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prius w/small trailer and moped

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by debos, Jul 30, 2009.

  1. debos

    debos New Member

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    ive seen some discussions on here about pulling trailers with prius's, which i know your not supossed to, but anyone have thoughts on me attach a small utility trailer with my moped on it? (probably about 100 pound in total weight) any input would be appreciated...
     
    #1 debos, Jul 30, 2009
  2. smartalec89

    smartalec89 The Official Alaskan

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    You should be able to tow atleast 500 if not more. I have seen a couple here in AK pulling 4wheelers and snowmachines. If your looking for a hitch I suggest Costaltech.
     
    #2 smartalec89, Jul 30, 2009
  3. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    You sure about your estimate? What model of trailer and moped is it?

    Without looking it up, how much do you think your Prius weighs?
     
    #3 cwerdna, Aug 1, 2009
  4. debos

    debos New Member

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    i get the first part of your question. its a rolling frame without and engine so probably about 50 pounds. the trailers a small utility one that probably comes in about 50-75. about 100 pounds give or take.

    the second part is just insulting. im tired of asking reasonable questions on here and getting a lot of push back. answer the question or dont chime your 2 cents in.
     
    #4 debos, Aug 1, 2009
  5. ChrisViking

    ChrisViking New Member

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    I doubt you'll have any trouble at all, with a trailer that light. I just put a hitch and wiring on my 2007 Prius today and look forward to trying it out.

    My current utilty trailer is the 'standard' steel mesh 4 ft. x 8 ft., 300 lb. My next trailer will be a modified aluminum boat trailer, with some sort of waterproof enclosed body (like a roof-mounted enclosure off an RV or SUV).

    Be sure to use powered trailer wiring, where the trailer lights are powered by the car's battery, and the car wiring merely signals what trailer light should be on, rather than powering the trailer light directly with the car wiring.

    best,
    Chris
     
    #5 ChrisViking, Aug 1, 2009
  6. V8Cobrakid

    V8Cobrakid Green Handyman

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    Chris.. your trailer sounds like mine. steel mesh. very heavy.

    OP.. you shouldn't have any problems.. except for reduced mpg while towing.
     
    #6 V8Cobrakid, Aug 1, 2009
  7. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    No, from your initial post, I felt your estimates were too low.

    Long ago, I had a conversation w/a friend of mine about car weights and when I gave her some example curb weights, she was surprised. She thought cars were only ~1000 lbs. She was an engineering major at MIT and used to do OS kernel programming, so she's no dummy, just not a car enthusiast.

    I know nothing about moped but from quick searches, I've seen weights range from 75 lbs. to 500. People will be able to better answer your question once you have actual figures instead of guesses.
     
    #7 cwerdna, Aug 2, 2009
  8. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

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    Chris,
    be careful with one of these plastic boxes on a trailer. I made a trailer to tow behind my motorbike using a car top box and due to the harsher ride on a trailer compared to the roof of a car or SUV the box cracked and some of my stuff was lost. Thule, the maker of the box refused warranty because I didn't mount it on a car.[​IMG]
    By patsparks at 2007-04-04
     
    #8 patsparks, Aug 2, 2009
  9. Froley1

    Froley1 New Member

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    This is a very cool hack--no matter the result.
    Froley
     
    #9 Froley1, Aug 2, 2009
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