Pretty easy review,... It's awesome.

For those of you who have not dealt with Van 1 on 1, all I can tell you is that he is absolutely phenomenal to work with. I began talking with him about getting this rack just a bit before Christmas, so through 2 holidays, holiday travel, a bout with a good week + of being REALLY sick, and sick kids, Van still kept in contact as best as he could to let me know what was going on. I am someone who loves to know what the status is, and Van was always sending me updates and pictures in spite of a great deal of every day life keeping him pretty busy. Not to mention, he always responded very patiently to any one of my bazillion emails.

So that being said, if you are in the market for anything buggy related that VTT (Van) offers, I HIGHLY recommend shooting him an email and working with him. He really has his act together and puts out absolutely TOP NOTCH stuff... Kudos indeed!

So that being said,... On to the rack,...

Van sent me a list of necessary measurements he would need to custom fit the rack to my vehicle and my bug,... (08 Honda Element and PL comp XR+ with VTT rail kit). He mocked it up, welded it up and painted it all with an outstanding degree of craftsmanship.



As you can see it comes in 3 pieces that fit together really easy, and when all of the bolts are snugged up it is rock solid. The great thing is, when I put the bug away in my wood shop, the rack easily breaks down to live in the back of the Element.

Here it is hooked up on the E,...



And here with the Bug loaded up,...



I just finished a run around the town on a 15 min test drive and I have to say it was solid and didn't move a lot or sway much at all. I added a ratchet strap across the top strapping it to my roof rack for extra stability as well.

Overall top marks,... 5 stars to Van, and 5 stars to his trailer hitch rack,... Awesome all the way around.

Thanks again, Spencer

Thanks for the compliments Spencer. It was great working with you on this project. One thing you can also do is get a bungee and hook it on one of your footpegs down to your axle. This will keep the front fork from moving at all if you are concern.

I like that rack you have on top ... makes your element looks real rugged.

That looks nice! I need one soon too Van...just bought the SUV today:wee:

You keep this up .. you're gonna be poor ...

Man that looks nice! I sure wish I had one

Quote:

Originally posted by DAKITEZ Man that looks nice! I sure wish I had one

Dino, these are for vehicles with a HITCH! Cubes would pop a wheelie if you put too much weight on the back. :saint:

Quote:

Originally posted by DAKITEZ Man that looks nice! I sure wish I had one

You'll get your chance to drool too..haha. It should be ready in a couple days.

Quote:

Originally posted by BeamerBob Quote: Originally posted by DAKITEZ Man that looks nice! I sure wish I had one Dino, these are for vehicles with a HITCH! Cubes would pop a wheelie if you put too much weight on the back. :saint:

Van is making a hitch for my buggy so I can tow the cube :saint:

Better gas mileage than a Prius and your freakin Denali as my wife would say

Great looking rack Spencer and great work Van.
The only concern I would have is you need to relocate your license plate....looks like the buggy on the back will cover it up.

Ken(K3)

Quote:

Originally posted by tdmc96 Great looking rack Spencer and great work Van. The only concern I would have is you need to relocate your license plate....looks like the buggy on the back will cover it up. Ken(K3)

Good point .. I wonder what the rule is for each state. The cops around here don't really bother you about it that much but I know other states are real strict. I've never been stopped for driviing with ONE headlight in Texas but as soon as I cross the into Arizona, they pull me over within minutes ..

Quote:

Originally posted by soliver I have to say it was solid and didn't move a lot or sway much at all. I added a ratchet strap across the top strapping it to my roof rack for extra stability as well.

We did found out that Spencer had a "little sway" while driving. Turns out I did not explain clearly about the bottom tension bolt. Now that it's tensioned correctly, it's really solid like it was designed to be.

Quote:

Originally posted by tdmc96 Great looking rack Spencer and great work Van. The only concern I would have is you need to relocate your license plate....looks like the buggy on the back will cover it up. Ken(K3)

I actually considered this and foresaw it as a problem before I even received the rack, so I asked a friend who is a police officer. He said as long as you can see the plate from some vantage point and to is not a permanent fixture on the vehicle it shouldn't be a problem.

With that said, I'll just wait until I get pulled over

I remember one night in Nebraska heading back east, I had my buggy on the rack and a state trooper was gaining on me and I knew he was law enforcement because the radar detector was telling me when he was shooting oncoming traffic. As he pulled up behind me in the left lane, he slowed to match my speed and actually turned the spotlight onto the buggy. This went on for a mile or more. Maybe he was checking my plates but more likely he was wondering what that was on the rack. To complicate matters for him the front fork was inside the car so no way to really tell what the buggy was supposed to be. He went on without incident.

Quote:

Originally posted by BeamerBob I remember one night in Nebraska heading back east, I had my buggy on the rack and a state trooper was gaining on me and I knew he was law enforcement because the radar detector was telling me when he was shooting oncoming traffic. As he pulled up behind me in the left lane, he slowed to match my speed and actually turned the spotlight onto the buggy. This went on for a mile or more. Maybe he was checking my plates but more likely he was wondering what that was on the rack. To complicate matters for him the front fork was inside the car so no way to really tell what the buggy was supposed to be. He went on without incident.

To funny. I was puled over soon after I made my last buggy rack by the local Sheriff and he politely informed me that my plate was not visible, and right away I replied that I had forgot to remove the kite bag off the back of the buggy seat and I told him I would do it immediately. He told me it was no big deal but he did want to know what the thing was. After I explained he told me he was just getting into kiteboarding and asked if I knew anything about that.
I can only imagine what people were thinking when they passed Officer Barns and me as we stood behind the truck talking about kites, buggies, and all the time his lights were flashing away.

Well, Officer Barns is a very good customer now, and a few of his buddies are also.

We need a like button for stories like that. :bouncing:

Looks great Spence can't wait to see it in person

I know this is ancient, but on the off chance Van will see it, would you ever consider making one for the 1.25" size? Nobody made a 2" reciever for my car, and while I have a class III rated receiver (which is bolted into the frame at 6 points, and into the recovery tow hook at one), I know there'd be too much play with a 1.25"==> 2" adapter.

Contact Big Mike (Bigmikeskites.com) and he can set you up with Van to order one.

Fantastic rack...what a breakthrough! To get the adapter in without (wiggle) I have run a small bead of weld on the small 1 1/4 square stock and , grind/ hammer the adapter in. I have also welded them in place with a couple large straps of metal triangulating for strength. This way you can tow much more than your car was intended for. Just got to watch out for the shin buster, depending on your set-up.

How could adding something on the hitch change the effective tow rating of a vehicle?