Topic: Do You Need a Pick-up Truck for Towing? Not Necessarily

[AutoTrader.ca]

You can pull more than you think.
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[Fobroader]

If you want to pull something of a decent size, then yes. If you want to pull something on a rough road or windy day, yes. If you want to haul something through hilly terrain. After pulling many a trailers in my life, something with ladder frame and a solid rear axle is the only way to pull something. Will a Hondayota Pilander pull a 5000lb trailer, yes, will it like and be stable, hell naw. Anything with a engine pointing the wrong way with a front wheel drive based drivetrain is not meant to pull.

[Great_Big_Abyss]

I consider myself an expert on this matter, having towed trailers with various vehicles, from a Ranger to a 4-cyl Nissan Altima, to my current van.

It's all about knowing your vehicle's limits, knowing your trailer weights, and having the right equipment.

You can't just hook a trailer up to a vehicle without knowing its capacities.  For example, does a vehicle have a tow package available?  If so, does the vehicle's tow rating increase with said tow package? 

A Grand Caravan has a 1500lb tow rating.  With the tow Package, this increases to 3600lbs.  You need to investigate what the tow package adds to attain this rating increase.  In the case of the Grand Caravan, it's load-levelling rear suspension that allows a heavier trailer tongue weight to be used.  Everything else remains the same.  Other vehicles may be different.  A Toyota Sienna tow package may add additional engine or transmission cooling.  This is all stuff which can be added after you purchase a vehicle.

Trailer Brakes are another consideration.  Trailer brake requirements vary from province to province, but it's a good rule of thumb to have trailer brakes if your trailer is going to weigh more than 1500lbs.  In order to use trailer brakes, you need to install a trailer brake controller in your vehicle.  This involves some wiring know-how, but can be accomplished by your average shade-tree mechanic. 

The Grand Caravan that we bought did NOT have a tow package installed.  I researched what the factory tow package included, and added it myself after purchase.  The van already had a hitch and 7-pin wiring harness installed by the previous owner.  I added airbags in the rear springs to account for the heavy tongue weight of the trailer.  I also added a trailer brake controller so that we could utilize our trailer brakes, and not overuse the vehicle's service brakes. 

In the picture below, the back end is sagging considerably.  This is because the airbags started to leak mid-trip.  They are getting replaced with a rubber timbren system this spring (if we keep the van). 


So, while a pick-up truck, or a body-on-frame vehicle IS the best vehicle for towing, as long as you do your research, equip yourself properly, and stay within factory recommended limits, there is no reason you can't tow a trailer with almost any vehicle out there.

[revalations]

Pfffttt.....we've gone backwards, thanks to safety pansy butt's nowadays. Back in the 80's you could tow white knuckled style like a real man! Try 5400lbs with your 120hp V6 powered FWD Chevy Celebrity with 14" tires. Or try 4800 Lbs with your 4 cyl Cavalier with 13" tires!!!

[ArticSteve]

Pfffttt.....we've gone backwards, thanks to safety pansy butt's nowadays. Back in the 80's you could tow white knuckled style like a real man! Try 5400lbs with your 120hp V6 powered FWD Chevy Celebrity with 14" tires. Or try 4800 Lbs with your 4 cyl Cavalier with 13" tires!!!

 

 

[ArticSteve]

The companies are getting really sticky on towing related warranty claims which includes all power-train and suspension pieces.    Toyota up to very recently would cover any power-train claim regardless of service history is now getting really picky.  If the vehicle has a hitch they want pics of the hitch from underneath to determine what class it is.   Moreover, they want the dealer to look for evidence of a wiring harness to combat owners from claiming the hitch is just used for a bike rack.   

[EV-Light]

[Brig]

The companies are getting really sticky on towing related warranty claims which includes all power-train and suspension pieces.    Toyota up to very recently would cover any power-train claim regardless of service history is now getting really picky.  If the vehicle has a hitch they want pics of the hitch from underneath to determine what class it is.   Moreover, they want the dealer to look for evidence of a wiring harness to combat owners from claiming the hitch is just used for a bike rack.   

I think Mazda went just as squirrelly.  I have a bike rack and a bike, and when I was buying the CX-3 I asked about a hitch.  Dude denied that there even existed a hitch for it (not true).  Told him it was for my bike (repeatedly) and he kept to a script to the effect that there is no hitch for the CX-3 and kept changing the subject. 

[rrocket]

Look at the tow ratings in NA vs Europe.  Same car, same chassis, wildly different tow ratings.

I was told before it was strictly for liability reasons in NA.

[ArticSteve]

Look at the tow ratings in NA vs Europe.  Same car, same chassis, wildly different tow ratings.

I was told before it was strictly for liability reasons in NA.

I know it's for financial reasons.  If it were for liability reasons then none of them would have a hitch option and many do.  The trannys are getting lighter, more gears and more complicated and the companies are cutting the cord on warranty claims for the Rollas of the world..

[rrocket]

Look at the tow ratings in NA vs Europe.  Same car, same chassis, wildly different tow ratings.

I was told before it was strictly for liability reasons in NA.

I know it's for financial reasons.  If it were for liability reasons then none of them would have a hitch option and many do.  The trannys are getting lighter, more gears and more complicated and the companies are cutting the cord on warranty claims for the Rollas of the world..

I dunno...I highly doubt for financial reasons.

Same car, same everything in Europe.  If it was for financial reasons, those same cars would be blowing up and costing money in Europe.  The tow rating in Europe for many cars is double for the same car in NA...if the car even has a tow rating here.  So you'd think if it was for financial reasons it would be twice as likely to cost them money.  And many cars in NA have no tow rating at all....yet the same car in Europe will tow 2,000+ lbs.  So why would manufacturers, if it was for "financial reasons" want financial liability in Europe but not in North America...makes no sense.

Whereas the out-of-control "I'll sue you for everything" in America seems far more plausible.

[ArticSteve]

I see your point, but I know for a fact that Toyota Canada is getting down and dirty on warranty claims and hitches in particular where they used to look the other way.  Me thinks the auto companies are seeing the upcoming recession and are really tightening their cost structures.

Ford is now back to the same shaky financials as it was back in 2005. 

https://www.thestar.com/business/2018/11/09/its-2005-all-over-again-as-ford-teeters-on-the-edge-of-junk.html

[Gurgie]

In Europe the tongue weight is less than here in North America, but when towing speeds are lower. Found this good article.

https://oppositelock.kinja.com/tow-me-down-1609112611#_ga=2.102869376.1827083513.1542079194-414019278.1542079193

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[rrocket]

In Europe the tongue weight is less than here in North America, but when towing speeds are lower. Found this good article.

https://oppositelock.kinja.com/tow-me-down-1609112611#_ga=2.102869376.1827083513.1542079194-414019278.1542079193

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I didn't read the article.  But from what I recall, less tongue weight can make the trailer less stable.

Also...I'm guessing people in Europe still tow their stuff at highway speeds (100km/h)....as I don't think trailers are banished to just B roads there.  How much "lower" are the speeds in Eureope?  I'm guessing none...again...unless they are limited by law to B roads.

[tortoise]

I've said it before. In NA the Golf TDI isn't rated to tow. In Britain it was the towing car of the year.

Powertrain and emissions warranty are the only reasons I don't have a hitch on it.

[Gurgie]

In Europe the tongue weight is less than here in North America, but when towing speeds are lower. Found this good article.

https://oppositelock.kinja.com/tow-me-down-1609112611#_ga=2.102869376.1827083513.1542079194-414019278.1542079193

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk

I didn't read the article.  But from what I recall, less tongue weight can make the trailer less stable.

Also...I'm guessing people in Europe still tow their stuff at highway speeds (100km/h)....as I don't think trailers are banished to just B roads there.  How much "lower" are the speeds in Eureope?  I'm guessing none...again...unless they are limited by law to B roads.

I wanna say they're limited to 60mph because a trailer with a tongue weight of only 4% makes it more squirrelly. Whereas here its 10-15%. Like a class 3 hitch is rated for 6000lbs & 600lb tongue weight. And that 600 counts towards the gross vehicle weight. In Europe that tongue weight would only be ~300lbs.

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[EV-Light]

I see your point, but I know for a fact that Toyota Canada is getting down and dirty on warranty claims and hitches in particular where they used to look the other way.  Me thinks the auto companies are seeing the upcoming recession and are really tightening their cost structures.

Ford is now back to the same shaky financials as it was back in 2005. 

https://www.thestar.com/business/2018/11/09/its-2005-all-over-again-as-ford-teeters-on-the-edge-of-junk.html

This is unrelated to this thread....Ford is where it is because of terrible strategic decisions people steering the mothership made and it’s paying dearly. Not that the new ones look much better as well - like abandoning the car segment all together...


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[rrocket]

In Europe the tongue weight is less than here in North America, but when towing speeds are lower. Found this good article.

https://oppositelock.kinja.com/tow-me-down-1609112611#_ga=2.102869376.1827083513.1542079194-414019278.1542079193

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk

I didn't read the article.  But from what I recall, less tongue weight can make the trailer less stable.

Also...I'm guessing people in Europe still tow their stuff at highway speeds (100km/h)....as I don't think trailers are banished to just B roads there.  How much "lower" are the speeds in Eureope?  I'm guessing none...again...unless they are limited by law to B roads.

I wanna say they're limited to 60mph because a trailer with a tongue weight of only 4% makes it more squirrelly. Whereas here its 10-15%. Like a class 3 hitch is rated for 6000lbs & 600lb tongue weight. And that 600 counts towards the gross vehicle weight. In Europe that tongue weight would only be ~300lbs.

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60MPH isn't much slower, if at all, than NA.  So I think that pretty much refutes the "speed" argument.

[mlin32]

In Europe the tongue weight is less than here in North America, but when towing speeds are lower. Found this good article.

https://oppositelock.kinja.com/tow-me-down-1609112611#_ga=2.102869376.1827083513.1542079194-414019278.1542079193

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk

I didn't read the article.  But from what I recall, less tongue weight can make the trailer less stable.

Also...I'm guessing people in Europe still tow their stuff at highway speeds (100km/h)....as I don't think trailers are banished to just B roads there.  How much "lower" are the speeds in Eureope?  I'm guessing none...again...unless they are limited by law to B roads.

In Germany, the maximum speed for a car or truck with a trailer is 80km/h a rural road or autobahn.
In France, the maximum speed is 90km/h on autoroutes or divided roads, 80km/h (as normal) for roads w/o divider.

Towing is pretty much the norm here. Actually pretty easy to rent a trailer for leisure/travel, and a lot of stores let you rent one to bring your purchases home. The owners manual states the maximum braked and unbraked trailer capacities so it's pretty generous in that regard. Nearly all cars, even the Smart, can tow here.

However, the electronics and programming of the rear lights can make installing a hitch rather expensive. Think it will be around 800€ when I get it done on my Peugeot.

[tpl]

Certainly I have seen many 'caravans' at 130 km/h on French autoroutes in the summer.  Often behind a big M-B or BMW when they are going that fast.   Many many Dutch registered 'vans as well behind all kinds of smaller vehicles  bu they were clogging up the traffic at 90 km/h I believe that speed enforcement has toughened up since my last trip ( 2003)