Towing with the Hybrid

[acdii]

I am contemplating getting a hitch for the 2010, to pull a small enclosed trailer for my RC flying days. Trailer empty weight is 815 pounds, and fully loaded with my planes and equipment would be no more than 950 pounds. I dont think my planes stacked on top of each other would weigh more than 50 pounds.

 

We have a Grand Marquis for when I need to put some real weight in the trailer, so this would just be my flying trips.

 

Any thoughts on how the Hybrid will handle it? They would be short trips too, 20 minutes each way.

 

Its a 5x8x6 trailer.

[Nmadole]

It says no towing in the manual... My opinion is if it can carry 5 full grown adults it should be able to pull a small trailer

[acdii]

Yeah me too

 

I will get a bike carrier for it just in case. :) Why do you have a hitch, why to carry my bikes of course!

[lolder]

There are two cooling systems in the FFH, one for the ICE and one for the electrical components. At normal cruise speeds, there is not much activity in the electrical components. There is always a little bit but the ICE is essentially driving the wheels through the gears. When more power is required like towing, more electrical energy is exchanged between the two motor-generators creating more heat load and maybe more than the electrical cooling system is designed for. In a non-hybrid towing vehicle, a larger transmission cooling system is usually present. It's probably a matter of degree. Last summer I drove 700 miles at 70 mph with a bench on the roof of my 2010 FFH. The mileage reduced from 40 to 30 mpg. The outside temperature was close to 100 and I didn't see any vehicle temperature problems. There is no indication of the electrical cooling system temperature, only an alarm if it gets too hot. Don't end up at the dealer for hybrid warranty work with an overheat warning with a trailer hitch installed.

[acdii]

If its 100* out, I wont need to worry about that! I wont be flying if its that hot out. I'm a fair weather flyer, and I hate to sweat! LOL It should be fine, If I need to haul any weight, I have a Grand Marquis to tow with, Except for the drag, it wont be much more weight then me and three of my friends.

[acdii]

http://www.farmandfleet.com/products/720507-duracraft-8-white-enclosed-trailer.html#.UN4sUnfNmSo

 

Here is the trailer I am looking to get.

[BoomerGer]

So acdii, after you state you use that hitch to carry your bikes, what will he ask you when he finds the electrical hook up for the trailer lites? Perhaps your answer will be, "Why, to lite up my bikes so no one runs into them while hung on the hitch."

[acdii]

Thats for the lights on my trunk box! :)