Towing capacity of a 2004-2009 prius

Thank you John

 

Hello Kevin, It has been a while since this thread has seen any activity. Can you provide a brief update? Are you doing all of this towing with a 1-1/4" hitch receiver? No brakes on the trailers? Have you ever measured your tongue weights? Have you checked your hitch attachment bolts for any signs of fatigue in the metal where they are attached? (Torklift Central advised me that they have had reports of this as a problem for Prius towing heavy trailers. Have you added Firestone airbags to help lift your (Prius') rear end? We are gearing up to tow a ~2000 lb (loaded) travel trailer with brakes. I am planning to use the 2" Torklift Ecohitch, but modified to accept a torque arm that I will run forward to the central jacking point to deal with the moment loads. I decided on no WD system but will try to keep my tongue weight just below 200 lb. I have a Scangauge 2 and will monitor MGs and don't mind keeping speeds low. I am hoping for a positive report from you to boost our confidence as we start to pass "points of no return"! If you are still happy, we should be fine with the extra precautions we are taking. Thanks, Andrew & Robin

 

FWIW - 2004 with 314,000 miles tows my 28ft glider trailer with no serious issues. Total weight is about 1000#. I'm adding electric brakes to the trailer and am still on my original pads on my Prius.

Don't laugh. I want to get the trailer wrapped to look like a giant Duracell AA battery.

20170614_152757 by akaab posted May 1, 2020 at 2:24 PM