First Tow of the Boat!

One of my big motivations for switching to the Model Y from my EV6 was the ability to tow my boat. I have a 2011 Larson LX850 that I bought new, and I’ve towed it with about a dozen different vehicles over the years I’ve had it. It weighs between 3,400-3,500 lbs depending on gear and fuel, so it’s at the upper end of the Y’s capacity. For the last four years, I’ve kept an old 2004 Expedition in the garage to tow with, and today was my first experience towing with my new Model Y.

The boat had to come out of storage today, so my inaugural tow was an 45-mile trip home in 43º F weather. All I can say is, “wow.” Handling was rock-solid, and it felt more comfortable to drive than anything else I’ve pulled with. Better than the F150s, minivans, SUVs, and my old Expedition did with it. As expected, I had gobs of power at all speeds and it was too easy to go a lot faster than needed while keeping up with rush hour traffic. My trailer has well-functioning surge brakes, and the regenerative braking was strong enough to rarely use the brake pedal. I had to stop fast from 70 MPH for a traffic light and the car handled it great.

My overall efficiency was 595 wh/mi. That included a fair amount of stop-and-go for the first fifteen miles, but the last 30 were mostly cruising at 68 MPH. My 30-mile average for the higher-speed portion was over 600 wh/mi, so I’ll have to watch my speed over the 120-mile trip to the boat ramp and back.

The Model Y feels great with a trailer. I’ll update this thread with more efficiency numbers and thoughts as I put on some more miles this summer, but I’m very impressed with how it did this time.

 

[KevinT3141]

ps. 2 You have me considering ordering a hitch for my MYP . I was worried back in January when my LR order wasn't going to arrive in the tax break window so switched to a performance but figured a factory hitch might slow the order so went sans. We have a couple- medium and small utility trailers that the Y could tow and would save some fuel not firing up the diesels for just a town trip

We ordered without the hitch so we could pick one up two days later about 45 minutes drive from here, rather than waiting a few months while they built us a new one with the hitch. It did cost more to add after the fact, but the gas we didn't burn during the 2 months / 10,000 km of driving a new Tesla versus the old Santa Fe more than made up the difference.

It handily survived our summer vacation acid test two weeks ago:

It averaged 500 Wh/km on the highway while towing an anchor and wearing a parachute, dropping the range to less than half (I expected about half), but still got us to the resort with just the one planned charging stop along the way. Yeah, there are six bikes but only two of us rode in the Tesla, our friend and her kids followed behind in their fossil car. (Which was good when the trailer blew a tire on the highway. The trailer slung a spare, but of course the Tesla didn't have a jack and a lug wrench. We should do something about that.)

 

[TomB985]

We ordered without the hitch so we could pick one up two days later about 45 minutes drive from here, rather than waiting a few months while they built us a new one with the hitch. It did cost more to add after the fact, but the gas we didn't burn during the 2 months / 10,000 km of driving a new Tesla versus the old Santa Fe more than made up the difference.

It handily survived our summer vacation acid test two weeks ago:



It averaged 500 Wh/km on the highway while towing an anchor and wearing a parachute, dropping the range to less than half (I expected about half), but still got us to the resort with just the one planned charging stop along the way. Yeah, there are six bikes but only two of us rode in the Tesla, our friend and her kids followed behind in their fossil car. (Which was good when the trailer blew a tire on the highway. The trailer slung a spare, but of course the Tesla didn't have a jack and a lug wrench. We should do something about that.)

This is awesome, thanks for sharing! It amazes me how well they pull.

 

[ilovemytdi]

Did you have factory tow hitch install? My lights still doesn’t work with the factory tow hitch when testing it?

My 2021 mylr had factory hitch and the wiring didn't work. Had to make an appointment to get it fixed.

 

[ilovemytdi]

i pulled a 2018 seadoo gtx (over 1,000 lb including trailer/fuel) and felt like nothing back there lol. yeah no issues with towing except for reduced range.

What was your wh/mi? How far did you tow and how fast?

 

[KevinT3141]

Hey @TomB985, any tips for backing a Model Y down a boat launch with the trailer on?

Our last time out was a steeper ramp than we'd used before, and the @#!! thing kept going into Park on me automatically (to prevent roll-away according to a touchscreen message) as I was still carefully trying to reverse while lining the Seadoos up with the dock edge. (It was a narrow launch, and straying too far from the dock edge threatened to drop the trailer off the other side of the ramp.) It did it so often that I began to wonder if I'd ever get the boats launched, and wound up backing them down much faster than I was comfortable with as a workaround. Luckily we didn't snag the dock or drop the trailer off the ramp, but it was pretty maddening.

Would putting it into Creep mode instead of Hold have helped?

The Model Y Owners Manual | Shifting page suggests the issue may have been that my seatbelt was undone, That's entirely possible, as I'm pretty sure I undo it to spin farther around in my seat for a better view while reversing a trailer. I can't find any specific mention of it automatically engaging Park when stopping on a slope though, or how I could turn that feature off. I've already had to give up trying to reverse down a ramp with the hatch open, it provides an amazing view while pushing the trailer, but the car won't let me do that either when it detects a slope. I hate electro-nannies!

 

[TomB985]

Hey @TomB985, any tips for backing a Model Y down a boat launch with the trailer on?

Our last time out was a steeper ramp than we'd used before, and the @#!! thing kept going into Park on me automatically (to prevent roll-away according to a touchscreen message) as I was still carefully trying to reverse while lining the Seadoos up with the dock edge. (It was a narrow launch, and straying too far from the dock edge threatened to drop the trailer off the other side of the ramp.) It did it so often that I began to wonder if I'd ever get the boats launched, and wound up backing them down much faster than I was comfortable with as a workaround. Luckily we didn't snag the dock or drop the trailer off the ramp, but it was pretty maddening.

Would putting it into Creep mode instead of Hold have helped?

The Model Y Owners Manual | Shifting page suggests the issue may have been that my seatbelt was undone, That's entirely possible, as I'm pretty sure I undo it to spin farther around in my seat for a better view while reversing a trailer. I can't find any specific mention of it automatically engaging Park when stopping on a slope though, or how I could turn that feature off. I've already had to give up trying to reverse down a ramp with the hatch open, it provides an amazing view while pushing the trailer, but the car won't let me do that either when it detects a slope. I hate electro-nannies!

Sorry for the late reply, I was on the road over the last couple of days.

The only time I've seen it shift into park is when my door is open and my seatbelt is off. I do this sometimes when I'm backing a trailer into a tight spot. I think it will shift into park the seat sensor detects no driver and the seatbelt is off. Try keeping weight on the seat next time, and it may help.

 

[KevinT3141]

Thanks Tom, much appreciated. I was in the seat so hopefully my weight was on it, but maybe turning around as far as I could to back up the trailer had lifted me out of it a little. I'll definitely keep it in mind for next time!

 

[blue y]

Yikes...that's nuts.

Traction at the ramp can be an issue with my RWD Expedition. I should have my son shoot a video next time we go on the boat. It's predictable; when backing down the ramp, surge brakes don't work because the tongue is being extended. I usually lock the front axle as I control speed down the ramp with the brakes, but the rears have always held. I inevitably spin the rear wheels getting up the ramp, but there's never been a question of whether I'd make it or not. This boat is the upper limit of what I'd put behind this RWD Expedition; another 1,000 lbs and I'd be looking for something four-wheel-drive.

My Model Y weighs about 1,000 lbs less, but always seems to grip better. I've never spun a wheel pulling my old 3,500-lb boat out, which is better than the Expedition will do. If I had enough range and was confident I wouldn't rip the hitch off, I'd use my Model Y to pull my new boat.

Reason why on all salt water or any ramps that look even mildy slippery I always lock my trucks in 4wd so you're braking on both axles...


Don't back in too far and don't slide in...

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[ThomasD]

Is this the same car? Hopefully the Cybertruck battery is better sealed from Water since it can cross Rivers and calm Seas.

 

[Ev_Rider]

I just picked up my new MY with tow package. Any suggestions on brand of hitch to buy or where to buy? I see the specs in the manual. Can I presume any local trailer company will have a hitch that fits?

 

[blue y]

I just picked up my new MY with tow package. Any suggestions on brand of hitch to buy or where to buy? I see the specs in the manual. Can I presume any local trailer company will have a hitch that fits?

Tow package comes with a hitch? Do you mean ball mount? It's a standard 2" hitch, pick a ball with the correct rise and ball size for your trailer...

 

[stripes]

I just picked up my new MY with tow package. Any suggestions on brand of hitch to buy or where to buy? I see the specs in the manual. Can I presume any local trailer company will have a hitch that fits?

If you have the tow package the hitch is the square open thing under the plastic panel on your rear bumper. (that panel is a pain to remove and put back on, I bought a magnetic cover from Amazon for like $20 or $30 or something, which I definite prefer to the original).

You need a ball mount you want one that doesn't lift the trailer too high, or bring it too low. I have a utility trailer for that a flat mount works right for it. The mount needs a ball of the right diameter for the trailer hitch to lock down on. I bought a mount that has 3 balls on it of different sizes. It works, but it is a pain to use because at least one of the balls I'm not using make it hard to get into the mount area on the Tesla (which is basically in a "hole" in the number so you can't really reach in from above/below). You will need chains (frequently included with the trailer), and if the trailer has "flat pins" (common in small trailers) you will need a converter to "round pins". You will probably also need a locking pin for the ball mount (sometimes included with the ball mount), and a cotter pin to hold it in place (rarely included, expect to spend most of a dollar on one!). A pin that goes through the ball hitch locking lever on the trailer is also a good idea (that ran me $2 or $3).

I would just go to TSC (Tractor Supply) if you haven near by, or any hardware store and buy whatever looks the most solid. These aren't hard to make they have no clever hidden design. So you are just looking for something that seems to be made of decent steel and is forged as opposed to welded together from random parts. I don't have any particular brand names to recommend. Next time I'm at a hardware store I'm going to get a straight ball mount with the one size I use (whatever is the one size down from 2" I think - why I have works it just extra work to get everything hooked up and slid in).

Oh, and get some grease for the ball. Otherwise it can be rough getting the trailer unhitched and you will probably put extra wear on the trailer hitch and ball and wear them out sooner than usual. Downside of grease not he ball is it make it less pleasant to store in the sub trunk. A large tupperware or other plastic container for the ball & its mount can fix that. Alternately you can just leave it on the back of the car all the time, but that exposes the hitch to the elements, and it leaves a thing sticking out of the back of the car at jus the aright location and height to not notice and get a really good leg bruise with. Or to hit something else if you are inattentiatave while parking, or worse if someone else is inattentive when they park.

 

[KevinT3141]

Oh, and get some grease for the ball. Otherwise it can be rough getting the trailer unhitched and you will probably put extra wear on the trailer hitch and ball and wear them out sooner than usual. Downside of grease not he ball is it make it less pleasant to store in the sub trunk. A large tupperware or other plastic container for the ball & its mount can fix that. Alternately you can just leave it on the back of the car all the time, but that exposes the hitch to the elements, and it leaves a thing sticking out of the back of the car at jus the aright location and height to not notice and get a really good leg bruise with. Or to hit something else if you are inattentiatave while parking, or worse if someone else is inattentive when they park.

It's amazing how much more quietly the vehicle tows with both the ball mount and the hitch ball lubricated. (Both in the Tesla and the Santa Fe before it, we got weird clunking while towing until we clued in to lubing up the ball mount before sliding it in to the receiver.) We just do a quick shot of WD40 before installing the mount, then another on the ball before connecting the trailer. It's not the best lube, but it doesn't leave much residue, was already sitting on the shelf, and is adequate if done each time. Even just dropping the trailer onto the ball and getting it locked in is so much easier with a fresh shot of WD40 on the ball. When removing it we just wrap it with a paper towel and store it underneath the seadoo trailer in our garage, since we don't use one without the other. Storing it in the Tesla is more mess than I want to deal with, lol.

Thanks for the tip about that magnetic cover, we'll look into that!

 

[KevinT3141]

Curious on the magnetic hitch cover, both the ONTEN and Ungodly Design covers say that they only fit Model Y's with a VIN below 200000, our VIN ends in 634xxx. Oh well, I can dream...

 

[stripes]

Curious on the magnetic hitch cover, both the ONTEN and Ungodly Design covers say that they only fit Model Y's with a VIN below 200000

The ungodly one use to only fit the "low" VINs, but they rejiggered the design and it works now (my VIN is over that, my Y is about 3~4 months old), apparently they can't change that section of the Amazon product page without having it reset their star rating. I also found it discouraging, and asked in their Q&A, and they answered.

When removing it we just wrap it with a paper towel and store it underneath the seadoo trailer in our garage, since we don't use one without the other. Storing it in the Tesla is more mess than I want to deal with, lol.

Oh! That bears thinking about. I'm currently using the sub trunk and a foam insert originally intended for some boardgames minis:

 

[Dr. D Flier]

No brake controller. Using 7 way to 4 flat adapter I also have test light on both 7 way and 4 pin still not working. But if I put it in my other car test works no issue. No lights and trailer mode doesn’t engage. Even if I press it manually trailer mode nothing.

Probably a bad controller - mine on my 2023 MYLR was defective from factory as have many others been. They replaced my entire hitch (yep the receiver and all) to fix it. The controller is mounted on the hitch but they replaced the entire hitch instead of removing the controller??? Anyway it works now. Just took 6 hours at the service center to fix it.