I Want to Buy a Bus

[mrsleeve]

Guys in Europe pull heavy trailers with e30's easy.

I think your definition of heavy and mine severally differ, not to mention what I consider safe. I have pulled WAY too much behind lots of things not designed to drag that much weight. I have had a E30 and a car trailer (with brakes) behind a Colorado with a total weight close to 4500 well with its "rated capacity" across the state of MI, NOT SOMETHING I WILL EVER DO AGAIN .........

Again a wagon that is going to be close to 3000+ lbs behind a little car is not something I would do. Trailer brakes or not.

[flyboyx]

a conservative point of view is definitely a good thing. i can't say that i have experience towing anything behind a small car. however, i have a LOT of experience pulling my tandem axle foot 20' flatbed behind my f350. the truck weighs about 6000lbs and some change. my tractor/loader/backhoe, trailer and box blade probably weigh close to 7 thousand. granted, the towing capacity is greater than the amount i am pulling but i wouldn't hesitate to drag that across the country if necessary. i was also thinking that semi's regularly pull more than twice their weight in a trailer 3x the size of the tractor.

i think my e30 weighs about 3600lbs and some change. perhaps more. would it really be that big a deal to pull a 3ish thousand pound trailer with it considering the entire drivetrain, (springs/brakes/engine/cooling system) have been uprated? pulling a standard 20something foot long rv would really suck in windy conditions but at least with a trailmanor, the wind shadow is small.

[mrsleeve]

Think though your 1 ton is DESIGNED to tow shit, big rigs are designed to tow shit thats 3 times thier own weight. They both have bigger breaking systems, transmissions and rear ends, tires, cooling systems, and suspensions that built to handle the duty of pulling things 3 times their own GVW. I have hooked on to either of our BIG horse trailers that when loaded with gear and critters are north of 15k lbs with my duramax, they are a little over the door sticker on pin weight, but with in CGVW rating and the truck handles it fine A little car is just plain NOT set up or built to drag something that weights as much as it self. A full size car there is a little more room and argument for pulling something moderately heavy but still not something I would do often.

3600 for a e30, shit that seems a bit high, I thought Curb Weight for a 2 door IS was something like a 2620..........

[flyboyx]

i was probably off on the weight. a cabrio with hard top is probably around 3k. i get all of your points. as i mentioned, though, all those things were upgraged on my car too and the trailer is made for people who have cars that are not.

i think the thing to do would be to build a hitch, go to the dealer, and pull one around for a couple hours to see what it does. at least that way i wouldn't be into a big investment into a trailer that doesn't work for the purpose intended.

this is a pic from their web site. i realize that crossover weighs more than an e30, but it certainly has less power and less brakes.

[george graves]

Isn't all of this pointless?? ....I mean, unless you custom design a tow hitch, and integrate it into an e30, the tongue weight is the deal breaker? No?

With that said, I have an aftermarket tow hitch (yet to install) and want to buy a small utility trailer(harbor freight), just to haul things (drywall, cement, etc) from home depot 5 miles. I'd love to tow a small boat - but I can just see my e30 slipping into the water....

[z31maniac]

i was probably off on the weight. a cabrio with hard top is probably around 3k. i get all of your points. as i mentioned, though, all those things were upgraged on my car too and the trailer is made for people who have cars that are not.

i think the thing to do would be to build a hitch, go to the dealer, and pull one around for a couple hours to see what it does. at least that way i wouldn't be into a big investment into a trailer that doesn't work for the purpose intended.

Granted, I'm getting ready to buy a V8 4Runner to tow the race car to the track, and it's a relatively light, short-wheelbase vehicle to be towing 5000lbs......thankfully it's basically flat everywhere I will be going.

Towing 3000lbs with a 3000lb car? I'd see if there is anyway you can incorporate an anti-sway setup into what you are doing and possibly airbags to help keep weight on the front of the car when towing.

[flyboyx]

i hadn't thought of airbags. i'm using ground control coils so my thought was a set of 700 lb rear springs.

[z31maniac]

i hadn't thought of airbags. i'm using ground control coils so my thought was a set of 700 lb rear springs.

I'd go for airbags since you can deflate and not have the high spring rates when not towing.

Just a suggestion though.

[Eric]

Cool 4104!

My dad drove those, 4106 & 4903's when I was a kid. The 4106 was his favorite and he started to convert one years ago. In fact I learned how to shift in the thing before I learned in a car! He wants to buy another one that's already converted soon and do "workamping." He's mentioned that when he finally throws in the towel, the bus would be mine. While I definetly don't want to see my dad die, I'd rather get a bus than a stack of money. Having a bus trackside would be so amazing!

[G-Man the Visionary]

Man, you're right that would be kick ass! I am a little worried about learning to drive the thing... Right now it's snowed in at my parents and when I was home last week there was no way to drive it... The trans isn't synchronized, so it may take some time... Does your dad still have the 4106? If he does, sounds like it's time to get busy!

[Axxe]

Man, you're right that would be kick ass! I am a little worried about learning to drive the thing... Right now it's snowed in at my parents and when I was home last week there was no way to drive it... The trans isn't synchronized, so it may take some time... Does your dad still have the 4106? If he does, sounds like it's time to get busy!

Non-synchro is much better than any synchro box in heavy applications. Once you get the hang of it you don't even need to clutch the shifts, it's all about throttle control and timing of the shifts. Lift the throttle slightly before the shift, let the driveline go "slack" (no pressure from acceleration or deceleration), slide it out and in to the next gear. Progressive shifting is key, short shifts at low speeds and then run the gears out progressively, with each successive gear climbing to higher rpms. Most fuel efficient and repeatable way to drive. It takes a bit to get the rpm timings down but once you do, it's smooth sailing. I learned on bob-tails in the yard which is much more difficult than a bus, less weight pushing you along thus requiring quicker shifts to keep the rpms from dropping below engagement point.

[G-Man the Visionary]

Thanks for that info, I used to shift my e36 without clutch because it had issues... Anything like that?

[Eric]

Man, you're right that would be kick ass! I am a little worried about learning to drive the thing... Right now it's snowed in at my parents and when I was home last week there was no way to drive it... The trans isn't synchronized, so it may take some time... Does your dad still have the 4106? If he does, sounds like it's time to get busy!

No, he donated it to a bus museum in Sacramento a few years back. He plans on buying one already converted.

He spent 10 years in mass transit as the driver trainer. I know he's taught a few bus newbies how to drive for the cost of transportation to you and a hotel for a night or two. If you'd honestly like the help, I know he could get turn you into a pro in a few days.

[Eric]

Thanks for that info, I used to shift my e36 without clutch because it had issues... Anything like that?

you can shift without the clutch, but it takes a bit of practice.

With the clutch on a non synchro trans this is the steps to shift from 1st to 2nd.

-gas to desired RPM
-let of gas/clutch in
-put trans in neutral
-clutch out
-clutch in
-put gear in 2nd
-clutch out/back on gas

[G-Man the Visionary]

Well, a trip to Denver sometime next year doesn't sound like a bad idea... For real that's awesome, I appreciate it.