I have a 2002 TS, and very much want to tow a tent trailer. Has
anyone done this? I see my dealer has a hitch for my car, but they
didn't instill too much confidence in me for towing a trailer.

The tent trailer I want to tow is 1245 lbs unloaded, with a maximum
weight of 2300 lbs loaded (so says the manufacturer). The trailer
does have electric brakes, but that would require me to have the
proper wiring at the hitch.

Can this be done safely? Has anyone else towed something similar with
their TS?

In article <1187059240.826569.107330@j4g2000prf.googlegroups. com>,
AJH <aaron.hudon@gmail.com> wrote:

> I have a 2002 TS, and very much want to tow a tent trailer. Has
> anyone done this? I see my dealer has a hitch for my car, but they
> didn't instill too much confidence in me for towing a trailer.
>
> The tent trailer I want to tow is 1245 lbs unloaded, with a maximum
> weight of 2300 lbs loaded (so says the manufacturer). The trailer
> does have electric brakes, but that would require me to have the
> proper wiring at the hitch.
>
> Can this be done safely? Has anyone else towed something similar with
> their TS?

1) Subaru states that all trailers must have brakes. 2) You are right to
be careful, Sub is a great vehicle, but for towing I use a truck (I have
towed with a Sub though). 3) You might be ok towing this, but keep the
loading light (ie don't fill the car and the trailer with everything you
can fit in) PS Prodigy is a great brake controller, yes you will need
one of them too

--
--------------------------------------------------------
Personal e-mail is the n7bsn but at amsat.org
This posting address is a spam-trap and seldom read
RV and Camping FAQ can be found at
http://www.ralphandellen.us/rv

Hi Aaron!

On Mon, 13 Aug 2007 19:40:40 -0700, AJH <aaron.hudon@gmail.com> wrote:

>I have a 2002 TS, and very much want to tow a tent trailer. Has
>anyone done this? I see my dealer has a hitch for my car, but they
>didn't instill too much confidence in me for towing a trailer.
>
>The tent trailer I want to tow is 1245 lbs unloaded, with a maximum
>weight of 2300 lbs loaded (so says the manufacturer). The trailer
>does have electric brakes, but that would require me to have the
>proper wiring at the hitch.
>
>Can this be done safely? Has anyone else towed something similar with
>their TS?

I've towed a 2-place snowmobile (est. 1500 lb ?) trailer with the '02
WRX wagon (5SPD) I used to have, using the factory (TS) hitch. The
trailer did _not_ have brakes. No real issues as long as you made sure
the trailer was tongue-heavy (prevents fish-tailing), and took it easy
on the down hills. Don't think I'd want to tow something a whole lot
heavier than that, tho, especially w/o trailer brakes.
For comparison, a 3 rail motorcycle trailer with two Honda XRs on it
(est. 800lb ?) was practically unnoticeable.

ByeBye! S.

Steve Jernigan KG0MB
Laboratory Manager
Microelectronics Research
University of Colorado
(719) 262-3101

Hello:

I have a Coleman Taos tent trailer. It is about 1000 lbs. I've towed it with
a Subaru Loyale and a Subaru Legacy Wagon.

The Loyale (93hp!) was a brave little car, and did its best, but it
wasn't *close* to powerful enough. Also the brakes weren't anywhere near
being up to the task; on a long downhill run coming into Fundy National
Park, the brakes were *smoking* and had faded away to nothing at the end of
the hill... Scary! Obviously completely inappropriate.
We next bought a Subaru Legacy Wagon, 165hp, 2000 lb towing capacity. We
thought it would be a fine tow vehicle; the dealer said, "No problem".
Experience has showed me that this wasn't true.
We used it on three big trips: to the West Coast two years ago, and 2
trips to the East Coast. For our trailer it seemed to have enough power,
although it struggled a bit on the Cabot Trail in Cape Breton in some of the
really steep spots. No problem with the brakes, either. But...it had a
problem with the tongue weight of the trailer; after the long trip to the
West coast (we live in Southern Ontario), the back tires were worn unevenly
from the suspension being overloaded.
Even though the trailer is only *supposed* to weight 1000 lbs and the
Subie is rated to 2000 lbs, it works out to a whole lot more weight in the
real world with the trailer packed and the wagon packed and two kids and two
adults. I would add one other piece of information: we thought the Subie
could be fine if we installed air bags in the springs to help with the
tongue weight. However, the suspension design of the Subie prevents the use
of any kind of air bags or such-like devices to add stiffness to the rear
suspension. So...you can't overcome that limitation. Also, in neither Subie
were we able to see over the top of the trailer, which was very awkward when
backing, and not a good thing in general when driving. (Although the Outback
is slightly raised, you *might* just be able to see over the back...)
We bought a Toyota Sienna this past summer, and I am looking forward to
our summer trip to the West coast in a vehicle more appropriately suited to
pulling our tent trailer. It'll be nice to be able to see behind us for
once, as well!
Not what you want to hear, I'm sure. But, this has been my personal
experience.

P.S. You might want to post in alt.rv.pop-up-trailers - lots of towing
experts there!


Happy Camping!
Coleman Taos 2000
Toyota Sienna 2004
--
Fred Boer - Amateur Access Enthusiast
Interests: Library software / Z39.50 / Web Services
Freeware Small Library Application available here:
http://www3.sympatico.ca/lornarourke/



"AJH" <aaron.hudon@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1187059240.826569.107330@j4g2000prf.googlegro ups.com...
>I have a 2002 TS, and very much want to tow a tent trailer. Has
> anyone done this? I see my dealer has a hitch for my car, but they
> didn't instill too much confidence in me for towing a trailer.
>
> The tent trailer I want to tow is 1245 lbs unloaded, with a maximum
> weight of 2300 lbs loaded (so says the manufacturer). The trailer
> does have electric brakes, but that would require me to have the
> proper wiring at the hitch.
>
> Can this be done safely? Has anyone else towed something similar with
> their TS?
>

In article <40i3c3pqmo7ud10puj2u6qusr3vsv3buf9@4ax.com>,
S <jernigan@chester.uccs.edu> wrote:

> Hi Aaron!
>
> On Mon, 13 Aug 2007 19:40:40 -0700, AJH <aaron.hudon@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> >I have a 2002 TS, and very much want to tow a tent trailer. Has
> >anyone done this? I see my dealer has a hitch for my car, but they
> >didn't instill too much confidence in me for towing a trailer.
> >
> >The tent trailer I want to tow is 1245 lbs unloaded, with a maximum
> >weight of 2300 lbs loaded (so says the manufacturer). The trailer
> >does have electric brakes, but that would require me to have the
> >proper wiring at the hitch.
> >
> >Can this be done safely? Has anyone else towed something similar with
> >their TS?
>
> I've towed a 2-place snowmobile (est. 1500 lb ?) trailer with the '02
> WRX wagon (5SPD) I used to have, using the factory (TS) hitch. The
> trailer did _not_ have brakes. No real issues as long as you made sure
> the trailer was tongue-heavy (prevents fish-tailing), and took it easy
> on the down hills. Don't think I'd want to tow something a whole lot
> heavier than that, tho, especially w/o trailer brakes.
> For comparison, a 3 rail motorcycle trailer with two Honda XRs on it
> (est. 800lb ?) was practically unnoticeable.
>
While you can plan on hills, and slow as needed, you can't plan on
emergency stops, which is why I urge trailer brakes (see the other
response)

--
--------------------------------------------------------
Personal e-mail is the n7bsn but at amsat.org
This posting address is a spam-trap and seldom read
RV and Camping FAQ can be found at
http://www.ralphandellen.us/rv