Towing a Car Trailer

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rod7515

rod7515

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I was wondering, how heavy/big does the towing vehicle need to be? I remember in the 70's going to the drag races and many people were towing their trailers with station wagons and ranchero's and elcamino's. Im wondering if I could pull an open trailer with my Lexus RX300.
What is the smallest tow vehicle you are using to pull your trailer. I know the logical answer is to buy a truck however I have no other need for a truck and plan to only tow 3-4 times a year and probably not more then 60 miles at a time. Heres what I found for Pa. I am guessing mine to be somewhere around 4800-5000Lbs loaded.

  • [FONT=&quot]If your trailer has a gross weight greater than the empty weight of the vehicle that tows the trailer, you must have trailer brakes. Under all circumstances, if the weight of trailer is in excess of 40 percent of the weight of the tow vehicle, it must be equipped with trailer brakes.[/FONT]


Rod
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Don't go by what took place in the 70's. First, many laws have changed regarding trailer towing, since the 1970's. Also, the station wagons in the 1970's were much bigger and much heavier than you Lexus. Don't forget, your Lexus RX300, is essentially a re-bodied Camry.
The RX300 is the shortest, narrowest, lowest, and lightest entry, in it's class of car based SUV's.

What are you planning to put on the trailer, an A body? Street car, or racer?

You'll need to look at two capacities on your Lexus, Towing capacity, and tongue weight capacity.

The addition of a trans cooler might also be a good idea.
Today's car have operating temps of 195º whereas the old 1970's station wagon, operated at 165º to 180º.

Your Lexus will require a lot of help, stopping. While it has good breaks, adding the weight of a trailer and a car will tax your SUV's brakes, and that's not a good feeling.
Personally, I'd never even consider towing a car without trailer brakes.

Most "A" bodies can easily be town by a half ton puck up, the slightly longer wheel base of a pick up also improves the ride quality, over that of must SUV's with their shorter wheel base.
 
I should have stated that the trailer is equipt with brakes on all 4 wheels. As for what I will be hauling it will be ac66 Dart. It should end up aroung 3000 lbs. Trailer is 1600 lbs. The Lexus has a cooler and I already use it with a utility trailer and tractor. This will be a little more then double that total weight. It handles the trailer with tractor very well but there are no brakes on that trailer.
Thanks
Rodney
 
I think your Dart and the trailer is too heave for your vehicle. As I stated earlier, RX300 is essentially a re-bodied Camry. It's not a truck, it's a car.

Will you have family members in the car with you when towing?
Sounds like a dangerous proposition. Personally, I would not do it.

I realize that it's none of my business, but, if you want to tow a Dart, on a trailer, I would do it with an heavier tow vehicle. ...and I understand that there are people pulling cars around with S10 blazers, and Ford, Explorers, and if you ask any of them, they'll probably tell you it isn't a problem. In my opinion, it isn't a problem, because they've been lucky. It's your call, and there will be other here do disagree with me, but, my advice is to find something heavier for a tow vehicle. Something that won't fail you in a "situation", on the road.

Also, you should ask your insurance agent, if towing a car that probably out weighs, or comes close to the weight of your tow vehicle, on a trailer with your car would be covered in the advent of a mishap.

I strongly advise against it.

Best of luck to you, though.
 
The tongue weight and total load are going to be the lesser of of the class of hitch rating and the vehicle capacity. Many new cars and smaller cars have no recommendations for towing whatsoever, and my general rule of thumb for pulling trailers with no brakes is to keep the trailer less than half the weight of the vehicle, and the tongue weight no more than 10% of the trailer weight. So your average passenger car can pull under 1200-1600 pounds max, with a maximum tongue weight of 120-160 pounds.
This is what I found about your SUV online:

Engine: V6, 220 HP
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating: 4,950 lbs. GVWR
Max Trailer Weight: 3,500 lbs. towing capacity.

I'd say you could pull a 70s Dart short distances with a tow dolly, but you're at the limit. Really, it'd asking a bit much out of the vehicle.
A mid- 60's Dart like yours is lighter, and a trailer with brakes would certainly improve things. But the weight is still pretty high. Are the roads flat, or will there be hills to cross?
 
Frankie, Thanks for your input. I agree its probably no the best towing vehicle but I dont plan on buying a truck just for the few times I will need it. I guess I will check into borrowing a truck from a friend. I just hate doing that because everytime something is borrowed it breaks and you end up fixing someone else's problem. As for the insurance I will call.
Thanks
Rod
 
Ya know , U-haul rents pick ups and trucks by the day starting at $19.95/day + mileage.

For the odd tow it would make sense to rent .
 
i've towed other 68/68 barracudas with my 68 Barracuda.

I now have a 1/2 ton pick-up truck 4x4 that I use to tow. It works great.
 
I towed a 68 international 1/2 ton with a 63 chevy II. It can be done but I do not advise it. Pulling with a car ( or car based suv ) I would advise not pulling anything with a combined weight greater than the prime mover, with a pickup you can go heavier but I would suggest weight in the bed so the trailer does not push the back around.
 
Ain't no way I would do it Rodney, maybe find a decent 1/2 ton older Dodge truck to pull it with, that way you can have two projects. :D
 
I could move quite a bit of weight with my 7hp sear garden tractor, but to pull down the road not safe with your combo.

If you were to get in an accident with the Sue happy mentality of today you could loose everything you own and make for the rest of your life

If it is rated at 3,500 lbs and are pulling 4,500 loose control and seriously injure someone it wouldn't be pretty

I have pulled more than I should with a vehicle. Stopping is where the problem comes in and in an emergency situation too easy to loose control, wouldn't do it today and if was more than a one time low speed off main roads deal, would get vehicle with enough tow cap to do the job.

Guy I work with damn near was killed when a guy pulling a travel trailer with a too small truck lost control and the trailer whipped right in front of Him. The cop came up to his truck and figured there was a corpse inside, he (the cop) was really surprised when he answered him
 
WildCat said:
I could move quite a bit of weight with my 7hp sear garden tractor, but to pull down the road not safe
Click to expand...

Not too sure it gets much stupider than this......

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inSFAL47xd8"]motorbike towing boat - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpY92oOfU-4"]Suzuki carry towing a 5000 lbs. Chaparral 230ssi boat. - YouTube[/ame]
 
well....

what you're proposing is probably illegal and definitely unsafe. here's a few thoughts under pennsylvania law...
in pa, you can tow up to around 26k lbs with a regular driver's license but that is "total combination weight." thus, if your dart weighs 3k lbs. your trailer has to have a "Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW)" rating totaling the weight of the trailer plus the weight of the load on the trailer - i.e. trailer weighs 2500 lbs plus load is 3200 lbs that requires that the trailer has a GVW of at least 6000 lbs (2500 + 3200 is only 5700 lbs. but you never want to cut weight capacity that close). but the trailer and load is not the end of the story in pa. here, you have to add the weight of the tow vehicle to the previous 6000 lbs example. thus, if you're using an F-250 that has a GVW rating of 12k lbs. you would be at 18k lbs in this example. because there is a 26k lbs combination in pa for a regular license, you have to be carefull that your total weight doesn't add up too high.

but in pa there are other quirks. if your trailer weight and load exceeds 10k lbs. you have to get a "medical card" from a PA Dept. of Trans. registered physician indicating that you do not have any serious health conditions. if you exceed 26k lbs with any combination of trailer, load plus tow vehicle, you have to have a Commercial Drivers' License (CDL). if you get stopped in Pa and you violate any of these provisions, fines start at $500 and can go as high as $1500.

as noted, you also have to make sure the hitch you attach to your vehicle is rated for the toung weight of the trailer you use.

but there is a bigger reason to be carefull in how and what you tow. towing any heavy load requires a lot of concentration and driving skill. if you've never towed anything you need to practice on some deserted road somewhere before you go on a busy highway. i have a 2006 4x4 dodge 1 ton dooley with a cummings, a 6 speed, a 5th wheel bed hitch, a Class V rear frame hitch and electric trailer brake controller. it is designed for towing loads up to 14k lbs. i recently rented a small bob cat skid steer that came with a trailer. when i got on the interstate with this rig i could definitly tell i was towing something heavy.

the last thing i would point out to you is that any accident that you have while towing something will probably be your fault unless you have complied with every state provision for proper equipment, weight, license qualification, etc. and if you do violate some state rule, your insurance company might try to get out of coverage.

towing vehicles is a lot more complicated than you might think. you cannot have the attitude that "i'm a good driver, i don't have anything to worry about." you need to try and get educated, try to talk to some truck drivers and be very careful when you do your first tow until you understand the "physics" behind towing a trailer.
 
GGs66GT said:
Ya know , U-haul rents pick ups and trucks by the day starting at $19.95/day + mileage.

For the odd tow it would make sense to rent .
Click to expand...

This is what I was thinking.

The issue with that, though, is thanks to U-haul only equipping with a four prong harness, you'll only be able to power the lights on a trailer equipped with electric brakes. Unless the trailer has surge brakes - like all of the U-haul trailers do - then you're basically back into the same situation.

The brakes on the Lexus may be small for the towing weight, but at least any electric trailer brakes will aid. With a U-haul rental you'll have bigger brakes on the truck, but no trailer brakes.

If you go this route it may be worth it to rent the U-Haul trailer, too, just for the peace of mind of having brakes to go with it.
 
Keep in mind your Lexus RX300 is lightweight metal and plastic so does it have the integrity to even handle this situation without causing fatigue to the car? Would you like to see your Dart and trailer stacked up against someone's vehicle and possibly kill them?
 
U-Haul will NOT allow you to pull a trailer of ANY type behind ANY of their trucks or vans, other than a U-Haul trailer. NO privately-owned trailers or RVs of any kind! All U-Haul trailers are equipped with surge brakes and four-pin flat connectors.

I sold trailers for seven years. Do NOT pull your racecar behind that Lexus! Unless you have a #1500 race car, I guarantee you have between #4K and #4,500 with the Dart on the trailer. I have a pickup that I use for hauling and pulling a trailer, that gets used maybe six times per year. To me, that is worth the piece of mind of doing it right, versus doing it with whatever I have on hand.
 
I think if you have to ask, you already know that the idea is a dangerous one! Should you do it, I say no!! If you are going to tow something, make sure you have the correct equipment, not something you are guessing "might" be OK!! Geof
 
I tow with a 2500HD Chebby truck with a Duramax/Allison.....and I still use a load distribution style hitch.....aint no way I would tow a car/trailer with your fancy Camry....always chuckle when I see some one pulling something they should not. Rear suspension bottomed out, front all the way extended. Driving over dips in the road, swinging and swaying...Even more comical is when a steep hill is encountered......one that makes my Diesel develop 23 pounds of boost...

Trailer brakes.....while they do help keep in mind that they are very small drums....and do not take much to get over heated.
 
You can tow a car with pretty much any other car on the road. The problem comes when you try and stop or accelerate quickly. Rent a truck and uhaul.
 
doogievlg said:
You can tow a car with pretty much any other car on the road. The problem comes when you try and stop or accelerate quickly. Rent a truck and uhaul.
Click to expand...

Pretty much sums it up right here.....ub1smartman
 
doogievlg said:
You can tow a car with pretty much any other car on the road. The problem comes when you try and stop or accelerate quickly. Rent a truck and uhaul.
Click to expand...

it also becomes a problem when the trailer your pulling takes on a mind of it's own.
I had my 20' boat jump the ball behind my 3/4 ton dodge, it was all I could do to get the truck to a stop, swaying back and forth at 55 mph. still cleaning the stains. no joke
 
fishmens67 said:
it also becomes a problem when the trailer your pulling takes on a mind of it's own.
I had my 20' boat jump the ball behind my 3/4 ton dodge, it was all I could do to get the truck to a stop, swaying back and forth at 55 mph. still cleaning the stains. no joke
Click to expand...

I was behind someone when this happened a few years back....no thanks, not my idea of a good time....this reminds me...I do need to get a break-a-way box for our trailer someday...
 
In PA? Not no....but HELL NO!!! I wouldn't pull a lawn mower trailer behind a Kenworth in Pennsylvania. somehow, someway they would figure some way to fine you! :violent1:
 
By the formula given by the OP, the trailer will outweigh the Lexus!! Is this a good idea???....
 
Ok, I'm giving up on the idea of towing with my Lexus. I'm starting a search for a trk. This is not going to make the wifey very happy. I googled towing with my Lexus. It weighs 3950 with a gross weight of 4500 lbs. towing capacity. I may just decide to borrow as many friends have offered to lend their truck. Just hate doing this. It's not an issue I need to address before next spring so I'll keep my eyes open. I checked used trucks and the dodges seem overpriced compared to Ford and Chevy for same capacity. Thanks for everyone's thoughts and suggestions. They have been greatly appreciated.
Rodney
 
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