Trailer, Max weight, etc.
 

Search has been unsatisfactory so I'll ask.
What is the max weight trailer the xB can tow? was thinking of a 'teardrop' sort of affair with vertical front and adjustable tongue to bring her up real close on the highway and extend as needed on side streets?

As tall as the box in the front with just enough room to sleep in it. also full size wheels. Probably 600lbs or so. A guess.

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I don't think you'll get much of a definitive answer since I'm pretty sure the xB (and all Scions) are not recommended for towing anything. That's not to say people don't do it, but I don't think there's a set #.

might help you to look at the manual as to how much you can actually put in the box.
you could tow another xb behind you, but would you have the power to pull it up a small incline?

I think the max weight is somewhere around 850 lbs, people and luggage , so use that as a beginning.

And if your looking into a small tear drop style camping trailer, I used to haul a little one behind a bike , it weighed around 650 lbs unloaded.

check draw-tite.com they will have a hitch (probably a class 1 hitch) application listed for you. I work with drawtite all the time, and they are great hitches.Also you could look up towing guides and see if you find anything. I know the owners manual I saw from Scion said you aren't supposed to tow with the xB's. But that doesnt mean you will hurt anything either. I'll see if i can find anything from my stuff at work ( I work at an RV dealership and we install upwards to 100 hitches a week) about how much or what hitches they have around

Curt makes a hitch especially for the xB, but as you have heard from many, there isnt a set weight for a trailer to tow, but if you think about the 800-850 lb weight limit of an xB you run out of lbs quick...

175lb (averageish) person and your 600 lb trailer (unloaded) are already cutting it close.

I actually made a post about this not too long ago as I was toying with the idea, Your best bet would be a "popup-up" (more of a tent in a box) style motorcycle camper, they are nice and light, designed for bike tow (so an xB should have no problem) and some of them are actually pretty large! Go onto eBay and search for motorcycle trailer or motorcycle camper and you'll get plenty of results/ideas.

I decided that my best bet would be to use a tent, and on ly carry what I can fit into my box anyway, so Im going with a nice LL Bean 4 person tent so my girlfriend and I have plenty of room :eyebrow:

Hitch:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Scion...mZ250145519803

http://www.drophitch.com/browseprodu...-Scion-Xb.HTML

http://www.etrailer.com/pc-CH~12490....utm_medium=ppc (this is a class II hitch, the others should be class I)

Trailers:

http://www.trailmasterinc.com/

http://www.wikco.com/timeout1.html

http://www.roadmancampers.com/

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These are just a couple options, I really doubt you will find a tear-drop suitable for xB tow, unless you make it your self or have it made custom.

thanks for all the info, guys!

Towing Question
 

I'm considering adding a hitch so I can tow my motorcycle trailer and one bike.
I saw an XB locally a couple of days ago that was towing a trailer.
Da'Lan makes 3 different hitches for the XB, and I've seen some others on-line.
Any tips from anyone who has actually installed a hitch?

I deal with the Draw-tite brand and I know they are very easy. Generally they are bolt on applications that include 4 bolts and you are all set. Some applications will require you to drop the exhaust down in order to fit the hitch up in to the frame, but those are not that common.

As far as the other brands I am not too sure

Yo
 

Thanks for the reply.
I saw the Draw Tite online, it looks good and the price is reasonable.
Plan to check it out.

i pulled a 800lb trailor from southeast texas to anchorage alaska. It pulled pretty easly and with ease. going through the mountains was like driving a fully loaded 18 wheeler though, funny thing, i got better gas milage at 36 MPG when in a hilly area.

The hitch we bought uses the 4 bolt in the back. As for dropping the exhaust, i had a home made one one that was flexiable, but i believe it would have had to come down.

over all, i didnt mind pulling a trailor at all, you really dont know its back there!!

The max weight that you can put inside a vehicle and what is safe tot tow are two different things. The car max capacity is a function of suspension. All vehicles have a much lower carrying capacity than tow capacity. I would say the Xb should have no problem towing 1200, or up to 1500lbs or so, with the right hitch. A 1974 Corolla was rated to tow 1600lbs.

Manufacturers have tended to lower (or eliminate, in Scion's case) towing limits for smaller vehicles, because of liability issues. They want to steer you to an SUV if you want to tow. The same cars with little or no towing limits in the US have much higher tow limits in Europe, where towing with smaller cars is more common. The lawyers are at work.

Get a good hitch, and use common sense, as well as drive more carefully.

that is interesting, morris7, and thanks for info. my memory has been jogged a bit and i recall many moons ago when i was in the boat business. we routinely hauled trailers that weighed more that the towing vehicle (and this was in the days before disc brakes!) no power steering on either my '65 chev 1/2 ton or my '67 gmc 1/2 ton. my '78 f-250 had discs, power steering and as a 3/4 tonner could haul 12,000lbs pretty easily (the built 460 dodn't hurt either)! the comparison to the corolla is most valuble and i see a 1,500 trailer with a 150 (or so) tongue weight as probably towing ok the weak link being power (or lack of). and thank god we have lawyers and a HUMONGOUS federal government to protect us from ourselves!

I have the Kurt (Curt) hitch....and I'm looking to get this...

http://golittleguy.com/cms/

What about building something like this?

http://cgi.ebay.com/TearDrop-Tear-Dr...QQcmdZViewItem

I'm not too handy, but with a neighbor's help, it might be worth it.

What do you think?

Towing A Teardrop
 

I have a 2006 xB that I use to tow a 800lb TearDrop. I only lose about 1 mpg with the TD. Probably because of the design of the TD there is little wind resistance. It is not noticable that I am towing and I must remind myself that I am towing. I also have a canoe or kayak on top of the xB at the same time.

It works great .
Peter

Just installed a Curt Tow Hitch... which came with a U-Haul sticker on it. :ponder:

Easy install. :D

Took me the better part of 1.5 hours to do it very casually.
- Could have been faster if I could have found all my tools the first time.
Had to make 3 trips back inside the house to find the right sockets (metric). :( :wink:

The directions say you only have to undo one of the fascia straps.
NOPE!
Need to do both the driver's side AND the passenger side ones.

Also, need to stretch/pull the bumper trim to the rear to fit the cross bar over the exhaust pipe.

I found it easy enough to like cross-wise (wheel to wheel) with the hitch on top of me, and then to use my legs to raise the far end as I inserted the first bolt above my chest. :)

Still have to install the Automatic Transmission Cooler kit and the Lighting wiring kit.

Re: trailer, max weight, etc.
 

Zero is the rated. I thought most of the hitches give 1,000 lbs as the max. You can get a trailer hitch for anything. Just because you can doesn't mean you should. I was thinking about getting a hitch and cheap trailer- just to make runs the 5 miles from Home Depot to my house with mulch, lumber, etc.

Towing TearDrop Camper
 

I just returned from a 3520 mile trip from Orlando to Wisconson, Arkansas and back to Orlando. I towed my TD and got an average of 29.82 mpg. I drove at 55 mph. The Camper weighs about 850 lbs. I am using a 2006 xB.

Re: trailer, max weight, etc.
 

x2. I have also thought of getting a hitch just for the looks / light towing, buuuuutttt...

Let's wait another three years and see if suddenly a bunch of topics appear called "HALP, MY TRANSMISSION FELL OUT AT 88,000 MILES, WHAT HAPPENED?!?!?!" :rofl:

Maybe future problem with transmission but at current gas prices replacing transmission my be reasonable fix. Seriously the first item might be the rear shocks as the tongue weight lowers the rear end some.

Hey folks. Just installed the aforementioned Curt hitch on my 06 XB and it was a piece of cake. I'm preparing to tow a 4x8 UHaul trailer from Montana to Ohio. The whole rig, including contents, should run about 1000 lbs. Any advice? Would 60 mph be a safe bet? Stick to 4th gear? Thanks.

The weight is a little heavy but just go easy on the gas peddle. I do not know why you would not use 5th gear, most of the time you will be cruising. recommend that you stay at 55 mph. I just did round trip FL. to WI.3500 miles with 850lb trailer and got 29.82 mpg. at 55. Good Luck

The only thing that has kept me from installing a trailer hitch is that the warranty manual says that it completely voids the warranty, Has anyone run into any problems at the dealership with one installed?

If you use the bolt on hitch and plug in wiring (I purchased both from etrailer on the internet). They can both be removed from xB before taken to dealer. It requires a wrench and 15-30 minutes to remove.

I suppose this is true, never thought about it that way :D

Is the Curt or Drawtite hitch come with a 2" receiver. I want to install a 2" receiver Yakima bike hitch rack. Thanks.

XB towing a trailer
 

By not using 5th gear you are making your engine work more. Look at your tachometer when you shift from 4th to 5th. Brakes are a lot less expensive then an engine. I forgot to mention that my 29.82 mpg was towing the travel trailer and with a canoe and rack on top of xB. The canoe and rack reduces mpg by about 2 mpg. go slow and enjoy the drive. the best part is at the pump when you fill up for $25 and the SUV in front of you hits $100.

Thanks a bunch for your advice. I'll report back after the trip!

No problem towing this #1000 pound tent trailer up to 7,000 feet and back. Tongue weight is about 70 pounds.


Cruises in 5th gear at 65 on the flats, occasionally drop into 4th for longer hills. RPM"s never get about 5k.

Did you record your mpg during this trip. I have never worked my engine this hard. Wondering what the diferential is between 55mpg at 3k RPM and 65 at 5k RPM?

I didn't get hard numbers, but I do know that my gas mileage was much better while towing.


Usually we cruise at 75-80.....with the trailer we never got above 65, and almost all of that was on flat freeway, so there was no extra drag on the engine.

Re: trailer, max weight, etc.
 

That's just what I use mine for. I got the 4 by 8 foot folding trailer from Northern Hydraulic. It works great. I just went to Sears Outlet and got a washer and dryer, hauled that home, then loaded the used ones and took them to the parents house. No problem. And that's with the hills of Pittsburgh.

The word is "tow responsibly". Just don't tow anything too heavy. And remember, people have been towing with much smaller vehicles in other parts of the world for many, many years. In those parts gas is so expensive that a Dodge Ram exists only in pictures. No one make enough money to run one.

Re: trailer, max weight, etc.
 

That's just what I use mine for. I got the 4 by 8 foot folding trailer from Northern Hydraulic. It works great. I just went to Sears Outlet and got a washer and dryer, hauled that home, then loaded the used ones and took them to the parents house. No problem. And that's with the hills of Pittsburgh.

The word is "tow responsibly". Just don't tow anything too heavy. And remember, people have been towing with much smaller vehicles in other parts of the world for many, many years. In those parts gas is so expensive that a Dodge Ram exists only in pictures. No one make enough money to run one.

From a guy that has towed a bunch of stuff I can tell you going up hills is not a problem. Place the tranny in the right gear to keep your rpms up is all you need to do. The hard part is coming down the other side, your brakes have to stop you and your trailer. As long as your total weight stays low you should be okay, use a little engine braking and save the brakes for when you need them. I towed a 4x6 trailer behind my old CRXsi when I travled the SCCA races in the southeast loaded with racing tires/wheels and assorted pit stuff.

Rob with Scikotics pulled into Atlanta for the St Paddy day events pulling his trailer, maybe he will chime in.

I have the Invisihitch Hidden Hitch on my xb, which I highly recomend. When the hitch is removed from the receiver, you can ot see the hitch itself, plus it works with aftermarket exhausts. It's a class 1 hitch rated at 200 lb tongue weight and 2000 lb trailer weight. Keep in mind that you have to subtract the weight of the trailer itself from that number. I have a 4x8 trailer that I haul my 514 lbs. Yamaha Kodiak 400 plus my gear. I never even notice the trailer is behind me, except when I pass people and they do a double take. I have on occasion had it and my 300 Bayou on there as well, which starts to get a little heavy. The biggest thing is knowing what you're towing and how much time and distance you will need to stop it.

6/08/08: UPDATE
 

Hi Gang,
I am a bit disappointed with the Curt Tow Hitch.

REASON:
It sits so low that, WITHOUT the draw bar installed, I scrape it every so often when I back out of my driveway into the street.
The only way to avoid the hit is to exit INCH by INCH into the street.

Therefore, I recommend getting the Invisi-Hitch Hidden Hitch
that uses the removable drop "U" shaped draw bar that goes around the bumper/fairing.

Low hitch clearance
 

I towed my camping trailer from Orlando, Fl to WI. then through the Smokey Mts in Arkansas and back to Orlando. Never bottomed out.

You have a Scion which is low to start out with. You might try backing at a angle.

OH, and isn't fun going the the gas station and filling up for $30+ and watching other roll right past $80.

Hello!
I'm looking to get a hitch for my 09 xB. I'm moving and need to me able to tow a small uhaul trailer, mainly just for a bed and standing mirror. Any recommendations on which hitch? Also, is there anything else I need aside from the hitch? Rewireing for lights, etc?