Towing a trailer with my Prius v

I see that you describe the trailer as being purchased from Lowe's for $400... Could you give a bit more information about the size and model?
Thanks!

 

Since it is in my interest as a Lowes shareholder, I can point you to it. LOL!

Shop Carry-On Trailer 3-ft 6-in x 5-ft Wire Mesh Utility Trailer at Lowes.com

Utility trailers last "forever" if maintained and not stored outside in harsh weather. I bought my 4'x8' utility trailer in 1982 for around $300 and its been used by myself and friends hundreds of times.

 

I have the gen 2 Prius and now the Prius V. I have 2 trailers one is a micro camper it is super tiny but all a part of my hurricane preparedness plan. I have one trailer that is 5X8 good for local tow with the gen 2 but taking it on the interstate is a bitch. MPG dropped way down to 20 mpg on interstate. I get 30 mpg when towing my micro camper only got to tow it once when I bought it 2 months ago we have had nothing but trouble trying to get the paper square on that micro camper. The original owner never registered it and had to register it in order to sell it. He was probably trying to escape paying taxes but in the end had to pay them anyway. My future evacuation plan will include both cars the G2 and V each towing their trailer out the danger zone. One will be a micro camper with generator the other will hold the valuables and they can use the cabin of the V to support life. If you have your own accommodations when escaping disaster you are just better off. What do I mean well we evacuated 2009 and wanted to go to Jackson Ms sadly the nearest hotels were in West Memphis Ar. That area is known as a high crime area hence the open rooms. I was driving trucks back then had a load that delivered in Mo so we got the room I was able to return to the hotel and stay with them a little. They were there a week. If we had the set I am proposing we can go exactly where we want hold up and return with our things to see what we lost. So far our 1982 trailer has survived all the attacks form mother nature. We have made repairs to what we have and said if it is making the trip why replace it. It cost us $10K to replace roof and siding but as long as you have the means it is just an expense not a problem.

 

Your evacuation plan sounds brilliant and wonderful. My brother did not have one and ended up losing his wife's Element to flooding in New Orleans during Katrina. He loaded his Element with the family and pets for the long drive to Nashville, where they ended up spending the next year. I would have driven both Elements loaded full and pulling trailers loaded with things they needed.

We have nearby tornadoes most years and hurricanes threats every couple of years, and will use our trailer if necessary to evacuate. We can pull all kinds of things on our small trailer behind our 2005 Element and our 2013 Prius V. as long as we watch the weight and speed. Most runs are for nearby kayak/bike trips, but many are to the dump with broken plastic lawn chairs and all sorts of broken, irreparable and dirty junk. We rarely take the trailer on the highway even though it has highway wheels. The biggest problem we have is finding a place to park the trailer as they are not allowed in our subdivision.

 

I'm still looking to pull our Honda Jet Ski for the first time (in the next few weeks) I'm not yet certain if we'll use the V for that yet or not.
but I'm pretty confident that it can handle that ~800lbs task.. it's a rolling 800 pounds.. but will still need to control it back there. I figured I'd just take it easy..

 

Interesting and contemplative, good to hear of people that actually plan ahead for emergencys.

 

The Prius Can tow two of those darn things without breaking a sweat. I do it all the time

 

I have a 5 by 8 trailer and I wish I'd gotten a bigger one. The Prius can pull it

 

Toyota did not make the Prius v station wagon in 2010. Like all Prius in the US, the v is rated to tow 0 pounds.

 

I forgot what the number was that dealt with this topic....per engineering info obtained from Reese and Curt tech people...every 12" extension on your hitch deduct ??% (25% or more?) on the tongue weight. Be careful when using extension device that convert 1 1/4 receiver into 2" because it it changing max. tongue weight of the load. I think that the 2" receiver production stopped due to liability issues with people towing something with a 2" capacity.

 

Sorry, but who is Curt, and how can we get this? I'm wanting to get a hitch on my 2014, but can't find someone who will do it around the Kansas City area. They look it up, see that Toyota doesn't "recommend" it, and say no. I would like to get one installed to haul a small teardrop trailer/camper--hopefully before September 20th--help!

 

I found that many places will install the hitch if you advise the hitch is only for a bike rack to be used, not for towing. They will not extend the wiring then, but will install the hitch. Had one installed on the back of a 32' travel trailer for exactly that, a bike rack.

 

It took me less than 30 minutes to install the Curt hitch I bought from etrailer.com on our 2012 Prius v - easiest hitch install I've ever done and I've installed many. Etrailer.com also has three different plug-and-play trailer wiring harnesses which should be particularly easy to install since the 12V battery is in the trunk.

We use the hitch on our Prius v only to carry a 2-bike Pro Series rack since we have a Sienna that we use for towing. I didn't install a trailer harness on the Prius v although I might in the future.

I would think that Croft Trailer Supply would be willing to do the install for you. Croft in Olathe installed a hitch and harness on a Lexus LS for me in 1990 even though the Lexus LS sold in the US wasn't rated for towing.

PM me if you want to discuss offline and include your phone number if you want to talk about it. I'm in Lenexa.

 

I tow a homemade camper I made, with my 2009 HHR- 16-17mpg- it weights about 1000 lbs, empty- tongue weight is 150lbs. It's 61" tall inside- I am looking for a Prius v, to also use as a stealth camper- too many rest stops have no room at night for a car and trailer, I have found. I used to crash in my 2007 Prius all the time on road trips- The Prius v hitch install seems a lot easier than it was on the HHR-
That said, based on my experience with brakes on the HHR- a 1200 lb loaded camper gave me some white knuckles in an unexpected stop a couple times- a 500 lb tear drop camper might be OK for Prius, though, if on flat roads.

 

IMG 5070 — imgbb.com
Picture of my car and camper

 

Rubbish. The brake system does not weigh the car, it senses traction loss.

 

That will work fine, but you may have some traction problems on the boat ramp. You may want to carry a bag of sand to spread under the tire tracks for the traction wheels when pulling the ski from the water. Or load a passenger in the front seat.

 

Rated by Toyota to tow zero pounds. Rated by me at 1200 pounds with a maximum of 400 pounds of tongue weight.

 

So long as you are willing to back your rating up financially to all the owners who foolishly take your advice, I have no problem with this.

 

I guarantee my opinions up to 100 times the value of the fee I charge. I charge $0.00.

Of course it is my opinion, but I have not heard a single report of an issue from anyone towing with a Prius. Thousands tow with the Prius, and those in Europe find their cars are rated for towing. So I think the risk is very small.

A greater risk exists in not checking or changing your oil. There are many failures associated with that stupidity.

Please read the reply above with a sharp British accent for full effect.