What good is having a vehicle with a trailer hitch that the manufacturer states is capable of towing 2400 lbs if you can’t use it?
If you can keep the weight below 2400lbs…then it’ll probably be OK…but as I stated before…there’s going to be difficult to do. I have ONE bookshelf full of books that weighs half a ton…Weight adds up real fast.
Towing is going to be stressful on the vehicle…And towing 3000 miles is going to be real stressful. There are better ways to do it.
Whitey:
"my main objection is that layman estimates of loaded trailer weight are often wrong."
That still doesn’t change anything. It is ALWAYS the user’s responsibility to make sure the weight (and trailer loading) is correct. This is even true for a vehicle rated to tow 5000 lbs. My point is that towing in itself is not going to destroy a vehicle as long as you stay below the limits.
MikeInNH:
Point taken, but see my comment to Whitey. It’s always the user’s responsibility to ensure that the limits aren’t exceeded. I didn’t say it was easy, but simply stated that 2400 lbs was the rated tow capacity.
I think you would both agree that the OP should at least make sure the trailer is loaded properly with the appropriate tongue weight to ensure that it tracks safely. Also that the OP should weigh the loaded setup at a truck scale to make sure the total weight is within the allowable limits.
silvergc, while you didn’t address me, I do want to say that I concur with you 100%.
I downloaded the 2011 Owner’s Manual. It makes several references in this regard. Here’s the most pertinent ones-
8-18 Driving tips
Trailer towing
Warranties and maintenance
SUBARU warranties do not apply to
vehicle damage or malfunction caused
by trailer towing. If you use your vehicle to
tow a trailer, more frequent maintenance
will be required due to the additional load.
Under no circumstances should a trailer
be towed with a new vehicle or a vehicle
with any new powertrain component (engine,
transmission, differential, wheel
bearings, etc.) for the first 1,000 miles
(1,600 km) of driving.
CAUTION
Adequate size trailer brakes are
required when the trailer and its
cargo exceed 1,000 lbs (453 kg)
total weight.
Great info, TT - I don’t think U-Haul trailers come with trailer brakes. Looks like towing’s out.
OOPS! U-Haul trailers DON’T HAVE TRAILER BRAKES!!!
silvergg, circuitsmith, and Keith, I am doing my happy dance now as I gloat. Deal with it.
Just to rub it in, let me repeat this portion:
“Under no circumstances should a trailer be towed with a new vehicle or a vehicle with any new powertrain component (engine, transmission, differential, wheel bearings, etc.) for the first 1,000 miles (1,600 km) of driving.”
If you show up at a dealership with a blown engine or transmission seeking warranty repairs, and they spot the trailer hitch, you are likely to be in for a long day that might not end the way you hoped…If you still decide to do this, I would have your rig weighed on a truck scale to be SURE you are below the GVW limit and save that weight ticket just in case there is ever a discussion about overloading the vehicle…
A friend of mine bought a new Ford F-150 specifically to tow a 20’ camping trailer plus all the usual stuff. The Ford dealer, knowing this, INSISTED he put 2000 miles on the truck BEFORE he set off on his cross-country trip…
Whitey:
Maybe you missed several of the comments. I think we all stated that the engine should be broken in. TT just gave us the actual mileage Subaru uses. Nothing to gloat about. I’m not arguing with you, because we don’t disagree.
I agree with Whitey. Make sure the car is driven properly during the break in period before you tow. Everything causes wear to a car, towing or any heavy loads cause more. But, gee, that’s what cars are for and expected to do. Properly prepared and broken in, go for it. Why are people afraid of towing 1500 lbs, when carrying the max cargo weight of say 800 lbs, can be tougher on a lot of other components ? I would rather tow 1500 than carry a load of lesser weight that exceeds or approaches the max cargo weight.
TOWING isn’t as hard on a vehicle within it’s proper rating. A really big drag on the car when towing is not the weight, but the air resistance at higher speeds. Many Boats with might be an exception to this but utility trailers would not. So plan on driving as much less then 60 mph as you can bear to minimize towing problems.
The original post asks, “will that be a damaging way to break in a new car”.
I posted the reference so the OP would know the potential ramifications of doing so. You may not damage anything but if you do, they’re not going to cover it. I am always especially careful about my vehicles during warranty period. After that i do as i see fit. YMMV.
The trailer brake requirement is also important if your choosing one of their smaller trailers that doesn’t have them.
The manual also says trailer option is installed by the dealer…
If you are going to the opposite coast BEFORE you pick up the trailer(that’s how I read your post anyways), then you should be ok. just make sure you vary your speed the whole way there, since it’s usually bad to cruise at one constant speed for the first 600~1000 miles(the owner’s manual will tell you the exact number).
If you aren’t sure about the weight, try to find a local weigh station to find out how much the thing weighs fully loaded before you set off back home. Expect to take a lot longer getting home, too, as you’ll not want to tow at the speeds everyone else is going.
If he is going west to east first, I don’t think the constant speed will hurt him. It really is load that should be varied during break in and with the mountains that he will have to go over, he will be varying the load a lot.