Spider towing a Spider

[Pedromtt]

Can a tow hitch be installed on a 1979 Spider to tow another Spider from California to Texas about 1400 miles.
Please send me an email if it can or can not be done pedromtt@yahoo.com
I am in the Los Angeles area and moving to Texas.

[Tobi]

I don't think there is a tow hitch for the spider and the frame is maybe not rigid enough. Are the brakes strong enough for this and will the clutch survive this trip?
There is a good chance of the cooling system to overhead and the 79 2.0l motor is kind of strong but does not have a lot of horses. Are there mountains on the way? Sounds like a big adventure to me.

[Fiatmonkey]

There really is no good way to put a tow hitch on a spider as the rear of the car is just sheet metal make the trunk. Odds are you would rip the bottom of the trunk right out. Also, the drivers side of the trunk is the gas tank sould you couldn't spread out the tow hitch attachment points. This would leave the hitch centered more or less below the spare tire, and with the weight more centralized that would make it breaking out easier. As the other post said the clutch would never survive that long of a trip.

I would never take on such an endevor. Best suggestion borrow a friends truck, heck probably makes the same MPG as the Fiat lol.

Don't drive through my Banana orchard!

[Tobi]

The rear bumper could be removed and the hitch could be installed to the bumper mounts in the frame using pipes.

[maytag]

Don't do it. I understand the temptation, but for all of the reasons listed above, it's just not a great idea. Yes, a good enough fabricator could build a hitch for the car.... but then all you are doing is transferring all of that added stress / distress to other parts of the car's uni-body structure.

ya know how trucks / SUV's will post a "max tow weight" (not just what the hitch is rated for)? Well keep in mind that your Spider's data-plate calls for a MAX LOAD (passengers & "luggage") of something like 900 lbs, if I rememebr correctly!

[WYSpider]

Max load is 430 for newer cars.

[Danno]

Hasn't Shaun Folkerts done this?

[Tobi]

Max load is 430 for newer cars.

That is the load for the whole car. The load on the hitch probably should not be more than around 120 pounds and than you could still put 310 pounds in the car.

[jimincalif]

Probably not a good idea, but check this out, towing a 128 3P with a Spider, from Calif to N. Carolina. YMMV:

http://www.mirafiori.com/~shaun/cars/771283p.html

[Danno]

Disclaimer: Shaun isn't just any guy. He is a fiat nut and has towed, dragged, hauled and driven cars across the country that I wouldn't touch. Ever see a car in a truck's bed? pretty sure Shaun did that with a 600 or something similar...

[Tobi]

Does this discussion here even serve a purpose if we don't send it to pedromtt in form of an e-mail?

[Danno]

Does this discussion here even serve a purpose if we don't send it to pedromtt in form of an e-mail?

LoL. I totally missed that he said that. I think you may be right.

[Pedromtt]

Thank you to all that posted advice, I read all. You guys are right I guess it is best not to tow one Spider with another, specially 1400 miles that includes mountains. The towing Spider has an automatic transmission that would could be damaged. Also thanks Tobi..

[Pedromtt]

Probably not a good idea, but check this out, towing a 128 3P with a Spider, from Calif to N. Carolina. YMMV:

http://www.mirafiori.com/~shaun/cars/771283p.html

THIS IS TEMPTING..