trailer hitch on an 07 ford focus?

**clovis** · #21 06/15/10, 08:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HermitJohn

Its not hard to find a used pickup cheap that has plenty life left when used sparingly, but mandatory insurance rather kills the thrill on a vehicle you might use twice a month at most. You would think there would be some kind of cheap mini insurance for specialty vehicles driven less than 1000 miles a year if you insure your primary vehicle with the company.

I wonder if a person bought an antique or classic truck, and used it for this purpose?

Could you purchase insurance...the type you see in Hemmings Motor News...that only allows you to drive the vehicle sparingly?

Would it be worth the risk?

Beeman · #22 06/16/10, 07:17 AM

A Ford Focus is not made for towing no matter what any piece of papaer says. Hanging swinging weight off the back of a light vehicle with tiny brakes is just not a good idea. It's not the pulling tht matters, it's the stopping. Of course it doesn't matter until you have to stop quickly which you can't predict when it will happen. If or when it does that's when you'll discover you shouldn't be towing with a Ford Focus.

edmonds · #23 06/16/10, 09:38 AM

I like your idea of not buying a truck just to haul stuff and instead using your regular vehicle with a trailer. That's what I did, but with a Volvo V70 wagon (5 cylinder turbo) which has better towing capacity.

Ditto what Beeman said. However, if you can find a small 4x6, which may still weigh 500+ lbs, and you only use it a few times a year for short distances, you may be OK.

Runestone · #24 06/16/10, 10:30 AM

I have a 2000 ford focus station wagon. (4 cylinder manual transmission)I have a small utility trailer and we are in very hilly country. I have hauled a bathtub, cedar posts, with this trailer. I wouldn't put much more than 500 lbs in it....I have 305,000+ km on this vehicle and the engine (knock wood!!) is running just fine.
Since it is a wagon, I've been known to stuff hay and straw and the occasional 'critter' in the back with the seats down

N2H2O · #25 06/16/10, 10:39 AM

I wouldnt tow anything with a ford focus.. but thats just me. That is a passenger car and not a utility vehicle. The wear and tear you would do to that little car in my opinion is not worth it. If it were once a year and A bail or two of hay.. maybe... just my 2 cents.

artificer · #26 06/16/10, 12:34 PM

I don't see any problem with towing a light trailer with the car. Something like this from Harbor Freight. It only weights 70lbs, so if you add 80 lbs of floor and sides, its still under 150lbs. Thats one persons weight. The car should be designed to handle (4) 200lb people, plus luggage. If you're only hauling a couple of goats/pigs/bales, the total weight of the trailer is going to be lighter.

As for getting a second vehicle, I'd say it depends. If you're only going to haul locally, a few times a year, and short distances, it makes no sense to spend the hundreds of dollars a year for registration and insurance on another vehicle. If you do get a "cheap" pickup, then you're going to have all the associated maintenance problems of an old vehicle. I say this as someone that has a set of vehicles: motorcycle, car, light pickup, van, F250 diesel. We also have two trailers that the car can pull when we don't need the skid steer trailer and truck. (40mpg vs 15mpg)

Even a little 4 cylinder engine will be fine towing, as long as you use common sense, especially since you're talking about less than 1,000lbs of weight. Manual transmission is better than auto. If you have an automatic transmission, don't tow in overdrive.

The next question, if you get the trailer is: can you back it up?

Michael

ErinP · #27 06/16/10, 11:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HermitJohn

Its not hard to find a used pickup cheap that has plenty life left when used sparingly, but mandatory insurance rather kills the thrill on a vehicle you might use twice a month at most. You would think there would be some kind of cheap mini insurance for specialty vehicles driven less than 1000 miles a year if you insure your primary vehicle with the company.

We have exactly that on our '74 Ford pickup. (State Farm)

So far as the original question, given how much my Focus pulls down with the A/C, I sure wouldn't want to try to tow something with it!

Jolly · #28 06/17/10, 09:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by artificer

I don't see any problem with towing a light trailer with the car. Something like this from Harbor Freight. It only weights 70lbs, so if you add 80 lbs of floor and sides, its still under 150lbs. Thats one persons weight. The car should be designed to handle (4) 200lb people, plus luggage. If you're only hauling a couple of goats/pigs/bales, the total weight of the trailer is going to be lighter.

As for getting a second vehicle, I'd say it depends. If you're only going to haul locally, a few times a year, and short distances, it makes no sense to spend the hundreds of dollars a year for registration and insurance on another vehicle. If you do get a "cheap" pickup, then you're going to have all the associated maintenance problems of an old vehicle. I say this as someone that has a set of vehicles: motorcycle, car, light pickup, van, F250 diesel. We also have two trailers that the car can pull when we don't need the skid steer trailer and truck. (40mpg vs 15mpg)

Even a little 4 cylinder engine will be fine towing, as long as you use common sense, especially since you're talking about less than 1,000lbs of weight. Manual transmission is better than auto. If you have an automatic transmission, don't tow in overdrive.

The next question, if you get the trailer is: can you back it up?

Michael

HF also makes a 4x8 that hauls just a bit more, but weighs pretty close to that.

If I was going to put a trailer behind a Focus, one of these trailers is what I'd use...

fixer1958 · #29 06/17/10, 08:38 PM

Get 3 or 4 of your biggest friends and cram them into that car .
Drive around in rush hour on the freeway and see how it does.

Beeman · #30 06/18/10, 08:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by edmonds

Ditto what Beeman said. However, if you can find a small 4x6, which may still weigh 500+ lbs, and you only use it a few times a year for short distances, you may be OK.

You're OK until that point when you're not OK, it's a fine line and usually involves others that were smart enough not to do what shouldn't be done.

The size of the trailer and weight are factors,but the leverage a trailer has on a vehicle when it sways or you attempt to stop is when you find the thin line between OK and not OK. The trailer will obviously have no brakes and no sway control.

cfabe · #31 06/18/10, 08:33 AM

If Ford says it can tow 1000lbs, it can tow 1000lbs. It can probably not tow 1000lbs with 4 people and a trunk full of luggage as well, keep that in mind. I'd have no problems towing with any vehicle under the manufacturer's limit. Those light harbor freight trailers would be a perfect match. If you lived in the mountians, I would suggest adding a transmission cooler to the car, but for flat towing it's probably not necessary.