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Car Forum / Hyundai Cars / November 2005will it work: towing xcountry with Elantra 2003?
Hi, I need to move from Colorado to Montreal, Canada. I'll take no furniture, but a 46" HDTV (150lbs), books (small office - say 5-7 small shelves of books), clothes. The trailer I'd like to use is the Uhaul 4' x 6' Trailer (see http://www.uhaul.com/guide/?equipment=trailer4x6). So if it is 670 lbs when empty, then with my stuff it will be roughly 1000 lbs. Add to that some stuff in the car and no passengers. Uhaul people say it is OK to do. My dealership said no - do not do tow a trailer period: bad idea. I have a 2003 Elantra GT 5door, 2.0l engine, manual, which I like a lot and want to keep. I could sell the TV, but my stuff still would not fit in the car. So I'm considering a trailer and keeping a TV, which can save me some $2K (it is a nice 46" Hitachi TV 2 year old, works perfect). Anybody had an experience driving like this for a long distance? Thank you. Don't know about the Elantra but this is what I did with my 1993 Hyundai Excel, 5 speed, 1.5Litre. 8000 kms (5000 miles) across Australia and back. Towing small trailer .On board a Honda Spada motor cycle, camping gear for 3 people including eskies, tents, car fridge, portable stoves, spare fuel ,battery and other motor spares, clothes for 3 weeks travel etc. Two on the trip across and 3 coming back. Speed on open road was 100-110 km/hr ( 60-5 MPH). On last day the temperature outside was 40deg C (100F ??) so the air con was on full. Only problem was a bit of brake fade coming through the Alpine Way in the Snowy Mountains. Used gears to hold on steep bits so it was ok after that. If you take it easy I can't see that you would have a problem. Regards Norm dns564@cs.com wrote in message <1130363543.524197.178650@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>... >Hi, > [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] >Anybody had an experience driving like this for a long distance? >Thank you. Thanks, Norm! In addition to what Norm said be real careful about how you load the trailer. Make sure the load is balanced over the trailer axle, not too much of the weight to the back or front, and tie down the load so it doesn't shift. Towed a pop-up for 10 years on my '80 Civic with no problems. 1300 lbs. loaded on a 1.5L engine. Jon > Don't know about the Elantra but this is what I did with my 1993 Hyundai > Excel, 5 speed, 1.5Litre. [quoted text clipped - 39 lines] > >Anybody had an experience driving like this for a long distance? > >Thank you. Ok, Jon, thank you. I'll load it carefully. I was just mostly concern if it will be a problem for my car to tow a 1000 lbs. Sounds like it should not. Thanks. my father used to tow the odd car with his 88 excel, no problems at all > Ok, Jon, thank you. > I'll load it carefully. I was just mostly concern if it will be a > problem for my car to tow a 1000 lbs. Sounds like it should not. > Thanks. I forgot to mention I also have a 92 excel family communal car. Couple of months ago a friend of my son had to shift a '66 ford falcon. I didn't think about it till a couple of weeks later when I asked them how they did it. You guessed it. They hired a car trailer and towed it with the excel for about 6 mile. I figure that has to be 2 to 2.5 ton. Reckoned they could only do about 70kmph. I'm mad myself but not quite that mad!! Norman Webb wrote in message <43600d1f$0$8655$5a62ac22@per-qv1-newsreader-01.iinet.net.au>... >Don't know about the Elantra but this is what I did with my 1993 Hyundai >Excel, 5 speed, 1.5Litre. [quoted text clipped - 39 lines] >>Anybody had an experience driving like this for a long distance? >>Thank you. I think you will be OK for the one trip with a few precautions. 1) Be very carefully with how the hitch is installed, make sure it is attached to something substantial. 2) Stay out of the top gear (which is probably O.D.), will use a little more gas but minimize engine/xmission wear. 3) Keep speed down to around 60MPH, keeps down RPMs and controls trailer better. Stops better also. 4) Keep hitch load to about 10-15% of total. I have even used a bathroom scales to weigh hitch. good luck, bill > Hi, > [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > Anybody had an experience driving like this for a long distance? > Thank you. "1) Be very carefully with how the hitch is installed, make sure it is attached to something substantial" The hitch will be installed by Uhaul. Do you think I should trust their installation? My dealership will not install a hitch on my Elantra. I have no idea how hitches have to be installed. "2) Stay out of the top gear (which is probably O.D.), will use a little more gas but minimize engine/xmission wear." So if I have a 5 speed manual, I should keep it in 4th? "4) Keep hitch load to about 10-15% of total. I have even used a bathroom scales to weigh hitch. " I do not understand this: What load is total here? So if I plan on towing 1000 lbs, the hitsh should come for 10,000 lbs load according to this? Thank you He means how much force is needed to support the hitch of the trailer. So, if trailer plus load equals 1000 pounds, you'd like the weight at the hitch to be about 100 to 150 pounds. That's the point of distributing weight as mentioned by (I believe) Norman above. > "1) Be very carefully with how the hitch is installed, make sure it is > attached to something substantial" > > The hitch will be installed by Uhaul. Do you think I should trust their > installation? My dealership will not install a hitch on my Elantra. I > have no idea how hitches have to be installed. Is it a hitch that you're buying or a temporary hitch? I would not recommend the latter, but if you're buying a hitch, by all means let UHaul install it. Hitches for the Elantra are a straight bolt-on affair. IIRC, UHaul sells DrawTite hitches, which are quality products. > "2) Stay out of the top gear (which is probably O.D.), will use a > little more gas but minimize engine/xmission wear." > > So if I have a 5 speed manual, I should keep it in 4th? That makes no sense to me. You can tell when the engine is straining and downshift if necessary. It seems silly to me to waste gas by keeping the car in 4th when it's not necessary. > "4) Keep hitch load to about 10-15% of total. I have even used a > bathroom scales to weigh hitch. " > > I do not understand this: What load is total here? So if I plan on > towing 1000 lbs, the hitsh should come for 10,000 lbs load according to > this? He's referring to "tongue weight", the amount of downward pressure the trailer tongue puts on the hitch. Brian and everyone, Thank you so much for your help! Yes, the hitch would be permanent that I'm buying. As a matter of fact, a week ago I called a Uhaul station in my town, gave them my car info and told them what I want to do, so they sent me potential hitch expenses. For some reason the info they sent to me is for a 2001 Hyundai Elantra 4 cyl. 4DR FWD (not my Elantra GT 2003), but I guess that does not matter. So according to this paper, I need a 24703 -2001 Hyundai Elantra Hitch ($120). With a kit, ball, coverter, hitch and wiring labor it comes to $261. One can see this 19-pound hitch at http://www.etrailer.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=E&Product_C ode=24703 . So you determined that the tongue weight should be 150 lbs for a 1000-pound total weight trailer. How does one measure this? I guess after I load the trailer, I could just try to lift the end and estimate it like this or use a bathroom scale? Do I need to add any transmission cooler, or this is only for automatic transmissions? Thanks again. Denis > Brian and everyone, > [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > http://www.etrailer.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=E&Product_C ode=24703 > . That's exactly what I thought. Notice that the price is quite a bit cheaper, so perhaps you can negotiate with UHaul a bit. Installing one is not a difficult job to do yourself, but that's up to you. > So you determined that the tongue weight should be 150 lbs for a > 1000-pound total weight trailer. > How does one measure this? I guess after I load the trailer, I could > just try to lift the end and estimate it like this or use a bathroom > scale? You can use a scale if you want to be accurate, but a good rule of thumb is that if you can't lift it, there's too much weight on the tongue. From a practical standpoint, you need to be able to lift the tongue in case you need to disconnect the trailer during your trip. > Do I need to add any transmission cooler, or this is only for automatic > transmissions? Automatics only. There's no easy way to cool a manual tranny, nor is it necessary. Thank you, Brian. Denis dns564@cs.com wrote in news:1130603182.339537.238390 @g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com: > Thank you, Brian. > Denis I just read this thread. No problems towing like that. The Elantra has a MAX. 200 lb. tongue weight, and a 2000 lb. MX GROSS towing weight (GROSS includes everything including the trailer.). Not sure where you are located, but if you seriously want a hitch, I have one that I don't need any more. It has been mounted on my 2002 AND 2003 Elantra's. It is a Drawtite with 1-7/8" ball (I forget the receiver size, but you can look it up, or I will check if you are interested). I used it to pull a 4'x8' utility trailer that I assembled myself. It was a kit from Northern Tool. I paid about $200 for the hitch. I will consider $75 for it plus you pay the shipping. Or make me an offer. Depending on where you live, it may not be worth it with the shipping. I am in NJ. Eric Eric, My Elantra 2003 manual reads that Max Towable Weight in pounds is With brake = 1874 (tongue weight = 187) W/out brake = 1000 (tongue weight = 100). I need to call Uhaul to see if the aformentioned (in OP) trailer comes with brakes, and if Uhaul will consider installing a hitch that is not theirs. I live in Colorado. I cant tell you yet if I would be interested in your hitch. Thanks. Denis Called Uhaul. These trailers (4x6,4x8,5x8) come without brakes. So according to my car manual, I should not exceed 1000lbs total, which makes it kind of tight since these trailers have the weight of 670 lbs-900lbs. dns564@cs.com wrote in news:1130618125.905591.72230 @g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com: > Called Uhaul. These trailers (4x6,4x8,5x8) come without brakes. So > according to my car manual, I should not exceed 1000lbs total, which > makes it > kind of tight since these trailers have the weight of 670 lbs-900lbs. Yes, you are right about the tongue and max weight. I checked my manual (better than doing it from memory!!) My 4x8 utility trailer weighs only about 200 lbs. (210 to be exact with the wood base I added), so my trailer does have some room for some load. It turns out that the 200/2000 weights I gave you earlier are for the pickup truck I now use to pull the trailer (the bumper). Sorry about that. Oh, and if you can turn a wrench at all, you can install the hitch yourself. There are two bolts that you actually remove from the car (existing) and you mount the hitch to those with new bolts supplied by Drawtite. Another (new) bolt gets added and is secured to the U-shaped bracket supplied by Hyundai under the center of your rear bumper. It really is very simple. I had it on and off both of my Hyundai's several times. The wiring harness is another issue :-) The hitch can't weigh more than 50 lbs., so if you think you are interested, just let me know and I'll get a price on shipping. My real email address is posted above, just remove the capital letters before the @ sign, and the Z's after. If you want to, you can write to me directly. Eric I haven't towed with my Hyundai, but I've towed long distance with several 4 cylinder cars (all manual except the Dodge Caravan). I noticed when I was shopping that the Hyundai Elantra (2005) had a high 3086 tow rating (with brakes, 1,000 without trailer brakes). Don't know if the 2003 is the same, but your owners manual should have the ratings http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/list/top10/102426/article.html I believe your trailer might have hydraulic brakes, which will help. As long as you take it easy on acceleration, braking, and turning, you should do fine. If it seems like the engine is straining, then drop down to 4th gear. Adjust the load in your trailer so that the weight is biased slightly toward the front, so that the tongue weighs between 10%-15% (100-150 pounds if you carry a total 1000 pound weight, trailer plus cargo). The reason for this is so the trailer doesn't act like a see-saw and cause the tongue to try to raise the back of your car, while trying to keep too much weight from pushing the back of your car into the ground and your headlights into space. I installed all my hitches except one. U-haul installed that one and it was done quite well. Keep in mind that books are a lot heavier than they look. Probably a good idea to load one box and weigh them on your bathroom scale, then multiply that by how many boxes they'll fill to get the total weight. Another option is to buy a trailer kit and build one yourself. These would be a lot lighter than a U-haul trailer, but you'd have to find a way to provide protection from the elements. Here's a 4x8 for about $250. http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=90154 I once owned that, and also had this smaller one ($180), which would be easy to build a plywood box around; http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=90153 I had to sell each of them each time I was shipped overseas with the Air Force, but now have a boat trailer from the same company for the past 10 years. 1,000 pounds should not be a problem at all. Good Luck, John > Hi, > [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > Anybody had an experience driving like this for a long distance? > Thank you. Just checked the Hyundai Canada web site and they have a trailer hitch package listed for an Elantra.. not sure why the US model would be any different... Pete... > Hi, > [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > Anybody had an experience driving like this for a long distance? > Thank you. Check ut this link http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/list/top10/102426/article.html The Elantra is rated as a tow vehicle for such uses. I'd question the dealer. >Hi, > [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] >Anybody had an experience driving like this for a long distance? >Thank you. That rating in the link you provided has been quoted as very questionable in other threads that I saw. My manual allows for a 1000 pounds trailer w/out brakes. My dealer strongly discouraged me from twoing any trailers as I posted above. > That rating in the link you provided has been quoted as very > questionable in other threads that I saw. My manual allows for a 1000 > pounds trailer w/out brakes. > My dealer strongly discouraged me from twoing any trailers as I posted > above. Did he give you a valid reason or is he just an idiot? There's no reason that you can't tow with an Elantra. I towed my utilty trailer with my old Excel without any problems. I haven't put a hitch on my Elantra yet, but that's only because I haven't needed to use the trailer. >That rating in the link you provided has been quoted as very >questionable in other threads that I saw. My manual allows for a 1000 >pounds trailer w/out brakes. >My dealer strongly discouraged me from twoing any trailers as I posted >above. I was trying to tactfully point out you rdealer was, at best, clueless. Hyundai engineered the tow capacity for the Elantra so it could compete with other cars like the Subaru's. I don't know what prompted them to do it but they did. On one hand in that class of vehicle it does not take a lot of work to go from 1000 to 3000 lb capacity. On the other hand there are a lot of folks who won't tow with a car because they are brainwashed to think they need a truck. They are wrong. FWIW, I think you are looking at the wrong trailer. If it was me I would do one of two things. 1. Buy a used open cargo trailer that will weigh about 300 to 400 lbs and then box the stuff you want to move. You will probably be able to trash the trailer for less than the rental fees. A used snowmachine trailer would be ideal as it has a windbreak on the front. That should be marketable at home,eh? 2. Rent the smallest van you can get that will let you put your stuff in the truck and tow your car behind it. A tow dolly will suffice on the elantra as you can tow with the front wheels on the dolly and the rears free wheel anyway. I would also set it up to return the rental in the US, either Massena or Plattsburgh. This approach pretty much takes the worry off the car's capacity. You can load thngs in the car too as long as you don't get silly like filling it with books. I'd probably pu the TV and books/heavy things in the van and clothes, bedding, computers, etc in the car. 1 free opinion worth every cent paid for it, ;-) Thank you, Good ideas. I tend to think at this point that shipping would work for me the best. > Hi, > [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > Anybody had an experience driving like this for a long distance? > Thank you. Why don't you just ship your stuff? It cost like $1 a pound with insurance. Chris > Hi, > [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > Anybody had an experience driving like this for a long distance? > Thank you. Why don't you just ship your stuff? It cost like $1 a pound with insurance. There's places where you can go and all you have to do is drop off your stuff. They shrink wrap it all on a skid. Chris I really would like to, could you please elaborate on the procedure you have in mind, what places? I went to a post office, and they told me they will not ship a TV of this size (45x40x25 inches, 170-pounds). At FedEx I could not get a clear picture from a clerk I asked. Thanks. Denis dns...@cs.com wrote: > I really would like to, could you please elaborate on the procedure you > have in mind, what places? I went to a post office, and they told me > they will not ship a TV of this size (45x40x25 inches, 170-pounds). At > FedEx I could not get a clear picture from a clerk I asked. > Thanks. > Denis Look in the yellow pages under "Shipping" etc. The place I'm talking about was in Vancouver all I had to do was box everything I could, then drop it all off. A week later a transport truck dropped a pallet with all my stuff shrink wrapped on it off at my parent's house in Ontario. I had guitars, three amps, a TV a standing mirror even and it was all fine. Chris |
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