tow bar

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(pedro @ Mar 27 2007, 05:07 AM) [snapback]412817[/snapback]</div>

here is a link but I am looking to use for bicycles only not really towing anything

http://www.coastaletech.com/04hitch.htm

 

Prius has no towing capability.

Ken@Japan

 

What Ken said. The prius has no towing capability! People have fitted bicycle racks to it but I haven't read about people trying to tow even smatt trailer with it. I don't think the frame was built for it

 

I remember a post on here were some dude wanted to two a trailer with his Harley Davidson on it. He stated he was not towing anything heavy, well for a vehicle with no towing capacity what so ever half a ton is a lot. He was stating that the bike was only like 5 or 6 hundred pounds and the prius has a 600-pound load capacity. He forgot about the trailer being an additional 250- 400 pounds depending. Not to mention tow capacity and payload are two different thing entirely so it all depends what you are trying to tow and why. The bike (bicycle) thing is probably ok but I would not go more than the weight of two or three bikes.


Not saying you are doing this but I have to tell this to someone. A neighbor who bought a boat went to tow it home with his truck and was mad because it weighed way to much for his truck. He looked at my other neighbor who went to help and was like why is this a problem its only a little bit over the limit. My friend looked at the numbers and said “dude the boat is like 500 pounds over your tow limit and that is without the trailerâ€.

 

The prius is not rated for towing at all. Officially, you should not tow with it. That being said, I have very successfully towed loads in the 600-800lb range over short distances. I'm using the hitch from coastal, linked to by an earlier poster, but U-haul also offers a hitch. Use extreme caution if you choose to tow with this vehicle. It is front wheel drive, so even a little upset in the balance can dramaticly impact steering and handling. No one knows how much weight the car can tow safely, as the listed cargo capacity is for suspension load, not a towed load. I, myself, limit it to 1000lbs, but I usually prefer to stay under 600 as it handles better there.

 

You do realize that should you get in an accident your insurance will most likely not cover the repair cost, as the vehicle is not designed to tow. If you know you have handling issues with the vehicle I would say it is not safe and you should not be driving like that you endanger the life’s of others on the road.

I am sorry I just can believe you would do that. Anytime a vehicle does not handle safely it is the responsibility of the owner to fix the problem. Hell the brakes are not designed to handle that kind of load. What would you do if the vehicle stability control kicks on in an emergency it does not know how to compensate for a rear load on the exterior of the vehicle. Are you such a good drive that you can manually correct for a computer control error? If you think you might be go to an open parking lot and drive your car hard and see if you can make it do things it doesn’t want to and be in 100% control of the car at all times I guaranty it is harder than you think. I consider myself to be a fair driver I can handle some difficult maneuvers but with vsc and traction control not all maneuvers are the same. Seriously if you can take a class that offers you the ability to drive a vehicle without all the modern safety equipment and then do the same thing with it you will find a big difference. Now try it with 600 pound flailing around and the vsc and traction control going crazy. Oh and you are trying to avoid the minivan with kids in it.

 

There is now a small yahoo group called 'priustrailers', where some expertise on this heretical topic resides.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(pedro @ Mar 27 2007, 10:07 AM) [snapback]412817[/snapback]</div>

I, too, am looking to instal a hitch to the back of my Prius to fix a cycle rack. I can find no supplier in the UK - Anybody got any ideas??

Gfish

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Gfish @ Nov 24 2007, 11:38 AM) [snapback]543635[/snapback]</div>

Look under modifications, I think is call "pimp your prius" There are long threads about hitches and trailers inculding the micro-lite sports rig that I use. All advice about NOT towing not withstanding.

Icarus


<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Gfish @ Nov 24 2007, 11:38 AM) [snapback]543635[/snapback]</div>

Look under modifications, I think is call "pimp your prius" There are long threads about hitches and trailers inculding the micro-lite sports rig that I use. All advice about NOT towing not withstanding.

Icarus