These trailers seem like such a good idea that I decided to check out the towing capacity of my Mazda2. From the owners manual, and I quote: "The Mazda2 is not designed for towing. Never tow a trailer with your Mazda2". Well that sucks.
These trailers seem like such a good idea that I decided to check out the towing capacity of my Mazda2. From the owners manual, and I quote: "The Mazda2 is not designed for towing. Never tow a trailer with your Mazda2". Well that sucks.
I assure you that an '88 MR2 is not "designed" for towing either but a light trailer like this was never a problem.
Follow this link to Mazda Austrailia to find that there in the weights and capacities section, their, same, Mazda 2 is rated for 500kg (1100lbs) without trailer brakes and 700kg (1500lbs) with trailer brakes. Tongue weight of 70kg (150lbs) ...just say'n.
mazdeuce wrote: These trailers seem like such a good idea that I decided to check out the towing capacity of my Mazda2. From the owners manual, and I quote: "The Mazda2 is not designed for towing. Never tow a trailer with your Mazda2". Well that sucks.
Check a British manual. Even a Yugo is really rated for 880lbs unbraked, and 1397lbs with brakes outside of the USA. Its just assumed that Americans are idiots and cant be trusted towing more than a small bass boat with no less than a 3/4 ton truck.
I've seen a few smaller cars that probably aren't "rated" but can pull these HF trailers like it's their job. Hence my looking into one shortly.
Kenny_McCormic wrote:mazdeuce wrote: These trailers seem like such a good idea that I decided to check out the towing capacity of my Mazda2. From the owners manual, and I quote: "The Mazda2 is not designed for towing. Never tow a trailer with your Mazda2". Well that sucks.Check a British manual. Even a Yugo is really rated for 880lbs unbraked, and 1397lbs with brakes outside of the USA. Its just assumed that Americans are idiots and cant be trusted towing more than a small bass boat with no less than a 3/4 ton truck.
No joke. 2 avg overweight Americans in the back seat weigh less than a trailer setup like this.
I wouldn't worry about it.
irish44j wrote: Interesting.....I will make sure to box it somewhat. on a related note, this trailer was sold on GRM a few years back. Anyone know where the cargo box on it came from? Looks like a perfect fit!
It looks like a Delta brand box to me, but the handles on the sides make me wonder, owner added? New alum. like that one is $350.00 - $450.00 range. I found a steel Delta, same style, on Craig's List for $60. Had to drive ~160 miles to pick it up but was going that way, 35 mile more, for Christmas, so well worth the drive. Good hunting, their out there.
Kenny_McCormic wrote: Check a British manual. Even a Yugo is really rated for 880lbs unbraked, and 1397lbs with brakes outside of the USA. Its just assumed that Americans are idiots and cant be trusted towing more than a small bass boat with no less than a 3/4 ton truck.
Someone told me that "over there" (for various quantities of "there") cars with trailers are limited to 45mph.
I've been thinking of repurposing a junk rearend into trailer use. The HF trailers look nice from a certain standpoint, but I think I can make something better. I'd really like to be able to set tires down into the trailer, not on top of it.
That or just pick up a used jetski trailer, one or the other.
Jerry wrote: I've seen a few smaller cars that probably aren't "rated" but can pull these HF trailers like it's their job. Hence my looking into one shortly.
If a motorcycle can tow a 4x6 U-Haul box trailer, you should be fine.
That was actually kinda scary. Guy and his sleeping SO, no helmets, towing a trailer at 65mph, the rig gently swaying at about 60 hertz. I changed an extra lane over to pass them.
Knurled wrote:Kenny_McCormic wrote: Check a British manual. Even a Yugo is really rated for 880lbs unbraked, and 1397lbs with brakes outside of the USA. Its just assumed that Americans are idiots and cant be trusted towing more than a small bass boat with no less than a 3/4 ton truck.Someone told me that "over there" (for various quantities of "there") cars with trailers are limited to 45mph. I've been thinking of repurposing a junk rearend into trailer use. The HF trailers look nice from a certain standpoint, but I think I can make something better. I'd really like to be able to set tires down into the trailer, not on top of it. That or just pick up a used jetski trailer, one or the other.
IDK, when I was trucking across Germany on the autobahn, there were plenty of cars (mostly Ford Mondeo wagons, oddly) towing small cargo trailers. And they were going WAAAAY faster than 45mph, lol....
Knurled wrote:Kenny_McCormic wrote: Check a British manual. Even a Yugo is really rated for 880lbs unbraked, and 1397lbs with brakes outside of the USA. Its just assumed that Americans are idiots and cant be trusted towing more than a small bass boat with no less than a 3/4 ton truck.Someone told me that "over there" (for various quantities of "there") cars with trailers are limited to 45mph.
Sort of, not that low though, https://www.gov.uk/speed-limits, about how fast you should be going when towing anyways.
I passed a Yaris towing a 5X9 full of hay yesterday. It was stacked as high as the car, front to back. He was probably running 60mph.
more on the trailer today. Picked up some 2" angle iron to complete a front wedge/platform to give a bit more space to the trailer. While I was at Lowes I checked out the various Husky pickup truck gearboxes they had there, but that's more than I want to spend on this. Instead, went with a Contico box. Much cheaper, just as useful and probably tougher anyhow.
also fits small children well, lol
went to work mocking up the front section.
then welded it all up. Also added a piece of wood as a center support for the floor.
Found some beefy plywood back in the shed, and cut out a floor
will eventually paint it and install some tiedowns, but here's a mockup of it all put together. I like the front wedge, gives a place to stash the spare, and some room for other stuff that I might want to bring along...
I have the Contco box for mine. It is a very good and durable box. I had mine rear mounted. Just be mindful to have a second latch or closure on the lid. The way you have it mounted, it could possible be opened by airflow.
thanks, yeah, it's not mounted yet, just sitting there as a mock-up. I definitely plan to have it open to the rear.
It is nice, though, that the top of the box is exactly the same height as the top of the trunk on the e30 (which has a lip spoiler), so hopefully most airflow will go over the top of the trailer (one of the few times a tall, boxy car comes in handy!)
I also have some sheet metal in a wedge shape (from an old gas fireplace) that I may or may not work into somekind of aero piece :)
Since I see you have a welder - when I bought my trailer from the PO, he told me that he had extended the tongue a bit for "stability". Or something. I wasn't really paying attention. After looking at all these pictures, I'm starting to realize that my tongue has been extended a bunch.
Maybe the hive mind can weigh in on the benefits, but it might be worth thinking about. Maybe it'll make backing easier?
How about mounting the spare underneath? that way you will always have it with you, but it stays out of the way the rest of the time.
On my car hauler, I'm planning on mounting a pickup truck spare tire winch underneath to hold the trailer's spare.
peter wrote: Since I see you have a welder - when I bought my trailer from the PO, he told me that he had extended the tongue a bit for "stability". Or something. I wasn't really paying attention. After looking at all these pictures, I'm starting to realize that my tongue has been extended a bunch. Maybe the hive mind can weigh in on the benefits, but it might be worth thinking about. Maybe it'll make backing easier?
Easier to back, a little more stable to tow. I prefer a short tongue because I can put it anywhere, but it does take some practice.
Sonic wrote: How about mounting the spare underneath? that way you will always have it with you, but it stays out of the way the rest of the time. On my car hauler, I'm planning on mounting a pickup truck spare tire winch underneath to hold the trailer's spare.
yep, that's exactly what I was thinking actually. Just need to make sure its in a spot where it won't bottom out (since the trailer will be in fields, dirt roads, etc). Not high on the priority list though, really....i can just toss it in the car now, since I have now just made my entire trunk available :)
Extending the neck would probably help, but I'm not so sure I trust my welding to that extent yet, haha. Backing isn't really much of a concern anyhow. I'm very good with trailers (parents own a marina, you learn to maneuver all sizes of trailers!). Also the e30 only has a 200lb tongue weight on this little hitch, so I don't really want to add any more weight than i need to!
I just bought one last night so I can haul my kart behind my FX16. It will be fully boxed in, and the top will open for access. There is going to be a tail gate in the back so I can slide my kart stand inside after the kart is set up top. 
^^ look at this baller, doing a trailer build using a 2-post lift 
Haha, spending the weekend at my dads shop. Gotta use the tools when you can 
you won't want to set up the trailer with spares on the front unless you always carry spares. especially with a short trailer with no trailer brakes, you need to keep some tongue weight on it or it will want to sway, usually in the most inopportune moment (high speed lane change, panic braking, etc).
Personally I hate those tiny ass trailers. I hate backing them up, I hate not being able to see them behind me, and I hate how tippy they get when you stack E36 M3 up on them. To me you could make the same trailer, only better, with a decent width axle and a tongue with triangular bracing that is another foot longer, makes backing up a good bit easier.
I just hate seeing people buy these cheap ass harbor freight trailers only to realize that its crap, and then buy steel to reinforce them, rewire them so the lights don't corrode and flicker, buy new tires when the cheap ass ones on there fall apart after a year, etc. When you can buy a decent full width 3500 lb trailer axle with brakes for under $200 and go from there with good stuff, the kind of stuff you will end up wanting or needing to upgrade to in the first place. And you will find a full width trailer is so much more useful and holds all your stuff without having to pack it up to the extent that everything is hard to get to. Thats my 2 cents.
In reply to andrave:
I can back up with my tire trailer just as well as any other trailer. I can see it behind me quite well (obviously, I tow it with a Miata). It has never been tippy or lacking reinforcement. To many people they serve a purpose and do a great job. I have towed mine well over 2k miles this year, most of that at 70+ mph and the tires show no wear. It sits outside in all weather when it isn't hauling my stuff to events 100+ miles each way and the only wear it shows is a faded powdercoat. You may have not had the same experience but that doesn't make them crap.
I'm late to this thread, but you're doing it right - or at least the same as version 2.0 of my trailer a while back. I ended up using the two pipes and stacking the wheels flat approach, because I found that R-compounds stored upright tended to get indentations where they were sitting on the trailer (I even used PVC pipes for a softer place to sit than the frame rails). But you likely won't have that issue with rallycross tires. I still have the Contico box from that trailer. It's virtually indestructible.
HF sells (or at least sold) a motorcycle rail as a trailer accessory. It overhangs the 4x4 trailer some on the front and back, but it does fit. I still had to splice a short extension in there to get my '80 GS550E to fit, which was not a huge bike. And the ramp piece that came with it was too short - I tended to bottom out when loading unless I had some help to lift the bike over the low spot. I ended up splicing an extension on that, as well. But I had no problem towing it behind my Miata or my FWD Civic wagon.
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