i have been buying my wood for 2 years now.....but i wanna cut it bad..u guys have put this bug in me.....my problem is all i have to drive is a chevy cobalt...will this car pull a trailer with firewood loaded on it?
will my car pull a trailer?
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thinkxingu
Minister of Fire
You can still cut it--just buy log-length loads. If you're scrounging, it'd probably be ok to throw a small trailer on there (4x6 or so) with some small loads. The real issue would be the brakes, so if the terrain's fairly flat and you don't mind making multiple trips, give it a shot.
Just so you know, however: the cost of adding tow gear, a trailer, and the added wear & tear might not be worth the savings. It is fun to cut, though!
S
Just so you know, however: the cost of adding tow gear, a trailer, and the added wear & tear might not be worth the savings. It is fun to cut, though!
S
MarkinNC
Minister of Fire
No, I don't think you can safely pull it.
You can probably get into a used truck for what it would cost to replace your transmission. Log loads are a good idea in the interim.
You can probably get into a used truck for what it would cost to replace your transmission. Log loads are a good idea in the interim.
yeah looks like i will have to save up for a truck.....ugh ...man i really wanna cut next years wood this fall...guess this wont happen though
TreePointer
Minister of Fire
It may pull it.... once.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyXgMal3C1U
I don't think I'd risk the car. If you have a load ready to move, rent a truck from Uhaul.
Matt
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyXgMal3C1U
I don't think I'd risk the car. If you have a load ready to move, rent a truck from Uhaul.
Matt
TreePointer
Minister of Fire
I towed my 600 lb. splitter home with a 2010 Ford Fusion SEL (Inline 4-cylinder, 175 hp @ 6000rpm). It did okay, but I don't want to do it again.
SolarAndWood
Minister of Fire
A 2WD truck that will go down the road legally can be had for the price of a trailer around here. My first one was $200.
I've hauled far more wood with a Corolla than I have with a pickup truck. Never had any problems. Yes, the transmission will downshift so the engine is in the power band. Some people might think that is the point of having a transmission. ;-)
DanCorcoran
Minister of Fire
KarlP said:
It's not getting the load moving that's the problem, it's stopping it. The brakes are the limiting factor. If your brakes aren't engineered for the load, then you are endangering yourself and others on the road.
A trailer jerking back and forth, up and down on that super lightly constructed unibody isn't going to help either. The stopping is the big issue as mentioned above. If that trailer starts moving faster than the car...
Matt
Matt
mayhem
Minister of Fire
Check yor owner's manual for the tow ratings for your car and stay within them. Simple enough.
But honestly, you're going to be better off in the long run to either rent a u-haul truck or get a load of logs delivered and do your cutting in your yard. 1000lb (if thats the load rating for your car) isn't very much weight. Figure a small trailer will be a couple hundred pounds empty...800lb of freshly cut wood is realistically a quarter cord or less depending on the species of wood.
Odds are good that little car probably doesn't have an external transmission cooler either. Towing alot of weight frequently will heat your transmission up alot and will wear on the torque converter at a significantly increased rate.
A decent trailer is going to run you a couple hundred bucks used, $500 new. Factor in the cost of buying and owning a trailer, increased wear and tear on your car, fuel costs and all that jazz and figure it's going to take you 3-4 times as many trips to get your wood as many cords you burn and I think it probably just doesn't add up. Spending too many dollars and too much time to save a few bucks.
So short answer, you can do it, sure...but if you crunch the numbers its probably not worth your time and money.
But honestly, you're going to be better off in the long run to either rent a u-haul truck or get a load of logs delivered and do your cutting in your yard. 1000lb (if thats the load rating for your car) isn't very much weight. Figure a small trailer will be a couple hundred pounds empty...800lb of freshly cut wood is realistically a quarter cord or less depending on the species of wood.
Odds are good that little car probably doesn't have an external transmission cooler either. Towing alot of weight frequently will heat your transmission up alot and will wear on the torque converter at a significantly increased rate.
A decent trailer is going to run you a couple hundred bucks used, $500 new. Factor in the cost of buying and owning a trailer, increased wear and tear on your car, fuel costs and all that jazz and figure it's going to take you 3-4 times as many trips to get your wood as many cords you burn and I think it probably just doesn't add up. Spending too many dollars and too much time to save a few bucks.
So short answer, you can do it, sure...but if you crunch the numbers its probably not worth your time and money.
DanCorcoran said:
That's why the cars are usually given 1000lb ratings without trailer brakes and maybe 2000lbs with trailer brakes. Pull 1/3 of a cord without brakes and a half cord with trailer brakes and you should be fine.
IMO the physics of a 3000lb car pulling a 1200lb trailer is far better than an 8000lb truck pulling a 12000lb trailer. Yes the car will take 8x the trips to move the same amount of wood, but it is not unsafe.
smokinj
Minister of Fire
I paid 300.00 for a 93 chevy s-10 and a trailer for another 400.00. :cheese: I can easily run a cord. Longer bar and I need a bigger truck! 
Will it PULL it? 1 word answer, yes. If you choose to, please you tube it.
Will it STOP it fully loaded, or, for that matter, overloaded as alot of us do? No.
You should be more concerned with stopping it. That car has brakes the size of, well....there small. Research some green wood weights. As stated before, trannys arent cheap, neither are lawyers, hospitial bills, etc.
In other words, go find ya a rusty but trusty truck and then save up some coin for a trailer.
Will it STOP it fully loaded, or, for that matter, overloaded as alot of us do? No.
You should be more concerned with stopping it. That car has brakes the size of, well....there small. Research some green wood weights. As stated before, trannys arent cheap, neither are lawyers, hospitial bills, etc.
In other words, go find ya a rusty but trusty truck and then save up some coin for a trailer.
smokinj
Minister of Fire
firefighterjake
Minister of Fire
By now I think you know the general consensus . . . all I will say is that I would not use a passenger car for hauling anything larger than a garden tractor around . . . even if it had a small towing set up hooked on to it . . . wear and tear on the car, stopping issues and lack of power in hauling.
Kenster
Minister of Fire
I'd look for big ole, nasty a$$ looking 80's era pickemup truck. Probably get one cheaper than a trailer even if your car could handle it. An old F150 long bed will carry quite a bit of wood, certainly more than any little bitty trailer your Cobalt might be able to pull.
As long as the truck will start with reasonable certainty and get you to and from your nearby scrounge sites it would be a good buy. Probably get one for $500 or less.
As long as the truck will start with reasonable certainty and get you to and from your nearby scrounge sites it would be a good buy. Probably get one for $500 or less.
Woody Stover
Minister of Fire
I've got a 5x8' trailer (GVWR 2990 lbs.) which I've been towing with a '95 Ciera 3.1L, which is rated to tow 1000 lbs. I used to load that trailer up pretty good with wet Oak (probably way over weight,) and I could tell that the car was working hard. I've cut back on load sizes, only loading the floor of the trailer now...figure the old girl deserves a rest with 210K miles under her belt. I only haul for short distances, avoid hills, and don't drive too fast. Transmission has to warm up for a minute before it will go into gear when it gets cold out, but I'm not convinced that this was caused by towing. But what do I know, I'm a wood-getter, not a transmission builder. :lol:
Backwoods Savage
Minister of Fire
I pull a 4 x 6 trailer behind a 2004 Pontiac Vibe. Ratings say 800 pounds max. Our car also has standard transmission. I can get about a face cord of wood per load but I go slow all the way and stay off the highway.
Stubborn Dutchman
Member
I used to pull a 4 X 6 utility trailer carrying a ton of stone with a little old Dodge Omni back in the eighties. Did this numerous times, always allowing extra room for stopping safely and never had a problem. Just use some common sense and you will be fine.
Before I get jumped on, I AM a cautious person. I've logged over 100k miles pulling various size trailers in my lifetime without an accident. However, I do agree there are better options to consider in the future, especially from an efficiency standpoint as your wood hauling needs increase.
Before I get jumped on, I AM a cautious person. I've logged over 100k miles pulling various size trailers in my lifetime without an accident. However, I do agree there are better options to consider in the future, especially from an efficiency standpoint as your wood hauling needs increase.
jeffoc
Member
I have a hitch on an '03 Malibu with a 6 cyl. I tow with it all the time. I actually just got back to Illinois from AZ towing a 1200 lb pop up camper. The hitch is rated at 3500 lbs. As long as the rear end isn't sagging I have no worries about towing with a car. And before on older cars I have modified the suspension. The mechanicals of the car are the same that are used in a small pickup. There are so many other costs involved to purchase a truck that will be used a couple of times a year, registering insurance, maintenance and all of that to me it is not justifiable in the end.
I think the main thing is, as has been stated before, brakes. A number of trailers do come with brakes to handle the braking of the trailer.
Common sense is of course also a factor.
I think the main thing is, as has been stated before, brakes. A number of trailers do come with brakes to handle the braking of the trailer.
Common sense is of course also a factor.
Yes, it will pull a trailer. Now, the part that is debateable is how heavy the trailer is. By the time you buy a trailer, install a hitch and wiring, plate the trailer, etc. You would prob be money ahead if you bought an old beater 2wd pickup...and have at least 3x the cargo capacity. I would personally go that route. You can get "recreational" insurance, plates, and a truck dirt cheap.
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