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I'm thinking of buying a Toyota Highlander soon and using it to tow a small trailer with an HD motorcycle on it up to Wyoming this summer. Is there any reason I should be concerned about towing a small load with a vehicle that may still be in the break in period?
Thanks, I will check with the dealer before I buy the vehicle. But yes an HD is not much of a load.
Interesting I checked the owners manuals for my Toyota Avalon and they recommend against towing anything at anytime. They say "Your vehicle isn't designed for towing trailer towing or for the use of trailer mounted carriers" such as bicycle or wheelchair carriers.
I guess this is the result of going to unibody design instead of vehicles having a structural frame that the body is attached to.
It kind of surprises me, years ago it wasn't uncommon to tow all sorts of things with passenger automobiles. My wife and I towed a small furniture trailer all the way from Denver, CO to Austin, TX behind her Pontiac when we made that move.
Thanks, I will check with the dealer before I buy the vehicle. But yes an HD is not much of a load.
Interesting I checked the owners manuals for my Toyota Avalon and they recommend against towing anything at anytime. They say "Your vehicle isn't designed for towing trailer towing or for the use of trailer mounted carriers" such as bicycle or wheelchair carriers.
I guess this is the result of going to unibody design instead of vehicles having a structural frame that the body is attached to.
It kind of surprises me, years ago it wasn't uncommon to tow all sorts of things with passenger automobiles. My wife and I towed a small furniture trailer all the way from Denver, CO to Austin, TX behind her Pontiac when we made that move.
It's common today too, eg your Highlander is a unibody passenger automobile. Plenty of people have always and will always tow with vehicles that weren't designed for it. As long as it's lighter loads, it's generally no problem. I've seen a few Priuses towing motorcycles. I wouldn't do it. Maybe very short distances without any serious hills. Back when I had an S2000, there was a guy who towed (and launched) a pretty decent sized boat.
the "break in" period these days is moot. it used to be in the old OLD days that you had to break in your car because the manufacturers would just make sure that everything ran ok, and then sell the cars. these days each car that comes off the assembly line goes through a battery of tests, including some time on the chassis dyno, so by the time it is sold to the consumer, there is no real "break in" period these days.
as long as the trailer, when loaded, doesnt exceed what the manufacturer recommends, go tow your harley.
We bought a new 2000 F250 PSD to tow our 30' 5th wheel, and we got it just a week before a camping vacation we were planning. I can't recall if I read it in the manuals or if the dealership verbally told me, but the instructions were to not tow anything until we had 500 miles on it. We had to take some drives in the country just to get those 500 miles on it. And then we were to vary the speed but keep it mostly under 60 mph (iirc) until it had 1,000 miles on it, so for the first 500 miles or so on our trip I was still "breaking it in."
I don't know if your Highlander would be the same or not, but I'd think it would be a good idea to have a few miles on it before you hook up the trailer.
With the Prius that we bought a few months ago, I was told there is no break-in period, but we're not supposed to tow anything with it. I couldn't figure out where to place the 5th wheel hitch anyway....
I'm thinking of buying a Toyota Highlander soon and using it to tow a small trailer with an HD motorcycle on it up to Wyoming this summer. Is there any reason I should be concerned about towing a small load with a vehicle that may still be in the break in period?
The Toyota is rated for towing 5,000 lbs.
It won't be in break-in period by this summer if you use it at all.
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