Towing a Quad

We recently picked up a Honda Rancher quad and utility trailer. I would say the whole setup weighs under 1,000 pounds, the quad itself is only about 600lb with fluids. I'm going to be towing it occasionally to a friends farm. I'm going to try and buy Class 2 hitch i've found one of our members selling. My question is will my car be ok with the following: 2.93 posi, Moog 6623 variable rate springs, and gabriel ultra shocks. My guess is with such a small load it's fine, but I figure those who actually tow would know.

Should be fine. I towed my 5x8 trailer from U-haul (900 pounds empty, according to the website) and it was loaded to the brim with furniture and apartment goods with my car. Severe service shocks, and 122k mile stock rears. No scraping or worry to be had.

Justin

You won't even know you're towing a trailer.

tom

^ Pretty much, that. The only time I felt the trailer behind me was with cross-winds. I was comfortably going 75-80 the whole time.

Stingroo wrote:

^ Pretty much, that. The only time I felt the trailer behind me was with cross-winds. I was comfortably going 75-80 the whole time.

But it says right on the drivers fender that the limit is 45 MPH (inversely printed so you can read it in your mirror). Are we going to have to call the Uhaul police?

Cadet, I have Hauled a 6,000 lb full sized (26 feet) travel trailer with my Caddy with the same gears, without an issue, over 4,000 miles. Your car won't even feel that trailer behind it. Probably won't lose much fuel mileage either.

Bill

LOLOLOL

If you did 55mph on the Interstate in Florida - you would be a pancake in seconds.

Cadet57 wrote:

I would say the whole setup weighs under 1,000 pounds,

Assuming you achieve the ideal 10% tongue weight, that's 100 lbs hanging off the bumper. With those springs the car probably won't settle more than an inch. 1,000lbs? That's 5 or 6 adults in the car (there's a little man on my left shoulder telling me to add "or 4 middle-aged Americans with Slurpees" but the one on the right shoulder is screaming "DON'T YOU DARE!". So I won't.)

Your biggest problem will be backing up. Small trailers with short tongues change direction very rapidly and tend to crease bumper covers before you can say "Which way did he go?"

Justin,you will be fine just take your time getting use to the way your wagon responds when towing a trailer.Keep your speed at the limit until you're comfortable and remember NO SUDDEN CORRECTIONS.Learn to check your mirrors often and stop periodically and tighten down those straps!Backing up very slowly and again watching your mirrors will give you the time to correctyour trailer from getting to far out of line.When I was driving for Smithfield Packing we use to have these Rodeo's for the drivers.You would have to back up these single axle 28 foot trailers into these very narrow slots.The first one in "CLEAN" meaning no contact or cones knocked over wins and I won everyone of them for the 3 years they had them.The shorter the trailer the quicker it reacts to your imput so nice and slow at first!

Flasheroo wrote:

Justin,you will be fine just take your time getting use to the way your wagon responds when towing a trailer.Keep your speed at the limit until you're comfortable and remember NO SUDDEN CORRECTIONS.Learn to check your mirrors often and stop periodically and tighten down those straps!

That triggers a flashback: A few years ago my brother and I were trailering a motorcycle in the middle of the night. Cruising along a 2-lane highway with no other traffic in sight I was driving on auto-pilot having a relaxed chit-chat when suddenly a large* buck leapt out from the left and froze in my lane. There was absolutely no time to think, and reactions took over. I snapped the wheel left to avoid the deer then snapped the wheel right to avoid the guard rail. I glanced in the right mirror at this moment to see what happened and could see the entire side of the trailer! My brother (a professional truck driver) couldn't believe we didn't jacknife, probably because the RMW was still considerably larger and heavier than the loaded trailer. We pulled over and the bike hadn't moved much at all.

I don't recommend attempting to reproduce my manouver, but pay close attention to Flasheroo's advice about the straps, just in case the sudden correction is unavoidable.

*in the glare of the headlights, he seemed about 10 feet tall but in truth was probably only 4 points.

Justin I towed a Uhaul car trailer with a 9c1 attached behind my 92 Roadmaster sedan. I certainly knew it was there but I made the LONG journey through the MOUNTAINS of NH. That quad is like having a few people in your car. Remember, your car was built to haul 8 people.