I Want To Buy This Trailer .... Opinions?

Can a Prius C tow this?: Heavy Duty Utility Trailer - 870 Lb. Capacity

 

My opinion is yes (towing, but within the limits of a Class I hitch with a 1-7/8" ball) ... but Toyota's opinion is no (no towing of any kind).

Trailer hitch manufacturers are very careful to specify the nameplate capacity of their hitches.

For a Class I hitch with a 1-1/4" receiver, for the Prius c, the usual hitch specification is either 200 pounds tongue weight and 2,000 pounds total trailer weight (everyone except Curt) or 150 pounds tongue weight and 1,000 pounds total trailer weight (Curt).

However, many manufacturers also state, along with the above, "or as limited by the tow vehicle's specifications, as stated in the vehicle's instruction manual", which we know from Toyota is zero and zero.

On a personal note, I have purchased Harbor Freight's trailer kits and I think they are well-designed for the reasonably experienced person.

As usual, with Harbor Freight, it is best to buy such an "overweight" item (using H.F.'s definition of overweight) when they offer free shipping.

Overweight shipping on that relatively light duty, relatively inexpensive trailer kit, is almost $90, or a fair percentage of the on-sale cost of the item itself.

With the kit, you will receive documents which are to be filled-out and submitted to your DMV for licensing. The trailer's frame has a serial number for this purpose, and you are expected to drive the completed trailer to a DMV inspection station for verification of that serial number.

With Harbor Freight, the lighting kit and the license plate holder are often extra-cost items, but I see the lighting hit is included with this trailer.


The deck for that 40 x 48 trailer is obviously not supplied, but could be made from two pieces of 2 x 4 x 3/4 plywood or MDF butted together and splined using biscuits, although MDO (medium density overlay" ... MDF to which a tough paper overlay has been applied) might be a better choice.


Remember, the Prius c's transaxle is lubricated by Type WS ATF, and this lubricant's normal lifetime is, well, life, or almost life.

However, whenever a Type WS ATF-lubricated transmission (or any transmission, for that matter) is used for towing, the lifetime of the lubricant is dramatically reduced.