towing with a tiny car?

R

Russell

Well-known member
Im thinking about a compact towing setup. What is something like a jimny or terios like with a legal full load trailer (1300kg)?
Idealy i would like a 8x4 box trailer and they seem to be 400-500 kg empty with a single axle. Also It would be nice to be able to move the gh1054 but i sispect that might put to much weight on the hitch.
I towed a 6x4 (un braked) with about 300kg on my getz but you start to notice the extra strain on the brakes. I can imagine with a full load (500kg unbraked) you would have to be careful.
 
Lancs Lad

Lancs Lad

Well-known member
Im thinking about a compact towing setup. What is something like a jimny or terios like with a legal full load trailer (1300kg)?
Idealy i would like a 8x4 box trailer and they seem to be 400-500 kg empty with a single axle. Also It would be nice to be able to move the gh1054 but i sispect that might put to much weight on the hitch.
I towed a 6x4 (un braked) with about 300kg on my getz but you start to notice the extra strain on the brakes. I can imagine with a full load (500kg unbraked) you would have to be careful.
I've had the lm146 behind the newer Jimny...can't recommend it 🙃
I've a good mate who keen and eager at 17 one night decided to bring his kxo17 and plant trailer back to the yard with his old Jimny...all well and good till he got to greenhow hill @Furniss will know it... brakes were iffy anyhow....luckily for him it jackknifed early and he managed to stop. Very. ..lucky.

Moral of the story only tow with what you can boss about .

1300 would be tops for a Jimny imo on the flat
 
Furniss

Furniss

Well-known member
I've had the lm146 behind the newer Jimny...can't recommend it 🙃
I've a good mate who keen and eager at 17 one night decided to bring his kxo17 and plant trailer back to the yard with his old Jimny...all well and good till he got to greenhow hill @Furniss will know it... brakes were iffy anyhow....luckily for him it jackknifed early and he managed to stop. Very. ..lucky.

Moral of the story only tow with what you can boss about .

1300 would be tops for a Jimny imo on the flat
Gone up to the miners arms a few times :) used to be trial in the back field, and along duck street ? to stonehouse :)
Old mate I used to work with has a house up there, lovely but a bit bleak, my mrs lived just down from stonehouse at thornthwaite :)
 
V8Druid

V8Druid

do it as well as you can,but learn to do it better
back in '86 when the unbraked trailer weights changed to 750kgs max/50% of drawing vehicle, there was further talk of making braked trailers limited to 90% of drawing vehicle, because of concerns over smaller vehicles towing too much ... was superseded by the introduction of GTW on vin plates.
prior to '86, an unbraked trailer had to be less than IIRC, 3cwt unladen (with no max) :oops: - over 3cwt had to be braked
 
doobin

doobin

Well-known member
Possibly something like a Transit flatbed would be more useful? Assuming you will keep the Getz as a car.

I'd not want to start towing lots behind a Jimny, it's neither fun nor practical.
 
Bri963

Bri963

Well-known member
I run a single axle GH64 with the Kubota behind my Jimny, with buckets I’m close to 1300 kg. The Jimny is okay with it on flat areas round here but if you’re in hilly country it would get monotonous. It would do it but you’d spend a lot of time in 3rd. I wouldn’t put a two axle trailer behind it for any distance, with Jimnys being so short it wouldn’t take much to end up Jack knifed.
I wouldn’t put an empty three axle behind it under any circumstances.
 
R

Russell

Well-known member
Ok thanks. I was thinking a terios would be better for family duties, 1 wife and 1 boy. The box trailer would be loaded with either a dirt bike,pressure washer and water for mainland trips or mixer and hand tools or small amounts of ballast and cement.
I get the point about axles and would only go single.
The trouble with a tranney is im trying to keep away from diesel. I could put the disco back on the road once finished for bigger/digger jobs but dont want 19mpg diesel for family stuff that is most of driving currently.
 
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V8Druid

V8Druid

do it as well as you can,but learn to do it better
I run a single axle GH64 with the Kubota behind my Jimny, with buckets I’m close to 1300 kg. The Jimny is okay with it on flat areas round here but if you’re in hilly country it would get monotonous. It would do it but you’d spend a lot of time in 3rd. I wouldn’t put a two axle trailer behind it for any distance, with Jimnys being so short it wouldn’t take much to end up Jack knifed.
I wouldn’t put an empty three axle behind it under any circumstances.
presumably that's the trailer weight you're talking Bri ?
's a lot on one single pair of wheels ... what tyres does it run on ?
must take some balancing in a 6 ft trailer ?
must be a pig to reverse
 
Bri963

Bri963

Well-known member
presumably that's the trailer weight you're talking Bri ?
's a lot on one single pair of wheels ... what tyres does it run on ?
must take some balancing in a 6 ft trailer ?
must be a pig to reverse
Yes Gra, that’s the trailer. It’s on the 10” rims. The Kubota balances perfectly, when I get three or four loose bucket/ripper it’s a bit nosey, but the tow ball doesn’t sit far back from the axle so no problem. Jimnys are light on the arse so a bit of nose weight helps. Reversing is a doddle, it’s perfect for getting into some of the new build estates I have to access at times. It’d be ideal for pulling a couple of bikes around.

the Terios is a good shout, four doors and the same width as the Jimny. Probably better on fuel.
 
hiluxman

hiluxman

Well-known member
presumably that's the trailer weight you're talking Bri ?
's a lot on one single pair of wheels ... what tyres does it run on ?
must take some balancing in a 6 ft trailer ?
must be a pig to reverse
I've used my ifor gd64 to tow my micro diggers in the past. Rated at 1400 gross. So just about on its limit. Its 13inch wheels and is prity well balanced with the digger in there.

Prity easy to reverse too, although I've only ever used it behind a pick up so will be alot harder if it was behind a tipper or van.
 
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