Towing

[2015uxv450]

So I am towing my 450i to New Hampshire Sunday. Just finished installing a home made 1/4" lexan windshield ( 2 piece folding), and a 1 piece rear window bent to the curve of the rear roll bar. I was wondering if I should tow the 450i backwards, as the rear window seems much stronger to me. I don't want to flex the windshield towing it forwards. I can flex it by hand a little bit. But the rear window feels like it could stop a bullet. Any suggestions, how does everybody else tow that have windshields?

[knukey]

Backwards sounds like your inclination, so go with it!  I also back my UXV500i in but mainly so I can fuel it since fuel door is on the same side as my truck.  Have fun! 

[airshot]

   With the warm temps you may find the cab will get extremely warm and uncomfortable after running for a short while with both front and rear windshields. In warmer months I only use the half front windshield, the others are removed until cold weather sets in. After riding a fair amount of time and the fan kicks on you can feel the heat coming from the firewall and with the air blocked it could get quite hot inside. I used the clamps that have the rubber gasket inside them so it is fairly easy to remove my windshields. Towing at highway speeds with full windshields would be very questionable to me, an awfull lot of stress being put on that plastic!!!

[2015uxv450]

I towed it tonight about 30 miles round trip backwards. Actually tows better backwards on the trailer than it does forwards. However less than a mile from home 2 ratchet strap broke and the front wheels rolled off the trailer and dragged for a short distance. Obviously have chaff point I need to find tomorrow. Otherwise no damage luckily

[airshot]

   Whew...that had to be nerve racking!!  I use a strap on each corner and another one going across thru the side bars that keep your butt in the seat, what ever those things are for, they are welded to the roll cage and I run a strap all the way across to both sides of the trailer.  When it comes to expensive toys you can't have to many tie down straps!  Can I assume you had the rear windshield on when you were towing it?  If so glad to hear it worked OK...

[2015uxv450]

Yes it was really nerve racking. Luckily the straps popped as I was pulling out from a stop light so it was slow moving. I had the four corners tied down. And yes I had both windshields on and the front was up in the full position. That all went great with no problems

[airshot]

    Just curious here, how thick is the poly windshields?  May I ask how you mounted them?  Wow can't believe a full windshield at highway speed, just seems to me that it would create quite a drag and possible damage....then again poly carb is unbreakable......

[2015uxv450]

It's quarter inch and I towed it backwards

[airshot]

It's quarter inch and I towed it backwards

I had seriously considered towing mine backward as well but for other reasons. One being the cooling fan, some years back there were issues of the fans spinning while being towed down the highway causing them to act like a generator and putting voltage into the system, causing electrical problems or so was claimed. The other thing that worried me was the hood of the 450i, not a big fan of how it attaches, mine can come with little effort and didn't like the thought of seeing it fly off into traffic on the highway. As an experiment I taped a loose piece of cloth to the hood and took it for a ride on my trailer around the block. In my neighborhood a block is 4 miles long and found the wind hitting the hood was actually pushing it down so I decided to tow forward and have had no problems. My windshield is also 1/4" but having the full windshield on during the cold and running down the road at 45 mph really makes it bow inward big time. I added a piece of alum angle to act as a stiffener to reduce the bow but never tried it at highway speeds.

[2015uxv450]

I have a hinge in the middle of mine, and on the inside I have 2 (1/8" x 3/4" x 48") pieces of steel as reinforcements. My rear window follows the contours of the roll cage, and is even cut out around the seat belt brackets. The amount of force I had to put into those bends and hold while I heated it up with a heat gun was ridiculous. I have tried posting pics from my phone, but they keep saying file too large

[airshot]

   Have you noticed a heat buildup inside the cab area in the summer temps? I can feel it without any windshields, while not uncomfortable I would think it might be with windshields in front and rear.

[2015uxv450]

[airshot]

      In the state of Ohio where I live we are required a small license plate for our offroad vehicles, looks just like a motorcycle plate. I did not want to drill holes in the plastic body so I used the cross support for the rear roll cage, that small metal flat area in the center to mount my plate. Looks like it was designed for it!

[2015uxv450]

In Maine you are required to have a registration sticker, which I have affixed to the cross bar. You can kind of see the orange sticker in my last picture

[airshot]

    Ok...see it now, just making a suggestion in case your state required a plate. In my area we can attach an orange triangle to the rear and use it on road for agricultural use. Taking my grandkids for rides must be agricultural because the sheriff just waves and pass on by.