Prius Optimist

Saw a late model Prius with what appeared to be a Class III Receiver installed. At least it had a 2"x2" opening for a tow bar. I'd love to see what he intends to pull!!!

It is probably capable of pulling as much as your TDI, just not for long, and it may have a tough time stopping it once the batteries are at full capacity.

Electric motors have a crap-ton of torque, but in this application it is short lived because you only get the full output while the batteries are charged up.

I was once told that the true optimist is the owner of a Yugo with a trailer hitch.

Have Fun!

Don

Go to a race track and you'll see a lot of Corvettes with hitches for tire trailers. Owners tell me it's pretty amusing to see the shop workers' faces when they walk in and ask for a hitch on their 'vette.

…or a bike carrier, or a cargo shelf?

To tow a gheenoe!!

I wouldn't be surprised if its a bike rack/cargo rack. Like 1854 said.



Wonder if that Prius is equipped with an upgraded "tow package."

.... gonna add a hitch to my ALH Vanagon to pull a 1350 lb pop-up camper!

Fact is- you can tow anything with anything! Sorta...

Bike rack or even a Ham Antenna mount (sometimes used when stationary.)

Bill

JSWTDI09 said:

I was once told that the true optimist is the owner of a Yugo with a trailer hitch.

Have Fun!

Don

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Or the auto trans 240D driver with trailer hitch and radar detector!

A few years ago at the boat ramp we saw a guy pull in and launch a wave runner with a Prius. Subsequently we attempted a rescue from the boat after the wave runner couldn't be restarted and was drifting toward the bridge and oyster beds. He failed to catch the line or reach for it (frozen in panic) so we left.

Roshermoore said:

Saw a late model Prius with what appeared to be a Class III Receiver installed. At least it had a 2"x2" opening for a tow bar. I'd love to see what he intends to pull!!!

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I'm looking to get a hitch installed on my car, and I'll be getting it modified to use a 2x2 drawbar. Why? Because swing-away bike racks (so you can open the tailgate with the rack installed and loaded) are only available with 2x2 mounts. Understandable, since these can handle more torque (i.e. when a loaded rack is swung to the side) than 1.25x1.25 drawbars.

Ski in NC said:

Fact is- you can tow anything with anything! Sorta...

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I'd like to see you TRY to tow a 53 foot dry van using a Jetta. Don't think anyone makes a 5th wheel for a VW, and the weight would be enough to crush the car. Not to mention that you wouldn't be able to release the parking brakes on the trailer.

rwolff said:

I'm looking to get a hitch installed on my car, and I'll be getting it modified to use a 2x2 drawbar. Why? Because swing-away bike racks (so you can open the tailgate with the rack installed and loaded) are only available with 2x2 mounts. Understandable, since these can handle more torque (i.e. when a loaded rack is swung to the side) than 1.25x1.25 drawbars.



I'd like to see you TRY to tow a 53 foot dry van using a Jetta. Don't think anyone makes a 5th wheel for a VW, and the weight would be enough to crush the car. Not to mention that you wouldn't be able to release the parking brakes on the trailer.

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Think again. You do realize Volkswagen makes bigger vehicles than Ford and GM, right?

But there were ultralight 5th wheel camper trailers made especially for small cars back in the early '70s, with rear-engined Volkswagens primarily in mind. This concept as been rebirthed in recent years with all the TDIs, and may make a comeback. It has an attachment point to the roof of the car. And there have been oodles of single and double cab Transporters over the decades that use them as well.

But, if you really want to see a Volkswagen pulling a 53' trailer (well, actually it is almost certainly a Metric trailer since the rest of the world grasps modern measurements) here ya go:

That's one mighty TDi!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Constellation

A question, I europe, the trailers have 3 sets of wheels and only 1 axle on the truck, vs 2 and 2 here.

rwolff said:

I'd like to see you TRY to tow a 53 foot dry van using a Jetta. Don't think anyone makes a 5th wheel for a VW, and the weight would be enough to crush the car. Not to mention that you wouldn't be able to release the parking brakes on the trailer.

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Sure you could! A dolly (like they use for doubles) to take the weight off the car and a pintle hitch on the Jetta. The brakes, just cage the springs.

Nobody said it had to be safe or legal! ?

Easy enough to add a compressor, a pressure sensor in the brake line and then computer regulate a control valve. As long as you don't cycle the brakes faster than your compressor can keep up, it should work just fine. Or go old school and mount your pintle ring on spring loaded slide that has a small hydraulic cylinder coupled to it which operates a pilot controlled 3 way valve. Of course this is all quick & dirty, but a smoother system could be constructed with a bit more thought.

oilhammer said:

Think again. You do realize Volkswagen makes bigger vehicles than Ford and GM, right?

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Bigger than Ford maybe, but not GM. Ever heard of GM's electromotive division? They make BIG vehicles with really good handling - corner like they're on rails. Of course, they ARE on rails (locomotives).

rwolff said:

Bigger than Ford maybe, but not GM. Ever heard of GM's electromotive division? They make BIG vehicles with really good handling - corner like they're on rails. Of course, they ARE on rails (locomotives).

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Electro-Motive Diesel has not been part of GM in many years, since 2005. Nor has Harrison, Frigidaire, Delphi, and others.

EMD is owned by Caterpillar today.

GM sold their heavy truck division LONG ago, in the '80s, when Volvo purchased it (White-GMC), and those trucks are now gone, replaced simply with Volvo brand trucks. And GM no longer even makes their medium duty line, the GMC Topkick/Chevrolet Kodiak, after the most recent fiasco in 2009.

Ford sold their heavy truck division, Sterling, to Mercedes-Benz in '97, and that has since been dissolved. The biggest truck Ford makes now is just a lighter end medium duty F-750, and it along with the F-650 are actually a joint venture with Navistar (Blue Diamond).

Volkswagen Nutzfahrzeuge, however, is still owned by Volkswagen. Volkswagen also owns a majority share of the Swedish truckmaker Scania AB, the other major owner of Scania is the German truckmaker MAN SE. And guess who is a majority shareholder of MAN? Yep, you guessed it, VOLKSWAGEN.

I really think that a 5th wheel to hitch to the roof of a sportwagen would be great, like the old one you alluded to for the old Beetle.
The weight carrying capacity of the roof and hitch happen to be the same, but the towing geometry would be much better with the weight placed sllightly ahead of the rear axle.
This is why the Golf is rated to tow so much. The distance from the rear axle to the hitch pivot point is very short.
My JWS tows great and and if a roof mount hitch and trailer were available I would be in the market for one.
I have thought about getting a 19 foot Scamp 5th wheel and making a roof hitch for it. It would be a perfect combination for a great high efficiency rig.

I agree, I think the only stumbling block now would be the lawyers.

The PO of my Eurovan used it to tow Jettas and Passats, but maybe that has something to do with the current transaxle issues.

All the T4s, regardless of engine/transmission combo, sold in the USA are easily capable of towing a Jetta or Passat. Mine tows quite easily, actually.

I think they are rated for over 5000 pounds.

The Prius?

Nobody said whether the hitch was mounted on the rear or front.

Here you go.
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q...age&qpvt=prius+towing+trailer+image&FORM=IGRE

We were at a trailhead several summers back and there was a Chevy Aveo hauling a three rail dirtbike trailer. Not sure how many bikes they hauled on it though.

oilhammer said:

GM sold their heavy truck division LONG ago, in the '80s, when Volvo purchased it (White-GMC), and those trucks are now gone, replaced simply with Volvo brand trucks.

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And now, Volvo is gone too... It's now in Chinese 'Geely Automobile' hands.

RedInk said:

And now, Volvo is gone too... It's now in Chinese 'Geely Automobile' hands.

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No, Volvo trucks is a separate entity, owned by AB Volvo. They have not been part of the automobile branch of the same name for decades.

AB Volvo also owns Mack Trucks, as well as an interest in Renault and UD (Nissan) trucks.

AB Volvo sold the car line to Ford, which later sold it to Geely.

oilhammer said:

No, Volvo trucks is a separate entity, owned by AB Volvo. They have not been part of the automobile branch of the same name for decades.

AB Volvo also owns Mack Trucks, as well as an interest in Renault and UD (Nissan) trucks.

AB Volvo sold the car line to Ford, which later sold it to Geely.

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Thanks for the heads op!
And how to interpret the role of "Volvo Group Trucks" vs "AB Volvo"?
From Wikipedia:
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Volvo Group was re-organized on January 1, 2012 and as a part of the process, Volvo Trucks ceased to be a separate company and was instead incorporated into Volvo Group Trucks, together with Volvo’s other truck brands.
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