TypeOPositive Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 From what I can tell, the towing capacity of my Legacy wagon should be 2,000 lb with a maximum tongue weight of 10%, or 200lb . However, I have a class II hitch installed rated for 3,500 lb's and 350 lb tongue. Do I have too much hitch for my vehicle? Is it practical to attempt to tow a motorcycle (<550lb wet) with some kind of single rail behind this poor little Ej22 five speed? This is my primary reason for asking, as I'm wondering if I'll have to add a transmission cooler or other aftermarket accessories to make this adventure a bit safer. Thanks in advance ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forester2002s Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 There's nothing wrong with putting a Class II hitch on a Subaru, in place of the Class I hitch recommended. However, this doesn't change the towing capacity of the vehicle. All it means is that the hitch has a stronger and heavier steel-frame, and is perhaps bolted to the car more securely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnceggleston Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 the towing capacit5y of your car is 2000 lb, but only with electric brakes on the treailer. a limit5 of 1000 lb with out electric brakes. a trans cooler will never hurt. the need will depend on how often and what conditions. but please note, they are NOT expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wirelessenabled Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 Transmission cooler on a 5 speed? First I have heard of that. I wouldn't think that towing would make a manual transmission heat up any more than it would normally. With an automatic yes but not a manual. My 2000 5 speed has no outlets or inlets to plumb a cooler anyway so it would all be homemade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TypeOPositive Posted August 31, 2015 Author Share Posted August 31, 2015 I don't think they make single rail motorcycle trailers with electric brakes... But I could be wrong. I honestly know nothing about towing. If they cost more than I paid for my car, the idea is probably out. I wasn't thinking of making a habit of towing with the subaru. Hauling a motorcycle to track days (~350 miles round trip) via highway. Not sure how often it would happen as I've never been to one. I don't know what kind of price ranges there are on utility trailers, especially ones with trailer brakes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KiwiGL Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 I wouldn't bother with brakes on a single rail trailer... You guys in the US seem to have much lower tow ratings than here in NZ, here that Outback would be good for 1500 kg braked (~3000 lb) and 750kg unbraked (~1500 lb). Same as my old 2003 dual-range manual SG Forester, 2.5 NA engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TypeOPositive Posted August 31, 2015 Author Share Posted August 31, 2015 Well, I'm driving a legacy, and not an outback. I don't think that changes a whole lot, but isn't there a legal risk to towing more than your car is technically supposed to ? It's a subject that seems to creep up when people mention towing limits of cars vs trucks and just how far that can be taken. Is that weight without brakes a legal stipulation, or a suggestion? How hard would it be to add electronic brakes to a trailer that wasn't equipped? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt167 Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 just tow it. Those single axle motorcycle haulers, I dont think brakes to fit the axles are even available. Trailers less than 3,500 lbs are not required to have brakes. You can tow 2,000 lbs and leave yourself some distance to the next car. Nobody's gonna stop u, its perfectly legal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pzookey Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 (edited) With a bike that is 550 lbs and a single rail trailer you should be under the 1000 lb mark. I would tow it. Trans cooler would be a good idea if you have an auto trans. If you have a stick there is no need. I just did a quick look up and a lot of the single rail trailers at between 350 and 400 lbs. A three rail trailer is sitting at 550 lbs. I do not see any problem. I almost forgot, Many years ago I used to pull what was a Three rail trailer that was converted to hold a 250 amp welding machine and a cutting torch rig. This was regularly pulled behind my 82 Subaru 4WD GL 1800 wagon with no problem. Edited September 5, 2015 by pzookey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TypeOPositive Posted September 5, 2015 Author Share Posted September 5, 2015 That's comforting. I just really don't want to be on the rump roast end of legal ramifications if I were to get into some kind of situation that required me to have my insurance company to get involved. I can already see that being a legal nightmare. It's comforting to know that I can keep the weight under 1,000 pounds though. Perhaps now would be a good time to ensure that my brakes are up to the task of slowing down an extra thousand pounds. I'm somewhere between a 4x6 or MAYBE a 4x8 utility trailer and a single rail motorcycle specific carrier. Are there any statistic regarding the trailer that would be helpful to consider to reduce the nose weight on the soob's hitch? I'll have to do some more research on the types of trailers avalible at my price range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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