The Towing Thread (Unofficially)

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MDJAK

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I have a Wells Cargo enclosed light trailer., 6x12. It's about 15 years old, still in very good shape. Empty it weighs 980 pounds. I've towed it loaded with my various ATVs, kayaks and bicycles behind many vehicles over it's lifetime.

Started towing with my 2004 VW Touareg with V8. it had air suspension and once the tongue weight made the rear drop, the air suspension would level the vehicle. It was pretty cool back then.

I then had no vehicle to tow with and a friend "borrowed" it for next few years.

Fast forward, began towing it with my Porsche Macan, V6, also air suspension, towed it as if it wasn't there.

Coming out of tool booths (remember those?) I could beat most cars if I wanted to.

Towed with my '17 Raptor, my '18 Platinum, and now my '19 Raptor.

Loaded it weighs probably less than 2k.

Today I'm heading somewhere, probably Mechanicsburg, PA to buy a slightly larger trailer. I want a 7x14. Those extra 2 feet will make a big difference, as will the extra foot width.

Empty it will weigh about 1900 pounds. Looking at the ATC line of trailers. Loaded I figure 3k pounds tops.

Is that any problem towing long distance without putting in bump stops which I don't want to bother with? Will that cause big drop in the rear?

I know full well the Raptor is not designed for towing but I'm hoping for this weight it should be fine.

Oh, why when I'm looking at Carguru.com am I seeing 2020 Raptors marked over invoice all of a sudden? It wasn't that way a few weeks ago. Are they sure there will be no 2021 and they are just gouging?
 
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MDJAK

MDJAK

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That is a really nice trailer. Thank you.

What do you tow with a trailer that large?
 

The Car Stereo Company

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I have a Wells Cargo enclosed light trailer., 6x12. It's about 15 years old, still in very good shape. Empty it weighs 980 pounds. I've towed it loaded with my various ATVs, kayaks and bicycles behind many vehicles over it's lifetime.

Started towing with my 2004 VW Touareg with V8. it had air suspension and once the tongue weight made the rear drop, the air suspension would level the vehicle. It was pretty cool back then.

I then had no vehicle to tow with and a friend "borrowed" it for next few years.

Fast forward, began towing it with my Porsche Macan, V6, also air suspension, towed it as if it wasn't there.

Coming out of tool booths (remember those?) I could beat most cars if I wanted to.

Towed with my '17 Raptor, my '18 Platinum, and now my '19 Raptor.

Loaded it weighs probably less than 2k.

Today I'm heading somewhere, probably Mechanicsburg, PA to buy a slightly larger trailer. I want a 7x14. Those extra 2 feet will make a big difference, as will the extra foot width.

Empty it will weigh about 1900 pounds. Looking at the ATC line of trailers. Loaded I figure 3k pounds tops.

Is that any problem towing long distance without putting in bump stops which I don't want to bother with? Will that cause big drop in the rear?

I know full well the Raptor is not designed for towing but I'm hoping for this weight it should be fine.

Oh, why when I'm looking at Carguru.com am I seeing 2020 Raptors marked over invoice all of a sudden? It wasn't that way a few weeks ago. Are they sure there will be no 2021 and they are just gouging?
just keep tongue weight low and you will be fine.
 
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MDJAK

MDJAK

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just keep tongue weight low and you will be fine.
Ty. When you say that though, and obviously I don’t know a lot about it, isn’t the tongue weight going to be what it is? In other words, can you intentionally load more toward the rear of the trailer than front or middle? I guess that would lighten tongue weight. For instance, if my heaviest item is a 700 pound Atv, should it rest in middle of trailer?
 

The Car Stereo Company

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i have a 13ft (18ft overall) flatbed trailer that i load 3 quads on. if you load too much to the rear, you will get trailer sway. i had almost a 50/50 weight distribution when i first arranged my quads and thought it would be perfect. there was about 50lbs tongue weight. turned out i had too much sway on the highway. so i loaded it differently so now i have about 150 lbs on the tongue when loaded. no more sway on the highway. so while you want the majority of the load over the trailer wheels, you need to keep some weight forward to prevent trailer sway.
 
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