Towing a trailer, anyone?

[justjesus]

Originally Posted by Grandieri

I have a 4x8 trailer that I bought from lowes.No problems what so ever towing my trx450.I bought the curt class 1 hitch.Everything works great.I wouldnt tow with the uhaul trailer only because of the huge weight difference.Good luck!

any pic from the underbody? I'd like to see how it's set up.

[WeeYari]

Originally Posted by justjesus

any pic from the underbody? I'd like to see how it's set up.

Real hard to get pictures without hoisting the car. This is the Curt Class I hitch. My only complaint with Curt is that the finish sucks. Didn't take long for paint to flake off and rust. You can see it mounts to the transport tiedowns with 2 small and 1 large bolt per side, and tucks up behind the bumper.

[justjesus]

Originally Posted by WeeYari

Real hard to get pictures without hoisting the car. This is the Curt Class I hitch. My only complaint with Curt is that the finish sucks. Didn't take long for paint to flake off and rust. You can see it mounts to the transport tiedowns with 2 small and 1 large bolt per side, and tucks up behind the bumper.

Those pics are plenty fine! Thank you for taking the time

[WolfWings]

As a side-note, the 700lbs figure is for a 'dead axle' trailer that's just a cargo bin on two wheels with brake-lights on the back.

If you root through the Euro-specs enough for other vehicles with the same engine, you'll find that it's okay to go up to about 1000kg if you have a full braking system on the trailer but that's basically impossible to find in that weight class without getting something fully custom fabricated by a dedicated trailer shop. It'd be the limit of a Class-1 hitch (2000lbs) though, but again if and only if you have a trailer that does it's own braking.

[firebob]

If you’re looking for a supper light trailer you might want to search for talers made to tow behind a motor cycle. I have seen a few Yaris’s pulling them but have never talked to the people doing it to see how it travels with the car.

[POORSHA]

I have been towing with my small trailer. I use it around town and as far as 200miles. No problems. Just keep a couple of canadian dollars and the car thinks it is a canadian model, so it can tow.

[justjesus]

Originally Posted by POORSHA

I have been towing with my small trailer. I use it around town and as far as 200miles. No problems. Just keep a couple of canadian dollars and the car thinks it is a canadian model, so it can tow.

SWEEET! This is about the size I'd been considering. Thanks man!

[nemelek]

This issue comes up ever few months. Personally I feel that a small trailer under the 700 pound limit would be ok. However having been involved in 2 personal injury lawsuits in my life (one as a plaintive and the other has a defendant) I wouldn’t put anything past the insurance companies or lawyers if you were involved in an accident while towing.

[360cubes]

Originally Posted by nemelek

This issue comes up ever few months. Personally I feel that a small trailer under the 700 pound limit would be ok. However having been involved in 2 personal injury lawsuits in my life (one as a plaintive and the other has a defendant) I wouldn’t put anything past the insurance companies or lawyers if you were involved in an accident while towing.

Liability is of great concern, especially not to exceed GVWR or GCWR. If no GCWR is specified then it's an open playing field as Toyota manual says that the Yaris isn't recommended to tow, it doesn't state that you 'cannot tow'. Just abide by the weight sticker in the door jamb. If no GCWR is specified then use your best judgement. I wouldn't exceed 1000lbs without aftermarket brakes, let alone trying to pull a 2000lb load like the euro folks.

A tip on what NOT to pull with a compact: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAfZ1N56qjY

[WolfWings]

Originally Posted by 360cubes

I wouldn't exceed 1000lbs without aftermarket brakes, let alone trying to pull a 2000lb load like the euro folks.

That's something I entirely agree with. Thus why I said only go over the 700lbs point if you have a trailer with brakes on it, so it does a good chunk of the slowing instead of basically rear-ending your car every time you try to slow down.

[scape]

+1 on this:

I wouldn’t put anything past the insurance companies or lawyers if you were involved in an accident while towing.

I think you really need to think about the manual's specs. 500-700lbs is pushing it in anything other than flat terrain, this includes people, cargo, hitch, trailer, and trailer-cargo... when towing, torque is a huge factor, as is what ever this little drive train can take care of. automatic vs. manual in hilly//rocky/slippery terrain makes this even harder. all in all, torque is a huge factor I think.

[fmicle]

Originally Posted by scape

+1 on this:

I think you really need to think about the manual's specs. 500-700lbs is pushing it in anything other than flat terrain, this includes people, cargo, hitch, trailer, and trailer-cargo... when towing, torque is a huge factor, as is what ever this little drive train can take care of. automatic vs. manual in hilly//rocky/slippery terrain makes this even harder. all in all, torque is a huge factor I think.

I really didn't feel a big difference in handling or going uphill. On the way back I even had the AC on. Didn't make a difference, smooth driving all the way. The only big difference is when braking, you feel the extra weight you need to slow down, so you should plan for it. I also noticed that the hitch ball took a beating on the rear side, but no scratches on the front side, so again, I think it's the braking and the potholes/cracks in the road surface that make the trailer bounce.

Unfortunately, I don't have a temperature gauge, so I can't tell if the engine got hotter than usual during this trip, but I am not concerned at all, judging by how everything felt.

[Got Mine]

I have a 2009 5 DR LB and wish to install a hitch..
Here is my dumb question..
I was informed that the 5 Dr is really a sedan in disguise.
Is this true?
I really want to start tweaking this thing but I don't want to be returning parts until I get the rirght prt.
Help or assistance is greatly appreciated.

[CTScott]

Originally Posted by Got Mine

I have a 2009 5 DR LB and wish to install a hitch..
Here is my dumb question..
I was informed that the 5 Dr is really a sedan in disguise.
Is this true?
I really want to start tweaking this thing but I don't want to be returning parts until I get the rirght prt.
Help or assistance is greatly appreciated.

No. It's really a 3 door with 2 more doors, as opposed to a sedan without the trunk. Anything that will fit an 09 3 door will fit and 09 5 door (except for things that have to do with the door area (body side molding, side skirts that mount to the door frames, etc.).

Just remember that the 09 nose and tail are different than the 07-08 nose and tail. That is where the confusion about what fits comes into play.

[Got Mine]

Thank you very much..
Now all I have to do is hide my spending from the wife.......
( I buy Visa Card gift cards and pay cash for them. They can be used online and she will never see the bill....)

[CTScott]

Originally Posted by Got Mine

Thank you very much..
Now all I have to do is hide my spending from the wife.......
( I buy Visa Card gift cards and pay cash for them. They can be used online and she will never see the bill....)

I totally hear you on that one. My problem now is that my kids are too observant. I sneak something new on and almost immediately hear "Hey Dad, when did you get that thing for you Yaris?"

[POORSHA]

I have the Hidden hitch brand hitch, went through winter it still looks great. I got it from e-trailers.

[360cubes]

Trucks are meant to work, don't forget. However, manufacturers are pouring more money into bettering their automatic transmissions as only 10% of people currently buy a vehicle with a standard transmission (light duty vehicles). Even light duty trucks are now all automatic when equipped with a V8 engine. Automatics have more options and the valve body can be configured for more fluid flow if necessary. In some cases this can be done yourself. Shift kits are widely available for machines that regularly tow to decrease clutchpack/band slip, but only for automatics.

In some cases, you could easily exceed the GCWR as most owners generally do because they are CLUELESS when it comes to trailer and vehicle weight (sales people don't always tell you what you can safely tow, they'll just try to sell you something big and expensive in hopes that you'll buy it). One of my 2.5L Dodge Spirits that I owned has a 3 speed auto, and it had TWO external transmission coolers that were dealer installed (aftermarket parts). The car was used by by-law enforcement and was always driving slowly, or parked on asphalt, which gets really hot in the summer months. I put on 280,000miles on that car before the frame rusted through. Original transmission and bought it with 42K on the odo.

Electronics also play a big part in automatic transmissions as well. As much as I prefer a manual, the wife can't drive it, and I don't like rowing gears during heavy traffic.