They said I could be anything...
 

...so I became a utility truck.

https://scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net...eb&oe=5A15DD7D

Thanks for sharing! The piece of wood makes me cringe. From the angle of the picture, looks like it's going to scratch your spoiler or smash into your rear window at any second...I know you probably had it tied down but still...

But I thought twins are impractical???

Haha! It was a foot from the rear spoiler. I tested at maximum angle and it came within an inch tho. Especially when the car went up over something and the trailer tilted down, lol.

Taking the big wing to whole new levels!

Pssh... he could at least paint match it. :rolleyes:

Prototype for RB 12. The actual will be all carbon fiber.

Nice! One thing I always felt the RB kits needed was a bigger wing.

It ain't a wing until you need a trailer to haul it will become the new thing.
Stang is a true pioneer.

Yes, "He is a true pioneer," is definitely the expression that was on most peoples' faces in the Home Depot parking lot, and on the drive home. Definitely.

This is awesome, and exactly what I plan to do when I get into a BRZ in about 18-months.

I try to be active; biking, kayaking and camping; and plan to buy a jetski trailer to modify with different "racks" for sports and general hauling capacity. I'll always have my families Honda Odyssey for bigger jobs, but a trailer like this will allow me to take my BRZ on excursions without leaving any toys behind.

Great job on yours! I love the color match! :bow:

Pretty sure manual says "DO NOT TOW"

It says a lot of things that people ignore. I think towing a light tongue weight trailer is the least of the contraventions we have seen on here.

The Owner's Manual states "Do Not Tow" because towing was never in the "official" design specifications when Subaru and Toyota were designing, building, and testing the car. Therefore the car was never tested for towing capability, and as a result, the Owner's Manual states not to do so, as neither Subaru, nor Toyota, want to be responsible for any issues stemming from something they never explicitly designed the car to do.

That statement was not written by engineers. It was written by lawyers to cover their butts. Even if it does state a towing capacity, that isn't necessarily the be-all, end-all of what the vehicle can do. A lot of things come together to define the "official towing capacity" of a vehicle, and the mechanical limits of the vehicle are only one of those things. The "safe limit" is different from the mechanical limit. The "legal limit" is different from both of those. And so on, and so forth. Any vehicle can tow something, though. And since I just got into an argument with someone about this on Facebook, I can conveniently copy-paste this reply :)

I am not here to argue, so stand back foul demon, your need to prove your point is not necessary.

Wasn't being nasty. Just trying to explain :)

The only time I worry about somebody towing when not recommended is with FWD cars. Start to get into some wonky traction and steering issues then
Any RWD/AWD vehicle can easily and safely to a trailer as long as you pay attention to the tongue weight (as you said).
There is a huge market for motorcycle trailers and if they can pull one you certainly can.
https://i.pinimg.com/736x/7a/4f/9f/7...cle-travel.jpg

I actually had the same idea for myself down the road if I don't have another vehicle yet. I plan to get like a little trailer thing for easy camping, tents are great and all, but mini trailer better

Does this void the warranty?
:popcorn:

No. but if you get into an accident the insurance company could argue the point that the vehicle should not have been towing and not pay out.

That is a common misconception/assumption. I've spoken to multiole insurance companies about this, and there are no issues with a reasonably sized trailer.

How did you wire up the trailer lights? I need them for when I have bikes on the hitch rack because they obstruct the tail lights completely so I want to hang a set on the outermost bike.

I also want to get a small super lightweight trailer to transport a variety of things.

Give them a call back and ask the following question:

"I want to tow a trailer with my car however the manufacturers manual states 'Do Not Tow', will there be any issues with coverage if I am involved in an accident?"

Even if they person on the phone says it would be fine, on the day of the claim when the assessor is at the end of his monthly bonus drive, he/she may decide no.

Having said that I suspect that most WILL PAY, however like I said they could argue the point and would probably win in court.

There is no language in mine, or anyone else's insurance contract that stipulates your trailer must fall within manufacturer specifications. There isn't any reason to think they would win in court. Not only do their own documents not prohibit it, but the Owners Manual merely states that the vehicle was not designed or intended to tow, not that it can't tow. The manual language is legal jargon for "we never tested this setup, so don't expect us to cover anything under warranty if it fails while towing."

And here is the response I have, in writing, from my insurance company:

I never stated the trailer must fall within manufacturers specs, i'm stating that the vehicle manufacturer says do not use the vehicle to tow. (Regardless of what you are towing).

I glad you insurance company is so understanding and i'm sure most would pay. However your personal relationship with your insurer does not necessarily translate to all other insurance companies. I would recommend that anyone who is intending to tow with a twin do exactly what you did and get confirmation in writing. Because if you don't and your are involved in an accident pound to a penny sods law will kick in and you will be the unlucky one who has an insurance company who will do whatever it can to not pay out.

Or to put it another way , "Cover your ass"

*edited post to help not confuse people

Go to any trailer wiring site and they will have kits (etrailers is a good one). Depending on the amperage to the brake lights you will have 2 options.


1. If they can handle the amps, just splice right in to the positive wires of both sides and make a ground to the car. Plug your lights in to those wires and you are good to go.


2. If no, Well then you have to run a power lead back to the battery for 12v. You still splice into your tail lights but there is a control module you get as well and still have to do a separate ground. Again, just plug your lights in after that.


Its not complicated once you know the amps (or if its a 2 or 3 wire system). There are so many plug and play trailer harnesses nowadays with directions on which is the power and which is the turn signal its easy.

Could you not just get an external battery?

another example...

http://www.thetexasrambler.com/wp-co...ng-Grandma.jpg

and of course there is always the Goldwing Tow Truck (yes a real thing)...

http://www.dpccars.com/blog/wp-conte...ows-cars-7.jpg

Is that south Alabama or north?

There is a link to the wiring kit I used in my blog post :)

Just buy THIS for the wiring and be done with it. Works great for me.

Well, don't really know :)

The source page is Texas but didn't start there. Did an image search but couldn't really find the origin. Regardless..go Grandma!

I suppose you could do that. It won't charge as you drive though. I've installed trailer wiring on about 5 vehicles from trucks (which are usually 12v 2-wire and ready to tow) to minivans which are a PITA to do.

I only bring that up because depending on frequency of use it may be less hassle to just hook it up to a battery? yah?

Not sure that would work because it wouldn't activate the brake lights on the trailer when you press the pedal, unless I'm missing something. Hooking the trailer lights directly to a battery would illuminate them, but that's about all.

Well the battery as the power source and then wiring work could be minimized? Idunno, thinking about it now (I didn't really think about it to begin with) it may be more work to use a battery than to just hardwire

If you are really concerned about doing the install, check with U-Haul. The usually will install a hitch for about $100 plus cost of the hitch. Better to have someone do it right.

Good tip, maybe in a couple of years though when I finally decide to go to an all day track day :)

Sorry to burst your stereotype, but that's not Alabama. Alabama has a helmet law and aggressive police who would likely perform a pit maneuver on the old lady to stop them for multiple tickets.

It looks more like something I'd see down here in Florida, especially around The Villages. Fun Fact: The Villages has one of the highest STD rates in the country. They wouldn't worry too much about exhaust fumes or head injuries.

http://www.thevillagesguide.com/photo/goldwingers.jpeg

Maybe I misunderstood your question.


*edited

1. If your car is low amperage 3-wire then you need the converter box that was shown in the link. This takes the signal from the brakes, lights, turn signals and sends them to the trailer


2. Many trailers are 12v systems. So the low amperage car system won't light it and/or it only sends a signal to the turn signals as they are wired from the primary brake lights. the box decodes all of this and allows you to send it to the trailer.


3. When you said you wanted to use a separate battery to run the trailer lights......you can do that. But it would only be for the 12v primary wire that powers the distribution box. You still have to splice into/use a wire harness into on the main tail lights/turn signals. The 12v lead is only for power, not the signal of what to do. So you can use an external battery....but really its like 20mins work to run a lead from the trunk to the front of the car. You only have to pull the panel up by the floorboard on the battery side. The rest you can fish it through (I just did the same thing to my 2014, but it was the backup camera cord I ran to the stereo. Could have easily went through the dash to the battery at that point.


If you are familiar with car stereo amps....its similar to how they operate. You plug the amp directly to a 12v source. Then there is a signal wire that tells it to turn on (from your radio). This is how the newer car lights work in simplified terms. You need that 12v source for powering the trailer lights and you need the taillight source to be your signal wire for brakes/lights/turn. The box decodes all that and sends the signals to the trailer lights...but uses the power from the battery, not the car tail lights as there isn't enough amperage there.