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Towing a classic Mini.

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Old 01-19-2012, 09:19 AM
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Towing a classic Mini.

Hi everyone!

We are very excited about our new project... a 1960 classic Mini. I don't know 'everything' about it yet, as my boyfriend is working with the transaction. It needs some work and love, but before we can do that... we have to get it home. So I have to ask:

Can a classic Mini be towed with a new MINI? We have two. We were thinking it would be better to tow with our 2006 S if anything, but I also have a 2009 base Cooper. Those are the only two which we would be able to tow with.


I hope this is the right forum to ask in, as it is about a Classic Mini... haha. If not, please redirect me! Also, my apologies if this has been discussed before. I looked but saw little to nothing about it.

Thank you very much!
 
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Old 01-19-2012, 10:04 AM
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Marginal. I think the recommended towing capacity of a Mini hatchback is 2,000 lbs. I suspect that your classic weighs more than that. And in any event, what kind of hitch will you be attaching to the tow car?
 
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Old 01-19-2012, 10:50 AM
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I wouldn't recommend towing it with your MINI.

Do you have AAA? Depending on the distance you need to tow, signing up for a AAA roadside assistance program might be the way to go here. You can use one of the "free" tows to get a flatbed tow truck to tow the classic mini home for you. I have several classic cars and usually use up my free yearly tow quota just from random roadside breakdowns, lol.
 
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Old 01-19-2012, 11:16 AM
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Classics are only 1500 lbs, which still puts it right at the limit of a class 1 hitch from Mini-Do-More.

Many people already tow a Mini with a MINI, including people in your own club, like me.
 
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Old 01-19-2012, 11:17 AM
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your by the book weight for an 'average' sedan is 715 kg aka 1576 pounds

if you dig back you'll find discussions by others who've towed a classic - most of those discussions centered on attaching a tow bar to the Mini vs the hitch on the MINI
 
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Old 01-19-2012, 11:38 AM
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I love this photo!!

Originally Posted by kymummer
Classics are only 1500 lbs, which still puts it right at the limit of a class 1 hitch from Mini-Do-More.

Many people already tow a Mini with a MINI, including people in your own club, like me.
 
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Old 01-19-2012, 11:47 AM
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Haha, hi Richard! :P I didn't know/remember that you tow your classic with your MINI... but I didn't know if the fact yours is a Clubman/JCW had anything to do with being able to do so or not.

The Mini has a tow bar already attached to it. I don't know if we'd be able to use AAA for it; the Mini is ~700 miles away. We're making a long, enjoyable weekend out of getting it.

Thanks for the thoughts, guys.
 

Last edited by Agent.COOPER; 01-19-2012 at 11:56 AM.
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Old 01-19-2012, 11:57 AM
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Zeshin ... AAA has a towing limit and the OP is considering towing from Minneapolis to Louisville.

Capt ... I should have said "around 1500 lbs" and you're exactly correct, the real trick is getting a towbar attached to the Mini. I have a horror story on that, but won't hijack the post anymore than I already have. I now have custom tow hooks which work fine. But my front subframe is very solid. If the OP's Mini has rust down there, flat-towing would be out of the question.

cricketine ... thanks. The wheels on my Clubbie in the pic are the summer ones, the winter wheels actually have the black spokes and chrome ring to more closely match the ones on the Classic.
 
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Old 02-02-2012, 05:14 PM
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Just in case anyone was wondering, we had the Mini brought down here on a flatbed. It worked out wonderfully, and we are in love with the little guy.
 
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Old 02-02-2012, 05:39 PM
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Now it's time for some pix.
 
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Old 02-02-2012, 05:49 PM
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Sure thing!!








by the way... ignore the paint job. It just needs to be washed. We're getting it repainted as soon as we clear away all the rust. :P
 

Last edited by Agent.COOPER; 02-02-2012 at 05:56 PM.
  #12  
Old 02-02-2012, 06:05 PM
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Love it! Especially those chrome mirrors on the fender wings. Looks like it has found a very good home.
 
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Old 02-02-2012, 10:17 PM
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Thank you! We're both very excited. As soon as we got home from work we instantly started working with it, tearing out the interior and removing the paint. It already looks substantially better. I'm making a blog to track the progress of our restoration of it.
 
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Old 02-02-2012, 11:26 PM
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Do share the blog link once you get it up! Would love to see the progression!
 
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Old 02-03-2012, 04:18 AM
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Very Cool!!!!
 
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Old 02-03-2012, 06:38 AM
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http://project-pippin.blogspot.com/

Here you go! I've got two entries so far. We're gonna do a major scrub down today if weather permits and will try to get him started again. Can't wait for all of our tools to show up.
 
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Old 02-03-2012, 03:20 PM
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Awesome! Will be following the blog. Very cool.
 
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