Trailer Hitch: have you tried this?
08-31-2005, 07:50 PM
#1
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
Trailer Hitch: have you tried this?
I now that Vettes should not be used for towing, but an ad from Ecklers arrived and showed a Trailer hitch.
Has anybody tried this? Which are the usuall complications of towing. It would be nice to tow my sports bike (400lbs) with the Vette. After all it has a V8, it should have enogh power and torque .
Web site is :
http://www.ecklers.com/product.asp?p...uct*Text_48424
Any coments on towing are welcome
Has anybody tried this? Which are the usuall complications of towing. It would be nice to tow my sports bike (400lbs) with the Vette. After all it has a V8, it should have enogh power and torque .
Web site is :
http://www.ecklers.com/product.asp?p...uct*Text_48424
Any coments on towing are welcome
08-31-2005, 11:53 PM
#3
Elite Torch Red Member
The question isn't having enough power, but whether the suspension can handle it.
I've seen C4's tow a lot of things, but this one is the king.
I've seen C4's tow a lot of things, but this one is the king.
09-01-2005, 12:26 PM
#8
Burning Brakes
Member Since: Jan 2005
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St. Jude Donor '07
No problems what so ever on towing a small trailer. I have a 4 X 4 harbor freight trailer I turned into a tire trailer to haul tires and tools. Probably weighs close to 400lbs fully loaded. Can't even tell its back there!
When you load the trailer just balance it out. Don't exceed the tongue weight and a well balanced trailer rides better down the road.
Although I have just recently purchased a truck and am looking for a car trailer. Got tired of changing tires at the track in 100+F weather!
When you load the trailer just balance it out. Don't exceed the tongue weight and a well balanced trailer rides better down the road.
Although I have just recently purchased a truck and am looking for a car trailer. Got tired of changing tires at the track in 100+F weather!
09-01-2005, 01:40 PM
#10
Small(?) Sport Bike Pic
Cool idea about taking the bike along...
This one might be a little over the 400lb mark but the trailer and bike are still under the Class 1 rating..
This one might be a little over the 400lb mark but the trailer and bike are still under the Class 1 rating..
09-01-2005, 02:22 PM
#11
Race Director
Originally Posted by qwik96GS
No problems what so ever on towing a small trailer. I have a 4 X 4 harbor freight trailer I turned into a tire trailer to haul tires and tools. Probably weighs close to 400lbs fully loaded. Can't even tell its back there!
When you load the trailer just balance it out. Don't exceed the tongue weight and a well balanced trailer rides better down the road.
Although I have just recently purchased a truck and am looking for a car trailer. Got tired of changing tires at the track in 100+F weather!
When you load the trailer just balance it out. Don't exceed the tongue weight and a well balanced trailer rides better down the road.
Although I have just recently purchased a truck and am looking for a car trailer. Got tired of changing tires at the track in 100+F weather!
09-01-2005, 03:54 PM
#12
Race Director
Originally Posted by Mr Mojo
The question isn't having enough power, but whether the suspension can handle it.
I've seen C4's tow a lot of things, but this one is the king.
I've seen C4's tow a lot of things, but this one is the king.
09-01-2005, 06:55 PM
#14
Team Owner
The hitch appears to be the DaLan hitch for C4's. You might search round for a better price.
What's the weight of the trailer? You need to add the trailer weight to the bike weight along with anything else that will be stowed on the trailer. The tongue weight should be around 10-15% of the total towed weight.
With whatever tongue weight you come up with, is added to the weight carrying capacity of the car. Look at the sticker on the driver's door to see what the max cargo weight is. Subttract the tongue weight from that and what is left is what the Vette gets to carry including you, cargo and perhaps a passenger.
In any event, you should be OK with a single bike. Watch your driving (acceleration and braking) and make sure you use extra distance for stopping. If you have an A4 and will be frequently towing the bike, you should have the tranny serviced with new fluid and a filter. If you intend to tow any long distances, that may warrant a small tranny cooler.
When I set my 87 up for towing, the only real problem I ran into was the wiring. The round-taillamp C4's are a pain to wire for trailer lights as you need to remove the inside lamp housings to be able to get to the wire harness. Replace the Tail Lamp fuse with a 15A version as the stock 10A wil blow when you have the lights on.
Also, the turn signal flasher needs to be swapped for a HD version or one of those electronic units. On my 87 the flasher is a real PITA to get to as it's to the right of the A/C controls just above the carpeted knee pad bolster. Have to remove most of the right side of the dash to grab it.
What's the weight of the trailer? You need to add the trailer weight to the bike weight along with anything else that will be stowed on the trailer. The tongue weight should be around 10-15% of the total towed weight.
With whatever tongue weight you come up with, is added to the weight carrying capacity of the car. Look at the sticker on the driver's door to see what the max cargo weight is. Subttract the tongue weight from that and what is left is what the Vette gets to carry including you, cargo and perhaps a passenger.
In any event, you should be OK with a single bike. Watch your driving (acceleration and braking) and make sure you use extra distance for stopping. If you have an A4 and will be frequently towing the bike, you should have the tranny serviced with new fluid and a filter. If you intend to tow any long distances, that may warrant a small tranny cooler.
When I set my 87 up for towing, the only real problem I ran into was the wiring. The round-taillamp C4's are a pain to wire for trailer lights as you need to remove the inside lamp housings to be able to get to the wire harness. Replace the Tail Lamp fuse with a 15A version as the stock 10A wil blow when you have the lights on.
Also, the turn signal flasher needs to be swapped for a HD version or one of those electronic units. On my 87 the flasher is a real PITA to get to as it's to the right of the A/C controls just above the carpeted knee pad bolster. Have to remove most of the right side of the dash to grab it.
09-02-2005, 04:07 PM
#15
Burning Brakes
Member Since: Oct 2004
Location: Pittsburgh Pirates PA
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ok, you guys are all great and i am sure that the trailer hitch is incredibly practical for all of your uses, and i am never one to criticize any of your ideas, because i have used many of them,
but seeing a corvette towing anything is just plain wrong...... i'm not out to get anyone upset... but holy smokes..
don't let the other forums here know about this considering how much they don't respect the c4 corvettes anyway. no need to fuel the fire...
nice weekend.. everybody cruise
but seeing a corvette towing anything is just plain wrong...... i'm not out to get anyone upset... but holy smokes..
don't let the other forums here know about this considering how much they don't respect the c4 corvettes anyway. no need to fuel the fire...
nice weekend.. everybody cruise
09-02-2005, 04:16 PM
#16
Drifting
Originally Posted by Mr Mojo
The question isn't having enough power, but whether the suspension can handle it.
I've seen C4's tow a lot of things, but this one is the king.
I've seen C4's tow a lot of things, but this one is the king.
So, do you think he is exceeding his GVWR? I would think so. Would be nice towing something like this to a car show, I could drop the trailer, start up the generator and enjoy air conditioning, TV and cold brews instead of sitting in a folding lawn chair.
