How has this never been uploaded here?
 

I was wasting time on Reddit today, when this video popped up. A travel trailer built for small vehicles, tested by a VW bug.

Here is a still from the video, showing how the vehicle can freely drive 360 degrees under the trailer without hitting. The hitch is set up to hook to a roof rack on the top of the bug, evenly distributing the weight of the trailer.

http://s3.amazonaws.com/uncooped_upl...1/image002.jpg

It's even aerodynamically styled! Now I just wonder if they make them to fit a Toyota Yaris!?

Pretty cool. If funds weren't an issue, I'd make one of these in a heartbeat.

((EDIT: Did I post this in the right sub forum? I was going to go with "the lounge" but since it kind of goes with the whole Eco-modding thing, I posted it here...))

I don't really know much about towing, but it strikes me that this center pivot set-up would be more stable than a trailer hanging off the rear bumper.

I dig.

Frank Lee used it as the OP in the thread http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...tml#post142098 in Nov,2009:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56XL0...layer_embedded

The weight pushing down in the center would likely be fairly even in pressing down, but would it also be top heavy? I don't understand the physics involved but I assumed trailers connected low for a reason, and that weight distributing trailers which do some of the same job to equalize the tire pressure per wheel would hopefully be comparable.

If not I think the design should be implemented for heavier vehicles. :)

I've seen the vid before. Would think mileage would not be too great aerodynamically either as is or in potential vs aeromodded trailers. It's more for convenience.

Ah, thank you! I personally had never seen it, in all my hours browsing this site, so I assumed either it was stashed away somewhere in the deep past, or it just hadn't been uploaded.

I don't know that it would really be all that top-heavy, because the weight of the trailer would be over the trailer's wheels, for the most part. The weight of the tongue of the trailer and the little bit that hangs over the car itself is all that's planted on the car.
I guess the novelty and the convenience are what make it so cool to me.
:)

If you made an emergency manoeuver and the angle of the trailer to the vehicle became relatively extreme, the trailer could flip the car. It would be especially tricky with the rear weight bias of the old air cooled VW.

regards
Mech

mech,
I would think that the gap between the bottom of the trailer and the top of the vw roof would creat lift on the trailer?????? thoughts?????

There is a motel owner in ND that has a 32 Ford (possibly?) car, with a big matching trailer that hooks to the roof like this. Wish I still had the picture of it, because it's very unique.

That's the same one.

do you think four inches of gutter each side would be strong enough to take a sudden bump,wobble, or emergency braking at speed??How would a Yaris or other modern gutterless car attach the hitch?

DON'T YOU BOTHER ME WITH LOGIC! I WANT IT WHETHER IT MAKES SENSE OR NOT!

It's true, though... You bring up good points. The mounting point would have to be built into the car, and I don't know that it would easy to do.

Besides, when the trailer isn't attached, I'd think it would be a bit un-aerodynamic to have a huge hitch assembly roof-rack thingy attached to your car...

Well I guess what I mean is that in say a sudden lane change maneuver, you have say 300lbs of toungue weight pushing down very high up on the car, rather than pushing down fairly near the ground and down low. I'm not sure how to model the physics exactly, but i'm pretty sure if I put 300lbs of sand bags on my roof, instead of in the back of my trunk, that I would be less stable, not more. The trailer weight is on the tires but the toungue weight is still pushing with more leverage up high than even passengers inside the car by quite a bit.

The dive under braking would prolly be ridicurous...