Small Tow Vehicle

[pxd]

I currently camp with a tent.  But a relative of mine is selling his 2006 Palimino Pony 280 (1280lbs) for a very reasonable price.  However, I drive a 2006 Chevy Cobalt.  If the PU has trailer brakes, is there any way my Cobalt would cut it?

[Eric Sass]

Your Cobalt isn't designed to tow. In fact the Chevy website doesn't rate it for towing. You could ruin your transmission. When you purchase a TV, check with the dealer. They have ratings on each vehicle. Also keep in mind that a trailer weight does not include all the stuff you load into it. Add at least 1,000 lbs. for that.

Eric

[pxd]

Point taken.  But my relative has been towing this with his 2000 Honda CR-V, which has a 1000 lb tow rating (the same as the automatic version of the Cobalt).  He took it from Toronto to PEI and back last summer with no apparent problems.  So, I guess my next question is: Is the CR-V better suited to towing than a Cobalt?  Or are they both as bad as eachother?

[flyfisherman]

Point taken.  But my relative has been towing this with his 2000 Honda CR-V, which has a 1000 lb tow rating (the same as the automatic version of the Cobalt).  He took it from Toronto to PEI and back last summer with no apparent problems.  So, I guess my next question is: Is the CR-V better suited to towing than a Cobalt?  Or are they both as bad as eachother?

Auto repairs are mighty expensive these days. I dropped an automatic transmission in a pick-up truck some time back ~ it really was not right from the get-go and had it back to the dealer telling them it was just not performing right. Well, one day I put the thing in reverse and there was no reverse! True, warranty got me a BRAND NEW tranny ... but the replacement cost back then was something like $2600.00! With prices rising the way they are, I'd be afraid to know what it is today. My point eing, what would the cost of a new tranny in your little Chevy be ... or if it's manual, the cost of a new clutch assembly?

That's just for openers for the tow vehicle. What about safety, what kind of a value do we place on that? Having camper brakes is good, but what about if you have to steer your way out of a tight spot ... could your over-loaded  vehicle handle such a situation?

I was pulling my PU with a tow vehicle that was rated to handle TWICE the load it was carrying and towing, and a defective spring broke on the camper causing the body of the camper to come down on the camper wheel on that side and lock it up. Was moving with traffic somewhere between 65 and 70 mph. I can tell you from that experience the value of having a tow vehicle that had the where-with-all to stay stable in that kind of an emergency. We all know the alternative to that situation, of losing control and ending up scattered all over the highway with who knows what happening to those near & dear, ourselves and the general motoring public. It simply is not worth it ... no camper is.

May I suggest, continue on with the tent camping and enjoy it ~ I'm an old tent camper from way back (and still tent camp every now and again!).  Start compling information on popup campers and possible tow vehicles ... maybe in the 3500 lb towing range. That will handle a decent sized popup and and all the "stuff" we seem to have to tote along!  There will be other camper bargins to show up. But there's no use in having a popup sitting home in the drive or backyard because you don't have a suitable/safe vehicle to tow it with.


Good luck.



Fly

[wavery]

I towed our 3,000# (incl gear) PU for about a year with our 2001 Chrysler Concorde 3.5L V6 (1500# tow rating). I restricted our travel to flat land only and limited passengers to myself and my wife. We took very little extra gear. I spent a lot of $ on beefing up the brakes, suspension and trans cooler.

The car handled the PU just fine but I constantly had to be over-cautious and in the end, we bought a 2nd hand S10 pick-up, just for towing because we ended up camping a LOT more than we thought we would. I could have saved myself about $1500 and a lot of aggravation by just buying the pick-up truck in the 1st place. We now feel much better about our all-around camping experience.

In my humble opinion, you may well do more damage to your vehicle (and nerves) than it is worth.

[wynot]

Point taken. But my relative has been towing this with his 2000 Honda CR-V, which has a 1000 lb tow rating (the same as the automatic version of the Cobalt). He took it from Toronto to PEI and back last summer with no apparent problems. So, I guess my next question is: Is the CR-V better suited to towing than a Cobalt? Or are they both as bad as eachother?

CR-Vs have a very low tow rating, since afterall, it is only a Civic mechanically.  On the other hand, our friends just had their CR-V's transmission fail - without towing as much as a feather.

[Nemesis56]

I currently camp with a tent.  But a relative of mine is selling his 2006 Palimino Pony 280 (1280lbs) for a very reasonable price.  However, I drive a 2006 Chevy Cobalt.  If the PU has trailer brakes, is there any way my Cobalt would cut it?

Your Cobalt is the replacement for my Cavalier.  In my owner's book it says in big bold print..."Not subitible for towing" and minimum of 2.4 liter for towing...(That would be an upgrade to a Pontiac Sunfire.)    Our cars don't have the engine, cooling, suspension or braking for trailer towing.  Period.  I'm sure you could find somebody to install a trailer hitch in spite of the engineers who designed them, cautioning not to do it.  You could probally install heavier springs and shock/struts, have a bigger radiator core installed, install a trans cooler and an engine oil cooler, redo the braking system with heavier service parts, and then after all that expense you might be able to tow with it.  Even then you'd be exceeding the GVWR. Personally I decided to just buy a pu truck and be done with it.

[backpacker3]

When I got insurance for my PUP, the agent asked me what my TV would be. I found out that if my TV is not rated to tow my PUP, I would not be insured if something happened like an accident involing my TV. Called negligence. In a way, I can understand completely. Why tow something when your vehicle is rated to tow or you want to tow something rated more than your vehicle can Safely handle.
 :U

[Techrangerbrad]

For two years I towed our Niagra with a 91' Ford Exploder - During our 3rd trip out, up a hill, white smoke came billowing out of the back of our Ford.  When I took it into the dealer, who told me that the 91 Exploders actually had the Mustang tranny in them.  In other words, while the tow rating was 5000# but the tranny was designed more for quick acceleration then towing.  I went through the first tranny and was on the second when I finally decided to invest in my GMC.

I guess my whole point is it is not just about the trailer.  I see it as about both the trailer and the vehicle.  I am amazed when I go to a campground what people are trying to tow with.  I know, that if I am driving, I sure don't want to cause someone else pain or injury to somebody else, due to my ignorance about an adequate towing vehicle.

To me it is just not worth it.

[pxd]

Thanks all for your thoughts.  Decided to stick with the tent for now.  By the way, here's what my local trailer dealer has to say: "Your car would have no trouble towing  a 806 tent trailer but it might void your gm warranty."  Anything for a sale, I guess.

[haroldPE]

correct - anything for a sale.
another consideration is the tongue weight.  
your cobalt may bot have front wheels touching :yikes:

not to mention some serious sag