trailer hitch max weight

[joaks]

I am doing a little research on trailer hitches. It looks like the max weight is determined by the hitch. Is this correct? What I will want to do is tow the 5'x8' uhaul trailer with my subaru. I can easily find a 3500lb hitch which should do the trick. Just want to make sure this wouldn't split my car in half

 

[simple_gifts]

Just guessing, but I would think the max tow would be determined by the vehicle mfg. Tongue weight probably plays a big factor in your case. Case to consider, B2300, B3000, B4000 are all in the same chassis vehicles, but the towing capacity is probably substantially different.

 

[joaks]

Looks like I have 2000 lb max towing on the car itself too. No idea how much my stuff weighs. Probably not even close but don't want to risk anything!

 

[simple_gifts]

You might want to consider the impact of towing with a 15 yo car.

How much of a trip, moving to the Rockies?

 

[joaks]

Def concerned about the impact on such an old car. The frame is good and engine is new, but still...
Not sure where to yet. Probably from Columbus to Charleston SC. There is a possibility of Austin or San Diego also.
AND I have cat, so I could be in the same boat as the guy who posted about that. She will ride with me regardless.

 

[widman]

There is a max towing weight that depends on the car. That is mainly for braking, but also considered is chassis and powertrain.

Then there is tongue wt. That should not be much if you load properly.

Here is a good link
trailer loading

 

[OtisBlkR1]

rent a uhaul with a car caddy behind it...problem solved.. with the piece of mind that if the uhaul breaks down they come to you with a replacement, and your stressing and doing ZERO damage to your 15 yr old car.

 

[spasm3]

Originally Posted By: OtisBlkR1
rent a uhaul with a car caddy behind it...problem solved.. with the piece of mind that if the uhaul breaks down they come to you with a replacement, and your stressing and doing ZERO damage to your 15 yr old car.


That is an excellent suggestion. When you consider the cost of damaging your transmission, and having to fix/replace a paid for vehicle.

Good suggestion Otis!!!!

 

[NHHEMI]

Originally Posted By: joaks
I am doing a little research on trailer hitches. It looks like the max weight is determined by the hitch. Is this correct? What I will want to do is tow the 5'x8' uhaul trailer with my subaru. I can easily find a 3500lb hitch which should do the trick. Just want to make sure this wouldn't split my car in half

You always go by the lesser of the two. What I mean is look at the hitch's max capacity and the vehicle's max towing capacity. Whichever is the smaller is what you go with. For instance, my 2011 Jeep Patriot has a max towing capacity of 2000lbs. I have a class III hitch that claims 3500lbs BUT I can only tow the 2000lbs due to safety and drivetrain concerns.

As to tongue weight the standard rule of thumb is 10% of your max capacity. So in my case 200lbs.

 

[azjake]

Originally Posted By: joaks
Looks like I have 2000 lb max towing on the car itself too. No idea how much my stuff weighs. Probably not even close but don't want to risk anything!


Renting the u-haul and towing car behind sounds like the best way to go. However if you do decide to rent the u-haul trailer check out the empty weight of it. When you factor that in you may find it doesn't take a lot of your stuff to put you at the 2000 lb limit.

 

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted By: OtisBlkR1
rent a uhaul with a car caddy behind it...problem solved.. with the piece of mind that if the uhaul breaks down they come to you with a replacement, and your stressing and doing ZERO damage to your 15 yr old car.

Just don't be in a rush, U-haul trucks tend to be unmaintained POS's in my experience, expect like 5mpg... And if the truck breaks down U-haul isn't going to give you alot of help quickly either... I had friends stuck in the middle of northern ontario for a few days while U-haul dinked around. U-haul wouldn't send up another truck and wouldn't fix the broken one locally...

 

[meep]

yeah, I've had more bad experiences with uhaul than good. nothing was ever smooth with them.

have had great luck with ryder. better maintained, better operations, better organized.