Lightweight trailers a Model 3 might be able to tow

[Ytoelectric]

New Aliner with solar and induction cook-topI just found this!

 

[Ytoelectric]

New Aliner with solar and induction cook-topI just found this!

Oops, new here ... (meant to make this part of original post) I am VERY curious to know pricing, but this is the first serious contender for me, as I was always disappointed that an all electric version wasn't available, the practicality of offering built-in solar, battery storage AND induction cook-top (the LAST thing I want to be breathing inside a small enclosed trailer is the emissions or a gas cook-top burner) all powered by an LFP battery is just what I have been looking for! And the fact that you still have the option for a back-up propane heater (heating: one of the few things that gas is ideal for especially considering power to weight) to supplement the heat-pump in extreme cold, I think I just found my ideal trailer for my RWD M3!

 

[Marsh25]

The Basecamp might be heavier to than the Alto, but it uses significantly less power to tow, thanks to better aerodynamics. The Alto 2124 Model does rival this though.

I have personal experience towing most Alto models and most Airstream models under 25' with a Model 3 long range. I work for a dealer for both brands and have a great deal of experience with this.

I towed the pictured combination from London, ON to Philadelphia, PA

 

[ecarfan]

Basecamp might be heavier to than the Alto, but it uses significantly less power to tow, thanks to better aerodynamics.

Thank for your post. I would be interested to know what energy usage numbers you have achieved with the Basecamp vs various Alto models, as my reading of people’s experience on this forum indicates the Basecamp isn’t significantly different from a comparably sized Alto.

For the past 5 1/2 years I’ve been towing an Alto F1743 with a Model X. Regarding the A2124, my energy usage is about the same as posts from Tesla owners towing the A2124.

 

[israndy]

And what tow hitch you have on your Model 3, may be time to install an updated hitch replacing my 2000 lbs unit I got to add a bike rack to the back.

 

[Marsh25]

Thank for your post. I would be interested to know what energy usage numbers you have achieved with the Basecamp vs various Alto models, as my reading of people’s experience on this forum indicates the Basecamp isn’t significantly different from a comparably sized Alto.

For the past 5 1/2 years I’ve been towing an Alto F1743 with a Model X. Regarding the A2124, my energy usage is about the same as posts from Tesla owners towing the A2124.

It's really hard to quote numbers, because it's so weather dependent (head wind). But we've seen pretty consistently near 300Wh/km in neutral wind, driving 90km/h (55mph). The pictured combination got low 300's on the trip I took it on, which justifies testing back to back, but I never have the time to do such a test when I happen to have the trailers available.

 

[Marsh25]

And what tow hitch you have on your Model 3, may be time to install an updated hitch replacing my 2000 lbs unit I got to add a bike rack to the back.

The hitch pictured with the trailer is custom made by my work place. I won't say the name for fear of running afowl of the moderators, but google "towing airstream with tesla" and you'll find us.

We now modify a CURT receiver to make it strong enough and that's the hitch I'd recommend as being about the strongest out there, but don't attempt what I show without getting the custom modification.

 

[ecarfan]

It's really hard to quote numbers, because it's so weather dependent (head wind). But we've seen pretty consistently near 300Wh/km in neutral wind, driving 90km/h (55mph). The pictured combination got low 300's on the trip I took it on, which justifies testing back to back, but I never have the time to do such a test when I happen to have the trailers available.

Thanks. And that is about what I get in those conditions towing the Alot F1743 with my X. Which is why I do not think the A2124 has significantly less drag than the F1743; it might be a bit better but not enough to make much difference when planning charging stops on a long trip.

Yours is not the only data point I am basing my conclusion on. There are other A2124 owners on TMC who report similar numbers.

Of course the advantage of the A2124 is that it offers a lot more room and storage space! Happy towing.

 

[Marsh25]

Thanks. And that is about what I get in those conditions towing the Alot F1743 with my X. Which is why I do not think the A2124 has significantly less drag than the F1743; it might be a bit better but not enough to make much difference when planning charging stops on a long trip.

Yours is not the only data point I am basing my conclusion on. There are other A2124 owners on TMC who report similar numbers.

Of course the advantage of the A2124 is that it offers a lot more room and storage space! Happy towing.

Agreed, a lot of people would prefer the A2124 simply for the layout. A good way to think about it is a 21' that tows like a 17'. Also a little tidbit. I don't think we've done a direct test on our Tesla, but a 1743 should also be more aerodynamic than a 1713. The teardrop shape isn't an advantage over 80km/50mph. I know we've seen this on ICE vehicles.

 

[ecarfan]

A good way to think about it is a 21' that tows like a 17'.

If by that you mean that shorter trailers are more aerodynamic, that’s not necessarily true. A longer, properly tapered trailer can have less drag than a shorter trailer. The Bowlus is a good example.

Also a little tidbit. I don't think we've done a direct test on our Tesla, but a 1743 should also be more aerodynamic than a 1713. The teardrop shape isn't an advantage over 80km/50mph.

The rapid drop off of the R1713 roof — what some like to refer to as a “teardrop” design even though it is nothing like a drop of water which is symmetrical) is likely an aerodynamic disadvantage because the air flowing off the sides collides with the air coming off the roof to produce vortices that add to the drag (Credit to @Zoomit for that analysis!). The F1743 roof drop off is better from an aerodynamic point of view. And the towing energy usage data I’ve been able to collect from other TMC members supports that.

But none of the Alto models are that impressive aerodynamically because they do not have radiused corners like, for example, the Airstream.

Still, no trailer manufacturer makes a model that is truly optimized aerodynamically. I think that is in part because manufacturing costs would be much higher and, until recently with the rise of EVs, people just didn’t care that much about energy costs while towing.

 

[Marsh25]

If by that you mean that shorter trailers are more aerodynamic, that’s not necessarily true. A longer, properly tapered trailer can have less drag than a shorter trailer. The Bowlus is a good example.

The rapid drop off of the R1713 roof — what some like to refer to as a “teardrop” design even though it is nothing like a drop of water which is symmetrical) is likely an aerodynamic disadvantage because the air flowing off the sides collides with the air coming off the roof to produce vortices that add to the drag (Credit to @Zoomit for that analysis!). The F1743 roof drop off is better from an aerodynamic point of view. And the towing energy usage data I’ve been able to collect from other TMC members supports that.

But none of the Alto models are that impressive aerodynamically because they do not have radiused corners like, for example, the Airstream.

Still, no trailer manufacturer makes a model that is truly optimized aerodynamically. I think that is in part because manufacturing costs would be much higher and, until recently with the rise of EVs, people just didn’t care that much about energy costs while towing.

Oh, no. The lack of aerodynamics in trailers is a combination of stupidity and an absolute zero level of customer demand. We used to sell lots of trailers that you could tow with a V6 SUV, no it's pretty much just Airstream. The single most important factor is height. Having the trailer lower, so that it tucks behind the vehicle is the most important factor for drag. The problem is consumers think bigger is better. Even Airstream offers a factory lift kit. It makes everything about the trailer worse, but customers want it, because they all subconsciously think "bigger is better". All of the flaws with the RV industry are 100% caused by the consumers. They could buy better made trailers or trailers that tow better, but they pick the biggest brick they can afford every single time.

 

[dhrivnak]

I have towed my Aline

While we know that Elon has stated the Model 3 will the capability to tow a trailer, we of course don't know the trailer weight limit (we know the X is limited to 5,000 lbs). This was briefly discussed here Towing

Thought I would start a thread focused on compact and lighter weight trailers that a Model 3 might be able to tow. Here are some I have found. Anyone with direct experience with any of these, please contribute!

The new Airstream Basecamp model looks very compelling to me. It's about 2,600 lbs.Basecamp - Airstream

The Alto is much lighter at 1,700 lbs. and has a much lower roofline so presumably more aerodynamic. It is also wonderfully bright inside because when the roof is raised it exposes a huge amount of window area Safari Condo. A couple are traveling across Canada towing one of these behind their X.

The Bowlus Road Chief at a bit less than 2,500 lbs has been discussed in this thread Test Report: Towing the Bowlus Road Chief
It certainly seems to have a lot of advantages. One major disadvantage is the high price, about the same as a Model X!

Any other candidates?

While I have towed my ALiner, about 2000lbs. But not very practical if going over 100 miles as the unhitching and hitching to charge every 100-130 miles soon becomes a pain.

 

[ecarfan]

I have towed my Aline

While I have towed my ALiner, about 2000lbs. But not very practical if going over 100 miles as the unhitching and hitching to charge every 100-130 miles soon becomes a pain.

I’ve done exactly that probably over 100 times in the past 5 1/2 years towing my Safari Condo Alto with my X and it has never been a “pain” for me. Takes less than 2 minutes to unhitch and no more than 3 minutes to hitch up. And after two hours of driving I’m always ready to get out of the car and stretch my legs; I don’t like to sit for long periods of time.

 

[dhrivnak]

I have towed my ALiner with my Model 3, some 2000lbs. But not very practical if going more than 100 miles as you need to unhitch and then hitch to reach most chargers.

While we know that Elon has stated the Model 3 will the capability to tow a trailer, we of course don't know the trailer weight limit (we know the X is limited to 5,000 lbs). This was briefly discussed here Towing

Thought I would start a thread focused on compact and lighter weight trailers that a Model 3 might be able to tow. Here are some I have found. Anyone with direct experience with any of these, please contribute!

The new Airstream Basecamp model looks very compelling to me. It's about 2,600 lbs.Basecamp - Airstream

The Alto is much lighter at 1,700 lbs. and has a much lower roofline so presumably more aerodynamic. It is also wonderfully bright inside because when the roof is raised it exposes a huge amount of window area Safari Condo. A couple are traveling across Canada towing one of these behind their X.

The Bowlus Road Chief at a bit less than 2,500 lbs has been discussed in this thread Test Report: Towing the Bowlus Road Chief
It certainly seems to have a lot of advantages. One major disadvantage is the high price, about the same as a Model X!

Any other candidates?

While I

 

[Mr Limpet]

After skimming through 8 pages of discussion on how much you can tow with your model 3 and what effect it has on range, it boggles my mind that there is no discussion on what is actually SAFE to tow with your model 3. The fact that some are taking on towing with this car when the manufacturer states, in one breath, that it is not recommended (https://www.tesla.com/ownersmanual/model3/en_us/GUID-877ACE2D-B62F-4596-A6AD-A74F7905741C.html), but in another states you can is potentially enough liability unto itself. Get into an accident and your insurance may try to deny your claim.
However, there are some other important factors that not one person, including those pulling TT's have even brought up that needs to be discussed.
It is not about what your vehicle can tow, and tow safely, it is about your ability to stop. I have a Ram truck rated to pull over 11,000 pounds, but it can never be achieved safely, not even close.
A model 3 may be capable of pulling 2200# (https://www.tesla.com/ownersmanual/model3/en_is/GUID-BD9A38D5-4410-45A3-8337-BDF7342750F3.html) but achieving that weight can not always be done and hear is why...
Your vehicle is limited by one of a few factors, the most important being Cargo Capacity. That is the weight of everything added to your vehicle including passengers, any aftermarket add on's and items you may keep in your trunk/frunk on a regular basis. The sticker on your door lists that number.

So for those looking to pull a travel trailer that weighs 1500-2000 pounds, this is why you may be pushing your luck. Most travel trailers come from the manufacturer with a tongue weight of anywhere from 10-15%. If you add an additional 800# for a camping weekend in trailer accessories/food/clothes... it adds up fast, your 1500# trailer is now up to 2300# (and exceeds manufacturers guidelines for towing weight). Keeping the tongue weight at 10-15% is ideal for safety to avoid sway.

So for examples (using my M3) you have a cargo capacity of 826# :
1) Passenger X2 350#
Added on weight in the vehicle 100# (including hitch weight)
At 10% ball weight you are at 680# cargo capacity which is doable but you cannot add many additional items to the vehicle safely
At 15% ball weight you are at 795# and you just about at capacity with virtually no room to spare

2) Passengers X4 (2 adults and 2 children) 475#)
Family dog 50#
Added on weight to vehicle inc. hitch (100#)
At 10% ball weight you are at 855# cargo capacity and you are a little over the limit, you will likely be ok but is it safe?
At 15% ball weight you are at 970# cargo capacity and significantly exceeded the safe weight limit of the vehicle.

When considering towing with the Tesla model 3 you need to do your math if you plan to use it to haul anywhere within 70-80% of its towing capacity (1540-1760#) which is what is generally considered a safe total weight (loaded trailer).
Best advice is to take your vehicle loaded with passengers to a local CAT scale and weight everything to see what your cargo capacity will be and make a trailer buying decision based on that information. Subtract the CAT scale weight from the GVWR of the car found on the other sticker and that is your remaining cargo capacity. It is unlikely you will ever exceed the axle rating with the trailers that can be pulled.

One last thing in regards to liability. The trailer that you decide to pull will also have a cargo capacity and GVWR (max that the combined trailer and cargo can weigh total) IF that number exceeds the Model 3 towing capacity of 2200#, and you happen to get into an accident or even pulled over by police, you can be fined or held liable, in the case of an accident, and your insurance company can deny a claim.

Ok, I will get off the towing soapbox for now. Just want everyone to be safe hauling.

 

[israndy]

Do you mean 3500lbs? The Stealth Hitch handles 3500 on a TM3

 

[Mr Limpet]

Do you mean 3500lbs? The Stealth Hitch handles 3500 on a TM3

What the hitch is rated for and the car is rated to tow are two separate things. The model 3 is on only rated for 1000kg or 2200#.
Again those numbers do not matter, you are limited by your cargo capacity.