Flat towing brackets

So, trying to get my 1999 miata set up for flat towing to and from events behind the Silverado. 

I have a falconer2 drawbar, brackets, and everything else that was used for 40k on a geo tracker behind dads rv.

Obviously ain't going to bolt up.

So, ive been looking for a way to mount that'snot 300÷ bucks. 

How does one go about designing something? Im assuming half inch plate welded by a pro will be the final product, but really don't know much about this.

But needto as February starts the autocross season here.

So, whT/how do i do this cheap?

The brackets from my tow bar are more like 3/16

Really? That makes it easier to make. 1/2 inch plate was gonna SUCK.

For the Saab we unbolted the bumper and just bolted the harbor freight supplied (part of the tow bar kit) brackets straight to the unibody frame rails - basically right where the bumper bolted on.

It took a few minutes of course to remove the bumper but it wasn't too bad.

Robbie said:

For the Saab we unbolted the bumper and just bolted the harbor freight supplied (part of the tow bar kit) brackets straight to the unibody frame rails - basically right where the bumper bolted on.

It took a few minutes of course to remove the bumper but it wasn't too bad.

This.

I flat tow my autoXer with DIY brackets bolted to the original bumper locations. Front valance is dzus'd on for easy access.

I always kept a spare front bumper with the mounts on it when I was buying and selling rabbits. Swap it on and tow it away, 30 minutes all in.

Can you go to the original tie down mounting points? Not the tie downs themselves, but maybe bolt your brackets to the existing holes.

I built the whole shebang out of whatever was laying around. 

Build off stock bumper mount. 1/8" is plenty. I bought a HF ball mount for a couple of bucks, and used 1/8" wall 2X2. Seems like overkill to be honest.

I did use 1/2" plate and 5/8" grade bolts in double shear for the pivots. Tows like a boss.

chandler said:

I alwa  hu7ys kept a spare front bumper with the mounts on it when I was buying and selling rabbits. Swap it on and tow it away, 30 minutes all in.

So, im overthinking things again, arent i?

I had planned brackets that mount to the frame rails, with the tracker specialty parts welded on to them. 

The factory front tow hook location.

Should i triangulate from there?

Ive installed tow bars on 4 cars. 3 of which were Challenge cars, 2 of which i actually flat towed to the challenge (Texas to Florida!). I think with tow bars the thickness of materials is not really the primary issue. If you think about how thick the neck of a 2" tow ball is and the fact that those can be rated to tow 12k lbs, pretty much all towing jobs go through surprisingly thin sections of metal when it comes down to it. I think it's more about how likely it is to come apart due to fastening problems. Bolts/nuts, lack of washers, problems with the latch on the hitch, spring clips sitting in grooves on pivot pins, etc. I think assuming you are a forgetful idiot and triple checking every single thing will get you further in actual safety than making parts thicker. 

As far as flat towing itself, it's got its own unique issues. When you try to take sharp turns you can get the tow car's steering not wanting to return to center, or picking up a weird severe oscillation  as it straightens out. If the towed vehicle has loose suspension parts or a bad alignment it will both be dangerous to tow and will kill the tires on the towed vehicle in short order. I've encountered those things personally. If you have a blowout on the towed vehicle it CAN be very dangerous, but that's true of dolleys and trailers as well. I had a very dangerous experience with a blowout when i towed my Caravan. I've also had a dangerous experience with a blowout when i was actually driving that van years back, so again, not unique to flat towing.

I actually towed my Dodge Rampage all the way from Texas to Florida and back on 4 space saver spares. Talk about extended use at high speeds! I made the call that i'd rather have as little traction as possible on the towed vehicle and other concerns be damned. I did have one of them come apart with absolutely no drama. It started making noise, I slowed down, it came apart with no stability impact (also due to no scrub radius compared to the blowout on my van), i pulled over and changed it (i brought 2 extras plus the tires i raced on) and finished driving home. Keep in mind these were original space savers off cars from the 80s, and once they came into my possession they lived in the sun too! I still decided based on my understanding of the physics and my prior experience that that was safer than a standard setup, or worse a high traction 200tw tire with a bunch of scrub radius, having a problem and inducing a huge pull/steering effect into the towed vehicle, and 2000+ miles and an actual blowout later I still stand by that. I dont think it would make as much difference on the back, but if you can come up with a set of 'skinnys' for the front wheels I do think that's a legit safety improvement on a flat-tow setup. Unless you're towing with something so large like a dually or RV that it won't care if the towed vehicle is trying to turn, then meh, whatever. 

I flat towed an X-1/9, luckily the bracket width was the same as the old bumper brackets, just bolted them up.  Maybe you'll get lucky.

You might go to websites for Blue Ox, Road Master, Curt, Reese, etc. to get some ideas. All of these companies make tow bars for just about any car used for motorhomes and other towing. The setup usually uses a base plate that mounts to a particular cars frame and then brackets that attach to the base plate. Have no idea how much the parts cost but might be worth while to compare cost to fabrication costs. I have seen Miatas being towed behind motorhomes.

I flat towed an MK2 Golf to autocrosses for many years.  I just bolted the supplied base plates to the bumper rebar.

My goal after Christmas is to hit the brackets running. Trying to do my research and start thinking through it while doing the in-laws in Richmond. Seems like a good use of my time.

But according to this thread, i started by WAY overthinking it. 

Beed to lay everything out, take pictures, and stare for a while. Probably a simpleand easy solution to implement that i just haven't thought about yet.

Ok, so if i make two piece brackets:

One tube is slip fit into another. Well say a piece of 1.75 aroll bar tubing and 1.5 rol bar tubing (pretty close slip fit)

I then secure these two pieces with a horizontal grade 8 bolt or trailer hitch pin. 

Bad idea? With one pin on either side of the car, it would be way overkill, right? I mean, theres only one pin holding the whole car to the truck....

I think I have my design finalized in my head.....

This whole discussion has now become moot!

Mom and dad just told me they ordered the pre-made brackets for me for Christmas. They just didn't arrive in time.

So, now on to figuring out how to search craigslist for supplemental brake setups. Cause i have no idea what theyre called.....

Check with some of the RV dealers in your area or on line for RV braking systems. Many states  require towed vehicles behind RV’s to have braking systems. Some utilize the towed cars master cylinder some are portable units with an arm to actually push on the towed cars brake pedal. None are real cheap but may give some ideas.