bluenjsciontc

damn feeltheburn you beat me to it lol, i was gonna state the same thing lol thats the first thing i thought when i saw it

fachiro1

You can tow an American FLyer!


lol

seriously though, is it safe?

I'm thinking a single jet ski, or a bicycle carrying trailer might me the max.

amosslee

Well, my xB comes to me on Tuesday, and I can't wait for the summer to tow my little Coleman Colorado Sport camping trailer (~700 lbs). My wife and I have towed it all over the west coast (including up some mountains) with our .2 L, 135 hp Saturn Wagon:




That's a bit more oomph than the xB's 1.5 L, 108 hp, but what the hey.

I think, as others have said, you just have to remember you're towing something, and drive accordingly. Downshift on hills (up and down), use the right lane, and drive defensively, looking way down the road to give yourself stopping time.

When I get my trailer hitched up, I'll be sure to post some photos :D

Guamsilverbox671

Well.... I guess it depends on what the owner is towing. Just by looking at pics of the hitch, it look like it was design for light duty towing. (Such as the biker trailer, or any trailer weighing less than 900lbs). lol Scion does not recomend that you use your box for towing (and I do agree to some extent), I guess just use common sense on what you are going to tow. For me to belive that an xB or an xA can tow a 1200lb tailer seems kinda risky

And what about other issues such as braking? A 700lb trailer would be alot easier to stop than that of a trailer wieghing 1200 or more.

Before buying a hitch, have you calculate what you are going to tow? How much does the trailer weighs? (Total gross weight including contents: Boat, bike, camper, ect)

Whats the tongue weigh on the hitch? Would your box be saging down when trailer is attached? The hitch hungs closely low to the ground. Also where would you put the saftey chains? I assume that all trailer should have this?

And theres the pay load. Would your box be struggling to pull the weighted trailer? Would handling also be affected with a trailer?

stick_1NZ's pics of the box towing a bike looks safe enought to tow, yet becuase the trailer does not weigh alot. I would assume that towing a 700lbs camper also would be the same.

XbFellow

I needed a hitch also so we could pull our jet ski to the river. I didn't want something that might rub the ground, so decided on a trhu the bumper hitch. Luckily my neighbor is a welder, so we whipped this up one afternoon. Total cost was about $20 including the 1 1/2" square tubing and 1/4" flat plate. The 2" ball and stinger was bought at WalMart. It tows great. Just my version. Here's some pictures...

http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/View...375&p=73700987

GaryB in Prosser, Wa.

vintage42

In 1971 I pulled a U-Haul 4x8 box trailer with my 1968 Bug from Louisville to Rochester, 650 miles. Returned without trailer to Louisville, with engine running rough, due to burned #3 valve.

Traded for new 1971 Bug, which in 1972 pulled the same trailer from Rochester to Louisville, arriving with a burned #3 valve. That valve ran hottest because the oil cooler tower blocked air from the fan. That would not have happened a liquid-cooled engine.

For past 150,000 miles have pulled a 2,000-lb boat/trailer with a 4-cyl 5-spd Mazda truck rated for 2,000 lbs with no problems at all. Clutch still original.
http://aatherton06.home.insightbb.co...r/Trailer.html

I have a Harbor Freight folding trailer for motorcycles that I would not hesitate to pull short distances with the 5-spd xB. Go easy on the clutch, and keep the rpms high and don't use 5th gear, because the xB has so little torque. I would not try it with the automatic, as it could overheat the transmission.

greenenvy

Hi, my first post. Just bought an xB Envy Green to be delivered within the next couple of weeks. I've done some internet research and found this hitch by Curt, the only one made for the xB that I can find. I would think that Curt would not be selling this if they didn't believe it safe to use on the xB with liability issues and all. I'm going to use mine with a bike rack but would also like to use a Stowaway Lite cargo box with it too. Only problem is this hitch is a Class I receiver hitch and the Stowaways require a Class II. Both have a tongue weight limit of 200 lbs. I contacted Stowaway to inquire why they don't show them compatible with a class I when they both have the same tongue weight limit. The company representative said that as long as the weight limit wasn't exceeded (75 lbs. for the stowaway plus 125 lbs of gear) that there was no danger of the hitch coming off but that the engine or transmission might not be able to take the extra weight so far from the axle. This doesn't seem like it would be a true problem but since I'm new to the xB I'd like other members opinions. Thanks, Dave

Garzasgirlie

looks good man

Driver_Lost

vintage42

I would think the xB with a careful driver could easily handle over a long distance:
1. A DIY kit trailer with a bike.
2. A PWC on a trailer.
3. A little aerodynamic cargo trailer like Driver_Lost has.
These have low weight and low wind resistance. A careful driver would not slip the clutch when starting off to use it as a torque converter, and would not use full throttle in 5th gear or let the RPMs in any gear drop under 3000.

I would hesitate to pull over a long distance:
1. A camplng trailer.
2. A boat on a trailer.
3. A box trailer.
3. A trailer + load of more than 500 lbs.

vintage42

Hey Driver_Lost, where did you get that little cargo trailer?

Driver_Lost

The trailer is a kit you can find on line for about $175.00. The box is a sears roof carrier mounted to it.



Rob

Bubble2Box

I hope I get to install my new (to me) hitch on VooDoo this weekend. It should be just like this install.....

Oh wait, it's this Hitch....Thanks the sell, Trik!!!

vintage42

Cool. Is it like the 40x48 Harbor Freight #90153-4VGA, or is it narrower than 48"?
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=90153

I made a Harbor Freight 4x8 folding trailer:
http://aatherton06.home.insightbb.co...r/Trailer.html

vintage42

OK, I see #90153-4VGA is 40-1/2" W x 48"L, so that's like what you have.

xA_Factor

I'm going to weigh-in here and give my 2 cents....just for the heck of it.

Toyota does not recommend towing for the xB. This we all know. It's a small light-weight vehicle, with a small engine and brakes. This we know as well.

But here's the reality....a small trailer, particularly a small areodynamic motorcycle trailer that weighs 500 pounds or less loaded should not pose an issue, provided you keep the tongue weight at no more than a 100 lbs or so.

IMO, the hitch should be bolted to the uni-body rails where the tie-down hooks are mounted. It appears that's where it's been attached in the pix.

I don't see the big deal....especially since it's not my vehicle. If people want to tow small loads with their Boxes, let 'em.

MASTERTECH

well atleast install a trans cooler so you dont over heat the fluid and easy on the brakes . o and you known you did void you power train warranty right

xA_Factor

Not a bad idea.

greenenvy

I appreciate the opinions and I think I will skip the cargo box and just use the hitch for my bicycle carrier. I can't imagine this would be a problem. I'm thinking of installing the Yakima roof carrier and get a roof cargo box instead. Since the Yakima is one of the options offered for the xB I don't have to worry about any warranty violations and don't have to install a beefed up transmission fluid radiator. I just like the convenience of the hitch box vs. the roof box. The xB just doesn't have enough room for storage when I'm carrying a family of four on a vacation but I love the looks and features enough to not worry about this. I also thought of adding the wire screen divider in the back so I could pack my gear up to the ceiling but I don't like not being able to see out my back window.
Since I havn't gotten my xB yet, does anyone have a clear image of the ipod interface that comes with the envy green sound system? I can't seem to find one anywhere on the net. Thanks, Dave

jthebear

I was checking out the small trailer with the rooftop carrier mounted on it. It seems that set up would be kinder to the xB than carrying the same carrier on top of the roof. I am thinking it is better because of aerodynamics. The box on top of the box seems like pushing a wall down the road.