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Has anybody here switched from their full size truck to an eco vehicle with a utility trailer?

When seriously looking at my truck use I see that I mostly carry bulky but light items and hardly ever tow anything. I could do the same thing with a small utility trailer and the two times a year I actually need the full capacity of a truck, I could rent one.

I'm faced with a new 120 mile roundtrip commute for work and don't want to feed my F150for the trip. I have, and want to keep, a small weekend sportscar which gets better gas mileage but running up the miles will hurt it's value. I don't want to own three vehicles, two is enough.

Anybody made the switch?

Thanks, John

Hi,

I had the same dilema. I switched from a full sized truck to an Escort Wagon (on Ethanol) as a daily driver, and also bought a 4x7 utility trailer for $500 (new) and it all works great.

I can carry small stuff in the wagon, and also when i need to, tow the trailer containing anything from a ride-on mower to car engines, etc, etc.. I don't regret it for a second.

Dave
Florence, SC

Hi John:

___First off, welcome to CleanMPG!

___I went looking for a particular pic I have seen in the past of a Euro 5 or 600 series MB sedan pulling a small utility trailer as the Europeans do all the time. Their diesels are a little bit better for that kind of activity then our small Si-ICE equipped fuel misers but anything under 1,000 #’s is usually an ok tow. Brick (Tim) found a relatively lightweight trailer online and Wri Consult found a rental from U-Haul that will work with his Prius if need be that might suffice for you as well? The following included a decent discussion about the same.

http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/hardware/t-need-a-larger-vehicle-over-my-dead-body-6498.html

___Page 2 and 3 are where the goods can be found.

___Good Luck and again welcome to CleanMPG.

___Wayne

Welcome to CleanMPG, John. I haven't made the switch yet but it is planned for the coming Spring. I'll use my Yaris as an example as I'm familiar with its capacities and capabilities, and maybe someone like Hobbit will chime in on what the Prius can do.

By selling our big boat in the Spring we will no longer have a need for the Tacoma. The Yaris will be outfitted with a "Hidden Hitch" model to tow a small "sunfish" sailboat, I will be getting a "Handi Rack" for the canoe to fit on the roof, and our snowboards fit in the hatchback without making any changes.

The hatchback also offers enough space for me to fit a whole lot of computer equipment in there, and household goods. I'm continually and pleasantly surprised at just how much stuff I can squeeze in there when the need arises. :)

The Yaris is rated for towing just 700 pounds but something like that sounds like it would work for you. A small, open-top utility trailer would weigh about 200 pounds and an enclosed one weighs about 300. Either format will leave you with several hundred pounds of cargo capacity in the trailer.

I was running an 05 Hyundai Elantra GT 5d which has a towing capacity of 2000 lbs. Which was the highest I found for a car that size. I towed a Home Depot trailer with it a Pop up camper trailer once. It worked for me but I needed to 2 vehicles to do any camping longer than an overnight especially when you have to take the kids bikes, firewood the coolers and so on.

Depending on you needs you could easily get by with a car and trailer. I lived in Germany 6 years and you don't see pick up trucks there and would be suprised at what cars are towing.

Good luck with your choice.

Thanks for the link Wayne, missed it during my archive search.

Ok link spelled out the considerations well and I think my needs would be met with a small vehicle and trailer. Time to sell the F150.

Now the fun question, which small car!

In two to three years I see myself buying the next generation of diesel car burning BioDiesel, BioD is available in my area, a complete non middle east oil solution.

Not sure what to drive in the mean time.

I'd like to purchase a car that by passes the whole current gasoline economy, BioDiesel is an available technology that meets that standard today.

Been looking for a rationally priced Golf TDI in Nc Sc Ga Tn for a couple of months now without luck. Owners want new prices for a well used car, I'm sure you guys know this. VW doesn't have a great reliability record either.

If I'm going to pay new car prices, I'd rather wait and spend the money on the next generation of diesels.

My next thought is to buy a used Civic HX (03-05), yet to find a manual so far, but think it's a good value while I wait for next gen Diesels.

Prices for used Hybrids are high. If I'm going to buy another gasoline powered car, I'd rather buy an inexpensive used car for now.

I'm facing a 120 mile roundtrip commute, so I want something comfortable.
Where are the Civic HXs hiding? Were they only available in the North East and CA?

Thanks for your help guys, John

Hi John:

___Might I point you to the Reviews for a quick look at something you possibly seek? In a few years anyway :(

___In the mean time, 03 – 05 HX’s are not cheap in the least either. If you are looking for new but inexpensive to get you through the next 2 years, a soon to arrive 08 Yaris with the safety package would get you through the period with great FE and in reasonable comfort. I bet its easily worth 60 mpg when pushed too :D A used Ford Focus PZEV with a stick can do pretty well and for a lot less $ outlay. Find a used PZEV Focus wagon and you may never need to haul a trailer?

___Good Luck

___Wayne

__ Yes, next gen Diesels like you've reviewed, fueled with BioD are my long term plan.

__ I'm beginning to believe that unicorns drive manual Civic HXs, haven't "seen" one yet.

__ Qs about Focus, Duratec engined are best for FE (2003-2007)?

PZEV is a cleaner version of the Duratec only sold in the northeast and CA? I would
confrim PZEV on the door ID tag for years before Ford started badging them? So far
haven't seen local (NC) used Focus advertised as PZEV.

Top Focus FE guys seem to be driving ZX3s, are ZX5s and ZTW wagons as capable?

EPA figures for Focus are not exceptional, are they just good "gliders", or respond
better than others to SGII driving, M1 and 50psi?

Read about a guy on gassavers with a ZX2 Escort, aero mods, hypermiling, achieving
100mpg. Wild to see an average Joe, in an 8 year old car, outdoing Ford engineers
spending tens of millions of dollars on FE development. And that I know about it in
a small town in NC? Well thats the power of the internet. This is fun.

Thanks, John

Hi John:

___You may not find a PZEV equipped Focus in NC but who said you had to purchase your next vehicle in NC?

___The ZX5 and ZTW’s are just as capable.

___Almost everything can be taken to extremely great numbers. It all depends on the driver.

___Ford Engineers are designing their vehicles for everybody on every road, not a P&G’er. 100 mpg at 50 in a ZX2? Highly doubt it. 100 mpg on a back road P&G’ing? The Ranger P/U has seen 85 so a ZX2 should see plenty more with far LRR tires and 500 + pounds less weight not going along for the ride :rolleyes:

___Just passing along a few ideas when it comes to a Focus is all. You can find used ones for dirt cheap vs. anything new although I would still consider a Yaris w/ the full safety package as that is another 100 + mpg driver under the right conditions.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Hi, BlueRidge, and welcome :)

First about the towing: my old Toyota has 106 HP and average torqe (1.8 liter gas engine) and I just recently towed a small utility trailer with quite a bit of furniture with no trouble at all. My dad used to tow up to 1300 pounds with this car (which is it's max. towing capacity) and never had a problem. Sure, you won't be doing 90 or 100 MPH, but hell, I never drive that fast anyway. I didn't tow enough to be able to notice a difference in my fuel economy, but in the long run, smaller car + utility trailer is definitely worth it.

As for the car, Wayne's suggestion of a Yaris is good, though I like the diesel Civic he reviewed much more, though you will probably have to wait for that one :)

A Golf TDI would also be a great choice, plenty of torgue for towing stuff there. But as Wayne has pointed out, you can get great FE numbers from most cars out there if you try hard enough.

I think you're on the mark. We all occasionally have need to move stuff around but driving a gas guzzler on a daily basis just doesn't make sense. I keep an older 6 cyl Jeep and a trailer around for exactly the same reason. When I need to move stuff, I can. When I need 4 WD, I have it (I live in the snow belt and in the mountains). Otherwise, the Jeep sits and I drive small fuel efficient cars and attempt to use some of the hypermilage principles.

While I'm probably not as zealous as some on this board, it works for me and I genuinely feel I'm being responsible regarding the use of fuel. :)

I am lucky that I can easily rent a truck when I need one, which isnt' that often anymore. I owned a truck for awhile, but sold it when I was done with the yard-makeover that was the reason why I bought it.

www.zipcar.com

Hi All:

___I took this pic a few minutes ago but if you can spare the $’s, a Ford Ranger P/U w/ the 2.3 and a stick can be driven to some stupid high FE around town and while out on the highway while pulling, hauling, pushing and towing a ton of things if need be.

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/Ranger_hauling_mulch.jpghttp://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/505/Oct_17_-_2007_47_1_in_the_Ranger_hauling_mulch.jpg
Ford Ranger hauling a load of mulch last night.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

In the past few months I have sold my Motorhome, Toyota Land Cruiser and off-road toys. Two weeks ago I purchase a new Toyota Yaris. I just received a hidden hitch in the mail today and plan to install it this weekend. I allready have a small trailer. Once in a while I do need to move something larger than I can fit into a car, so I'll just grap the trailer when I need to move something. The world is changing and I am trying to adapt.

http://www.chrisgeigerphoto.com/bbs/wheel4.jpg

Welcome, Chris!! We appreciate what you are doing and that is a fine choice of vehicle! Nice photo of it, too. ;)

I am receiving my hidden hitch for my HCH2 today. Require for my bike rack and also have a small utility trailer for light loads. Hope Honda leave me alone on this because they mention in the manul ,no towing. H

I am receiving my hidden hitch for my HCH2 today. Require for my bike rack and also have a small utility trailer for light loads. Hope Honda leave me alone on this because they mention in the manul ,no towing. H

It's the same for the U.S. Yaris, but the funny thing is that the Canadian owner's manual for all 3 types of Yarii available there (they also get a 5-door option) says 700 pounds. They're the same vehicle. lol

Interestingly I was searching for a low MPG tow vehicle to use when camping in retirement. I thought 1500 lbs tow capacity would be sufficient. Virtually nothing out there (everythng requires mid size and 6 cylinder) and all the hybrids specifically exclude towing....

Seems crazy since in former years, I've towed a 250 lb. camping trailer behind a touring motorcycle with no problems whatsoever. Trust me, it can be done safely (or as safe as you can be on a motorcycle).

Back to the point, it only seems logical that we need to focus on higher mpg vehicles and use them in non-traditional ways when required. Sure makes more sense than driving a gas guzzler full time just to satisy an occasional need. I'd be interested in hearing more regarding the possibility of voiding warrantees since if done right, (gentle and slow) I'm confident this can be done safely and with no damage to the vehicle.

Interestingly I was searching for a low MPG tow vehicle to use when camping in retirement. I thought 1500 lbs tow capacity would be sufficient. Virtually nothing out there (everythng requires mid size and 6 cylinder) and all the hybrids specifically exclude towing....


Bah, my lowly Toyota 4-cylinder 1.8 liter corolla-sized sedan can easily tow 1300 lbs. Newer vehicles should have no problems at all with 1500 lbs, I think even the Prius can tow that, as long as you take it easy with the acceleration and braking (which most people here do anyways).

no question you can tow with smaller vehicles. That was my point....

Basic issue is what is the manufacturer's position on voiding warantees.....?

Hi All:

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/549/Smart_with_Trailer.jpgAbout towing … I was lurking at a SMART site and came across some unique towable utility trailers that a SMART can tow. If a SMART can tow this stuff, anything else can too ;)

Laurence, some tidbits on a 320 # travel trailer can be seen at Smart Car Universe (http://www.smartcaruniverse.com/index.php) but the pricing is not cheap :(

Tim, I think the following would work for you as well? $1,395 Canadian for this 280 # covered utility? Not cheap but it would work?

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/549/Smart_with_Trailer_only.jpg

Good Luck

Wayne

I like the idea of a small hatchback and a light utility trailer for short haul stuff (not so keen on the idea of long trips with it).
Honda, on the other hand, says NO towing at all on my Honda Fit. I'm sure it would be OK for a light load, but I'm afraid it would void my warranty.
It's pretty amazing how much you can fit into the Fit. I'd say for 95% of my truck needs the Fit will do. I would guess that a Yaris or similar hatch or stationwagon would be similar. With my old VW Golf the limiting factor on size was the size of the hatch opening.
Cheap light trailers: harborfreight.com
Uhaul has a small aerodynamic trailer for rent.
Most cars my family had in the 50's and 60's were less comfortable for 4 than my Fit. Then there was my 2-bedroom Buick (62 Skylark stationwagon, $200 in 1981) -- room for 9 passengers, with the seats folded room for a full size couch with room to sit upright.
--Walter

Honda, on the other hand, says NO towing at all on my Honda Fit. I'm sure it would be OK for a light load, but I'm afraid it would void my warranty.

That's just stupid. I checked for the Euro version of the Fit (here it's called the Jazz), and the one with a 1.4 SOHC engine (81 HP) and manual transmission can haul 2204 pounds (1000 kilograms) if the trailer has it's own brake (camping trailers, for instance, almost always have a separate brake). If you're towing a trailer which doesn't have brakes, you can tow 992 pounds (450 kilograms). These are official Honda numbers, I used Google to change pounds to kilograms. The hitch is not standard, but you can get it at any Honda dealer. As far as I know, this is the exact same car, only the US version has a stronger engine!

I can't believe they would use such cheap tricks to force people into buying larger cars :mad: