Towing, is a Teardrop even possible?

[wa_flyfisher]

It isn't steep at all, its a steady gradual climb with a few bends on the way. The summit is 3022 ft. nothing like most Wyoming passes for sure.

[Oldragbaggers]

There is also the legal aspect of the question to consider. Towing anything above the vehicles rated towing capacity is illegal. Enter at your own risk.

Not to argue, but do you have a statutory reference for that?

David

I've been googling every way I can think of and can't find anything on it. The only thing I can find that states regulate on towing with a passenger car is the limit in pounds being towed before you need trailer brakes, which varies by state.

[kzhorse]

If I can pull this with a 1.5L You should have no problems.



Scott

[john warren]

hook up a teardop, take it out of over drive,,,,and go have fun.

[john warren]

There is also the legal aspect of the question to consider. Towing anything above the vehicles rated towing capacity is illegal. Enter at your own risk.

Not to argue, but do you have a statutory reference for that?

David

if i am not wrong,,,,,and we just won't ask my mother in law the odds of that...tow rating is manufacutures thing and most law inforcement officers don't carry a scale in their car anyway.

[Yota Bill]

I guess its true, common sense is not common anymore. You all are right, you can tow anything with any vehicle, so go ahead and mount that fifth wheel hitch to the top of your Civic and hook up the 30' coach, its no problem!

Seriously, laws are worded in a way that they are open to interpretation. Just because something is not specifically spelled out (and I'm not saying it's not, I dont have the ambition or time to search MCL's for the specific number, wording, or law, but I know it is in Mi.) does not mean that another law wouldnt cover the same thing. Try looking up "operating an unsafe vehicle"...yea, that one, among several others I'm sure, would get you into a lot of trouble in any state. If a LEO gives you the ticket, whether you find a way out of it or not, you still have to fight it in court, which is time and money out of your pocket. Better hope it doesnt happen too far from home.

Just because most officers do not carry mobile scales with them, does not mean they cant call another that does, and keep you there waiting. Doesnt sound like a fun time to me. And to think that only those with a CDL are subject to the roads weight limts, I wont even touch that one, theres not enough time in the day.

Go ahead and exceed the vehicles rating if you want, and try to explain to the officer that you feel your judgment is better then the calculatios done by the engineers, and the rating placed on the vehicle by the manufacturer, and see if he/she agrees. Good luck with that.

[legojenn]

Its been done before simply to guard them from the Nut Cases who try to tow 20-25' trailers in Fiestas and wreck them.

Don't tow with a Fiesta. An Aveo is a much better choice.

[Mightydog]

Hello everyone. I've been thinking about a teardrop for a while, but there is a nagging problem. We have an 08 Ford Fusion Auto/V6. According to the manual you can't tow with it. Is this true or not? What if I went with one of the lightweight designs?

Also, we'd be taking it through here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snoqualmie_Pass
multiple times a year.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

To answer your question, I'd say put on a hitch, check with your insurance company to be sure they're good with it and tow to your heart's delight.

If you really want to have fun with this bunch of over-thinkers, as about putting brakes on your trailer.

[CliffinGA]

Couple of post on the fusion forum is that the rating is between 1000# like the mustang up to 1500# and get a 1 1/4" so it looks better on the back of the car . One suggestion I have is to add a transcooler to it as you can buy these at most parts stores and install your self. This way you keep the trans cooler and trans life will not be shortened.

Cliff

[parnold]

Go ahead and exceed the vehicles rating if you want, and try to explain to the officer that you feel your judgment is better then the calculatios done by the engineers, and the rating placed on the vehicle by the manufacturer, and see if he/she agrees. Good luck with that.

Bill: Explain to me why the exact same vehicle in Europe is tow rated 3500lbs (1600kg) and in Australia 2600lbs (1200kg). Both those countries offer a smaller motor, but in the good ole USA the tow rating from the dealer is 0lbs (0kg). (2011 Subaru Impreza 5 door)

Most states have a formula for weight of trailer to weight of vehicle for brake requirements, if I remember correctly in NJ it is 25%, so a 5000lb car can LEGALLY tow a 1250lb trailer without brakes.

A semi cab weighs 16000-20000 lbs, but the legal weight limit is 80000. It's all in the brakes.

[Yota Bill]

I have no idea, nor do I care, how or why vehicles are rated for towing in other countries.I dont live there, and dont tow trailers there. They have thier laws, and we have ours, and the two are not co-dependant. Questioning that is a moot point.

And most states have a trailer brake requirement at a set trailer weight, not a percentage of the weight of the tow vehicle. It would not surprise me that some states do it that way, but regadless, I go by my states laws, which all oter states must respect. Its a matter of the laws where the trailer/tow vehicle are registered.

[Jim Edgerly]

My 2005 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport, has a 4 banger, and it is rated for 2000 pound tow capacity.

[parnold]

I have no idea, nor do I care, how or why vehicles are rated for towing in other countries.I dont live there, and dont tow trailers there. They have thier laws, and we have ours, and the two are not co-dependant. Questioning that is a moot point.

You insinuated (common sense remark) that it was not only illegal (which you have absolutely no evidence of) and unsafe to tow with a vehicle that the manufacturer rated as zero tow rating. I'm merely pointing out that the unsafe insinuation is bologna.

[Yota Bill]

I have no idea, nor do I care, how or why vehicles are rated for towing in other countries.I dont live there, and dont tow trailers there. They have thier laws, and we have ours, and the two are not co-dependant. Questioning that is a moot point.

You insinuated (common sense remark) that it was not only illegal (which you have absolutely no evidence of) and unsafe to tow with a vehicle that the manufacturer rated as zero tow rating. I'm merely pointing out that the unsafe insinuation is bologna.

I dont insinuate anything. I said it is illegal, and it is. You may do whatever you want, it really doesnt matter to me.

[Oldragbaggers]

I have been researching this question on the internet for the past couple of days, because I genuinely want to be within the law, and also safe with my trailer. (I love that these questions get raised on this forum becasue it pushes us to find answers to questions we might not have even thought of on our own.)

I cannot find any statute or law anywhere on the net specifically dealing with the legalities of towing more than the vehicle's weight rating but there must be something written somewhere because on more than one major trailer manufacturer's site they say that, while it is not common, you "may risk getting fined if exceeding the vehicle tow rating" and you are stopped. I think you can infer from that statement that it would have to be illegal or there would be no basis for a fine. More than that, I cannot find.

However, I did find one other thing that is a more compelling reason not to exceed the rating to me, and that is this.....you may invalidate your auto insurance if you have an accident while towing a trailer that exceeds the vehicle weight rating. I found numerous references to this. Imagine being in an accident and having to assume personal responsibility for the damages because your insurance company dropped your coverage. Ooops.

Every man has to act according to his own conscience, common sense and wallet, but there are risks involved it seems.

Becky