Fitting a towbar to my '33 RP. Where should I attach the bar anchorages.The rear floor areas are going to have to be replaced due to severe corrosion so access should be no problem. I know that several of you out there do tow with your Seven's. What deterioration in performance should I expect towing a lightweight (front axle) box trailer.My current figures are top speed around 55/58 mph fuel consumption around 40 mpg.

Location: Piddle valley, Dorchester. (literally)

Peter,

if you give me a call on 0141 942 8037 it will be simpler for me to tell you what I have learnt about this than try and write it down.

On my RN I picked up on the double thickness where the inner wheel arch met with the floor with the raised edge under the rear seat. Two HT bolts with re inforcing washers held two short lengths of 1" angle iron with 3/8 thick spacers (mainly because that pair of seams wasen't flat). The tow bar was a u shape of 1" angle iron that bolted to the short pieces again with HT bolts. This meant the tow bar was removable easily if you dont need it all year. I didn't have brake lights or indicators, so a plug was used to connect to the nearside 201 lamp after removing the bulb. The trailer was narrower than the car with A7 wheels, so one spare did for everywhere. Only trouble I encountered was I couldn't see it from the car. This was cured by having an ex army arial with a flag. Also caught the attention of motorist coming up behind.

Location: in the armchair

Some years ago we covered several hundred miles towing a small folding caravan. It weighed 140kg and ran on modern 10" trailer wheels. The tow car was an Ulsteroid with an untuned 2 bearing engine. we travelled 2-up with all the luggage you could cram into an Ulster boot and the performance was affected very little. Top speed on the flat was unchanged at just over 50. Fitting a tow bar to an Ulster is challenging though!

I guess the saloon will struggle a little more but it shouldn't be any worse than adding a passenger or two. Have fun!

Peter.

Location: Inverness

Here is Peter's car, caravan and wife in the news...



And again at the "Nutshell Micro-caravan World Jamboree" in Nethy Bridge a few years back...

Several RPs here sport rear bumpers. The installations are relatively crude and not typical Austin. Presumably local. I suppose the same in UK. Bolted through sides just above the floor. On my car these support a carrier used for sacks of coal during the war, carrying spare engine in my time etc. Door aperture no longer square but precious few are! Outriggers should be intact. Load from a light trailer would not exceed a heavy carrier load and/or two generous adults in rear seat, all indignities inflicted over the decades.

Bob Culver

Location: Auckland

The late Ken Warren designed a very simple system which worked very well. It consisted of a welded triangle made of angle iron, the apex of which had two holes through which he bolted to the torque tube using an exhaust clamp. The sides of the triangle passed either side of the diff under each torque tube, again using exhaust clamps, he clamped them to the tubes. He closed the triangle at the back with a welded angle iron which held the towbar, or pin in his case. He only ran a very light trailer behind his RN and this arrangement prevented the nodding donkey you can get when towing behind a high frame with the tow bar being sprung. Although this was unsprung weight it was very little and the trailer was light enough not to cause distorsion of the torque tubes. It was also very simple to put on or remove.
Steve

Location: Somerset

Peter, yet another aside.

If any correction of door openings necessary, any jacking should be done before floor is locked up by extensive repair welding.

Bob Culver

Location: Auckland

Yes Bob,Got the "T" shirt on that one years ago, when a friend was welding up a Triumph Spitfire.He made a good job of it but it took us forever to get the doors to fit afterwards.Since then everything gets braced.Hopefully others will benefit from the advice.

Location: Piddle valley, Dorchester. (literally)

Peter (or should that be PETER?),

this is Watty Sutherland's Ruby with his brother's '65 on the back and yes, it did tow it (just not very far!).

Either that black box is full of scrap metal or there must be a negative nose weight on that trailer!

Ian Mc.

Location: Shropshire

It has a spare Speedy engine in it Ian (no joke!), they don't like to take chances.

More towing pictures to bore you all..

1978 - My sister, mum, dad and me in the Pearl...



2006 - Pearl and '24 Chummy at Scone Rally



2008 - Pearl in Glen Etive...



2013 - Pearl (new colour) in the Alsace...



2010 (?) - Chummy, with the same Trailer from the 1978 picture above, on the way from Glasgow to the Cornish Rally...



1974 (?) - John Fitch towing a group of Australian Tourists out of a river they got their brand new Range Rover stuck in...



I also have some hard copies of my father's Chummy in the Alps (including Col du Bonnette) with the four of us and the blue trailer pictured above...

Location: Shropshire

The spare engine is for the Ruby Ian, not the trailered car!

RUAIRIDH, Love the pictures proving the Sevens ability to cope.
I am a little concerned that some "outfits" are outside the legal maximum weight,in that I believe the loaded trailer should not exceed 75% of the towing vehicle.Having said that I would often tow over weight, with my company Volvo 745, collecting identical cars from dealers.

Location: Piddle valley, Dorchester(.Just returned from becoming a Grandad again.)

I think the onlt relevant law to an austin 7 where no type approval exists (and thus limits weight) is that an unbraked trailer must not exceed half the 'kerb weight' of the car.

Otherwise I believe that there isnt a legal maximum, or rather it is likely to be limited by driving licence.

The '80% rule' is simply a rule of thumb.