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Old 06-27-2010, 03:20 PM   #1
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Yesterday i bought a 1997 mazda protege automatic 1.5 L in above average condition . I bought this to replace my Escort wagon . There is a reciever hitch on the car but it is a smaller one than on my truck , i think it is 1-1/4" . Would this be safe to pull my boler , it reads 200lb tounge weight 2000lbs overall . I could use my truck but the car is much nicer .
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Old 06-27-2010, 03:46 PM   #2
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Hi Perry,

I looked up the hitches available for the 1997 Mazda Protege. I learned something as I didn't realize that there were Class I receiver hitches available. (I thought all class I hitches were non-receiver "fixed" type).

The hitch does say it is rated for 2000#/200# tongue weight, as you say (presuming you have the Hidden Hitch shown, or similar). I mentions that it is not to be used with any weight-distributing attachments.

http://tinyurl.com/2cclyuu

However, the hitch rating does not necessarily equate to the vehicle rating, so I think the important questions are as follows:

1) What is your Protege rated to tow (from the owner's manual; independently of the hitch rating)?

2) What is your Protege rated to tow without trailer brakes (and does your Boler have them or not)?

3) Does your Protege require that you subtract passenger and/or vehicle luggage from the tow rating?

3) How much does your particular Boler actually weigh (as in, loaded at your highest level, with all your camping gear and etc. that you carry, and weighed on a scale).

I think that once you have the answers to those four questions, you will have a good idea as to whether it is safe and legal to tow your Boler with the Protege. Anything else is really guess-work, in my opinion. Might as well go with the numbers/facts.

For myself, if I were towing a trailer close to the car's rating and/or close to the car's actual weight, I would want trailer brakes for sure. I would also want an added transmission cooler for an automatic transmission.

Raya

PS: Just for "fun facts to know and tell," note that not all 1-1/4" receiver hitches are rated the same. The 1-1/4" hitch on my car, for example, is a Class II and is rated for 3500# with 300# tongue weight.
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Old 06-27-2010, 08:06 PM   #3
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FYI, my Ford Focus wagon (4 cyl, 1.7liter engine) was only rated to tow 1000 lbs, so it was pretty much maxed out with my 950lb Uhaul before I even loaded up with camp supplies. When I was car shopping to replace the Focus, I found that every car I looked at was also rated at 1000lbs max. (So I bought a minivan rated to tow 1800lbs.)
Unfortunately, it does not seem likely that your Protoge is rated high enough to safely tow the trailer - suggest that you should definitely verify the 4 important questions that Raya lists.
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Old 06-27-2010, 10:06 PM   #4
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Quote:
Hi Perry,

I looked up the hitches available for the 1997 Mazda Protege. I learned something as I didn't realize that there were Class I receiver hitches available. (I thought all class I hitches were non-receiver "fixed" type).

The hitch does say it is rated for 2000#/200# tongue weight, as you say (presuming you have the Hidden Hitch shown, or similar). I mentions that it is not to be used with any weight-distributing attachments.

http://tinyurl.com/2cclyuu

However, the hitch rating does not necessarily equate to the vehicle rating, so I think the important questions are as follows:

1) What is your Protege rated to tow (from the owner's manual; independently of the hitch rating)?

2) What is your Protege rated to tow without trailer brakes (and does your Boler have them or not)?

3) Does your Protege require that you subtract passenger and/or vehicle luggage from the tow rating?

3) How much does your particular Boler actually weigh (as in, loaded at your highest level, with all your camping gear and etc. that you carry, and weighed on a scale).

I think that once you have the answers to those four questions, you will have a good idea as to whether it is safe and legal to tow your Boler with the Protege. Anything else is really guess-work, in my opinion. Might as well go with the numbers/facts.

For myself, if I were towing a trailer close to the car's rating and/or close to the car's actual weight, I would want trailer brakes for sure. I would also want an added transmission cooler for an automatic transmission.

Raya

PS: Just for "fun facts to know and tell," note that not all 1-1/4" receiver hitches are rated the same. The 1-1/4" hitch on my car, for example, is a Class II and is rated for 3500# with 300# tongue weight.
Thank you for your insight , i took a look at my owners manual and it specificly states (do not tow trailers with your mazda) then why i ask , do they make reciever hitches for them .
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Old 06-27-2010, 10:36 PM   #5
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hitch companies will make aftermarket hitches for anything. Its up to you to do the homework and check if you SHOULD be towing anything.

Working in campgrounds, you see LOTS of funny stuff.. I see Civics towing stuff frequently. Mostly teardrops, which is OK, I am sure, but.. the book says not to do it. I have seen them tugging tugging tent trailers too.

You could have a hitch for towing stuff like small utility trailers for lawn and garden I suppose. Probably isn't real harmful.

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Old 06-27-2010, 11:42 PM   #6
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My 2000 Subaru Outback is rated at 2000# tow capacity with a 2.5L engine.

My 2001 VW Golf is rated at 1000# tow capacity with a 2.0 L engine.

Your Protege has a 1.5L engine? You do the math.

Your tow capacity should be posted on the drivers doorpost along with the tire specs.
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Old 06-28-2010, 12:02 AM   #7
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Quote:
My 2000 Subaru Outback is rated at 2000# tow capacity with a 2.5L engine.

My 2001 VW Golf is rated at 1000# tow capacity with a 2.0 L engine.

Your Protege has a 1.5L engine? You do the math.
I don't think you can extrapolate accurately just by the "math" of engine size though. For example, my car's engine is "smaller" than your Subaru's, at 2.3 liters, yet it is rated to tow 3300# (whereas your Subaru with a larger engine is rated to tow 2000#).

I would think there would be considerations for torque, weight of the vehicle, braking capacity, transmission robustness, etc, etc.

So I would still go by the owner's manual of the specific vehicle, figuring the manufacturer took the big picture into account (also, there is more information in the manual about how trailer brakes affect one's rating, etc.)

Raya
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Old 06-28-2010, 12:44 AM   #8
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Hi: All... Here's one to add to the tow cap. oddities!!! We have a 2005 Ford Taurus Wgn. 3ltr. V6 OD. Auto Trans. Tow cap. 1250lbs. The vehicle is rated to carry 7 pass. or 2000lbs of cargo.
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie
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Old 06-28-2010, 12:42 PM   #9
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A few years ago I checked the towing capacities of GM cars; every one of the ones I checked was rated exactly the same! It didn't matter the size of the car, the engine, or the transmission, they were all at (I think) 1000 lbs. My 4-cyl Fiero and my brother's big Pontiac were rated the same! I think GM was basing the rating on the side of extreme caution.

I have heard that many foreign companies rate their cars at much higher limits than American companies will. When I bought my EggCamper, Jim Palmer, the company owner, told us that one customer towed his EggCamper from the Michigan company back to Texas, with a 4-cyl Camry! Jim said he tried to talk the guy out of it, but he insisted, saying Toyota rated it at 2000 lbs. and that is what the EggCamper weighed, so he was going to do it. Evidently the guy made it okay, although I wouldn't have attempted it.
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Old 06-28-2010, 02:21 PM   #10
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Quote:
Thank you for your insight , i took a look at my owners manual and it specificly states (do not tow trailers with your mazda) then why i ask , do they make reciever hitches for them .
For bike racks and the like.
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Old 06-28-2010, 02:56 PM   #11
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Question

Quote:
Thank you for your insight , i took a look at my owners manual and it specificly states (do not tow trailers with your mazda) then why i ask , do they make reciever hitches for them .
Because they can.

People buy them.

FOR MONEY!

They have no connection to the automobile manufacturer and so can do what they want. Do they care if you get killed? Probably, but they play the odds that it won't happen. Maybe if they had to handle a few lawsuits they would be more cautious...

Just found a good website:

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/auto-parts/t...ehicle/gvwr.htm
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