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Old 01-22-2009, 06:54 PM   #1
Aquahiker
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Red face Yaris Towing 1000 lbs?

Hi,

I did some searches on the forum and there's been various discussions regarding the Yaris towing up to 700lbs (for Canada). I was wondering how a company like Curt can market something for the Yaris that can hitch 2,000 lbs trailer weight and 200 lbs tongue weight:

CLASS 1 & 2 HITCH
Product: 11050

I was thinking about getting this trailer which is about 1100 lbs:

http://www.aliner.com/design/Xterior...did=4&sectid=5

But it looks like I might have to get something much smaller like this one at 450 lbs:

http://www.aliner.com/design/Xterior...did=6&sectid=5

What do you guys think?

George
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Old 01-22-2009, 07:04 PM   #2
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i think i wouldnt pull anything w/ the yaris

but if you do go that way, get a small, light trailer...
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Old 01-22-2009, 07:04 PM   #3
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With the way all other towing question threads go, this is bound to get nasty real quick. I have that Curt hitch on my HB and have only used it for a bike rack. I do have a small 350 lb utility trailer that I would feel comfortable pulling if I had to.

Most discussion end up focusing on the capability of the engine and tranny to deal with the weight of a trailer. One other thing that needs to be considered as well is that these hitches bolt to the transportation tie-downs in the rear of the vehicle. That is not much of a mounting point to deal with the stresses of pulling any kind of load.
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Old 01-22-2009, 10:24 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Aquahiker View Post
Hi,

I did some searches on the forum and there's been various discussions regarding the Yaris towing up to 700lbs (for Canada). I was wondering how a company like Curt can market something for the Yaris that can hitch 2,000 lbs trailer weight and 200 lbs tongue weight:

CLASS 1 & 2 HITCH
Product: 11050

I was thinking about getting this trailer which is about 1100 lbs:

http://www.aliner.com/design/Xterior...did=4&sectid=5

But it looks like I might have to get something much smaller like this one at 450 lbs:

http://www.aliner.com/design/Xterior...did=6&sectid=5

What do you guys think?

George
Hitches are rated based on their construction. The rating (class 1 through 5) is purely for the hitch and not for the vehicle. Vehicle manufacturers separately rate the towing capability (or lack thereof) of the vehicle.
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Old 01-22-2009, 10:54 PM   #5
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I read in the manual somewhere a while back that the maximum load for the Y is around 800 something lbs. Might have even been 850. Makes sense considering that smaller cars aren't meant to haul anything. With that said I wouldn't risk bending the frame. A truck would do a better job
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Old 01-23-2009, 10:16 AM   #6
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Here's an article about towing (written by an xB owner) - it even mentions the Yaris. Look at the rest of the world, and read this. Then decide...

The Great American Anti-Towing Conspiracy
By Paul Niedermeyer
February 23, 2008 -

“Scion does not recommend towing a trailer… your vehicle was not designed for towing." Welcome to the great American anti-towing conspiracy. Manufacturers of anything less than a big SUV or pick-up are trying to take away our God-given right to tow with our cars. For a guy who’s towed everything from a Radio Flyer wagon behind a pedal-powered John Deere sidewalk tractor, to a three-bedroom house, I feel like I’m being singled out. Of course, there’s a possibility that I’m the cause as well as the target of this jihad. A lot of lawyers do drive the Ventura Freeway, and one of them may well have seen my spectacular stunt with a trailer.

Before I recount the creative maneuver with which I simultaneously occupied all four lanes of “the world’s busiest freeway” at sixty-five mph, let’s look at the prejudice American would-be towers are up against …

On Toyota’s UK website, the Yaris is credited with a towing capacity of 1050kg/2315lbs. That’s right in line with the old rule of thumb that a car can safely tow an amount equal to its own weight.

But here in the land of the (not so) free, the Yaris’ owner’s manual admonishes: “Toyota does not recommend towing a trailer with your vehicle.” The unnamed author goes on to give a partial pass to our northern neighbors: “In Canada only, total weight of cargo and trailer not to exceed 700lbs.” Please leave your trailers at the border? Perhaps this partial exemption reflects Canada’s status as being somewhere between English and American. But the logic is lost on me.

Maybe it’s a blatant tactic by Toyota to meet Tundra sales goals, by forcing us tow-heads into buying that over-achieving tug (rated for 10,000+lbs). But Honda is in on the conspiracy too. The CRV weighs 3600lbs and offers 166hp, about the same as an old gen Explorer. In Europe, where folks often buy CUV’s specifically for their towing capacity, the CRV is rated to tow 2000kg/4400lbs. And in the tow-aphobic US? A measly 1500lbs!

It wasn’t always like this. In the sixties, you’d see 40hp VW Beetles pulling a trailer. In 1976, my VW Beetle died in Ohio heading back to Iowa, so we left it and hitch-hiked the rest of the way. My girlfriend’s Mom was driving a 70hp Corolla, which was rated to tow 1800lbs, exactly the weight of my VW. She generously offered it. Towing the Bug home, the Corolla never broke a sweat.

Which I can’t say for myself when I nearly shut down the 101.

It was 1986. We had just bought our first house, in Woodland Hills. I rented a big double-axle twelve-foot trailer to haul debris and junk to the dump. My Mexican helper was a zealous worker, loading lots of broken concrete into the back end of the trailer. I remember glancing at the warning sign about having 60 percent of the weight ahead of the axles. But any fleeting thought of relevancy or concern was quickly overpowered by the testosterone-fueled urge to PULL!

That trailer must have weighed about three times as much as the Jeep Cherokee tug. I managed to squeeze into the perpetually crowded Ventura freeway.

When our rig (finally) hit 65 in the right lane, the trailer began oscillating, which escalated exponentially. The next thing I knew, the Jeep was being swung wildly from side to side, like the tail on a dog. One moment, we were facing towards the shoulder, then across all the lanes facing the center divider. The Jeep was utterly out of control; there was nothing to do but hang on for dear life, waiting for the fishtailing trailer to roll and/or get creamed by the four lanes of traffic behind us.

Fortunately, the other drivers (and that corporate attorney) were on the ball and held back, in awe of our mad gyrations. When enough speed was scrubbed off and stability resumed, we found ourselves in the narrow left shoulder, where we sat bathed in sweat.

I had no choice but to steel myself, get back in the traffic, and fight my way across four lanes while keeping the speed below fifty. When we finally pulled off on the right shoulder, my ashen-faced helper tumbled out, got on his knees and crossed himself, before we started re-arranging the trailer’s load.

Having learned that cardinal lesson of towing, I’m a hair more cautious now. But I still believe that cars, by their nature, are “designed for towing.” So I always carry a tow rope in the old Ford pick-up instead of an AAA card. More than once, Stephanie has schlepped me home with the Forester. I don’t even want to know what its tow rating is; it’s survived just fine. And I’ve found an after-market hitch for the xB, rated for 2000lbs.
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Old 01-23-2009, 06:08 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Aquahiker View Post

I was thinking about getting this trailer which is about 1100 lbs:

What do you guys think?

George
A lot depends on your plans for the trailer. 25 miles to the lake is one thing, 2,500 miles across the country is another. The terrain needs to be considered also. The flat land might be ok with the Yaris, however, a 7% grade is another.

Since you asked, I would get a later model used truck or SUV to pull a trailer. Then I would get a used trailer. The cost of this combination would be about the same for your new trailer. Plus you would have a spare vehicle. The trailer you are looking at is cute, however most people I know usually get a bigger one in a few years. My wife and I spend 30 nights a year in our trailer.

Happy camping.
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Old 01-30-2009, 04:42 PM   #8
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I use a trailer I got from Harbor frieght. I have found it great for Home Depot runs.http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=90153
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Old 01-30-2009, 07:16 PM   #9
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That's cute!!
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Old 01-30-2009, 07:40 PM   #10
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Originally Posted by thebarber View Post
i think i wouldnt pull anything w/ the yaris

but if you do go that way, get a small, light trailer...
I've pulled a ~170 lb brick saw home from a rental place, over hilly terrain, on a trailer behind my bicycle once. If I could do that, I can't see why the Yaris with far more power and weight couldn't pull the 700 or so lbs that the Canadian cars are rated for.

Pictures and description of my bicycle towing here:
http://twowheels.us/blog/?p=112

The trailer is usually used for towing my ~80 lb kayak:
http://twowheels.us/blog/?p=41
http://twowheels.us/blog/?p=47
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Old 01-30-2009, 09:40 PM   #11
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That's cute!!
Gee, nobody ever called my tow rig, "cute"......


CTScott provided an excellent answer to the original hitch question. The Curt hitch would be a good choice, even if you never plan to hitch a heavy load to it.
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Old 01-30-2009, 10:25 PM   #12
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Gee, nobody ever called my tow rig, "cute"......
Nice truck. Is that a 2002? Any mods for it? My brother in law has put $15,000 into his Dodge. We have a 04 CTD with no mods used to pull a 5,000 pound trailer.
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Old 01-30-2009, 10:28 PM   #13
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pretty sure the manual says towing is not recommended
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Old 01-31-2009, 02:21 AM   #14
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Originally Posted by Aquahiker View Post
But it looks like I might have to get something much smaller like this one at 450 lbs:

http://www.aliner.com/design/Xterior...did=6&sectid=5

What do you guys think?

George
It says 500 lbs on the page that I got when clicking that link. Also, you have to consider the rest of your cargo, water, etc... it'll weigh even more once it's loaded.
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Old 01-31-2009, 08:11 PM   #15
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The HITCH itself is rated for that much: the vehicle may NOT legally tow anything IN THE UNITED STATES do to liability reasons. If you HAVE AN ACCIDENT (and only then) will you be legally held criminally responsible for someone's death, and if not, expect to be sued for everything you own.

Judge: "Your manual specifically states that towing is NOT recommended, why did you so believe you could go against the recommendation?"

Defendant: "Because I'm a hard-headed idiot?"


As well, the uni-frame is incredibly thin, making twisting a possibility at the attachment points.
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Old 01-31-2009, 09:58 PM   #16
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I don't know if I agree with the entire thing about upping truck sales. Its not like the Subcombact class has been anything close to popular until recently. I would THINK, it has to do more with the demographic.

Take in point: diesel. Its great. Sorta. I'd rock one. Sorta. But we haven't had a decent diesel line up. Why? Because America wouldn't buy diesel. So we don't get 'em here. Now we SORTA like them, now we SORTA get 'em.

Now towing. As far as I've seen, Beyond this forum, I've never see any need/want for towing capacity in anything close to a passenger car. Not to say the need isn't out there. But honestly, I wouldn't want people in So Cali to be towing random crap. Why? Everyone nearly everyone is a terribad driver. That extra weight would make the teeny Yaris sorta unpredictable.
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Old 01-31-2009, 09:59 PM   #17
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The HITCH itself is rated for that much: the vehicle may NOT legally tow anything IN THE UNITED STATES do to liability reasons. If you HAVE AN ACCIDENT (and only then) will you be legally held criminally responsible for someone's death, and if not, expect to be sued for everything you own.

Judge: "Your manual specifically states that towing is NOT recommended, why did you so believe you could go against the recommendation?"

Defendant: "Because I'm a hard-headed idiot?"


As well, the uni-frame is incredibly thin, making twisting a possibility at the attachment points.
Hey, I totally more-than-one-hundred-percent agree with this. X10 bro.
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Old 02-01-2009, 01:30 AM   #18
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If ever I need to HAUL something, I either rent a truck, or borrow one. Really.

Our manual in Canada is rated at 70lbs tongue (which feels like nothing, literally), and a 700lbs max load. Most small trailers already eat up 100-200 pounds.

Do the math on how easy it would be to exceed the rated maximum. The Yaris is just not made to tow, from the flimsy sheet metal, to the ultra-soft suspension, to the super-short wheelbase, to the low-traction stock tires... You get the idea...


Like I said, the liability is just not worth it.



Like Mike Holmes says: "Do it right the first time." The Yaris is NOT doing it right, it's half-assing it... Like trying to build a house with a multi-tool.
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