Towing the Lykamobile

Some time ago, I decided that, as the Lykamobile has a fully functional set of wheels, then putting it on a trailer would be  a waste.  So, I designed  and built an A-Frame for towing.  The base of the A-Frame clamps onto the front axle, with the side arms meeting at a towing socket fitting to the car tow ball.  When being towed, the steering castor angle should keep the wheels pointed in the direction of travel. The towing arrangement needed testing; here is the result.

I needed to know:

• Can it be readily attached?
• does anything loosen or fall off?
• will it tow in a straight line, without swerving?
• will it behave nicely when turning a corner?
• Can it be pushed in reverse?
• Does the safety link stay in place?
• Does it cope with speed reduction bumps?
• Will it accelerate and slow down going up and down hills?

I selected a local route for testing, which included straight and level sections, up and down hill and speed bumps.  For the test, the A-Frame was attached and the tiller removed.  I have used cotter pins and R-Clips for these.  The diesel and water tanks were loaded, but not full.  The Lyka brakes were not in operation, so I checked the car manufacturer's data which says 750kg is acceptable for an unbraked trailer.  A separate towing/lighting board was used.  Attaching to a towing car is not easy.  There is some movement possible by turning the steering wheels.

Nothing got loose, or fell off.  This includes the safety link which stayed in place.  PS: I did re-discover the breather hole in the fuel tank, which showed itself as drips of diesel fuel when standing facing uphill on a slope.

It tows nicely without swerving or oscillating.  There is some bumpiness, probably because the Lykamobile has no shock absorbers.  Speed bumps are handled, but not well.  The absence of shock absorbers in effect limits the speed for comfortable towing; I took it up to 40mph.

It follows the towing car round a corner.

Reversing is not easy, as the Lyka steering wheels are forced to one side or the other and could be damaged.  This is to be expected with the castor angle being effective.

When going uphill, performance is reduced, as could be expected after attaching half a tonne to the car. A lower gear was selected.  Slowing down was not a problem!

In conclusion:  A screwjack and wheel would help with hitching and reversing.  The screw jack would have to cope with the load on the front axle.  Not much can be done about the absence of shock absorbers to make towing less "lumpy", other than reducing speed while towing ( A UK legal requirement anyway).