Full Version: Towing
For the guys with slide rules: If my teener's front wheels are on a tow dolly, rear wheels on the ground, how much weight am I towing? I ask because my SUV can only tow 1500 lbs. Thanks.
What kind of SUV is this?!?
The entire weight of the tow dolly, car and any other items is the what you are towing.
Tongue weight is the force depressing the hitch.
KT
The entire weight of the tow dolly, car and any other items is the what you are towing.
Tongue weight is the force depressing the hitch.
KT
QUOTE(underdog @ Nov 7 2012, 03:08 PM) 
For the guys with slide rules: If my teener's front wheels are on a tow dolly, rear wheels on the ground, how much weight am I towing? I ask because my SUV can only tow 1500 lbs. Thanks.
You are towing the full weight of the car and the dolly.
You are carring the weight associated with the hitch ball
QUOTE(underdog @ Nov 7 2012, 12:08 PM)
For the guys with slide rules: If my teener's front wheels are on a tow dolly, rear wheels on the ground, how much weight am I towing? I ask because my SUV can only tow 1500 lbs. Thanks.
that seems awfully light for an SUV.... what kind of truck is it? the most important consideration is the Braking ability of the tow vehicle. I flat tow with my Volvo 850 and and the owners manual recommends 1500 pounds if there's no brakes on the trailer but over 3000 pounds if it has brakes... flat tow is much more stable than a dolly and of course lighter by the amount the dolly weighs.
I actually still have several slide-rules tucked in a drawer somewhere! 
.... but you won't need it, cuz as noted above - it's the total weight of 914 + dolly or trailer that you're towing & tongue weight is usually about 10-15% of that total. I went through this recently for my wife's recently acquired restored vntage travel trailer, so it's more than I ever wanted to know!
It's probably a 4 cyl small SUV, unless it's the braked vs non-braked weights.
If you're okay to tow 3000 braked, then you'll need a 700 lb braked trailer + 2270 lbs of 914 with drivetrain (much less if engine/transaxle is out of it), or else & more likely a braked dolly.
You may be better off renting a pickup to tow with, from U-Haul, Hertz Equipment rentals, etc. Penske & Budget will rent you a big 16-20' box truck with a hitch too, but Penske only allows you to tow with their trailer (more rental fees) & not sure about Budget.
One other possibility is if you can find a Toyota Rent A Car (TRAC) participating dealership who actually rents an SUV or Pick-up to tow with (I found that most dealers don't).
The regular car rental places don't allow towing with their SUVs/trucks, even though many have tow set-ups.
Most of the above you can Google & find online, as well as some good towing safety info.
Good Luck!
.... but you won't need it, cuz as noted above - it's the total weight of 914 + dolly or trailer that you're towing & tongue weight is usually about 10-15% of that total. I went through this recently for my wife's recently acquired restored vntage travel trailer, so it's more than I ever wanted to know!
It's probably a 4 cyl small SUV, unless it's the braked vs non-braked weights.
If you're okay to tow 3000 braked, then you'll need a 700 lb braked trailer + 2270 lbs of 914 with drivetrain (much less if engine/transaxle is out of it), or else & more likely a braked dolly.
You may be better off renting a pickup to tow with, from U-Haul, Hertz Equipment rentals, etc. Penske & Budget will rent you a big 16-20' box truck with a hitch too, but Penske only allows you to tow with their trailer (more rental fees) & not sure about Budget.
One other possibility is if you can find a Toyota Rent A Car (TRAC) participating dealership who actually rents an SUV or Pick-up to tow with (I found that most dealers don't).
The regular car rental places don't allow towing with their SUVs/trucks, even though many have tow set-ups.
Most of the above you can Google & find online, as well as some good towing safety info.
Good Luck!
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