I’m planning on moving to Raleigh, North Carolina this summer and would like to hitch a trailer onto my Honda Accord. It is a V6 & I’ve read online that as long as it’s not pulling more than 1,000 lbs or so will be fine. My questions are: how do I know what kind of hitch to get, how do I go about having a hitch installed & am I overlooking any hazard factors that could influence my decision to go this route? Please, someone advise!!
In my opinion, not a good plan. A Honda Accord is not a very robust vehicle; it is not good for towing. How far is Raleigh from your current location? It is very easy to underestimate the weight of the loaded trailer. The trailer itself can weight 300 to 500 lbs.
Accords with automatic transmissions tend to have transmission failure, towing is very hard on the transmission and damage to your transmission is very likely. Price out a new or rebuilt transmission and see if you want to take this risk.
You can rent a Ryder or U-Haul truck and make this move safely and not put you and your car at risk. With a replacement transmission going for about $3,000 I think the money spent renting a truck is a good move on your part.
First, what does the owner’s manual say about towing?
Is there one bulky item you need to put on a trailer?
How far are you moving?
Could you make two trips?
I’ve owned three Accords ('81, '85, '88) so I’m not against FWD,
but I wouldn’t want to tow on the interstate with it.
Btw, I have driven a full size van and a compact pickup pulling trailers.
I seriously doubt you’ll be towing no more then 1000lbs…A small open trailer weighs 700lbs…Any closed trailer (which you’d want to use for moving) is a minimum of 1200lbs…and that’s EMPTY.
You’re best bet is to rent a U-Haul truck and then tow the Accord behind it or have someone drive it.
I wouldn’t use an Accord as a tow vehicle for anything other than a small utility trailer.
Don’t forget, not only do you have to tow the load, you have to stop it, and asking your car’s brakes to stop an extra half a ton does not sound like a good idea to me.
You might consider filling a container and having it delivered to your new home. Pods is one service that does this. You can get a price quote at this link:
Compare the price of this delivery method to renting a trailer and hitch for your Accord. A little extra for the delivery might be worth it in less hassle and trouble driving to Raleigh.
You’re doing it backwards. Rent a U-Haul truck and put the car on a dolly behind it.
Get all the information you need from a Honda dealership. IMO, if the weight is under 1000 lbs you can tow successfully. To do it properly with a FWD car, I would keep my speeds down below 60. At higher speeds as Uncle Turbo says, you are dealing with a transmission that should not be using OD or top gear and the drag could be more than it could handle. Be prepared to drive very slowly for minimal affect or rent a truck or large rwd car.
I’m with Mike on this one. Rent a U-Haul and a dolly and tow the Honda.
And another thing… don’t tie a mattress on top of the car or the trailer load. When you get over 55, lift from the air will become more of an issue. If you travel far, the cord you use to tie it down is much more likely to break. Actually, any large, flat object would act as a sail.
Right JT. I wouldn’t put anything atop a car that wasn’t designed for such items unless enclosed in an aerodynamic enclosure. People take the chance at low speed, jump on the highway and don’t have a clue the force of the apparent wind on surfaces that aren’t designed to travel through air. They think about weight only and trailering a 3500 lb boat designed for travel through water, at 70mph highway speeds can be much less eventful than a 45 lb sheet of plywood on top of a car. The don’t get that Bernoulli is riding up there too.
the only hazard you’re overlooking is the whole idea itself.
The engine may be able to pull the load( I thin the same engine is in the Ridgeline), but the car can’t
Wow, thanks everyone! I am making the trip to Raleigh from Hartford. No big furniture, just a lot of stuff (heaviest part would be books). I am worried about renting a UHaul bc the mileage on those things is just so poor & I don’t even know how fast they can go. And with my Honda hitched behind it?? Eek…
What does speed have to do with it…
My first concern would be getting there safely…
It’s not like you’re going to have the UHaul forever, just a one time only thing, and who cares how fast you get there? Slow down and enjoy the trip. Unless you’re leaving friday at 7pm and have to get there by 2am saturday morning
You can ride down I95 at 65 or 70 in a U-Haul without any problem. Since both ends of the trip are available with Pods, check out the price. Also check the price of towing your car behind a U-Haul truck and see which one makes the best sense. I now it isn’t easy to do, but try to put a price on your personal wear and tear towing a car behind a U-Haul.
I think you should look into a shipping company. Since this is a one time use deal, shipping could very well be the most economical alternative. You could put some of the heavier items in the trunk, then box up the bulkier items and have them shipped.
Books are a very good thing to consider shipping. They tend to not be the first thing required, and the USPS also has special book rates. Since they’re also heavy, losing that part of your load can have a big impact.
Chase
Even just sticking to what’s allowed by the manual, its only 1000 lbs. The smallest Uhaul trailer weights in at 850 lbs, leaving 150 lbs for your stuff.
I’ve done a long distance drive doing exactly that; I had to get a dresser and chest of drawers from Arkansas to Pennsylvania. Because it was just the two items, I was under the towing weight limit for the accord. Still had to limit my interstate speed to 55-60, plan braking in advance, etc. Going with an apartment load of stuff is a bad plan.
Much better to rent a truck and haul the car.
Thank you everyone. I agree to re-think my plan!!