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 Post subject: Tow Hook?
PostPosted: January 7, 2018, 6:18 pm 
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Joined: January 31, 2012, 12:49 pm
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Location: Louisville KY
I'm looking at my chassis as I hand the body work, and wonder... Where would one put a tow hook on these locost frames?

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 Post subject: Re: Tow Hook?
PostPosted: January 7, 2018, 6:43 pm 
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Joined: January 31, 2008, 5:34 pm
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Location: SW Wes Consin
Two hooks one in front and one in back and very robust. You can use them for any kind of trailer transport and there are very few good points to tie a tube frame down without ugly and surprising results. Don't ask.


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 Post subject: Re: Tow Hook?
PostPosted: January 7, 2018, 6:57 pm 
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Joined: May 27, 2006, 9:46 pm
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Location: BC, Canada. eh?
Seems like good advice to me. As it happens, I have a pair of tow hooks conveniently provided to me by the previous owner of my '00 Miata. Apparently he had removed them, and gave them to me in a box of assorted bits to go with the car. They are very stout, indeed (fully capable of dragging around a Miata, at twice the weight of my Locost), and are a bolt-on design which, I think, will work great with the Locost.

I've been planning on making up a couple of bolt-up plates, welded to the underside of the frame, for attaching them.

If you don't have any, I see lots of them on Ebay for around $25 a pair.

Or, if you have or know of a wrecked Miata, well, there you go!

Mine look like these:

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/94-95-96-97-MAZ ... Nv&vxp=mtr

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 Post subject: Re: Tow Hook?
PostPosted: January 7, 2018, 7:33 pm 
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Joined: January 31, 2012, 12:49 pm
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Location: Louisville KY
Let me clarify.

If you run a sports car in an event, normally you have a couple of red metal circles to which they attach tow straps to pull you out of tires, sand, trees, whatever. If you've seen a SCCA or IMSA race, even a vintage event, you've seen them.

I could attach mine to just whatever tube is handy. But I have to wonder about bending a frame. Not that my bolts / welds will fail, it's that I might bend up something important.

I won't have an obvious rear point to attach a tow rope on my car 'cause of the rear body work, so it occurs to me that I might just have to figure out how to put a tow hook back there. And up front too.

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 Post subject: Re: Tow Hook?
PostPosted: January 7, 2018, 11:55 pm 
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Joined: December 7, 2012, 8:28 am
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Location: Sarasota
If you plan to race your locost it's a good idea to have strap locations. If you go to the dyno your going to need 4+ straps to hold it down. You need options for securing it on the trailer, I prefer to secure the tires so the cars suspension allows the car to move when you go over a bump and not stress the frame. You also need to have a plan for track days, if you end up in the dirt/sand gravel etc. Most Locosts have somewhere as an option but if yours doesn't it is easy enough to weld a toe hook on or an additional brace that is not covered with bodywork.

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 Post subject: Re: Tow Hook?
PostPosted: January 8, 2018, 9:22 am 
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Joined: September 22, 2005, 8:12 am
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Location: 4AGE in S.E. Michigan
When I built my frame, I added a couple internal nuts into the bottom of the frame tubes. This will allow me to screw in an eye bolt if needed. This assumes that I have access to the bottom frame rail and not in 7" of mud. You can carry the eye bolt in the tool bag so there isn't any change in ground clearance. Just keep a 1/2" button head screw in the eye bolt location to keep the threads clean.
Dave W


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 Post subject: Re: Tow Hook?
PostPosted: January 8, 2018, 10:39 am 
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Joined: June 5, 2016, 7:03 am
Posts: 235
Location: ontario
geek49203 wrote:
I'm looking at my chassis as I hand the body work, and wonder... Where would one put a tow hook on these locost frames?


On my first locost chassis I welded a bent half inch ms strap to the front rail in a place where the car could towed without damaging the nosecone or steering rack. I plan a similar arrangement on my current build. Some seven builders I know have advocated a small hitch receiver tube for the rear end of the car. I think it is a good idea as it opens the option of towing a small (motocycle size) touring trailer.


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 Post subject: Re: Tow Hook?
PostPosted: January 8, 2018, 11:08 am 
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Joined: December 17, 2010, 1:24 pm
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Location: Gainesville, Mo.
I've planned on installing the hitch receiver on my frame if only for the options that in affords you. As Phil said, a small trailer or tote rack to supplement the 7's already cavernous luggage capacity :roll: , a tow ring, or even a spare tire mount! The possibilities boggles the mind!!!

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 Post subject: Re: Tow Hook?
PostPosted: January 8, 2018, 11:22 am 
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Location: Gainesville, Mo.
vroom wrote:
... there are very few good points to tie a tube frame down without ugly and surprising results. Don't ask.


As was mentioned, the best place to locate a tow loop would seem to be at the junction of several frame tubes to spread the load in different directions. Am I correct on this assumption, or am I all wet??? :?

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 Post subject: Re: Tow Hook?
PostPosted: January 8, 2018, 11:27 am 
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Joined: April 23, 2006, 8:26 pm
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I've been <cough>towed off-track twice<cough> and both times they just looped the strap through the roll cage. If I'd had just a roll bar I assume they'd have used that.

When tying the car down to the trailer, I use straps that go either up and over the tires, or through the wheels. Point being, depending what you're doing with the car, it's unlikely you really need one.

That said, I did see a car being towed off-track at a race one time where they'd connected the strap up top. The driver wasn't paying attention and let the car drift off to the left, and in about 5-seconds, ended up upside down... so take your choice!

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 Post subject: Re: Tow Hook?
PostPosted: January 8, 2018, 12:38 pm 
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Location: BC, Canada. eh?
ngpmike wrote:
I've planned on installing the hitch receiver on my frame if only for the options that in affords you. As Phil said, a small trailer or tote rack to supplement the 7's already cavernous luggage capacity :roll: , a tow ring, or even a spare tire mount! The possibilities boggles the mind!!!

I've been thinking along those lines, too. I have a small trailer for towing behind my Honda GoldWing, which would be perfect for a Locost. It's gloss black fiberglass on a welded tube-steel frame, has a torsion bar suspension & alloy wheels, only weighs 150 lbs., and has a carrying capacity of 200 lbs. It would be pretty simple to add a receiver to the Locost so that I could use the same drawbar etc. that I plug into the GoldWing. Voila! Instant Buick-sized trunk! It's big enough that I can fit all 210 lbs of me inside it & close the lid...

Attachment:
trailer cropped small.jpg


In case anyone's looking for something like this, take a look here: http://www.luggandroll.com/motorcycle-trailer.html


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 Post subject: Re: Tow Hook?
PostPosted: January 9, 2018, 9:11 am 
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Joined: September 22, 2005, 8:12 am
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Location: 4AGE in S.E. Michigan
Check out rx7locost "chuck's" build. He has a nice Carry-All design that would handle 100+lbs.
Dave W


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 Post subject: Re: Tow Hook?
PostPosted: January 9, 2018, 12:03 pm 
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Joined: July 17, 2008, 9:11 am
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Location: West Chicago,IL
Thanks for the props Dave. Here is a shot as it was just finished. It was made form simple, inexpensive, electrical thin-wall conduit. I used it over 2,000 highway miles without incident. There was enough room for a couple of waterproof duffel bags, a 5 gallon Jerry can of gas (used once :oops: ) and a small box of tools.

Image

Image

A short discussion about it here: http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=4145&start=318

if you already have the small Goldwing trailer, then I would suggest using that. The concern that I would have is locating the receiver for the center drawbar. There is typically not much structure in the middle of the rear panel on a Locost.

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 Post subject: Re: Tow Hook?
PostPosted: January 10, 2018, 9:18 am 
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Joined: June 5, 2016, 7:03 am
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Location: ontario
Rx
I like the rack however do you travel with a spare wheel?
Where is it.

An attractive option allowing the use of both a rack or a trailer would be to weld a square receiver at the centre of the rear end rail and then eventually mount either a rack like yours or a trailer hitch . This arrangement is common practice in the pick up world.


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 Post subject: Re: Tow Hook?
PostPosted: January 10, 2018, 10:46 am 
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Location: West Chicago,IL
Phil, I didn't carry a spare. I always just took my chances. :mrgreen: Even If i did have a spare, I didn't carry a jack or lug wrench.

I looked at using a center receiver and just purchasing a store-bought rack. i didn't like the rotational looseness of that setup. The 2 smaller receivers eliminated that looseness. Plus there was no frame structure in the center of my car to mount a center receiver. I thought about making an adapter to fit a 1-1/4 center receiver. useing the 2 receivers but never found the need. I ended up making a trailer for towing my Locost on ling trips thus eliminating the need for the luggage rack altogether.

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Chuck.

“Any suspension will work if you don’t let it.” - Colin Chapman

Visit my ongoing MGB Rustoration log: over HERE

Or my Wankel powered Locost log : over HERE

And don't forget my Cushman Truckster resto Locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=17766


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