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Who needs a truck, the Prius will haul it all!

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by dorunron, May 20, 2014.

  1. MSA14

    MSA14 Junior Member

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    Downhill. Could you imagine the regen?!
     
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  2. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    It does have a 0 tow rating. Just like the HyHi. Toyota does not want to advertise towing with the HSD. They have enough pressure on them to get it right to work without the added stresses of idiots towing large things without knowing how.

    The "transmission" is not in a normal sense and the "cvt" is only such because of definition but not by how they generally implement them as in belts on a cone. The Prius is so beefy compared to a normal car, because it is a static gear. Nothing to wear down or wear out. You can monitor the temp of everything with a CAN reader. The Prius has amazing low end torque and brakes that will slow without friction making it better and safer at towing than the majority of non-truck vehicles on the road.

    The idea that you need a big nice person truck for these things is unique to the USA. Everywhere else, they get around just fine with volvos or the little baby vans. Trucks are reserved for when they are really needed, and that is not often. The Prius is more than capable for towing 99.9% of the people's stuff 99.9% of the time. The rest of the time, rent a truck. The most recent time I needed a truck was to move 2 full size server rack cabinets. They were about 2ft x 3ft x 7ft and made of metal. They would fit in the back of a Prius barely but then stick out the back end and only 1 at a time. They also would not fit in the bed of any normal sized pickup truck. They would have needed to be propped up on the sides or driven with the gate down. So I rented an intown UHaul for the day, paid my $19.99 and about the same in fuel. No hassle.
     
  3. Mike Rosenzweig

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    I have carried so many items in a rental Prius and was a huge factor in buying my own Prius.

    SAMSUNG-SM-N900A ?
     
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  4. Stratman

    Stratman Member

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    I hauled about 8 bags of cedar mulch, 6 bags of garden soul, 8 or 10 pieces of grass sod. Oh, and a 12 pack of beer no problem. I actually had to regen going down the long hill back home. Usually I let off the gas and that's enough to keep me from gaining too much speed.
     
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  5. la9ers

    la9ers Junior Member

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    The Prius has impressed me a lot. I recall I needed to replace my water heater, I was thinking no way in hell I could fit a 50 gallon WH in a Prius, sure enough it did!
     
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  6. Fore

    Fore Don't look back!

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    Word of advice, never never, ever, turn a new water heater on it's side to transport! YOU WILL DAMAGE IT!
     
  7. MSA14

    MSA14 Junior Member

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    What gets damaged?
     
  8. haole man

    haole man Member

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    Maybe I was just lucky, but I hauled one 50 miles in the back of my F-250 without damage. A Prius would be a much smoother ride.
     
  9. Fore

    Fore Don't look back!

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    It's for the same reason you transport Windows upright. (Instructions clearly state this on the box with a arrow pointing straight up)

    Hitting a good bump will put stress on the interior glass liner. It may not shatter but it could get spiderweb fractures that can lead to the hot water tank rupturing.

    __________________
     
  10. dorunron

    dorunron Senior Member

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    I do agree that a water heater should remain upright at all times when it is possible. But I still don't regret hauling all of the stuff I did with ours. The way I look at it, I just gave it a good break in. I was taught to break in a car like you would drive it. Call me old school if you want too. This Prius will be the last car I ever buy. Unless someone total's it for me. Then I will get another Prius.
     
  11. sandy.topper

    sandy.topper Junior Member

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    Just brought home 25 bags of mulch in my 2010 Prius.


    iPhone ?
     
  12. Stratman

    Stratman Member

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    And got 50mpg doing it!!!
     
  13. retired4999

    retired4999 Prius driver since 2005

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    If you would have opened and dumped the mulch in side the car you could have gotten much more mulch in!:whistle:
     
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  14. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Oh man that came out really nice. Nice and even. Lots of work. Looks great.

    Now the bad news. It's very bad to cover up the root ball of a tree. It will suffocate and kill the tree. I did the same thing a few years back in my front yard and 2 years later the tree's were dying. Almost killed my maples. Had to rip it all out and they came back.

    Google it. Its the top reason tree's die.
    Especially if you put mulch on top of that soil. Those now covered roots will soon put out hundreds of tendrils trying to breath and it will be a real mess in the flower bed and the tree will put out roots that actually circle the base of the tree and strangle it.

    Sorry.
     
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  15. dorunron

    dorunron Senior Member

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    I hear ya Ed. If it happens oh well. Wife doesn't like that tree anyway. We do want she wants, so everyone is happy.

    But I still say "Who needs a truck, the Prius will haul it". Within reason of course...

    Ron
     
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  16. engerysaver

    engerysaver Real Senior Member

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    [​IMG]
    The Prius will surprise you in many ways!!:cool:
    Have fun!!:)
     
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  17. GregP507

    GregP507 Senior Member

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    Why not rent a small trailer? Besides the hassle of having a hitch installed I mean.
     
  18. dorunron

    dorunron Senior Member

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    Good question. My only response would be this. OEM specifications. The Prius is not designed to tow a vehicle. That does not mean that you can't do it, only that it is not designed for the task. However it is designed to be loaded very easily through the hatch area as well as the rear side doors. With the back seats folded down flat, there is ample room to haul just about anything within reason that is fully protected from the elements and also secured from prying little inquisitive fingers. Imagination is all it takes. The Prius can do the job, the question is can you visualize what the Prius can actually do.

    IMO, this vehicle is one of the most well designed automobiles known to man. Comfortable, luxurious, and reasonably priced for today's economy. Is it cheap? Absolutely not, but it is not priced like the Lexus or the BMW. However, the comfort level is there and the kicker is the MPG.

    If you need a trailer, you might as well have a truck. But remember, the Prius will haul anything that you can load safely inside with no problem as long you pay attention to securing loads (tie down) and weight restrictions. With tie down points on all four corners, any load can easily be secured with straps that are readily available for a little bit of change. Worried about dirt or debris? Carry some old terry cloth towels in the box underneath. Spread them out before you load. Then after you unload, simply wash, fold, and store away those towels for use again later on. A good vacuum cleaner and a little Tuff Stuff can make your Prius look just like new. Just don't go crazy and pour gallons of fluid on carpets or stupid stuff like that. Be reasonable with it, and use logic. It's not rocket science guys.
     
  19. GregP507

    GregP507 Senior Member

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    I still have a hard time believing that a Prius can't tow a small utility trailer. A class 1 hitch is all you'd need, but personally, I'd rather go with a hide-a-hitch of some kind, just to discourage the nay-sayers about it.
     
  20. dorunron

    dorunron Senior Member

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    I never said that the Prius won't tow a trailer. What I did say is that the manufacturer states that the Prius is NOT designed to be used as a tow vehicle. Read the owner's manual for more information concerning the topic of towing with the Prius.

    I for one believe the Prius has more than enough power to safely tow a small trailer. As long as it was loaded properly, and the tongue weight was correctly setup, there is really no reason why the Prius can't do it. The real restriction comes from Toyota. As other's have pointed out here on Prius Chat, the Prius can indeed tow a trailer.

    There is a difference between what the manufacturer states a product is designed for versus how a end user will use any product.

    Ron (dorunron)