86subaru Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 215 front weight, 2300 total [ no gear] , will install tranny cooler, hitch is good, + receiver, no hills, no long drives, and it has electric brakes, can i pull it with my 97 legacy L a/t awd 2.2 motor, or opinions,hitch is custom made and very heavy duty, receiver is strong enough also,thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnceggleston Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 215 front weight, 2300 total [ no gear] , will install tranny cooler, hitch is good, + receiver, no hills, no long drives, and it has electric brakes, can i pull it with my 97 legacy L a/t awd 2.2 motor, or opinions,hitch is custom made and very heavy duty, receiver is strong enough also,thanks i think the spec is 2000 max. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulwnkl Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 I don't know the tow rating of that year/model. So, if I pretend it's the same 2,300 lbs. as most of the more recent Legacies, I say go for it. This based on towing at max with my Baja. I also have electric brakes on my heavier trailer, and I don't think I'd do it without them (not to mention state law requires trailer brakes on trailers >1,000 lbs). I do have an aftermarket A/T cooler which IMO is mandatory when towing at or very near max. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86subaru Posted September 1, 2008 Author Share Posted September 1, 2008 i already pull a 10' box total weight with gear around 2000 lbs and it pulls it with no problem , but talking to other people i guess i should have asked first before i bought a bigger one, well i guess i 'll be selling my new pop up then, thanks for the info , weight for legacy is 2000 for a 97 , Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jp98 Posted September 2, 2008 Share Posted September 2, 2008 What a lot of people don't realize when they buy a trailer, pop up, or regular travel trailer is that the posted weight on the trailer is dry weight. Add your camping gear, food, water, and what ever else you load into it and the weight go up a lot. Just a few more things that need to be figured in. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86subaru Posted September 2, 2008 Author Share Posted September 2, 2008 ok, dry weight 2300 lbs, not to exceed 2500 , my other one says 1675 dry, not to exceed 1900, tongue weight smaller one 150 , the new one 215 , 12' box instead of 10 ' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psyko Posted September 2, 2008 Share Posted September 2, 2008 I towed a XT turbo 13 miles with my 2.2 auto '95 Legacy (234k on engine and tranny). The XT was missing its interior, but had a 180 pound wheelman, so it was probably a hundred, or so, pounds lighter than a stock XT (sorry, not sure of the stock weight, maybe somebody else will know). Plus, the guy in the XT rode the brakes the whole time, making it a fairly good load to tug along. Well, 100 degree weather and, on the flats, the Legacy did wonderfully. Part way through I hit a mileish long hill though, and it was not happy at all. I had to stop twice to pop the hood and use cardboard to shade the engine, but once I got back to the flats, it was happy as a clam. Btw, my trailer hitch said 2300 on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86subaru Posted September 2, 2008 Author Share Posted September 2, 2008 well my wife says use her fathers ford 350 super heavy duty diesel 4 door a/t with everything there , electric brakes etc, 65,000mi on it, and never gets driven anymore because her father passed away 6 months ago ,and her mother does not drive it, mpg about 17 empty, loaded with 5th wheel camper about 13 ,but instead of taking 2 cars now just 1 , but you see it's a family thing again, if something needs repaired ? or accident ?, but it should be driven and not just set , only driven 700 miles in a year, which her father could no longer drive it etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted September 2, 2008 Share Posted September 2, 2008 the key with towing is not "can it do it"...but how risky you're willing to be. the subaru can handle it just fine. i think it's a VERY GOOD IDEA to have electric brakes on the trailer, that's HUGE plus. i don't think those tow ratings are made for trailers with brakes, i think they're made with no brake trailers in mind. it sounds to me like you're set up will be fine if you keep those brakes working well and drive safely. 2,000 isn't uber scarry with proper brakes and driving. keep in mind when you're at the limits, everything becomes much more dangerous. weather, other drivers, animals, etc all become much higher liabilities in terms of maintaining control. the eye rolling part of towing questions is that people always ask and answer in terms of "can it be done"....that's not the issue. it's not like 2,000 pounds is fine and then at 2001 pounds it all of a sudden becomes some hazzard and car parts will fall off, things will blow up, and you'll wreck. there's no magic number. there's too many dynamics for this to be a black and white issue, and the most important is the drivers attitude and decision making ability. i doubt we'll be changing that any time soon!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulwnkl Posted September 2, 2008 Share Posted September 2, 2008 i already pull a 10' box total weight with gear around 2000 lbs and it pulls it with no problem , but talking to other people i guess i should have asked first before i bought a bigger one, well i guess i 'll be selling my new pop up then, thanks for the info , weight for legacy is 2000 for a 97 , As usual, I agree with grossgary. Still, with what you're saying above, I'd do it if it was me. But then, I know how I approach towing and how I adjust the way I drive when doing so. Nothing wrong with using the un-used Ford, though. I'll say this: We have a trailer that I've pulled with a relative's V-10 Ford, and also with my turbo Baja. The V-10 Ford (we have several at work as well and they get CRAPPY mpg) got better mpg than the Baja towing that trailer. Not just a shave, I'm talking 20% better! Turbo gasoline engines do NOT get good mpg when working hard. So, at least you have a non-turbo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86subaru Posted September 3, 2008 Author Share Posted September 3, 2008 well i do drive a semi for living, and brake early turn signals, and of course there are trailer brakes, so heavy loads do not bother me, swaying etc,, always watching the mirrors , even harder with 2 trailers, and of course will be using a sway bar, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bratman18 Posted September 6, 2008 Share Posted September 6, 2008 I had a friend that towed a double axle car trailer with a brat on it with his 86 ea82 D/R and it did fine except for steep hills! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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