Towing a U-Haul trailer
#1
Towing a U-Haul trailer
I know this is a bad idea. But has anyone ever done it before? I might have to move out of state and it’s an option I may consider to do. U-Haul sells and installs a tow hitch for a RX-8.
#2
No respecter of malarkey
iTrader: (25)
that hitch is for light loads, the RX-8 is not rated to tow and their trailers are very heavy so they likely won't rent you a trailer to tow behind the RX-8 even if they install the hitch. They will let you rent a box truck with a hitch for your belongings and a car trailer to tow the RX-8 behind it
#3
European livin n ohio
that hitch is for light loads, the RX-8 is not rated to tow and their trailers are very heavy so they likely won't rent you a trailer to tow behind the RX-8 even if they install the hitch. They will let you rent a box truck with a hitch for your belongings and a car trailer to tow the RX-8 behind it
Putting a hitch on an rx-8 is like putting a hitch on a Ferrari. Grounds for execution lol.
#5
Registered
Under towing in my manual it says this.
The Mazda RX-8 is not designed for towing. Never tow a trailer with your Mazda RX-8.
Seems like it would be pretty hard on the car/transmission to me. Just do as someone else suggested, rent the box truck and then rent the trailer for your car that the truck tows. Just triple check it because it can look like the car is attached to it properly and it may not be.
The Mazda RX-8 is not designed for towing. Never tow a trailer with your Mazda RX-8.
Seems like it would be pretty hard on the car/transmission to me. Just do as someone else suggested, rent the box truck and then rent the trailer for your car that the truck tows. Just triple check it because it can look like the car is attached to it properly and it may not be.
#7
Banned
iTrader: (3)
I tow a trailer to every track event - sometimes for hundreds of miles at a time.
There's about 700 pounds of stuff on that trailer (not including the trailer itself) - two full sets of wheels and tires, 10 gallons of fuel, a complete set of brakes and rotors, my full tool kit, a steel Harbor Freight floor jack, a compressed air canister, a spare for the trailer, an Easy-Up canopy, cones, oils, water, etc.
There's about 700 pounds of stuff on that trailer (not including the trailer itself) - two full sets of wheels and tires, 10 gallons of fuel, a complete set of brakes and rotors, my full tool kit, a steel Harbor Freight floor jack, a compressed air canister, a spare for the trailer, an Easy-Up canopy, cones, oils, water, etc.
#8
Senior Member
iTrader: (1)
I was going to mention that people have towed tires and such to track events, but didn't realize someone carried that much stuff...
It still depends on how much you're looking at towing. It would still probably be better if you didn't tow with the 8 unless you absolutely needed to.
It still depends on how much you're looking at towing. It would still probably be better if you didn't tow with the 8 unless you absolutely needed to.
#9
Registered
MM you certainly CAN tow with it, but the smallest trailer uhaul offers is 45 cubic feet and its almost 600 pounds. Cant carry very much inside it. You go about a step up to the 142 cubic foot trailer and its nearly 900 pounds empty. The OP is talking about moving out of state so I imagine he would be wanting a bigger trailer than even the 142 cubic foot one. If you include all the crap he probably owns you might be talking easily over 2500-3000 pounds including the trailer.
I just cant see towing that much being a good thing, that would be like towing another rx8 behind you.
I just cant see towing that much being a good thing, that would be like towing another rx8 behind you.
#10
European livin n ohio
700 lbs is nothing. That's like taking 3 adult men in the car with you. I wouldn't technically call that towing.
Rent a truck and put the car on a trailer behind it. Will be more expensive but money is just money the pics of an 8 with a U-Haul behind it last forever.
Rent a truck and put the car on a trailer behind it. Will be more expensive but money is just money the pics of an 8 with a U-Haul behind it last forever.
#12
Banned
iTrader: (3)
When you are at a steady state on the highway, ONE adult male in the car is way more impactful on the car than 1700 pounds of trailer and payload.
#14
European livin n ohio
Don't forget, the car doesn't see the weight you are towing. It is over the wheels of the trailer. The car only sees 60 pounds or so if you load it correctly. The only time the mass of the trailer is presented to the car is during initial acceleration and braking.
When you are at a steady state on the highway, ONE adult male in the car is way more impactful on the car than 1700 pounds of trailer and payload.
When you are at a steady state on the highway, ONE adult male in the car is way more impactful on the car than 1700 pounds of trailer and payload.
#15
Banned
iTrader: (3)
Now, having enough power to move the increased mass is another thing, but that is why interstates are limited to something like a 16% grade or less.
What everyone is worrying about is the stress on the chassis. You said it yourself when you tried to equate an increased passenger load to the weight of the trailer. This is not the same thing as the power required to move an increased mass.
I've pulled that 1700+ pounds of trailer through hundreds of miles of mountain twisties and crossings at 70+ MPH and you wouldn't even know it was there.
#16
Registered
iTrader: (4)
Under towing in my manual it says this.
The Mazda RX-8 is not designed for towing. Never tow a trailer with your Mazda RX-8.
Seems like it would be pretty hard on the car/transmission to me. Just do as someone else suggested, rent the box truck and then rent the trailer for your car that the truck tows. Just triple check it because it can look like the car is attached to it properly and it may not be.
The Mazda RX-8 is not designed for towing. Never tow a trailer with your Mazda RX-8.
Seems like it would be pretty hard on the car/transmission to me. Just do as someone else suggested, rent the box truck and then rent the trailer for your car that the truck tows. Just triple check it because it can look like the car is attached to it properly and it may not be.
#17
Registered
Can you say something about your hitch and how it's attached?
Ken
#18
Rockie Mountain Newbie
You are forgetting about the extra loading that happens with the wind resistance that the trailer sees at varying speeds. This changes greatly with the type of trailer used, and the shape of the load.
A 5'x8' box trailer is going to have a lot more loading from wind resistance, than say a small 4'x4' open trailer carrying a kids dirtbike. Especially if there are cross winds, putting a different strain on the trailer, and that loads the chassis in a sideways direction.
That wind resistance loading force gets placed directly on the trailer hitch ball, which goes into the mounting points for the receiver.
Now here's a quick question on this topic -
Does anyone know if the Series 1 trailer hitch would fit the Series 2 cars?
My search-fu hasn't brought up that answer as of yet, and I've been trying.
Nothing that I found seems to indicate that the mounting points on the trunk pan are any different, but there were slight changes to the bumper, so I just don't know if it will fit.
BC.
#19
Rockie Mountain Newbie
U-Haul, in your case, mounted a universal bumper mount trailer hitch on your 53 Chevy. In the case of the R8, they would mount a trailer hitch designed specifically around the trunk pan of the RX8.
Here's a link to the mounting instructions for the trailer hitch, and it includes an image of how it mounts:
http://www.etrailer.com/instructions.aspx?pn=11472
Hope that clarifies it a bit for you.
BC.
#21
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Springfield,IL
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I doubt it is going to damage your car towing 500-1k lbs like someone in this thread but the OP is talking about getting a 900lb trailer and loading it with all his possessions in order to move. The RX8 is not designed for that type of use. You would put a lot of added strain on the entire drive train that it was never designed to endure. If you have to go up and down hills or mountains during the move it would destroy the car.
Also you may have trouble getting your car fixed under warranty if something does go wrong. It does say in the manual never to tow anything with the car, so I can see a dealer not wanting to honor your transmission breaking from towing a trailer.
Also you may have trouble getting your car fixed under warranty if something does go wrong. It does say in the manual never to tow anything with the car, so I can see a dealer not wanting to honor your transmission breaking from towing a trailer.
#22
Registered
An image has suddenly popped into my head...a field in the middle of nowhere, with mountain of clamp-on trailer hitches, all made obsolete by modern bumpers. Kind of like the capsule dump in "Lost."
Ken
#25
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The Mazda CX-9 (there biggest SUV) is only rated to tow 3500lbs but you think doing that with a sports car with no torque is a good idea?
Last edited by Jacob6875; 04-27-2011 at 10:41 PM.