Towing Question ???

warren38 · 03-23-2004, 12:27 AM

I can tow 1500 lbs according to manual. Vue is a 2004, 4 cylinder 5 Speed. Question is this: Is a Class 3 Hitch a waste of money since I am limited to only 1500 lbs? Would a Class 2 be better? I am NEW to this whole towing thing. Don't have anything to tow yet but am interested in maybe a pop-up camper or one or two ATV's.

Anyone else have experience towing with a 1500 lb weight limit? What do you tow?

Thanks in advance !!!

OhioVueBoy · 03-23-2004, 01:41 AM

I have a 2002, same powertrain as yours. I have towed a bit over the limit (about 2,000 pounds) and it handles it well. I personally think a class 3 hitch is an obtrusive waste, but there are other board members who do not feel the same. I have the Saturn hitch, and it has handled everything I have thrown at it (pop up camper, jetskis, utility trailers, box trailers).
If I can offer 2 pieces of advice.. get the clutch out ASAP when towing so you don't burn your clutch, and backing up, make sure not to feather the clutch too much.. it takes nothing to get it to create a giant stink.
Good luck!
~D.J.~

silvervoo · 03-23-2004, 01:52 AM

Class 3 is not necessarily a waste of money because you can usually buy one for close to the same price as the class 2. I think most people here that opted for class 3 did so because that gets you a 2" receiver rather than a 1.25", which can be good for accessories, bikes racks, etc. I went with the class 2 saturn hitch because I like the way it looks, however the hitch saturn sells is probably the most expensive of all.

Also, I have a bike rack I put on mine and I occasionally tow a sailboat-- no trouble at all with it.

dlc1265 · 03-23-2004, 10:28 AM

I also have a FWD4 Manual that I plan to pull a pop up with. I am confident it the VUEs ability. My sister has pulled a sailboat (about 2100 lbs) from Texas to Michigan twice with the same powertrain. Her vehicle is has shown no duribility problems, although she mentioned it gets a bit sluggish on the hills.

Necro Butcher · 03-23-2004, 02:36 PM

I put a UHaul class 3 hitch on my FWD 4cyl VUE a few weeks ago. Not planning on doing major towing, it's just it is the same as the class 3 on my truck, so I wanted to be able to swap receiver components (bike racks, trays, etc.)

I will say this, I could have paid an additional $20 to have UHaul bolt it on. Pay the extra $20. 4 of the bolts are pretty easy, but there's 2 that you have to fish thru a section of square steel, it will drive you nuts.

But used mine last week on a trip to New Mexico and had a steel tray on it. I was pleased with this.

03-23-2004, 12:27 AM	#1
warren38 Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 28	Towing Question ??? I can tow 1500 lbs according to manual. Vue is a 2004, 4 cylinder 5 Speed. Question is this: Is a Class 3 Hitch a waste of money since I am limited to only 1500 lbs? Would a Class 2 be better? I am NEW to this whole towing thing. Don't have anything to tow yet but am interested in maybe a pop-up camper or one or two ATV's. Anyone else have experience towing with a 1500 lb weight limit? What do you tow? Thanks in advance !!!

03-23-2004, 01:41 AM	#2
OhioVueBoy Master Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: N. Bethesda, Maryland (DC) (Dayton Ohio Native) Posts: 9,295 OhioVueBoy's Photos 2002 VUE 2.2L	I have a 2002, same powertrain as yours. I have towed a bit over the limit (about 2,000 pounds) and it handles it well. I personally think a class 3 hitch is an obtrusive waste, but there are other board members who do not feel the same. I have the Saturn hitch, and it has handled everything I have thrown at it (pop up camper, jetskis, utility trailers, box trailers). If I can offer 2 pieces of advice.. get the clutch out ASAP when towing so you don't burn your clutch, and backing up, make sure not to feather the clutch too much.. it takes nothing to get it to create a giant stink. Good luck! ~D.J.~ ... 2012 Mercedes Benz C250 Sport Sedan 2008 smart fortwo Passion Coupe 8/28/2008 - 3/12/2012 2002 VUE FWD4m - Gone but not forgotten. 5/14/2002 - 10/31/2011

03-23-2004, 01:52 AM	#3
silvervoo Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: oh.us.na.earth Posts: 1,012 silvervoo's Photos 2003 VUE 2.2L	Class 3 is not necessarily a waste of money because you can usually buy one for close to the same price as the class 2. I think most people here that opted for class 3 did so because that gets you a 2" receiver rather than a 1.25", which can be good for accessories, bikes racks, etc. I went with the class 2 saturn hitch because I like the way it looks, however the hitch saturn sells is probably the most expensive of all. Also, I have a bike rack I put on mine and I occasionally tow a sailboat-- no trouble at all with it. ... ●● If it doesn't have a clutch, I'm not interested ●● Vive la boîte manuelle ●●

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03-23-2004, 10:28 AM	#4
dlc1265 Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Grosse Pointe, MI Posts: 24 2004 VUE 2.2L	I also have a FWD4 Manual that I plan to pull a pop up with. I am confident it the VUEs ability. My sister has pulled a sailboat (about 2100 lbs) from Texas to Michigan twice with the same powertrain. Her vehicle is has shown no duribility problems, although she mentioned it gets a bit sluggish on the hills.

03-23-2004, 02:36 PM	#5
Necro Butcher Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Waco, TX Posts: 29	I put a UHaul class 3 hitch on my FWD 4cyl VUE a few weeks ago. Not planning on doing major towing, it's just it is the same as the class 3 on my truck, so I wanted to be able to swap receiver components (bike racks, trays, etc.) I will say this, I could have paid an additional $20 to have UHaul bolt it on. Pay the extra $20. 4 of the bolts are pretty easy, but there's 2 that you have to fish thru a section of square steel, it will drive you nuts. But used mine last week on a trip to New Mexico and had a steel tray on it. I was pleased with this.

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