I Tow

[Rodger]

Hello All

This is to see if I can have my photos appear
to this site.

The Car is an original owner 5 Speed - '99 SL2
that now has 133,000 Miles. The Hitch is an
"Curt" purchased through UHaul.




Rodger and Gabby
COS

[fdryer]

Great pictures! And with our photo section recently repaired, you can make a personal album of your Saturn for show and tell.

[Rodger]

Hola Again

I forgot to say The Pop Up is an 1981 Starlite 1505 XL
which belongs to The Starcraft Family. Since we got it
I have added Electric Brakes ( $205 from Layton Trucks
and Trailer's here in COS ). In 1981 this was an "pay
more option" for this area.

If you are traveling on The Inter-States they will permit
you to stop at The Rest Areas if you appear as if you
are just staying until the sun rises.




Rodger & Gabby
COS

[Luthin]

Aren't those a bit heavy to be towing with a Saturn? How well does your transmission hold up? Does the car still have sufficient power? Going up hills? Etc?

[Rodger]

Sir


When you look at ... http://www.uhaul.com/MovingSupplies/Trailer-Hitches
or ... http://www.etrailer.com/fitguide.htm you soon learn that any 1992 to
2002 SL Series Vehicles have the same hitch makers and every one has now
been Engineer Tested and Built to an 2,000 Pound Advertsed Tow Limit.

When I pull an 900 pound trailer ( no matter what the shape is; 900 is always
900 ) and the hitch pulling limit is an advertised 2,000 pounds that leaves an
1,100 pound differance.


While driving with an load most do not "go drifting" - "on speed runs" or other
such things which lead to repairing your vehicle many many miles before
you would need to.

In some states there is an legal requirment that any trailer weighing
1,000 pounds ( unloaded or loaded ) must have brakes on the trailer. I am under this requirement that dos not apply for Colorado. Even so, I have brakes on the trailer. The makes The Brakes of The Saturn last much longer.

You ask about The Transmission "holding up". Please re-read the above.

You ask about "sufficient power" and an related "Going up hills". These two
I'll just let you answer this rolling question.

What I hope I am doing is to show any that you can do this correctly
with your SL Series Saturn and what the limits really are.




Rodger & Gabby
COS

[Signmaster]

Great little rig for the Saturn. Hard to think it only weighs 900 lbs!

For those that will no doubt say this is crazy, don't load your car with 200 lb friends and a bag or two... you'll be moving the same weight, but all on the cars suspension and brakes.

[Luthin]

Good point...I'd been considering towing a small pop-up like yours, but had shied away from it for fear of not having enough power to make it up hills and prematurely wearing out the car.

How does GVRW or whatever factor into this? (I know nothing about towing in case you couldn't tell...)

[OldNuc]

Max trailer weight is 1000lb. The GVWR Is the maximum weight of the loaded car + the tongue weight of the trailer which is 10% to 12% of the total trailer weight depending on the type of hitch. The tires have to be rated for this load as well. The GVWR is on the door sticker. This is the fully loaded maximum weight that you can safely handle.

[Rodger]

Hola Again

Well I just looked at an 1981 Starcraft Sales Brochure
( http://www.popupportal.com/index.php...a=item;in=3150 )
and it appears my weight is lower than what they state.
Their data is 1,066 pounds - not 900. Either way; I'm
still OK.

Nothing says you must have an Starcraft Camping Trailer.
All that truly matter's is that as an Total Weight is that
you are below 2,000 pounds loaded and that you have
some brakes with the trailer.

With any SL Saturn they only have "The Small Sized
Reciever" ( 200 pound max Trailer Tongue Weight ).

With our Saturn and going away - we do not have much
room for 200 pound friends and besides that who wants
them to be in the same camper with us.

Even though this Starcraft has "an Water Holding Tank"
we do not use it since we get Sanitsed pressured Water
from The State or National Camp Grounds. The Camper
even has an Electric Cord to plug into any Camp Ground.
No extra Coolers to load because of The Refrigerator.
Also at every State or National Camp Ground is "an Shower"
so no need to lug this around either.

I've gotten off The Story Line so I better stick with Towing
With An SL.

The Max Speed with any make of Trailer Tires is 65 MPH.
Some States have their MAX Posted Trailer Speed as 55 MPH
and some higher than what the tire makers make ( 65 MPH ).
This is what an Inter-State has posted and remembering this
keeps you "just cruizin".

Now To Cost:

At 65 MPH with an Tow Load such as stated I most of the
time I get above 30 MPG in these parts. In The Corn Juice
Areas it is 25 point nuthin MPG with the same Saturn and
the same Inter-State.

If I stay at some State or National Camp Ground their cost is
The Gate Fee + "The Spot" Fee. Commercial places such as
KOA's and the like are even higher and you may be 11 feet
from the next.

*****************************
Every State has an Annual Pass which is even $$$ lower.
*****************************

If you drive your SL Saturn for 8 gallons and then spent some
( easy money ) for an Camping Spot you will have an good week
end and something to boast about here at this site.

You may also report that you went drifting ( from one side of
your lane to the other side ).




Rodger & Gabby
FltSgt@msn.com
COS

[freelancer1988]

I never thought to take my saturn camping, lol. That is cool and very nice pictures.

[Rodger]

Sir

It is amazing how many SL Saturn Drivers tow an small
Pop UP to an local County - State - or National Park so
they can spend "an camping" moment. These places are
from as low as $10 per night to $$$. If your Pop UP has
an 45 Watt Solar Power Unit ( see Habour Fright ) you will
run out of fresh drinking water before the Pop Up's 12 Volt
Btry go's dry if you have gone "boon-docking".

The thing to remember to do is to have Trailer Brakes on
the Pop Up and with any item being pulled the Trailer Tires
are Max Speed Rated for 65 MPH.

At all the pick & pulls in this area The Hitch is under $35 and
they are the same Tech Strenght of an Max Towing Weight
of 2,000 pounds no matter which maker made them. They
all mount in the same location and etc. If you like "new boxes"
the same hitch is more than $100 each when on sale.

http://www.popupportal.com/index.php?action=forum




Rodger & Gabby
COS

[fetchitfido]

I thought it was a silly idea to tow with a Saturn. Then yesterday I saw a hitch on a 3cyl Geo Metro that's nearly half the size of my SC2...doesn't seem quite such a bad idea after that... lol

Also: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9XZwDYwGdY
I think of that anytime anyone says they tow a trailer with anything other then a truck.

[Rodger]

Hello All

At about 5 PM today ( 15 July 2012 ) we are going to be East-Bound for
http://tn.gov/environment/parks/HarrisonBay/ via I-70 after Colby-Kansas.
If you happen to spot an Dark Colored 99 SL2 Saturn with an Starcraft... feel
free to "go crazy with your flashing lights habbit".



Rodger & Gabby
FtgSgt@msn.com
COS

[Vulcansat]

"I tow" as the OP said. But I tow my SW2. Camping is fun, what ever way you use your Saturn! They pull great too. Light, I cant even it feel it behind my 18000lb. motor home.

[colonelhogan44]

How about this one?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RhEeYOJWPc

[Rodger]

Well Folks

We got back from East Ridge-Tenn and our four
night stay at Harrision Bay State Park. The cost
was $20 per night and we fully enjoyed it.

Pulling The PoP Up was mostly 28 point something this
time for The MPG. The A/C never was tuned off ...
even in KS.




Rodger and Gabby
COS

[ShawnV]

Originally Posted by Rodger

Their data is 1,066 pounds - not 900. Either way; I'm
still OK.

You missed OldNuc's posting. The trailer hitch rating has NO meaning when it comes to YOUR pulling capacity. You always go by the lowest rated component. In this case, it's your car. What if I welded up a 10,000 trailer hitch and installed it on my S? Your car can carry 1000 lbs. Unless you and your wife each weigh less than 50 lbs, you're overloading your car - BIG time. Sure the car might be ABLE to pull it, stop it, etc, but you're producing serious wear and tear on that car.

If you're ever in an accident - regardless of whose fault - you will get worked over BIG time by the authorities and insurance companies for having an overloaded/ highly unsafe vehicle rig on the road. You could get sued BIIIG time here also for placing that rig on the road.

With respect, I would replace your tow vehicle before your next outing. For your safety and the safety of others on the road. Remember, 1000 lbs total. How much do you weigh? I weigh 215 so my saturn could tow 785 safely.

[Rodger]

Shawn and Some Others

If you take the time to look into any place that sells
hitchs they start off by asking 47 questions about which
vehicle - which year - which model and etc. After all
is into their system - their system ( which has been
loaded with all the Engineered Lab Stress Tested Hitch's )
their system will give you which venter and etc.

*****************************************
About the same as asking for an spark plug. Only spark
plugs which match your vehicle are addressed.
*****************************************

As it happens to be with Hitchs for an 99 SL2 Saturn -
every Saturn SL made all use the same Load limit Hitch -
even though several companies make hitchs for The SL
Series.

*****************************************
Just as there is AC - Champion - NKG and etc spark plug
vendors.
*****************************************

Me thinks OldNuc's was just trying to get all's attention
and that some learning could happen.

[OldNuc]

It is not prudent to exceed the GVWR of the fully loaded car, including the tongue weight. The max load of the car including fluids is 864lb for SL/SW and 714 for SC. The max trailer weight is 1000 lb. This is independent of the hitch rating.

If you have a small trailer with electric brakes or a twin axle tailer with brakes you can pull a bit higher weight but the limit is the car brakes and eventually the trailer weight will control the car which is not good.

[Signmaster]

Originally Posted by ShawnV

You missed OldNuc's posting. The trailer hitch rating has NO meaning when it comes to YOUR pulling capacity. You always go by the lowest rated component. In this case, it's your car. What if I welded up a 10,000 trailer hitch and installed it on my S? Your car can carry 1000 lbs. Unless you and your wife each weigh less than 50 lbs, you're overloading your car - BIG time. Sure the car might be ABLE to pull it, stop it, etc, but you're producing serious wear and tear on that car.

If you're ever in an accident - regardless of whose fault - you will get worked over BIG time by the authorities and insurance companies for having an overloaded/ highly unsafe vehicle rig on the road. You could get sued BIIIG time here also for placing that rig on the road.

With respect, I would replace your tow vehicle before your next outing. For your safety and the safety of others on the road. Remember, 1000 lbs total. How much do you weigh? I weigh 215 so my saturn could tow 785 safely.

Weight rating for the car and towing capacity are not one in the same. The tongue weight is added to the weight the car is carrying on the suspension, but the weight over the trailer axle is primarily carried by said axle. With trailer brakes on a light trailer the car isn't really taking much more load unless you are in an area with a lot of hills.

Towing is as much a matter of common sense as anything else. If you compare the tow ratings of trucks to their weight, you would find that they are often pulling substantially more than the weight of the vehicle, and the tongue weight is often as much or more a percentage of GVWR as it would be on a Saturn towing a small trailer.

As I said earlier, even with a higher than usual tongue weight for a light trailer, that trailer and two adults would be equal or less load on the cars suspension than simply having four adults in the car. But with the trailer having brakes, the braking forces needed would actually be greater if you just took three man sized friends for a ride.