Towing trailer questions

I'm entertaining the idea of towing a few dirt bikes on a utility trailer behind my 97 Subaru Legacy L Wagon (4-wheel disc brakes, auto trans, 165k).

 

I'd probably need to use the trailer once a month and get it from china freight.

 

My questions-

1. Would my car be able to handle a trailer with 3 dirt bikes? Each dirt bike would probably weigh at most 350 lbs

 

2. Would I need a auto trans cooler? (and if so, would that lower my ATF temps when I'm not towing?)

 

3. Should I tow in 3 or D? I've heard that overdrive is bad for towing, but I've only heard the reason why is the transmission hunting when going uphill.

 

4. Are there any trailer hitches that are recommended? perhaps one that is no cut/no drill?

 

Thanks!

1/

the lego has a 2000 lb limit.

anything over 1000 lb needs brakes on the trailer.

 

2/

atf cooler is always a good idea.

 

3/

3 is third gear,

D is fourth geat,

there is no overdrive.

in hilly country drive in 3,

when climbing hills it will never shift up to D,

and it will help brake a little going down hill.

otherwise drive in D.

 

4/

most good hitches are ''no cut no drill''.

the subaru comes hitch ready, bolt holes.

the legacy L is does not have a trailer wiring connection.

you will need to splice in the trailer wiring.

 

 

1050 lb for bikes plus the trailer,

ATF cooler for sure.

and trailer brakes.

i agree with johnegg, 3rd would be best for towing on any hilly terrain, on flat grouund the trans should be able to sort out what gear it needs without you selecting D or 3.

350lbs would be a VERY heavy bike, that is almost sportbike weight, i know my 250f is about 258lbs and my 125 2 stroke is about 220, i would estimate all three between 700-750, those little HF trailers dont weigh much at all my buddy had one for his bikes and it was a little flimsy so we ended up welding on a little more bracing out of scrap steel and it works fine, the dinky little tires are a good item to replace thoi had a hard time trusting those little things with my bike on it for a long drive

 

but i disagree about the lack of overdrive. the 4eat is an overdrive transmission the 4th gear ratio is .697 which would make it 30.03% overdrive. if it wasnt overdrive the 4th gear would be 1:1. it isnt labeled as overdrive like some are but it is still an overdrive gear

the 4eat is an overdrive transmission the 4th gear ratio is .697 which would make it 30.03% overdrive. if it wasnt overdrive the 4th gear would be 1:1. it isnt labeled as overdrive like some are but it is still an overdrive gear

 

thanks,

i did not know this.

or the definition of overdrive.

 

i just assumed they would have included overdrive in the description if it had it.

350lbs would be a VERY heavy bike, that is almost sportbike weight, i know my 250f is about 258lbs and my 125 2 stroke is about 220, i would estimate all three between 700-750,

 

my HD ultra classic weighs in at over 850lbs. my sons old 78 ironhead sportster weighs in at over 400lbs too

there are definitely some heavy street bikes out there but when but comes to dirt bikes i dont think even the big all steel honda/kawasaki 650's weigh in over 300lbs

what are the 3 bikes you plan to tow? figure out the wet weights of the 3 and the weight of the hf trailer and see how close you get to the max tow capacity.. plus your gear, gas cans etc

 

and holy hell man dont tip that bike! 850 lbs would be a bear of a job to pick back up

haha ya, it tipped once in a parking lot when my kickstand failed, but with all the bars and such that are on those ultras it only goes down to about a 45 degree angle. not too hard to get back up using the leg push method.

Hello;

I fabricated my own trailer hitch for my legacy wagon. The rear bumper is easily removed and a main plate can be welded to the rear bumper structure. I can easily unbolt the whole affair, if need be. A two bike trailer could be towed with the wagon, thinking three bikes could be cutting it thin. I can tow my big twin harley and single bike trailer, no problems. Transmission cooler is a must with an automatic. I average 24 mpg when towing, Steven.

Nice to hear there's some fellow bike owners towing with their Legacy's.

 

The main bike I would be towing is my 01 WR250f. I think it's ~260lbs wet.

 

01 WR250f (mine, 260 lbs wet)

 

And some combination of

03 KLX300 (250 lbs wet)

04 DRZ400s (319 wet)

03 YZ450f (220 dry)

 

Pretty sure the DRZ is the heaviest of the bunch by far.

 

Which HF trailer and ATF cooler does everyone like?

 

Thanks!

man those wr250f's are great bikes my buddy also has an 01 and it is a blast, as soon as i rode it i knew i needed one

i didnt realize the drz's were that heavy an xr650r must be pushing 340

 

as for which trailer im really not sure i havent been to hf in quite a while. i have a REALLY hard time trusting the folding ones i would end up welding it straight and that would just be a waste. try to find one that can carry at least 1,250 lbs to give yourself a little room for error and gear and just in case it was friday at the factory in china, maybe some tires that dont belong on a golf cart

i would check craigslist and cycletrader to see if i could find a good deal on a trailer before i went the hf route. depends on how cheap the hf ones are but for the money i would rather a used bike trailer

Old thread, but I thought I'd update the group.

 

I ended up with the 4x8 folding trailer from HF - http://www.harborfreight.com/1195-lb-capacity-48-in-x-96-in-heavy-duty-folding-trailer-62648.html. I'm pretty happy with it.

 

I also ended up with a clearance hitch from u-haul. It must have been sitting on the shelf since 1996! I did have to drill the frame but there was already a place for it and it was easy. I'm glad I went with the draw-tite over the curt. The curt would have next to no ground clearance and drag everywhere.

 

I've done a few long range trips (200-300+ miles) with 2 bikes with no issues. Car has power to go way past 70mph hauling the trailer. Going up big hills it will slow down to 45-55mph though. Also, gas mileage takes a hit - I'm getting about 17-20mpg instead of 25-27mpg.

 

Just did a 200 mile trip last weekend hauling 3 bikes - an 07 wr450f, an 07yz450f, and late 90's xt350.

 

I'm very pleasantly surprised at how well the car handles the trailer and the extra weight and drag.

I was thinking about doing this same thing, I have a 97 Outback wagon, 2.5L 5 speed, and someone stole the hitch off of it. The bumper is cut out, and theres a wiring harness tucked under the spare wheel. Is the max on the Outback the same as the other wagons at 2000 lbs?

Thought I'd share some pictures of my setup