Towing with a small car

[jay956]

Since the track bug has bitten me bad i need to start thinking of better way to transport my bike. I want to do as may track days next year as i can afford and renting a van every time isnt feasible. Ive got a 01 Nissan Altima, looks like i could get a hitch for under 300 installed. I know ive seen a lot of cars tows bikes but it seems like but after reading it looks like my car is rated to pull 1000lbs. Would a bike and a trailer be pushing that limit? I think my bike weighs just over 400 but i have no idea about trailers. Also has anyone used the uhaul motorcycle trailers? I dont have enough cash right now for a hitch and trailer so i was thinking just get the hitch put on and rent a trailer for $15. Id only be taking it to Summit which is about 2 hours away, and VIR which is about 3.

 

[Hambone]

I had the same issue with my VW Jetta. The towing capacity was 1000lbs and I was considering this

http://www.baxleycompanies.com/ST001.html

from Baxley. Light weight and shouldn't be to much for a small car. They make quality stuff but the price also reflects that.

If I didn't by a truck I would have bought this.

 

[joe81]

I use an accord(1000 lb rating) with uhual trailers all the time. The motorcycle one is ideal as its the lightest, but Ive even used the enclosed 5x8 trailer, which is 950 lbs.(The hitch rating is 2000 lbs) My problem is uhual has 1 motorcycle trailer in my area and they dont want to taking it on long trips(it has small wheels) If uhaul doesnt give you a problem, you'll be fine with the motorcycle trailer. Good Luck

 

[Dave561]

You will be overweight.
400 lb bike
2 5 gallon jugs 80lbs
Drinks and food 80lbs
Canopy/Tools/cothes etc 100lbs and climbing
That's easily over over 1000 lbs with the trailer

Some have done it, but it will put a lot more stress on the vehicle. If you ever get in an accident I could see you getting cited for towing beyond capacity. Make a friend, with extra trailer space, or try to pick up a cheap pickup truck. In the long run I think that would be a better alternative

 

[jay956]

slow_honda;86559 wrote: You will be overweight.
400 lb bike
2 5 gallon jugs 80lbs
Drinks and food 80lbs
Canopy/Tools/cothes etc 100lbs and climbing
That's easily over over 1000 lbs with the trailer

Some have done it, but it will put a lot more stress on the vehicle. If you ever get in an accident I could see you getting cited for towing beyond capacity. Make a friend, with extra trailer space, or try to pick up a cheap pickup truck. In the long run I think that would be a better alternative

so when they say 1000lbs they mean stuff in the car too?

 

[slowpoke]

I would avoid U-Haul b/c the smaller motorcycle trailers are very hard to come by and the others will put you well beyond your towing capacity.

I was in the same situation and you can definitely find a trailer that will keep your total weight under 1000lbs.

We towed a single bike w/ a maxima and stayed within the limits.

Another good option would be to find a used cargo van so you could transport your bike and also sleep in it.

good luck.

 

[Amac955]

Harbor Freight and Northern tool both sell small 4x8 trailers that you assemble yourself. they are fairly light and pretty inexpensive. (maybe around $350-400 fully setup) Often you have to buy the wheels yourself and if you do, buy the 12 inch wheels, they will make your bearings last much longer than the 8 inchers.

My father in law and I have been pulling 2 bikes on a slightly modified 4x8 trailer for years. We can fit 2 bikes, an EZ-Up, a loading ramp, and a couple of gas cans. Using a condor/baxley chalk or a pitbull trailer restraint system make it quicker/easier to load/strap/unload, but it is possible to just use good old fashioned chalks as well.

One thing, if you are worried about weight, just haul your bike and spare gas cans empty and fill them at a gas station near the track, rather than hauling an extra 50-80 lbs of weight with you. Same goes for bottled water and ice in your cooler.

 

[krw]

I have a 4x6 open trailer that weighs about 350lbs. Something like that should work fine for you to get you under 1000lb. Also, tongue weight is the other important factor. Anything beyond the rear axle counts as tongue weight, so you can load things in the car (maybe the seats fold down?) to reduce that.

 

[BrianK01]

northern tool 4x8 trailer with added 3/4 plywood floor and 2x6 sides. towing it with 4cyl sonata. did 80mph all the way to BeaveRun (7hrs) no problems

 

[RandyO]

+1 on buying fuel at destination.. I use a lightweight tilt trailer ($250 snowmobile hauler) and it has about 4000Miles without any hassles.. I did add a harbor freight wheel chock.. (well 3 of them)

 

[Slowninja]

I've got a 5x8 single place snowmobile trailer i plan on pulling with my civic si. Have an envoy but why not get 25 mpg towing if i can.

 

[Emerson]

slow_honda;86559 wrote:
BEER 80lbs

this is what you wanted to say, sounds about enough!! lol

 

[tomwilliford]

I have a 2007 Altima 3.5 SE (270HP V6) and tow one of the Tractor Supply Company 4x8 flatbed trailers with a piece of 3/4 plywood as the base and a wheel chock. I installed the hitch and trailer plug kit from etrailer.com myself. The car barely even notices the extra weight. The tongue weight is probablly 60-70 pounds or so... it's balanced pretty well. My particular car has 4 pretty large disk brakes, stopping isn't much of a problem either. It's about like the difference in having a full load of adults v/s driving solo.

Link to Trailer


My bike+trailer doesn't weigh more than 2 really fat people, I don't sweat it too much. My gear + crap is a 3rd fattie's worth, maybe.


Having said that, I'd love a dedicated tow vehicle but I can't justify the cost at this point. It wouldn't do anything my current setup can't handle. Plus think of all the tracktime money spent on a dedicated tow vehicle!

 

[ERB68]

Slowninja;86603 wrote: I've got a 5x8 single place snowmobile trailer i plan on pulling with my civic si. Have an envoy but why not get 25 mpg towing if i can.

I sure hope you change the trans fluid a lot. That goes for all you little towers.

The motor and brakes will do it but the extra work for the trans will add up.

You should be good if you change the trans fluid every 25K or more. (I'm big believer in preventive maintenance)

 

[Meat]

I am not giving out any towing advice I am just reminding you that you can probably tow 5 times what your vehicle is rated for....once, maybe a few times.
But...
How long will the vehicle last considering the increased fatigue loading you have placed on it? All aspects of a vehicle have a finite life. If you go way over the rated towing capacity not only are you looking at a possible safety issue (brakes, springs, stiffness of tow structure to resist uncontrolled structural deflections), but also the cracking and loosening of components, frame, body, etc.

Fatigue failure is a repeated loading that is at a load less than its ultimate one time static strength. Fatigue failure will start with a very small crack and then it works a little bit then, BAM all at once the rest of the structure breaks.

I very much understand being in a financial bind, but don't let that get in the way of good judgment.

 

[ERB68]

Those are very good points.

I try not to tow more than 1/2 the recommended limit for those reasons.

 

[riddler]

The only thing to be concerned about is transmission load. Manual transmission helps, and shorten the normal fluid change interval if it is automatic.
Stay away from the uhaul motorcycle trailer, it is heavy as hell. Do one of the utility trailers other guys have mentioned. They weigh like 250 lbs +450 for your bike and you still have 300 lbs left for your beer.

Make sure you position the bike so the tongue weight isn't too excessive. Rear suspension isn't going to like 100+ lbs of tongue weight. 50 - 75 lbs of tongue weight is pretty good.

I did 6 years with a Neon, 3 of the years doing 12-14 days per year. Got rid of the neon this year at 125K miles and it was still fine, just getting a little risky for long trips. Note: it was still on the original clutch too.

It only let me down once, and that was a broken steering tie rod last year. Had nothing to do with the trailer... More the full lock u-turn I was doing in pursuit of a healthy McD's breakfast.

good luck.

 

[KneeDragr]

Another issue you will run into is tongue weight.

If your car is rated for 100lbs, it likely wont take more than 100lbs on the tongue without damaging the rear suspension.

I had a Mazda6 I tried to tow with, even though it had no rated tow capacity. My trailer put about 220lbs on the tongue and after 2 trips the rear suspension was permanently compressed.

 

[Slowninja]

ERB68;86693 wrote: I sure hope you change the trans fluid a lot. That goes for all you little towers.

The motor and brakes will do it but the extra work for the trans will add up.

You should be good if you change the trans fluid every 25K or more. (I'm big believer in preventive maintenance)
It's a 6-speed manual so i'm not so worried about the trans fluid. It also only has 7k miles on it so it's still pretty tight

Meat;86694 wrote: I am not giving out any towing advice I am just reminding you that you can probably tow 5 times what your vehicle is rated for....once, maybe a few times.
But...
How long will the vehicle last considering the increased fatigue loading you have placed on it? All aspects of a vehicle have a finite life. If you go way over the rated towing capacity not only are you looking at a possible safety issue (brakes, springs, stiffness of tow structure to resist uncontrolled structural deflections), but also the cracking and loosening of components, frame, body, etc.

Fatigue failure is a repeated loading that is at a load less than its ultimate one time static strength. Fatigue failure will start with a very small crack and then it works a little bit then, BAM all at once the rest of the structure breaks.

I very much understand being in a financial bind, but don't let that get in the way of good judgment.

Who is talking about going grossly over the recommended rating? He said his car is rated for 1,000 lbs. A small utility trailer and any modern sport bike will come under that easily. Keep the toung weight down by loading the trailer properly and you are good to go. I would say the average guy does MAYBE 10 days a year, sure it's a little extra wear and tear but nothing that will kill your car if it's properly maintained.

Not sure where all of that fatigue talk is going. Doesn't really apply to what the OP was asking. I'm pretty damn sure there is a large FOS when determining the tow rating of a vehicle.

 

[Meat]

Slowninja;86732 wrote:

Who is talking about going grossly over the recommended rating? He said his car is rated for 1,000 lbs. A small utility trailer and any modern sport bike will come under that easily. Keep the toung weight down by loading the trailer properly and you are good to go. I would say the average guy does MAYBE 10 days a year, sure it's a little extra wear and tear but nothing that will kill your car if it's properly maintained.

Not sure where all of that fatigue talk is going. Doesn't really apply to what the OP was asking. I'm pretty damn sure there is a large FOS when determining the tow rating of a vehicle.

I gave an example to show the extreme case of: Just because a car can move something once doesn't mean it can do it 50 times.

Not sure where all the fatigue load is going? What type of primary structure is on the back end of a unibody vehicle? You are taking a fore-aft load (starting, stopping, side load as in backing or turning sharply) and putting into essentially what is a sub-frame on a sport bike. That load will be sheared out through the crap that makes the floor of the trunk, which is not a very good shear structure due to it not being a nice flat panel. The rear tire essentially makes a massive hole in your primary shear panel. Under normal conditions the trunk floor won't see much shear loading, but put a trailer on the back of your motorcycle and see how much deflection your fairings see.

Sure a pure fore-aft load can be reacted through the frame-like structure (introduced through bearing from the hitch fasteners), but it is the load that is in every direction but fore-aft that is the biggest problem.

The large fatigue margin would be on the rated load and as you may or may not know, the S-N curve can go through the roof once you get too far outside of the designed load. It really depends on what the structure back there is really sized for. That is what actually would determine how much extra trailer load it could take.

I wasn't saying it couldn't take it. I was merely trying to make him (whoever was wanting to know about the towing) think past a one time loading of his structure. Often vehicles (I work in aircraft) have higher capabilities than there primary function because of things like crash loading. This can be the case in towing in some automobiles. I wasn't going to come out and say to tow more than rated. I was just trying to make him think more on the situation.

And as far as the fatigue talk, well, it sure isn’t going to be an ultimate static failure towing a trailer. You have cyclical loading which obviously means fatigue failure.