what have you TOWED with your prius?

Vince from Australia here !

On the subject of towing, I would like to tow a small < 500 kg box trailer to the local
"Tip" or waste disposal station, mostly with green waste or household cleanup.

The Aus Toyota manual says "No Towing"

The local towbar shop said NO, and went further to say the NHW20 does not have
enough structure to tow !

Yet they would sell a tow bar for a "Starlet" which is the tiny small predecessor
to the Echo or Yarris !!!!! ?????, even smaller than a Corolla !!??

I am wondering whether the real reason (being a computer person) is that as
ALL the regenerative braking is done from the front wheels, so in wet
conditions, this could lead to an unsafe braking situation, where the
Progressive braking, and the anti skid system cannot cope with the trailer
pushing from behind (no trailer brakes), and it leads to a Jack-Nife situation ?

Sure, if the trailer has brakes it would be more stable, but may still confuse
the hell out of the onboard braking and anti skid system.......and lead it to make
false judgements. (Where is all this braking coming from ???).

I am also keen to know what tow bars are available in other countries, and where
from because I have found none to be available from anywhere in Australia.

This is my first message, and I look forward to communicating with fellow
Prius Owners and Enthusiasts world wide.

Vince.

 

In the UK manual it says towing not recommended. I am sure this is more to do with protecting the drive train than anything else, and it certainly would invalidate the guarantee.
As fare as braking is concerned if the Prius detects any wheel rotating at a different rate "outside of the parameters needed for steering the regen braking is cancelled and normal braking takes over.
Most modern vehicles are now fitted with some form of stability control and there is no problem with them towing. The Prius rear end is no different in construction to the Corolla from what I can see indeed the Prius must be strong enough to carry the extra weight of the traction battery in the rear.
As far as tow bars are concerned the only tow bars I could find were in the US "possibly the most litigious country in the world" and manufacturers are happy to supply them there. These bars are only fastened to the four bolts that held the hold down lugs on the rear of the car.
I took my car to a local tow bar and trailer manufacturer and they were happy to make a tow bar along the same line as those fitted to most other Toyota cars. The difference between these and the ones from the US is, a long center box section running from the tow ball plate forwards under the spare wheel well and bracketed to the front of the well and floor above. This takes the twisting action out of the cross bar, and acts as a cantilever.
I cannot in all honesty say to you you are fine towing with a Prius, but I am in my own mind certain it is not a safety issue or at leased no more of an issue than towing with any other car of the same size, and keeping to reasonable towing weight limits and speeds. So I cannot see a problem with occasional towing a small light trailer. In the end it is your decision.
In the UK trailers without brakes cannot be heavier than 750 kg loaded or half the cars unladen weight. Braked trailers should not be more than 85% of the the cars unladen weight with the trailer loaded. All trailers must display on a plate the unladen weight and maximum gross design weight of the trailer.
Speed limits are in force for any car towing a trailer of any size. On normal roads "unless the speed actual limit is lower" this is 50 mph. On motorways the speed limit is 60 mph but trailers are not allowed in the outside lane.
Driving with a trailer now requires a test for those that passed there driving test after 1998. People that passed there test before then do not need to pass the test being deemed to have "grand farther's rights" as licenses issued before that time allowed for towing.

John (Britprius)

 

Thanks so much John !

You have given me heaps to think about.

Regards, Vince.

 

We've had a Curt hitch for years for a Saris bicycle rack. I just bought a Harbor Freight utility trailer. It was $370 on sale but I used a 20% off coupon and got it for less than $300 before tax. I spent another $244 for some larger wheels from Amazon (this included a spare). The wheels that came with it say "Max speed 55mph" and the manual says not to go faster than 45mph. I suspect I would have been fine with the wheels the trailer came with but I didn't want to chance it. The trailer is rated for 1,720 lb. The trailer itself weighs 260 lbs but probably closer to 300 lb with the new wheels and the spare. I never intend to get close to 1,000 lbs total. I live in the Denver area and had an approximate 300 lb log to haul to a friend's house to cut up. I took the Prius with my wife and me in the car over Berthoud Pass (11,307 ft) and the trailer and Prius did fine. I was passing people on the way up but very cautious on the way down. I managed 36.7 mpg for this. I would say that is pretty awesome. That was the test.
Next, I built up the trailer for hauling our small Aire Puma raft and gear for a multi day raft trip. We took I-70 from Denver to the Utah border and managed 29mpg with 4 passengers in the car (and 1 dog). I stopped multiple times along the way to check the raft pressure and the trailer bearings temperature. No problems with the bearings, the trailer, or the Prius. The slowest we went was 52mph on some of the steeper hills. We spent much of the time going 75 mph with no issues. On the way home, we blew the raft and rolled it up for less drag. The roads are steeper on the way back and our slowest speed was 45mph (going up Vail Pass and approaching Eisenhower Tunnel). On the way home, we managed 35 mpg. I'm super happy with the trailer and the car. I used Timken grease from Amazon for the bearings. I also attached some tie downs on the sides of the trailers for straps.

 

Vince from Australia here,

Just wondering if any body has experimented with Trailer Brakes,

and/or rubber insulated trailer couplings ?

Tar, and Thanks all.

 

Just finished a 450 mile tour with my caravan taking in the UK counties of Somerset, Devon, and Cornwall. My last stop being at Cheddar Where the "real" Cheddar cheese comes from.
The Prius returned a very healthy 49.8 mpg with a mixture of motorway and rural roads.


John (Britprius)

 

Wow 49mpg towing. I'm impressed. Must be the superior uk gas

 

Perhaps I should have made it clear these are UK gallons "larger than US gallons", and I never exceeded more than 55 mph on motorways, and 50 mph on other roads. I was however surprised at only loosing around 15 mpg against my normal figures. The HV battery state of charge did drop more quickly on hills than it normally does, but never went below 3 blue bars. I also gained more regen when slowing down often filling the battery completely with 7 green bars.

John (Britprius)

 

Good to see !

Vince from Australia

 

Be sure to note the towing when you sell the car. There is a lot more involved in tow packages than engine size and drive train.

 

Interesting the manual says you shouldn't tow, is the a towbar available in the UK?

 

See Britprius' post #62 above.