2015 Prius Towing capacity and Hitch question

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ill say this...

out of any trialer hitch its the only one you wont need a hitch riser with.

"This 2″ inch trailer hitch receiver is ingeniously angled upward to counteract the Prius’s natural rear end droop. This unique design eliminates the need for a hitch riser, offering a seamless fit and enhanced functionality."

You searched for hitch - black_jmyntrn

 

It depends entirely on your model of Prius; The first place to look is so look in your owners manual. Indeed Toyota states that many models are not designed for towing (as ASRDogman indicates). However, Toyota does rate some models for towing up to 725kg (1,598lbs), as I have posted elsewhere:

 

They do great towing. Especially if you're pulling say one or two jet skis to a boat ramp a short 10-20 minute drive away. Stick to around 1000lb and down and stay below 60ish mph and they are fine. I've towed a 1200lb load consisting of a wave runner 1100 and a yamaha 150 on a double jet ski trailer like 1000 miles and it did okay, I was just slower than the semis.
Big one is check oil often, change at least every 5k engine, every 60k transmission, recommend a magnetic trans drain plug too.

 

Prius pulls fine

 

I like the large distance between the trailer's axles and your tow ball, as shown in your image (IMG_20240307_150015.jpg). I imagine that would go a long way to reducing the downwards loading on the tow ball/hitch (Tongue weight) even when braking hard.

Would its weight be near the 1,600lb rating, which Toyota seems to be giving many of its Prius models these days?

 

3800lbs

 

That's great to know. 3,800lbs (1,700kg) is close to Toyota's rating for a RAV4 Plug-in (and various ICE models). I imagine that long distance between axle and towbar is part of your success i.e. lower towbar loading. I'd like to be able to tow about half that weight with a braked trailer.

Does it drive well albeit a bit slower e.g. Is braking OK, assuming the trailer is braked? Cornering?

Toyota seems to be waking to the fact that most drivers would like to be able to tow things sometime so has started publishing some recommended towing weights e.g. at What are the towing capacities of the latest Toyota models? - Toyota UK Magazine.

 

It works fine. Of course it's underpowered and I wouldn't try going up a steep hill with this because it'll probably generate too much heat for the motor generators one and two. I'm driving on flat roads and 75° weather. I'm not even going over 65 mph. Our plan well in advance for everything I'm going to do. Of course you know this is overloaded because the trailer weighs more than the car. In an official sense this isn't safe for the masses. But if you're a mechanic, engineer or an experienced truck driver then you would know how to handle this overweight setup.

I weighed the car the other day and with me and my dog and a full tank of gas I was 3,300 lb. So I guess it's 3,000 lb with a full tank of gas since me and my dog and stuff in the trunk weigh 300 together

 

What's your tongue weight on that boat? I have a boat with a hull weight 400lb under yours and it pretty much just puts the prius on the bump stops. Its quite a wide front V shape though for extra passenger etc...

 

Your usual drive is different to what I would like to achieve. While I do expect to have plenty of flat/undulating terrain to cover at up to 60mph at similar temperatures (75°F) or a little higher, I lso need to be able to handle some climbs and occasionally mountains. (We don't need to speed up the climbs). So I hope to manage about half your weight with a braked trailer (or caravan).

(I used to own an automatic Toyota flat-bed truck converted into a campervan. It managed climbs easily even when fully laden. It was very reliable and versatile, but wasn't a speedster.)

 

Get the Firestone airbags. 40psi each side....

 

interesting... I once weighed my Plug-in and it was slightly over 4,000 pounds...



Not as much added weight on my Toyota Prius Overland Offroad Vehicle - black_jmyntrn

 

The ratio of the distance from the axles to the Centre of Mass of the trailer+boat combination to the distance from the axles to the towbar would be an important factor, as suggested in post #27 above. One of the photos in post #26 shows a long distance between the axles and the towbar, so assuming the Centre of Mass of the boat+trailer is near the axles then the towbar loading may not be too excessive.

It sounds like you have a much shorter distance between your axles and towbar (assuming too that the Centre of Mass of your boat is almost directly above your axles).

 

I'm also an engineer. I get the math to find tongue weight lol. This is why i asked the tongue weight lol

 

Yeap, an understanding of forces, torques, centre of mass (CoM), etc is just what is needed here. The tongue stationary load may not be the greatest difficulty as it can be adjusted quite easily and could vary from trip to trip depending on how the trailer is loaded. For example if the boat is hauled a bit tighter against the arresting pads then the CoM may move enough forward to change the towbar loading (and vica-versa if CoM is further back). With douglasjre's long trailer this is not such as issue.

I wonder if the dynamic loading on the towbar could become and issue e.g. when braking strongly with a braked trailer/caravan. If the CoM is relatively high then the torque created by the trailer's brakes might increase the load on the towbar, possibly until it becomes excessive? In this case I imagine that the pivot point is where the tire meets the surface of the road. Again, in this case douglasjre's long trailer would be an advantage.

 

well what about a big rig into the back of a Prius with a hitch?

https://priusoverlanding.com/2022/09/05/priusoverlanding-com-trailer-hitch-versus-big-rig/?utm_source=PriusChat&utm_medium=weblinkt&utm_campaign=commentlinkApril

 

Theres no 'rated' weight it can safely tow. As it was never tested towing anything on steep inclines or stress tested, much less towing.

Can it tow? Yes. Is it mechanically safe, also yes. The eCVT isnt a nissan CVT, so putting stress on the transmission wont hurt it. Now i have tried to unbend the frame of a prius by tying it up and using the power of the car to try and pull it apart, but no luck. The prius just does not have the power, and when it doesnt have the power, it just sits there. Much like stopping some drone wing electrical engine from moving with your fingers, it just sits there until you let go and will start spinning again. I like to imagine that is similar to what will happen when you try and tow something from a dead stop that weighs way too much for a prius to tow/towing uphill (excavator or bulldozer possibly?).

But more importantly, is your stopping and breaks. Ensure whatever tow hitch you put on is strongly bolted or welded on the same frame the rear crush bar is bolted on. You dont want the hitch to snap or bend and whatever youre towing is rear ending you when you have to come to a quick stop on the highway.

This is just my 2 cents, but i dont trust the aftermarket hitches those overlander sites sell you. They are sold with the intent of adding a platform addon to carry more stuff, not so much for towing. The angle of which its mounted might get bent if the metal behind it is too flimsy and not properly reinforced.

But for your case, a small uhaul box is fine id assume. Realistically i dont see it being more than 500 lbs of force pushing down.

 

I believe you are referring to the offroad site... not the Overlanding site... there is a clear visible difference in product design and implementation. Some factors make a hitch strong enough to support weight, even if it's a big rig ramming into the attachment that is inserted into the hitch.

Here is an article I wrote and placed product images side by side, you are right, just used the wrong descriptive word to describe from which the hitch originates. I'm not calling the specific design flaws out for that's something they need to figure out themselves... but I'll say this... the toothpick hitch does NOT Meet SAE J684 towing safety regulations

Prius Trailer Hitch: Not all are created equal - black_jmyntrn