uskrewed

That's true, I could only imagine all the horrible things I'd do to men if I were female. At least do the right thing and cook the dude a meal.

GuitarJoe03

After following this thread for months, I finally ordered my Curt hitch and attempted the installation this afternoon. I had a heckuva time.

Eventually, I was able to coax it into place and get it bolted on - but I ran into one problem: the washers for the largest bolts are blocking the holes for the lower smaller bolts. Did anyone else have this issue? If so, how did you remedy it - just omit the washers?

Would anyone mind snapping a quick pic of their nut layout on their hitch?

Any help would be awesome!

GuitarJoe

mcbrew

I just ground the washers down so that they cleared the other holes.

mcbrew

Time to tow my scooter to work for the spring/summer. I've got a 50cc scooter that I use when the weather is nice. Can't commute with it, since I live 30 miles from work... but I use it to go out to lunch and run errands during the day. It's super-fun at the beach, too.

This pic is from last year... before I put sides on my trailer:



Oops... just realized I already posted this pic in this thread... oh, well.. sue me.

GuitarJoe03

Thanks, McBrew - The xD, scooter and trailer look just as good the second time around.
I've got a couple more questions, if you don't mind helping a newbie out - my Harbor Freight 4x8 trailer is ready to go, with the exception of lights.
I've got a Hopkins converter wiring kit (46255) and I'm trying to figure out where the best place to tap into the tail lights is. I pulled off the plastic covers in the back to access the tail lights, but the wires are bound together with tape and there doesn't seem to be any slack. Where did you end up getting your signals from?
I saw in an earlier post that you recommended get the power from behind the tip-out cubby - how'd you remove it?
Thanks again for your help! This thread has been a huge inspiration!
Joe

mcbrew

You'll need to peel off some of that tape. I had to do this on almost every car I've installed a converter on... even my Sprinter van.

The tip-out cubby is easy to remove... just tip it open, then pull up on it. The hinge part will just pop apart.

dscatto

i believe this is my first post on here. just wanted to say this thread has been VERY helpful & entertaining! after seeing the pics i have decided to go with the receiver hitch & not a mounted bike rack. i do have one question. it seems everyone has gone with the curt (p/n: 11491) i was on etrailer.com. how do y'all feel about the draw-tite & hidden hitch versions of the receiver hitch. they're cheaper, but are they just as good?

mcbrew

The Curt hitch is a little beefier and has stronger (and more) mounting bolts. You'll want a strong hitch for a bike rack because of the leverage. It's not that much more... You'll forget about the price difference in the long run.

1800collect

So do you think an Xd could pull one of those pop-up tent trailers?

awarachiago

mcbrew

It could tow some pop-up trailers. Some of them are pretty heavy. All of the US hitches for the xD are class-I, which allow for 2,000 pounds for the trailer and 200 pounds for the tongue weight. You also need to think about braking (electric or surge brakes for heavier trailers) and wind resistance (for larger trailers). Also, you need to think about where you'll be driving it (flat highways or mountain passes). You also need to be reasonable about your expectations and sensible about how you drive. You shouldn't tow a 1,500 pound trailer behind an xD and drive 80 MPH like it wasn't there.

I drove a few hundred miles with a 1,600 pound trailer behind the xD with no trailer brakes. Some of this included hills, but not mountains. The xD was able to cruise along at 65 MPH easily, although I kept it around 55-60 for most of the trip. I occasionally had to downshift on long uphill stretches and the speed dropped down to 50 or so a few times. I got 31 MPG on that trip, so it is pretty clear that it wasn't too hard on the car.

My wife and I want to ger a 13' Scamp or Casita trailer in a few years. They are fiberglass campers that weight in at about 1,000 pounds, not including a few extra options and camping gear. I will add an electric brake controller before we get it... Just for peace of mind. I know the xD can handle it, but I don't want to be worried about an emergency stop on a long camping trip... Especially with our new baby onboard!

As a side not... I think it is funny how people think you need a lot more power to tow. A review of the Scamp trailers said that a car with over 210 horsepower should be bake to tow it. I think that's funny, because I have a class-a RV that weighs in at over 16,000 pounds that only has 185 horspower! I used to tow a 2,000 pound pop-up camper with a car that only has 78 horsepower.

GuitarJoe03

I spent the afternoon today in the garage with my xd and harbor freight trailer. Thanks to McBrew's help, I've got my Hoppy kit hooked up to the xD's signals and everything seems to be working perfectly!

McBrew - One more question on the power for the Hoppy converter - For testing, I connected the Hoppy power wire directly to the battery, but I like your idea of using the power from behind the tipout cup better. What kind of plug adapter did you use to get the power wire connected? I can't seem to find anything that looks like it would fit.

Thanks for all the help and inspiration you've given me!

GuitarJoe03

Nevermind - a female spade connector hooked on the upper post did the trick! I tucked the power cable underneath the plastic by the driver's side door, then beneath the rear driver's side floormat, under the seat and into the little cubby that contains the jack, along with the other wires and the Hoppy converter unit - keeps everything nice and out of the way.

I'm ready to go and pick up my homemade wooden rowboat and then take it to the lake with my xD!

mcbrew

Sounds great! You shouldn't have any trouble towing it.

dscatto

thank you for the help!

mcbrew

Just got home with some treasure...



This sucker weighs over 500 pounds. It was quite an ordeal getting it up the deck stairs to the house. Now I just have to get it working properly.

EDIT: Just found the specs for this model -- 823 pounds!!!

hobojon

Sefi

Thanks hobojon, that made me snort Kool Aid all over my laptop!

mcbrew

I've seen that pic... that's hilarious! There's also a good one of a VW Jetta with a pallet of plywood on the roof. That one was taken a few miles from where I live.

Here are a couple more of that Blazer...

vbrents

Hi yall, couple good laughs and excellent info in this thread, thanks!

I'm looking to add a tow package to an automatic xD, does anyone have a recommendation for a tranny cooler?

I've overtowed several vehicles and I want to add a few warnings to you guys who are pushing the limits. A couple critical areas to keep an eye on are the CV joints, clutches, tranny fluid, the brake drums/disks going out of round/warping, burned brake fluid, and brake pads/shoes glazing/cracking, etc.

From what I can discern, the xD manual/auto curb weights are 2625/2665 lbs respectively. The GVWR is 3605 lbs, leaving about 980/940 lbs for fuel, people, gear, and tongue weight. Theoretically, the 3605 is the max load the drivetrain and brakes, etc. are designed to carry.

Now factor in the 1820 lbs RGAWR and the 200lbs tongue weight and the trailer gross weight is 1333 lbs, or add 20% safety margin and the trailer gross weight comes to about 1067 lbs. You can figure this yourself using a travel trailer weight calculator found on the web or through UHaul, etc.

That in no way means the vehicle can handle that weight, but it should in the short term. Long term wear will show the full truth on the matter, and definitely brakes, maybe clutch, will be the first to go.

To be safe on the brakes (remember momentum?), figure the trailer GW into the car's GVWR. So for me, 200 lbs person + 75 lbs full tank of gasoline = 275 from 940 = 665 lbs trailer GW.

Something else comes to mind about Toyota not rating the vehicle for towing in the US (if the same exact car is being rated in other countries). It probably costs a couple million $$$ per model/year of car to have the US gov't certify it, just not worth it.