[oldsoldier]

Has anyone used the PM to tow a car trailer? I had a hitch installed yesterday and was told that I wouldn't need a power brake set up. What do you guys think? (13 foot trailer for Fiat 500.)

 

[Troffer88]

I tow a 4500lb 14' enclosed trailer with my PM , i wouldnt without the trailer brakes.

 

[Brian P]

Check local laws. It's likely that trailer brakes will be required beyond a certain towed weight.

If the trailer is going to be a significant weight (and a car trailer probably will be), you are going to want trailer brakes anyhow, regardless of legality.

 

[oldsoldier]

I' ll get one installed, thanks.

 

[fuzzy]

Troffer,

Can you give more details about your experiences towing? How far do you tow? What size pm do you own? What kind of mpg are you seeing? At what speeds? How much weight do you have in your pm when you tow?

I'm very curious. Thanks.

 

[Chance]

Has anyone used the PM to tow a car trailer? I had a hitch installed yesterday and was told that I wouldn't need a power brake set up. What do you guys think? (13 foot trailer for Fiat 500.)

Is it possible the trailer has surge brakes already? If so you shouldn't need an electric brake setup (if that's what you mean by "power brake set up").

Many rental trailers, including car haulers, often use surge brakes so any large vehicle can tow them without a brake controller.

I've even towed some rental RV trailers that used surge instead of electric brakes.

 

[oldsoldier]

The trailer I'm going to pull with my new PM 2500 is a SCCA 2 axle 13 foot club trailer , it has a 4 prong connector, I've pulled car trailers before with my Ram truck but it had electric brakes with a 7 pin connector.

 

[Chance]

The trailer I'm going to pull with my new PM 2500 is a SCCA 2 axle 13 foot club trailer , it has a 4 prong connector, I've pulled car trailers before with my Ram truck but it had electric brakes with a 7 pin connector.

All trailers I've pulled that had surge brakes only had a 4 prong connector. If your trailer has surge brakes built-in already, it will have what is essentially a brake master cylinder at the end of the tongue where the ball coupler is.

For those who may not be familiar with this kind of system, it works by actuating the master cylinder on the trailer when the driver applies the vehicle's brakes. When the tow vehicle slows down, the trailer tries to push the vehicle forward, but part of that force compresses the trailer's master cylinder and thereby applying trailer brakes. The harder the driver tries to stop the harder the trailer will stop also.

 

[Troffer88]

Troffer,

Can you give more details about your experiences towing? How far do you tow? What size pm do you own? What kind of mpg are you seeing? At what speeds? How much weight do you have in your pm when you tow?

I'm very curious. Thanks.

I have a 2014 136 lowroof. I towed 2 hours each way good mix of hills and flats,60-65 mph . Prolly 850lb in the van. Filled up when I left and did the calculations when I filled up again 13.4 MPG. My Van has less than 500 miles on it.

 

[Chance]

I have a 2014 136 lowroof. I towed 2 hours each way good mix of hills and flats,60-65 mph . Prolly 850lb in the van. Filled up when I left and did the calculations when I filled up again 13.4 MPG. My Van has less than 500 miles on it.

That's excellent mileage for that heavy a trailer; granted it's low profile and tucks nicely behind van, but excellent nonetheless. Have you gotten MPG estimate driving without trailer?

By the way, nice looking van. I like that color combination. Makes the bumpers blend in nicely for my taste.

 

[fuzzy]

Thanks for the detailed info. Beautiful setup. That's the color I want, but in the tall van.

Impressive towing MPG.

How did the van "feel". Was it straining or complaining? How about the stability?