Any recommendations under 1500 LB with a shower & toilet?

[glasshouse]

I know it might be unrealistic. Honestly all I need is a foam mattress and a tiny shower. A sink might work for a hobo bath. I don't need a fridge or an AC unit or furniture or anything that would add a lot of weight.

I have a 2004 Toyota Corolla with a tow rating of 1500 lbs. I understand the dangers with limited stopping power. I am willing to take the risks as long as it's legal I don't care. A truck is just not an option for me. If I was going to spend 7k+ on anything I could get a nice Toyota motorhome.

Would really appreciate any recommendations on a used model that could work for me?

Thank you!

Be easy on me Just a newb here.

[aaschmann]

California Teardrop Camper & Meerkat Trailer Dealer | Little Guy Trailers

[Bob Miller]

Take a look at the pop-up roof FGRV's from the 70's, Hunter, Campster etc. I have a 1973 Hunter Compact-II and it's well under your towing limit.


And a really nice Toyota Motorhome for $7000??? I am afraid that those days are fading into the distance. I have had a number of Sunraders and the 4 cylinder platform (<1989) is just plain getting old and the VZ-E V6 engines (1989+)are: a) a dog of an engine in a motorhome and b) getting to the point where major engine repairs are just around the next corner.

[Pam Garlow]

As Bob points out, the choices are very limited. The Hunters are about the lightest FGrs out there. You may find some stripped back Scamps, very basic models in the 1300# - 1400# weight range (until you load up, and the weight increases). Keep your eyes out, and be ready to act quickly because they go fast.
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[honda03842]

Originally Posted by glasshouse

I know it might be unrealistic. Honestly all I need is a foam mattress and a tiny shower. A sink might work for a hobo bath. I don't need a fridge or an AC unit or furniture or anything that would add a lot of weight.

I have a 2004 Toyota Corolla with a tow rating of 1500 lbs. I understand the dangers with limited stopping power. I am willing to take the risks as long as it's legal I don't care. A truck is just not an option for me. If I was going to spend 7k+ on anything I could get a nice Toyota motorhome.

Would really appreciate any recommendations on a used model that could work for me?

Thank you!

Be easy on me Just a newb here.

George,

Personally I only know of one person on this site that tows with a Corolla, his posting name is Borden. He successfully tows a 17 foot Boler. My goal is to tell you what's possible.

Toyota is known for building very strong 4 cylinder engines typically used in the long running Toyota based Class C motorhomes as well as the Corolla. I towed a Scamp 16 and a number of people tow Scamp 13s and Boler 13s with 4 cylinder engines. The size of engines is more related to acceleration and hill climbing ability (speed on the hill) then ability to tow.

In 7 years of towing with a 4 cylinder we were not always the fastest up the hill but our reliable 4 cylinder took us everywhere in North America.

Stopping power can be less of an issue if your trailer has it's own brakes. In all our towing we never had any stopping issues because our trailer had it's own brakes.

I suggest you contact Borden who has towed with a Corolla.

This year we met a couple at the Scamp Camp that have towed a Boler 13 with a Honda Fit. There are many possibilities for 4 cylinder vehicles.

[MC1]

George. Norm has the good info as Borden tows with a Toyota Corolla. Also note there are a number of forum members towing with a 4 cyl Scion XB which is built on a Toy Corolla platform. Seem to work great.

[Bob Miller]

Hmmmm.... FGRV Towing Conundrum #2....
"Could I, or Should I, Ignore Manufacturers Towing Limits?"


In as much as the two 17' Bolers in our real weights listing book in at about 1000 & 1500 lbs over the OP's Corolla's towing limit, I suggest that he keeps looking for something within manufacturers specified towing limits. Here's the lighter of the two Bolersshown:
36___17_____Boler______B1700RGH_____2365_____220_____2585


Successfully doing the wrong thing doesn't make it any closer to being right. And those that choose to do so, do it at my risk and peril as well as their own.

[Cathy P.]

Well, hope OP doesn't end up towing behind me if he isn't concerned about being able to stop. I belong to another forum where they discuss all types of smaller trailers and even pop-ups and there isn't much out there at all especially with a shower. Off-hand, I can't think of a single unit and I am familiar with most. OP might be able to fashion a shower in a unit, I have a plan for a put together shower that someone added to a pop-up, combine that with porti-potti. With some luck and creativity, maybe a mostly empty shell and just add the mattress and shower.

[MC1]

Cathy. I believe most of us are going to convince George to look for a trailer with brakes and then we will let him know about how to connect it optimally to his car to make it safe.

[glasshouse]

Originally Posted by honda03842

George,

Personally I only know of one person on this site that tows with a Corolla, his posting name is Borden. He successfully tows a 17 foot Boler. My goal is to tell you what's possible.

Toyota is known for building very strong 4 cylinder engines typically used in the long running Toyota based Class C motorhomes as well as the Corolla. I towed a Scamp 16 and a number of people tow Scamp 13s and Boler 13s with 4 cylinder engines. The size of engines is more related to acceleration and hill climbing ability (speed on the hill) then ability to tow.

In 7 years of towing with a 4 cylinder we were not always the fastest up the hill but our reliable 4 cylinder took us everywhere in North America.

Stopping power can be less of an issue if your trailer has it's own brakes. In all our towing we never had any stopping issues because our trailer had it's own brakes.

I suggest you contact Borden who has towed with a Corolla.

This year we met a couple at the Scamp Camp that have towed a Boler 13 with a Honda Fit. There are many possibilities for 4 cylinder vehicles.

I appreciate all the info everyone. Honestly I don't really care about amenities. If I had the ability I would buy one of those 5 x 8 cargo trailers that weigh 800 pounds, and install a full sized shower & toilet and throw in an air mattress. I could call it the Mobile bathroom & bed.

I agree if i'm nearing the 1500 pounds i'd have to have brakes. My only concern with going over the 1500 pounds is legal reasons. I wonder how severe the fines are, also if I got into a wreck I doubt insurance would pay a dime.

[Glenn Baglo]

Originally Posted by glasshouse

I agree if i'm nearing the 1500 pounds i'd have to have brakes. My only concern with going over the 1500 pounds is legal reasons. I wonder how severe the fines are, also if I got into a wreck I doubt insurance would pay a dime.

I'm curious why you are asking for advice at all?

[rbryan]

Originally Posted by Bob Miller

Hmmmm.... FGRV Towing Conundrum #2....
"Could I, or Should I, Ignore Manufacturers Towing Limits?"


In as much as the two 17' Bolers in our real weights listing book in at about 1000 & 1500 lbs over the OP's Corolla's towing limit, I suggest that he keeps looking for something within manufacturers specified towing limits. Here's the lighter of the two Bolersshown:
36___17_____Boler______B1700RGH_____2365_____220_____2585


Successfully doing the wrong thing doesn't make it any closer to being right. And those that choose to do so, do it at my risk and peril as well as their own.

Spot on. Never exceed the manufacturer's limits. The numbers are published for a reason, and it's not just for liability.

[Borrego Dave]

Originally Posted by rbryan

Spot on. Never exceed the manufacturer's limits. The numbers are published for a reason, and it's not just for liability.

Nothing wrong with going by manufacturers limits but it really IS all for liability reasons for them and not public safety. We've all heard the term "deep pockets". Working and breaking numbers are vastly different. Does anybody really believe that a company that makes hitches for example, they rate at a 350# working weight would state that if it was even close to the maximum breakage limit? Not in this sue happy world. Not trying to get this thread going sideways but a little common sense has to come into play. I've often wondered what the real world pressures and weights are really put on a hitch and coupler during a normal road trip over different surfaces. Bet the numbers would spike pretty high. Using a hitch/ball TW again as an example, 200#s static dead weight at a stop. How would that change just pulling away from a stop light on a smooth road or up/down a long 5* hill, a fast/panic stop or a rough boon docking/fire road? Would be interesting if the Scalemans real world weights list also showed what the ratings were of the hitches folks use in the real world with what they are really towing.
Kind of funny and on another note, I broke a 3/8ths drive 24" breaker bar....but I had a 6' cheater pipe added and I was jumping on it. Wasn't a surprise when it broke. Wonder how far that was over factory limits. Bad thing was, the bolt didn't move.

[rbryan]

Originally Posted by Borrego Dave

Nothing wrong with going by manufacturers limits but it really IS all for liability reasons for them and not public safety. We've all heard the term "deep pockets". Working and breaking numbers are vastly different. Does anybody really believe that a company that makes hitches for example, they rate at a 350# working weight would state that if it was even close to the maximum breakage limit? Not in this sue happy world. Not trying to get this thread going sideways but a little common sense has to come into play. I've often wondered what the real world pressures and weights are really put on a hitch and coupler during a normal road trip over different surfaces. Bet the numbers would spike pretty high. Using a hitch/ball TW again as an example, 200#s static dead weight at a stop. How would that change just pulling away from a stop light on a smooth road or up/down a long 5* hill, a fast/panic stop or a rough boon docking/fire road? Would be interesting if the Scalemans real world weights list also showed what the ratings were of the hitches folks use in the real world with what they are really towing.
Kind of funny and on another note, I broke a 3/8ths drive 24" breaker bar....but I had a 6' cheater pipe added and I was jumping on it. Wasn't a surprise when it broke. Wonder how far that was over factory limits. Bad thing was, the bolt didn't move.

I appreciate your opinion Dave and agree in some ways. But, structural limits are determined by engineers after extensive testing. It isn't 'just' about lawyers and liability. The company may "pad" the numbers for a safety margin, but generally, manufacturers limits shouldn't be exceeded if you want a safe and pleasant towing experience. As an engineer, I'm going to have to disagree that the limits are there only to protect the manufacturer. They are also there to protect YOU.

[Bob Miller]

Gee Dave, you started out poo-pooing towing limits and then you made the very case for them... Thanks for the support.

[David Tilston]

Originally Posted by glasshouse

I appreciate all the info everyone. Honestly I don't really care about amenities. If I had the ability I would buy one of those 5 x 8 cargo trailers that weigh 800 pounds, and install a full sized shower & toilet and throw in an air mattress. I could call it the Mobile bathroom & bed.

I agree if i'm nearing the 1500 pounds i'd have to have brakes. My only concern with going over the 1500 pounds is legal reasons. I wonder how severe the fines are, also if I got into a wreck I doubt insurance would pay a dime.

I am no legal expert, but as far as I understand, there is no fine for towing past your manufacture "recommended" limits. There are several people who would agree that you would have insurance problems if you had an accident though. But, this is debated as well.

It is my OPINION that if you are within 500 lbs of your tow limit, you are probably going to be fine. But if you are going over the tow limmit, I would consider brakes to be a must.

[honda03842]

Originally Posted by rbryan

I appreciate your opinion Dave and agree in some ways. But, structural limits are determined by engineers after extensive testing. It isn't 'just' about lawyers and liability. The company may "pad" the numbers for a safety margin, but generally, manufacturers limits shouldn't be exceeded if you want a safe and pleasant towing experience. As an engineer, I'm going to have to disagree that the limits are there only to protect the manufacturer. They are also there to protect YOU.

Bryan, are you suggesting that Honda's European engineers calculate structural limits differently than Honda's North American engineers? The cars are structurally the same yet the European rating is twice the North American rating.

[Darral T.]

WHY not use electric brakes... because they're not that expensive....and WHY even THINK about towing OVER a limit of any kind anywhere is wayyy beyond my comprehension!

Personally there's bigger fish to fry than trying to help someone testing fate.

[Bob Miller]

At least in California, at the very least, an officer can cite and impound a trailer if, in their opinion, they thought that it was being towed in a manner that was a threat to highway safety. So if there are any northerners that pull a 25' BigFoot with their Toyota Corolla, they might be forewarned before trying that in the Golden State. LOL?


As it turns out, while Oregon seems to be somewhat ambiguous about trailer brakes, it's useful to know that California and a number of other states require brakes at 1500 lbs. and NY is at 1000 lbs. so there must be something to the issue of needing brakes besides adhering to the towing limit. Here's a compilation of trailer brake requirements by state: Trailer Brakes | AAA/CAA Digest of Motor Laws


And I am sorry, but considering how much the fine is before breaking a law, isn't all that different than Ford making the decision that it was cheaper to pay death & injury claims than fix the Pinto fuel tank issue....

[David Tilston]

Oh no! Here we go again. Tow limits.

My OPINION is that tow limits are established in North America by the marketing department, not engineers. They want to sell large trucks to people who just want to go camping on the weekend.

This is the only satisfactory explanation for what Norm, and many others, have observed about the huge difference in tow capacity in Europe vs. North America. There are those who will point out that I don't know all the differences in the design between the vehicles marketed in NA vs Europe, but I doubt they amount to much. It is in a manufactures interest to keep everything as close to identical as possible.

Basically in Europe, tow capacity is 65% of the tow vehicles weight.