Towing With Prius?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Pegasus_ @ Jun 29 2007, 01:32 PM) [snapback]470162[/snapback]</div>

I'm thinking nuts.

The weight of the electric car plus the trailer is probably too much weight. It's not just tongue weight, it's also the inertia of braking and the power it's going to take to pull. Even if the trailer has brakes, you still have to pull it. It sounds like it's way more weight than anyone else has hauled in a Prius.

 

Hi folks,

I've been sort of lurking here for some time now and I know that there are all sorts of issues surrounding the hornet's nest that is towing with a Prius.

I've listened to both sides and after talking it through with my partner (it's her car, really) we did some digging into the legislation here in the UK.

After a trip to the local DVLA (our DMV) we've been told that yes, our Prius can legally tow as long as we don't try to pull more than 750kgs (1,600lbs ish)
Anything larger and you'd need type approval, which we don't have here in the UK for the Prius.

We've looked around and the only hitch we can find is stateside. As we're a transatlantic family we can get one with very few problems. I'd appreciate any tips on getting the lighting relays fitted. I'm thinking that a relay system would be the safest way of powering the trailer lights.

What are we planning on towing? This:

(Ignore the overweight British lass!)

The trailer only weighs no more than 190lbs max. I know because I've lifted it myself onto the back of a truck and I'm pretty sure I couldn't lift much more than that. It was hard, but I did it. Ergo it can't be that heavy.

The car itself is also pretty light. So light you can lift each wheel and two people can just about lift the whole car. Think motorcycle weight. It's been lightened significantly since I got it and the weight is now approximately a scant 450 lbs.

The idea is to have a hitch installed on the Prius so that when we do EV and Prius events more than 50 miles away we can hitch up the El and take it with us. We're certainly not going to be using it every weekend and would be using it at sub 50 mph speeds.

Thanks!

Nikki.

 

The weight problem is not a legal problem, but an engineering one. The Prius is rated to carry 825 Lbs. I believe. This includes passengers, your trailer and its load, and any luggage you will be carrying. The limit is there mainly to protect the electric motor/generators and other parts of the drive train.

People have pulled trailers with no problem. Some have gone over the limit. I would pretty much consider the warranty void in that situation.

Trailer lights can be obtained at a U-Haul rental store in the states. There are probably other cheaper options, but this is the first that comes to mind.

Hope to see you at HybridFest or something like that!

 

People have towed trailers successfully, However, the 08 manual says it is not designed for that, and is Not recommended.

 

It's funny you guys are talking about cargo. I guess I'm just in a different boat from you; it's just my wife and myself, and we can both pack amazingly light for trips. Even with a full tank of gas and a conservative 800lbs-cargo estimate, I could comfortably tow 450 lbs of stuff behind the car.

Personally, though, I'd rather just pack all that weight into the car. And if that's not an option, rent something bigger. It's cheaper than repairing a Prius that's suffered transmission damage.

~ dan ~

 

Man I never realised there was a wieght limit in the Prius...!!

There has been many a time the wife has taken her family on short trips...
Aunt= 480 Lbs
Mom-inlaw= 450 Lbs
wife 350= Lbs
Father-inlaw 120 Lbs

Total 1400 Lbs...... !!

Err uh thank goodness the wifes lost some err oh never mind. (darn it for thinking out loud, wheres that backhoe again)

 

Every vehicle has a weight limit. 810 to 825 lbs. is about right for small 5 passenger cars. The maximum on my much larger former 02 Nissan Maxima was 882 lbs. On my 2 seater 350Z it's 450 lbs.
1400 lbs is beyond the capability of all small SUVs and even some medium sized ones. http://blogs.consumerreports.org/cars/2007/08/car-packing.html mentiosn some of them.

Too bad the links on my posts at http://priuschat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20812 are dead. I think I found one at http://priuschat.com/forums/showthread.php?p=191879&highlight=weight#post191879, but the Google cache links are dead.

If you have a Consumer Reports online subscription, you can see a comprehensive table at http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/types/exterior-and-cargo-comparison.htm.

Back to the earlier topic, the maximum recommended towing limit for the Prius is 0.

 

Hi Doc,

In the UK it is a legal one as well as an engineering one. The EU has quite strict regulations as to which vehicles can tow, and how much. It's a pain to be honest!

Would love to come to a Hybridfest. I shall have to plan a trip to coincide one year. Sadly until they figure out a way of getting a Prius to sail the Atlantic I'll have to leave it behind

 

As a mechanical engineer analyzing this, I'd say:

1. Toyota's vehicle capacity rating (800 pounds) could be based on
either the suspension capacity, the drivetrain capacity, or the braking capacity. So we take one at a time.

2. Suspension capacity. Let's say only 400 pounds can be on the rear axle. A trailer is most likely not a problem since my big trailer (6x12 enclosed) has a tongue weight of only 130 pounds
empty. It weighs 1200 pounds and carries over 1700 pounds. If full then the tongue weight depends on how you load it. With an empty car (driver only) and a balanced trailer load, you should be ok.

3. Drivetrain capacity. The strain depends on weight and terrain. Going up a mountain with no trailer puts as much strain on the drive train as pulling a big trailer on level ground. If you accelerate slowly on level ground, I see no reason why the Prius couldn't handle it. The drag on a big trailer is also an issue for high speeds - the transmission will stay in a low gear and the engine will work hard. So if you live in Kansas, and don't need to go at highway speeds much (city driving), a trailer should be no problem. If you live at 10,000 feet and want to do 70 for hours going uphill, it won't work.

4. Braking capacity. Same deal - depends on terrain. Going down a mountain towing a big trailer would not be smart.


Summary: If you won't be towing a big trailer fast in hilly terrain, it should be fine.

 

What is with this formatting???!

- Has anybody towed with a Prius?
Yes.- What, or how much weight was towed?

About 500 pounds.- What does the warranty say about towing?The warranty can say nothing. The owner's manual says not to do it.- Can Toyota cancel the warranty if a tow hitch is installed?Not legally, no. Though they can certainly threaten it.

 

A small group of Prius drivers tow more weight than we might imagine and have not yet reported problems. The yahoo priustrailers site is the main point of contact but some are here as well.

Transaxle/inverter and HV battery temperatures are areas of potential concern if the load is large, topography varied, and driver impatient. Unfortunately stock Prius does not inform us on those. So if you want to go big, consider ocassional cool down stops on both sides of the mountain? You might have interesting discussions with other people admiring the scenery at the pullouts.

It would be informative to get transaxle fluid analysis from one of the big-time towers, but no joy there yet.

There are also (varying) state laws on trailer brakes, etc., that you should study if pulling the larger stuff. Some of the priustrailers people seemed to become upset when I mentioned that. Takes all kinds I guess.

 

Check local laws.
It is not legal to exceed a manufacturers maximum towing weight here, as that is 0kg then even towing the tiniest trailer is not legal here with a Prius.

 

tochatihu... I'm one of those who have towed more than you can imagine with my car.

My shocks are kinda blown.. but the car still works decent with my 17's...

my long term plan is to install air bladders for the rear.

I have a personal trailer that i've towed a fair amount with...

I've also towed other cars. my longest car tow was 4 miles up a hill. my car did well. (for all i know)

my heaviest load probably exceeded my carrying weight by a fair amount.. lumber and concrete do that

 

If anyone is interested, I have a CoastalEtech 2" Receiver hitch for sale. Cost me $167. Asking $100, open to offers.

 

I have a question for those of you that do tow with your Prius. What is the easiest way to connect wiring to the Prius for the brake and turn signal lights on the trailer.

I will be installing my hitch this weekend. It will be used mostly for a bike rack but I want the ability to tow a lightweight utility trailer with bulky but light loads.

My E-Bike weighs about 75# with batteries and accesories. It will all be "tongue weight". A 150# trailer with 200# of cargo should only be about 35-40# of tongue weight.

 

IMHO the easiest way is the new wiring kit that includes "plug and play" passthroughs for the tail light connections (no need for wire cutting/splicing/tapping.) It also has the isolated/powered module appropriate for the Prius, so the amperage for the trailer lights is not pulled from the Prius tail light circuits. It's all neatly put together with wiring of the right length.

I just installed one on my 2006. It's pretty easy if you're comfortable getting at your spare tire, 12V battery and the back of the tail lights. The only complication I had was the ring terminal to connect to the 12V battery didn't quite fit, so I had to trim a bit of it off with tin snips. That may be because my 12V battery isn't stock--it's an Optima that I put in after the original battery wore out prematurely.

I put a similar kit on my old '93 Civic long ago. On the Prius it's easier because the 12V battery is right there so you don't have to route a 12V line to the front of the car to draw power for the trailer light module.

The Prius wiring kit is a Tow Ready T-One Connector number 118505. The package also has the logos of DrawTite, Hidden Hitch and Reese on it (but I'm confident it will work OK with my Curt hitch ).

Apparently it is not very widely distributed yet; for example, I didn't find it on etrailer.com when I looked there. I found mine at an outfit called Hitch Republic through eBay, $70.52 with shipping: listing here, if it's not expired yet when you read this.

 

5x8 Enclosed 900lb Trailer & Class 3 Hitch!

This is maxing it out! I haven't driven with the trailer very far, but I did go around the block a few times and it feels a bit sluggish, but definitely does tow it OK on a flat surface. I don't think this would work very well on a long trip or up a hill.

It would be best to have a transmission fluid temperature gauge of some sort so you don't damage it, but I haven't been able to find one.

I use the trailer to store stuff in and will tow it with the Prius to go a few miles to pick up some large objects at the hardware store, etc. as needed so I don't bug people for a truck.

Again, I don't recommend this for more than a few miles, especially in hot weather.

This is a 900 lb trailer that did not make the car sag because there is only a few pounds on the bumper area. The problem is not weight on the car, rather the work the engine, transmission, etc. has to do to pull the weight. Wind drag could also cause it to work too hard for long distances.

 

It's better to tow a small 200lb trailer than to carry three 300lb passengers.

 

I wonder how to find out which states have certain laws about towing beyond the mfg. recommended capacity.