an excellent warranty on street tires, and they rotate tires for free, which is nice on your daily driver.

As to the best tire to pick, I don't think it matters too much. I have Michelin X Radials which seem to be a good all weather tire in 165/70R13 size. It should fit a Bugeye, but may be a bit wider than stock (155?). These tires are about 7 years old, so I don't know if Michelin still makes them in that size.

Another thing to check is that the shoes aren't stuck to the drums. I'm not sure how to describe it exactly, but even though the wheel would turn, it seems that the wheel cylinder was frozen, so that the shoes pushed against the drum. The car would tow, but the left rear started smoking and smelling hot. Make sure the rear tires spin freely, as about 10 minutes into the drive, I had to put on a pair of gloves and strip out the smoking hot shoes with tools I had in the truck. Thank God they're so easy to work on! I removed the shoes and drove on, with the drum and wheel reinstalled.

 

[Bugeye58]

Jack, two of us have moved a couple of my Bugeye tubs by ourselves, so they can't weigh much over 300 Lbs. A 6ft wide trailer with a 12ft. long deck would be more than ample for the task.
A friend here hauled his race Pontiac Fiero, with tire rack and tools, behind his Ranger with nary a problem. Minimum race weight on the car alone is 2550#, and he had a heavy trailer.
Jeff

 

[jlaird]

I see looking at UHAUL and my vehicle specs that the towing dolly weighes more than the roller tub (dolly 640, tub 500?). However, UHAUL wants me to have a Class 2 hitch and I have the step bumber. Seems to be that UHAUL just does not understand the situation. Will go down and speak with them tomorrow.

As I figure it the gross towing weight will be about 1100 lbs with no weight to speek of on the hitch.

Tis a flat tow, all interstate so engine and clutch not an issue.

Oh, bug is 4.5 ft wide and 11.5 ft long.