Ive been getting into the quad (4 wheeler for you midwest boys lol) buying and selling thing lately.. I have a truck and a trailer, but i have a cavalier for a daily driver and just popped into my head that I could probably use the cavalier to tow one. I have to travel pretty good distances sometimes, 100 miles or so for a good deal. I thought about just getting a 4x6 trailer, just big enough for one quad. And these are sport quads 2wd so they only weigh about 400lbs tops. I think the cavalier is good to go up to 1000lbs. The trailer would probably only weigh 3-400lbs so im thinking im good to go? Id get better gas mileage and not put wear and tear on my nice truck running everywhere. Anyone tow anything similar on a regular basis?
Also anyone put a hitch on a cavalier, is it fairly easy? How about wiring
I would check in the owners manual. I think they are rated a little lower, but IDK. IIRC tongue weight was at about 2-300 LBS. But Im not sure. Look in the owners manual and see for sure. I can give u a idea by the owners manual for a LD9 but it could be different for the Ecotec.
Also if you really want a receiver, Your local U-Haul can install and warranty a installation. but be warned, any receiver on a cavalier looks tacky IMO.
Ya the ecotec is the same as ld9 i believe. 1000lbs in the manual. I dont care how tacky it looks, its a economy @!#$ box,(I've owned 4 so i can say this lol) im more concerned with my financial gain then using a nice vehicle to run around 100's of miles, afterall thats why i bought it.
Jonathan shumacker wrote:Ya the ecotec is the same as ld9 i believe. 1000lbs in the manual. I dont care how tacky it looks, its a economy @!#$ box,(I've owned 4 so i can say this lol) im more concerned with my financial gain then using a nice vehicle to run around 100's of miles, afterall thats why i bought it.
The Ecotec and the LD9 arent the same engines (Ecotec L61, 2.4 LD9) kinda similar in hp/torque ratings. And yeah it is a econo-box, but u will get worse gas mileage, and put a added wear on the engine/tranny so keep that into consideration. These arent arent really ment to tow anything. So if you have a automatic I would throw a extra trans cooler in there just a added precaution. I would say go to Uhual (since they have recievers for every make/model car that I can think of) and tow a quad around for a day. See how it reacts, and see how she feels. And yah, if you dont care abt the tackyness of it, hey its your car. I dont have to like it right?
But just added the trans cooler in there, and if its under 1000Lbs then you should be ok. Goodluck.
For some reason i thought a small car like this could tow up to 2000lbs? I'm not sure why i think that but it comes to mind.
JM Graphics / Decals & Banners wrote:For some reason i thought a small car like this could tow up to 2000lbs? I'm not sure why i think that but it comes to mind.
You very well maybe right. But its whatever the Owners manual says. I think he said something like 1000 lbs.
I meant the ld9 and ecotec have same towing capacities, 1000lbs. Im quite aware they are two different engines. Each is good for automatic tranny 1000lbs. I guess im going to order a hitch now, found one for like 140 something on ebay we'll c what happends. I will however change my tranny fluid change intervals to probably 10,000 miles, instead of 20k
If you dont care about the car... Just drive the quad right up on the roof... Strap it down & youre good to go !!
Solved.. Whos next?
cant you just use a tow dolly, why the trailer,?
it should pull it just fine, but please take it off when not in use, jbodies have a bad enough reputation as it is.
Mike Demo wrote:cant you just use a tow dolly, why the trailer,?
it should pull it just fine, but please take it off when not in use, jbodies have a bad enough reputation as it is.
Id love to see someone with a quad on a tow dolly driving down the freeway at 75mph..lol i like the roof idea better. I ordered ahitch and bought a trailer today ill post pix when im good to go. I picked up a 5x8 trailer but its a pretty heavy one, i think im going to be selling it, dont think it will do good on the cavi. I need one with mesh floors and light weight (sell them for a decent price at lowes)
Id pick up a trans temp gauge to keep an eye on things. I can imagine that a 4t40e might heat up a bit under load for a long period of time.
Well i got it all installed, however i believe the trailer i got is way too heavy ( i didnt really care i picked it up for $300, its worth atleast double) So im going to put the trailer for sale, and get a new one at lowes. My trailer is about 650lbs i believe, lowes has the 5x8 mesh floor ones and they are only 350lbs. I can tow decently but i dont like how much i feel it. How hard is it to install a tranny temp gauge?
Heres some pix lol
no edit button?? Anyway the hitch itself is great and you cannot even tell its there at all if the ball isnt on it.
If it's too heavy for it, I'd be concerned with the brakes, not just the tranny getting hot.
wow got some nice deals there, and made some money
Haha..
That just looks funny.
If the car gets stuck, you can use the Raptor to pull it out!
I love all these people saying its too much weight for the car haha. if people think 400lbs is too much, then what if you have 2 friends who are 200lbs ride with you.....
A raptor 660 w/ fluid is somewhere around 415-425lbs.. Cant remember off the top of my head..
Add a 250lb trailer, youre up over 650lbs.
Park on the street dude !! Our 4WD Pathfinder used to get stuck in places in 4low. Im sure you know that though.
You should set up the ramp on that trailer & see if you can launch over the car !!
Well, I have no idea how much these things weigh so I didnt know if it was going to be over the 1000LBS tow rating these cars have. Since he is at around 650 towing, he will be fine, just in the heat he may heat up his tranny a little bit. But it dont look like its bowing the back of the car at all which is good. His brakes should be okay as long as he brakes sooner instead of normal without anything on there. Other then that, it looks funny, and what redevil said about launching over the car, DO IT!!! LOL. And get vids
Jonathan shumacker wrote:Anyone tow anything similar on a regular basis?
200 lb curb weight trailer, 1k load rating, been using it to move... and I have a 5 spd even
Take your rig to the dump and get them to weigh it for you. Subtract the weight of the car and there's your load.
should pull fine in drive. front wheel drive so your front end is already weighted gets a better grip.
i tried to find this video on youtube of an s-10 and a cavalier having a pull off and the cavy pull it around the parking lot.
