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Posted by: maddog56
What kind of car do you own? You will need a hitch, probably only a class 1 or 2. Go to your local rv shop and they will take care of everything you need.
Posted by: maddog56
RPM, you have a full sized car with a v8. He has a small midsize with an inline 4. Big diff on capacities, but the pricipals are the same.
They really should have kept the full size cars around. Maybe we wouldnt have to have 20 different kinds of glorified mini vans then.
Posted by: maddog56
Like I said, the properties are the same...
Posted by: bigben
I wouldn't trust those baskets with anything much bigger than a cooler, let alone my quad, especially on a car with light rear springs that most likely would not have a 2" receiver.
Some cars are very good at towing (Cadillacs, Lincolns; you get the idea) but just about any would be able to pull a single quad on a small trailer. JC Whitney is a good place to start to see what the rated capacity for your vehicle is.
Posted by: RPM
I tow all 4 of my ATV's behind a 91 Caprice Station Wagon on a 14 1/2 ft Eagle Trailer and it does it with no trouble at all. You just need a Hitch rated for your application and load requirements. My Wagon came equiped with the Trailer Package (Bigger brakes, heavier springs), and I added Air Shocks. Placement of the ATV is important also. Depending on the trailer, too much weight forward on the trailer, or the weight too far back, can efect how well it tows. Good Luck.
Posted by: RPM
I understand the difference between the two vehicles, but to my understanding, he only wants to pull one quad. My point was that he shouldn't have any trouble pulling his quad with his car as long as he gets a properly rated hitch. My Wagon only has a 305ci motor in it, so it is far from being a powerhouse. The power to weight ratio, makes it even less impressive.
Towing a trailer is simply rolling weight (As long as you balance out your trailer). So pulling one quad that weighs aprox. 400lbs + the weight of the trailer, isn't that much different than going for a ride with 4 average size adults in your car. In fact, with 4 adults in your car, you will have more weight on your suspension than you would towing a properly balanced trailer.
When I load my trailer, I place my quads so that there is just enough tongue weight to keep the trailer from walking when going down the road. Other than that, there is very little weight on the rear axle. I put the air shocks on do deal with all the crap my Wife thinks that she need to bring with us on every trip. What's up with that anyway? Oh well, that is another topic all together.
Posted by: Coyotechaser
It really does depend on what kind of car you own. You might not be able to find a hitch to fit it. If you do it will probably be a class one.
I used to pull my trailer with a Subaru wagon. It is more stressful (to the vehicle) than using a truck to pull. I had a heck of a time finding a class 2 for my Wrangler.
You can buy small trailers at places like Home Depot and Lowes. (home improvement stores) Figure around 400 lb for a trailer and any wgere from 350 to 700 lbs. for a quad.
Posted by: stevendsm95gst
You better just buy a single trailer for your quad. Something real light weight. I would upgrade your brakes as well.
Posted by: Chilly
Speaking from experience with small cars and trailers... I'm currently towing a 400 Foreman (about 550 lbs) and a Snowbear trailer (350 lbs) behind a Saturn SL2. Now, I'll be the first to admit it isn't the tow package of my dreams, but the car seems to handle it pretty well. Ten cubed is on the right track when he mentions stopping capability. I've learned to leave some extra stopping distance, and I drive pretty conservatively with the trailer and quad in tow. Having said that, the Saturn copes with the load well on hills, I only need to downshift on the steeper uphills. Trailer brakes aren't a bad idea at all, the trouble is finding a small trailer with them. Best advice is to stay the hell out of mountain passes and be careful on really steep hills.
Best place to find your car's towing capacity is to check the owner's manual.
One last thing, I wouldn't make a habit of towing the trailer and quad any more than you really need to. Cars, in the big scheme of things, are at best less than ideal tow vehicles. They'll do it, but it isn't what they're designed for. Enough said..
Posted by: Buzzman
Be sure to load the quad all the way to the front of the trailer. You need some tongue weight. If you don't have enough tongue weight, the trailer will whip back and forth on you. It's not a good situation.
Posted by: juniorsmojave
depending on the car and the trailer (the smaller the trailer the better with a car) you can go to walmart and buy a hitch and the plugs for the lights for the trailer. they are for light duty towing. i put one on the back of my s-10 blazer for my pop-up camper and it works good for its purpose.
Posted by: bigwannabe
If you get a small trailer you will be fine.
Your brakes will be fine as well as long as you take it easy.
Posted by: bigwannabe
If you are worried about the trailer swaying on you then just buy a friction sway bar for $70-$100 and your problems will be solved.
1) get a hitch rated for about 1000-2000#
2) get a small one quad trailer with tie downs
3) get a sway bar and learn how to adjust it properly
4) GO RIDING!
Other suggestions to make it as easy as possible on your car. A full synthetic oil will help since it doesn't break down as easily as regular oil. Also keep an eye on your tranny fluid (or clutch). I would change the tranny fluid at half of the recommended interval. You can never change your fluids too much when towing.
Posted by: tencubed
Psutrsa2:
What kind of car are you planning on towing with? Some of the cars on the road that have a low towing capacity are very marginal for any towing at all. My wife's car has a 2000 Lb listed capacity and I wouldent pull anything with it. You could probably get a load going but getting stopped would be out of the question.
If you do pull with this car I would suggest you go to a well known hitch installation outfit and have a quality hitch put on the vehicle. Even with a very light load some, not all, small cars need to have brakes on the trailer.
Most of the time you will not need the trailer brakes but just one time of trying to stop when the brakes are overheated, as in desending a long hill, will convince you of their value.
When you get the hitch and trailer go to an empty parking lot and practice, practice practice both forward and expecialy reverse driving.
Enjoy your new ATV, lots of fun ahead.
Posted by: psutsra2
In process of getting an ATV but don't have a luxury of a truck....nor the experience of having ever towed before.
I've seen trailers on a few cars, so it's possible (in theory). Can someone guide me to some tips (like what kind hitch, trailer, etc... are suitable)?? My car has a towing capacity of 2000 lbs.
Appreciate it!
Posted by: psutsra2
Good deal... that gets me started. By the way, the car is a Toyota Solara (with a less-than-impressive V4 145 horsepower engine). The good thing is that it'll be a ~400 lb. sports quad.
Well, hopefully, I can get something rigged up. I'm just having nightmares of driving up a hill and seeing my quad get smaller and smaller in the distance. BR>
Other continued suggestions would be great!
Posted by: KFXDAWG
First I would make sure my vehicle is capable of towing a trailer. A trailer and a moderate sized quad can easily reach 1000 lbs. I would recomend going to a trailer or RV shop for specs on your vehicle. Also , did you consider the "baskets" that hang from the back of a vehicle? Although rare, they do make them that are designed to carry a quad. With a basket you wont have to worry about clipping something w/ the trailer or the hassle of backing up. Good Luck
Posted by: KFXDAWG
Take a look at this. www.bdiracks.com
