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Exceeding the 1000kg towing rating by 500kg
- Thread starter Stefan Voinea
- Start date
Trailer weighed 1,920 lbs empty and was fully loaded. Wouldn't be surprised if it was over 4,000 lbs
rotarypower101
Member
Does anyone have a link to a thread detailing this incident?
Curious about more story details, and possibly pictures of the failure.
So I want to tow it Mobile Pet Grooming trailer that supposedly weighs 5200 pounds. I’m not sure that it does though that’s what I’m told and I want to tell this with a model three 2019 all wheel drive. I’m sure you’ve already seen Andy Thompson on YouTube towing the airstream which is somewhere around 7000+ pounds using a weight distribution hitch of course. But I wanted to get feedback from everybody not just the naysayers about this. Thank you for your time.
He did?!! How did I miss that? Where does he say that? I called them as well asking for advice they didn’t mention that. Could you point me unthreatening direction where he says that please.
Marsh25
Member
BTW, I work at the dealer that prepped the Model 3 in that video and part of my job is answering Tesla towing emails
Long story short. Total weight has next to nothing to due with what you can and can't tow. We don't even look at tow weight ratings. We look at individual details of the cars.
There are two factors limiting your towing capabillity. They are tongue weight and aerodynamics. On an ICE car the aerodyanmics determins the power you need. On an EV it limits the range. On any vehicle the tongue weight is limited by two factors. The total cargo capacity of the vehicle and the strength of the hitch. On a Model 3 this is your biggest limit. We custom reinforce hitches to make them strong enough to take the bending loads of weight distribution. Weight distrbution is KEY to towing anything large. I would say that you should be using weight distribution for anything over 1500lb and you'd need a reinforced hitch for anything over 2000lb (total dry weight of trailer). The total limit of the model 3 is around 5000lb. At that point the tongue weight is too much for a Model 3 with two adults in it.
We've done well over 50 Teslas at this point with people traveling to our shop from all over North America.
We now do these reinforcements differently than shown in the video. We now use a CURT hitch (which is about the strongest you can buy for these cars) and reinforce with a single tube. Here are some pictures of a Model Y, which we do with the plastic part of the trunk removed.
Long story short. Total weight has next to nothing to due with what you can and can't tow. We don't even look at tow weight ratings. We look at individual details of the cars.
There are two factors limiting your towing capabillity. They are tongue weight and aerodynamics. On an ICE car the aerodyanmics determins the power you need. On an EV it limits the range. On any vehicle the tongue weight is limited by two factors. The total cargo capacity of the vehicle and the strength of the hitch. On a Model 3 this is your biggest limit. We custom reinforce hitches to make them strong enough to take the bending loads of weight distribution. Weight distrbution is KEY to towing anything large. I would say that you should be using weight distribution for anything over 1500lb and you'd need a reinforced hitch for anything over 2000lb (total dry weight of trailer). The total limit of the model 3 is around 5000lb. At that point the tongue weight is too much for a Model 3 with two adults in it.
We've done well over 50 Teslas at this point with people traveling to our shop from all over North America.
We now do these reinforcements differently than shown in the video. We now use a CURT hitch (which is about the strongest you can buy for these cars) and reinforce with a single tube. Here are some pictures of a Model Y, which we do with the plastic part of the trunk removed.
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Watts_Up
Well-Known Member
rotarypower101
Member
With a Model 3, is there a "easy" place in the rear trunk area to derive a suitable 12V DC source for a wireless trailer brake like the Curt "Echo"?
If not, how/where do you pull a fused 12V DC line that can handle ~7A Peak ?
Possibly the PCS if no easy source can be tapped closer to the hitch?
Watts_Up
Well-Known Member
Do you have also a pic for the Model 3?
I wonder if you install the 2" tow receiver below the rear bumper
or in the middle of it and have to make a hole inside the bumber cover.
And what whould be the height from the floor of the base of the receiver.
With my Model 3, my tow hitch receiver is less than 8" from the ground and often scrap it.
Marsh25
Member
I don't mean the weight distribution of the trailer's weight. That's an issue with cargo trailers, where you load them. With an RV the manufacturer decided this when they built all the cabinets and installed the tanks.
I mean a weight distribution system to balance the tongue weight on front and back axles of the car.
Marsh25
Member
The only Model 3 pictures I have are of the unit in the video. I don't have up-to-date pictures. I have a customer orientation with a Model 3 this afternoon. I'll try and remember to take a picture of their trunk. Our own Model 3 goes out through the bumper cover. The way we currently do them is out the bottom. We can do it through the bumper cover, but the labor is significantly more.
Marsh25
Member
I believe the easiest place to pull 12V is under the passenger side rear seat? I'm not sure, I don't watch the guys doing the wiring. We usually wire it so that the brakes run of the trailers battery, so there's no load on the Tesla. You couldn't use the CURT Bluetooth death trap (BTW when we tested one of those a text message caused the brakes to lock on and a phone call caused them to disable. Do not recommend). The CURT unit requires power from the vehicle to work. We use hardwired brake controllers, because safety is a thing.
rotarypower101
Member
Really!
May I inquire which platform iOS/android if that has any correlation?
I would be interested in any information to corroborate that feedback if anyone has seen any?
Have used one for many Many miles towing without a single perceived issue, very positive experience.
Especially as the mobile device Doesn't need to be active to have the echo function normally.
If there are known issues, I would REALLY like to know about them if they are Not isolated cases.
How are you managing the trailers battery SOC if there is no load on the vehicle? Especially as the cell depletes?
Nice to have someone who really knows this stuff. We were all posting on believes rather than knowledge.
Is there anything that I can do from abroad without requiring to weld or any intrusive labor intensive operation and still toe 1500Kg. Maybe getting a stronger than OEM hitch. Will that help? Or there no way around this.
Also what do I risk? Pulling the rear end like on a tuna can? Bending things?
Lindenwood
Active Member
Marsh25
Member
I admit that I know lots of people running those CURT controllers and not having issues. Our results seem kind of "one-off" but I don't think brakes are worth risking it for even a one off result.
The other problem with the CURT controller is that it sticks out really far and the mounting location can be an issue. You could NOT use it on a Model X. It fits rather well on a Model Y.
That said most people don't need our services to tow small utility trailers, or mount a bike rack. I have my experienced opinion, but if you're sticking with less than 1500lb, then what you find on the internet probably won't get you in any trouble.
FOR ANYONE NOT IN NORTH AMERICA: Hitching and towing work completely different in Europe. I have very little knowledge on the EU way of doing things and practically zero knowledge on what products exist for that market. You'll have to do your research specific to your region. I'm happy to help, if I can, but I doubt I can help you very much.
The other problem with the CURT controller is that it sticks out really far and the mounting location can be an issue. You could NOT use it on a Model X. It fits rather well on a Model Y.
I / my company (I have to tread lightly here, because I've been warned by admins that I can't do any advertising) are happy to help people that are never going to be customers. We regularly send out information and pictures of how we do this. We're a single dealership in Canada and we realize not everyone can come see us.
That said most people don't need our services to tow small utility trailers, or mount a bike rack. I have my experienced opinion, but if you're sticking with less than 1500lb, then what you find on the internet probably won't get you in any trouble.
FOR ANYONE NOT IN NORTH AMERICA: Hitching and towing work completely different in Europe. I have very little knowledge on the EU way of doing things and practically zero knowledge on what products exist for that market. You'll have to do your research specific to your region. I'm happy to help, if I can, but I doubt I can help you very much.
What ever happened to this person? How did the car hold up over time towing the heavy trailer?
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