Comment

Comment by Gary Sebastian on September 1, 2013 at 12:38pm

I like the solar panel idea. Mine is not original either, I think you should make it your own, I do that with all my old vehicles. I had plenty of power with the boat and scooter in tow. I once towed a Honda Civic over the rockies and that was not easy. On flat land I have always been able to go 70+ but usually find a sweet spot at about 62mph no matter what I have in it or behind it. I have worn out the old 318 and will replace it with a 360 when I can. You might have a timing or compression issue because it should do a lot better than 50.

Comment by Douglas Rouse on September 1, 2013 at 12:25pm

Thanks Gary. I am thinking of taking off all of the A/C units from the roof and streamlining it. Instead, I want to create a rooftop of solar panels and figure out somewhere else to house an A/C unit. I am not concerned with keeping mine in original condition, I would like to make it more efficient. You mentioned that yours hauls a scooter and a boat, do you have good power? I can't seem to get mine above 50 mph at the moment. Just got it running actually, fixed a fuel leak and filled brake fluid and she's purring, but at sluggish speeds.

Comment by Gary Sebastian on September 1, 2013 at 12:09pm

Hi Douglas, The carrier I built was real simple. It is just channel iron welded to 2X2's that slides into receiver hitch tubes welded to the frame of the motorhome. I use a ramp made of the same channel to get the scooter up. Not able to take pics now but could this fall. I use the ladder to get on the roof for cleaning and maintenance, sometimes I haul stuff up there. I like your photos, it looks like you could freeze meat in there with all those A/C units. That dash board looks like it came out of a 747, thats what I call a command center. Keep us posted on your progress.

Comment by Douglas Rouse on September 1, 2013 at 11:53am

Gary, I've got a People scooter that I would like to build a carrier for. Is there any way that you can send me a clean photo of just your carrier so I can see how you built it? Does it tilt at all or how do you get the scooter up to the carrier?

On another note, what do you use the ladder for? I was thinking of taking mine off and creating a roof-access through one of the a/c units on mine.

Comment by Gary Sebastian on December 9, 2009 at 10:58pm

I made it myself with a piece of 2X8 channel iron. I had the steel left over from something else. If I were to do it again I would use 2X6 channel. It is about 1/4" thick. I welded that to two pieces of 2X2 draw bar stock and welded two 2" receivers to the bumper and frame of my motorhome. There are a series of holes drilled in the draw bars so I can pull it out and pin it in different positions. It took half a day and about $100 in parts.

Comment by Gary Sebastian on December 8, 2009 at 12:48pm

I did build the carrier myself, originally for a 1957 Cushman/Allstate scooter that we took with us for about 10 years. When we upgrade to the Vespa it took very little modification. We have always had a scooter or car with us to chase parts in the event of a break down and to keep from having to break camp to often. The carrier slides in and out on two 2" receivers and is removable. There is a ramp that lays in between the scooter tires. I sometimes tow a 1969 Glastron boat from the hitch on the scooter rack. Fortunately the motorhome does not have a lot of overhang in the back and factory suspension was not changed. Total weight of carrier,scooter and boat is only about 600 lbs. I did have to put rollers on the bottom of the scooter rack because we get into areas where it can drag. I don't have any handeling problems at all, however I will add trailer brakes to any thing I tow because the motorhome brakes wear out much faster with the added wieght.