Economical Tow Vehicles?

[Jason and Amanda]

I have a topic-related challenge I am trying to work through, and would welcome advice:

I have the HF trailer (4x8 folder w/12" wheels). I have read through the comments others have about the trailer (folding vs fixed, larger wheels, lengthening, moving the axle back) and feel better equipped (if not a little confused) to take it on.

I want to build a very lightweight model that can be easily towed by a 4 cylinder (1.9l) Saturn with 5 speed. The conflicting interest is that I am 6'4+" tall and need as big(long) a bed surface as I can get out of this thing. I am thinking of building the floor frame longer than 8' by a few inches and hang it off the rear of the trailer frame.

Is it ok practice on a lightweight to stretch the body out past the end of the trailer frame (assuming the galley structure is over the frame - I'm even toying with a slide-out galley)?

BTW, the Saturn got me 38mpg on my last highway trip.

Since your taller, instead of making the trailer hang off the frame, build the galley above the bed area. Like in our teardrop i have to duck just slightly to get under the hatch. if you made the bed the full length and then built the galley over it in the back, you could raise the galley up a full 12".

[eamarquardt]

I drove 231 miles towing my utiltiy trailer (5X10 tandem axle weight approx 1500#) over the past two days with my 2001 Ford Windstar with a 3.8 liter engine (I think the only engine you can get). I drove on the LA freeways at 55 to 60 and got a little over 17 miles per gallon. I drive with a light foot to protect the transmission more than anything. I'm pleased with this and expect about the same when I tow my tear which is in the works. See album for pic of utitlity trailer and progress on tear.

Even at $!0 per gallon a trip to the East Coast and back from So. Cal. would only be bout 3K$ in fuel. Cheap in my book.

Cheers,

Gus

[Gary and Cheri]

I have an 04 Saturn Vue with a 6 cyl. (rated 3500#) in it as a tow vehicle. Also have a 5x10 "V" nose cargo trailer (6 ft tall inside) of just under 1300# and a 5x8 tear weighing 950#. I get 15mpg towing the cargo and 23 mpg towing the tear.

The Vue normally gets 22 mpg to 28 mpg not towing.

Don't underestimate what drag and aerodynamics will do to your milage. You will get much better milage towing your tear.

Gary

[eamarquardt]

Good thoughs.

Cheers,

Gus

[Ron Dickey]

I rode a bike until I was 45, no motor just peddles. I leaned as I rode up and down hills when to pump faster when I needed to work and when I could just glide and ride.
As result when I drive my Prius I drive as I am driving my bike.
I have found out through my driving over the past 40+ years that when there is no traffic around me I can drive what ever speed I want as long as I am not late to work.
I have gotten up to 98 mpg with my prius but usually it is 52 to 47 mpg. If you lean to drive your car where you get better gas mileage you will not be paying the price it said after 5 years.
when I had my 77 hornet sportabout (my first new car) I stated out at every light slowly then built up speed. I lived in Milwaukee, Wisc. and drove across the state on a back road at 35 miles per hr. and got to Black Rivers Falls with 1/2 a tank of gas left it had a 6cyl.

Many people I find drive with emotion, wait untill the last min. to go to work rather then leave early, or just like to drive fast.
You in your own way will learn to save gas, Soon you can drive by the gas station as you learn to save on gas and money. bring a bike, walk more, get an electric bike, take the bus or train, ride share then when it time to camp go crazzzzy.

I pull with a 2001 carolla I got used last year. I pulled with it for the first time this wk end and found the trailer which was designed to be pulled or carried by the truck has a lot of wind drag behind the car so it needs a new add on, on the front.
My truck is a 5 speed toy 90 but my knee rearly likes the shifting.

I have heard of one guy pulling his td with a prius but I don't.

the best part I like about pulling with the Carolla is that when I get there I can unhitch the trailer and go back to the 35+ mpg I get with it vs 20 + with the truck. It pulled up a grade ok not like the truck would but I think it will work. Otherwise I will trade the truck for a small Jap.SUV with an Auto.

Mike Great idea you have,
Ron D.
I wonder how well the PVC trailer will work out?
maybe for my second trailer I should save my aluminum cans up hmmmm aluminum can frame might work too.

[nikwax]

great thread, and I think this is a good resource:

http://store.uhaul.com/hitches.aspx?src=hitches



you can see what the Max Weight rating is for specific vehicles, and if you download the install guide, you'll get the Maximum Trailer Weight and Maximum Tongue Weight, .


BTW, I believe the U Haul hitches are made by Draw-Tite.

[McBrew]

Since this is really about fuel economy, I would like to mention a little gadget I have in my car: The ScanGauge II. This hooks up to any OBDII port and can give you a lot of info. It basically has three modes: Gauge, Trip Meter, and Scan.

The Scan function is a code reader. This will tell you why your check engine light is on and can clear the code as well.

The Trip Meter function works like the ones in many newer vehicles... it breaks everything down into "tank, previous day, today, and current trip." This includes miles/km, MPG/l/100km, average speed, miles to empty, hours, hours to empty, peak RPM, peak coolant temp, etc.

The Gauge function allows you to choose four pieces of info to display. This can include MPG, coolant temp, intake temp, turbo boost, RPM, speed, cost per mile, and a lot more. You can even create custom gauges using the xGauge function. This allows you to display non-standard information that your car may be able to report, such as transmission temperature.

Sorry to sound like a commercial, but this is an awesome gadget for those of us who are interested in getting the best fuel economy and want a "real-time" gauge so that we can learn on the fly. At around $150, it is not too expensive... especially since a code reader alone would cost $60.

Here's a pic of my ScanGauge in my VW Golf TDI. It's the thing on the right... the thing on the left is my XM radio.

[looped]

great thread, and I think this is a good resource:

http://store.uhaul.com/hitches.aspx?src=hitches



you can see what the Max Weight rating is for specific vehicles, and if you download the install guide, you'll get the Maximum Trailer Weight and Maximum Tongue Weight, .


BTW, I believe the U Haul hitches are made by Draw-Tite.

that is correct, draw tite makes them, when i had one installed on my camry i was suprised how well it was thought out. matched everything just right including clearance for the pipe

[bobbruso]

BTW, I believe the U Haul hitches are made by Draw-Tite.

that is correct, draw tite makes them, when i had one installed on my camry i was suprised how well it was thought out. matched everything just right including clearance for the pipe

Draw-Tite and Hidden-Hitch are made by the same company:
"Cequent Towing Products". The two lines are sometimes the same product, sometimes not - depens on the options for the given vehicle.

[brian_bp]

great thread, and I think this is a good resource:

http://store.uhaul.com/hitches.aspx?src=hitches

you can see what the Max Weight rating is for specific vehicles, and if you download the install guide, you'll get the Maximum Trailer Weight and Maximum Tongue Weight, .

Thanks for the tip, but I think that U-Haul is a terrible source of tow vehicle information.

There is an on-line tool at U-Haul which is part of the trailer rental booking system, which asks for tow vehicle details and claims to show suitable trailers. Following its recommendations would have me towing trailers without brakes at more than double Toyota's limit, trailers with brakes at far beyond the total trailer weight limit, and trailers with tonque weight a hundred pounds or more beyond the vehicle's limit. It is obviously in their interest to encourage me to rent more trailer, not to choose a safe or reliable configuration.

As with the rental guide, the hitch purchase guide is wrong for my Sienna: it lists a limit with weight distribution system of 4000 lb, which is 500 lb too high. If the rating is considered to be that of the hitch, not the Sienna, then the rating might be right but the site is not a useful source of information about the vehicle's towing capacity.

Hitches are often rated for far higher loads than the vehicles to which they are attached.

For a simple (or simplistic) view of published towing limits, Trailer Life magazine's guide works. For better information, the vehicle's owner's manual is the best source.

There's a somewhat strange but very thorough on-line guide from SUVOA. While this is provided for SUV owners, it covers all types of vehicles. If you use this, note that it lists by towing capacity, so the same vehicle model will often appear at more than one point in the list - perhaps widely spread - with various equipment (engine, transmission, axle ratio, towing package) combinations.

BTW, I believe the U Haul hitches are made by Draw-Tite.

While Draw-Tite seems to be their standard source (they even use the Draw-Tite part numbers in at least some cases), they have alternate sources including Valley and Curt... you can't be sure what you're getting from U-Haul, although if it is not Draw-Tite I suspect that it is pretty similar to the corresponding Draw-Tite model.

[tddriver]

Is it possible to tow anything of substance with a Honda Civic. I just bought one on Saturday. It's a 1.8 Liter 4-banger with a 5-speed transmission.

We wanted a high mileage car and then I started wondering if it could serve as a part time tow vehicle. Our teardrop is a 5x10 Yoder Toter in fiberglass...Dry weight is 1140....Loaded, maybe 1350-1400.

It seems pretty heavy for a little car to handle. Any thoughts or experience?

[asianflava]

Dave I'm a Honda fan, but the Civics just don't have much torque. People tow with CR-Vs and Elements (which share engines and suspension) with no problems. I think they are geared lower than the Civic. A Civic would probably be OK on the flats, but I don't think it'd like the hills.

[mikeschn]

Your 5x8 sounds too heavy for the Civic. You probably want to keep your other tow vehicle for camping, or build a lightweight teardrop for towing with the Civic. Something in the 700 pound range!!!

http://tnttt.com/viewto ... 613#256613



Mike...

Is it possible to tow anything of substance with a Honda Civic. I just bought one on Saturday. It's a 1.8 Liter 4-banger with a 5-speed transmission.

We wanted a high mileage car and then I started wondering if it could serve as a part time tow vehicle. Our teardrop is a 5x10 Yoder Toter in fiberglass...Dry weight is 1140....Loaded, maybe 1350-1400.

It seems pretty heavy for a little car to handle. Any thoughts or experience?

[nikwax]

great thread, and I think this is a good resource:

http://store.uhaul.com/hitches.aspx?src=hitches

you can see what the Max Weight rating is for specific vehicles, and if you download the install guide, you'll get the Maximum Trailer Weight and Maximum Tongue Weight, .

Thanks for the tip, but I think that U-Haul is a terrible source of tow vehicle information.

There is an on-line tool at U-Haul which is part of the trailer rental booking system, which asks for tow vehicle details and claims to show suitable trailers. Following its recommendations would have me towing trailers without brakes at more than double Toyota's limit, trailers with brakes at far beyond the total trailer weight limit, and trailers with tonque weight a hundred pounds or more beyond the vehicle's limit. It is obviously in their interest to encourage me to rent more trailer, not to choose a safe or reliable configuration.

As with the rental guide, the hitch purchase guide is wrong for my Sienna: it lists a limit with weight distribution system of 4000 lb, which is 500 lb too high. If the rating is considered to be that of the hitch, not the Sienna, then the rating might be right but the site is not a useful source of information about the vehicle's towing capacity.

Hitches are often rated for far higher loads than the vehicles to which they are attached.

For a simple (or simplistic) view of published towing limits, Trailer Life magazine's guide works. For better information, the vehicle's owner's manual is the best source.

There's a somewhat strange but very thorough on-line guide from SUVOA. While this is provided for SUV owners, it covers all types of vehicles. If you use this, note that it lists by towing capacity, so the same vehicle model will often appear at more than one point in the list - perhaps widely spread - with various equipment (engine, transmission, axle ratio, towing package) combinations.

BTW, I believe the U Haul hitches are made by Draw-Tite.

While Draw-Tite seems to be their standard source (they even use the Draw-Tite part numbers in at least some cases), they have alternate sources including Valley and Curt... you can't be sure what you're getting from U-Haul, although if it is not Draw-Tite I suspect that it is pretty similar to the corresponding Draw-Tite model.

well, that's too bad about the U Haul site. It was spot on for my two current vehcles and the truck I used to own. I've had very good experiences with them installing hitches and wiring. The lifetime nationwide warranty was a big plus for me as well.

[angib]

Dave I'm a Honda fan, but the Civics just don't have much torque.

Yup... except the 2.2 diesel we get here. 250 ft-lb. Nice.

Andrew