MarcG
Active Member
Does anyone here understand total trailer (and cargo) weight limits, versus "tongue weight"? I'm looking at trailers and not sure I understand what that means and how to think about such limits.
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Trailer hitch on 2021 refresh?
- Thread starter mufoxe
- Start date
MarcG
Active Member
Yeah I saw those numbers, just not sure what they mean.. I’m pretty new to this whole towing stuff.This is pretty clear cut and posted several times in this thread.
Tongue weight is the amount of weight that rests on the ball (i.e. the very front of the trailer's tongue). Trailer weight is the total weight of trailer and all cargo. A property built and loaded trailer should have a tongue weight that is 10% of total weight (hence why the tongue weight limits are exactly 10% of total weight). This is achieved by a combination of the placement of the trailer's axel along the front / back axis (i.e. balance point front to back) and where cargo is loaded (for example, when loading a utility trailer, one needs to ensure that the cargo has its weight appropriately distributed front to back to maintain tongue weight being approximately 10% of total weight).
MarcG
Active Member
Thank you for the explanation! Much appreciated.
Other question specific to the tow bar installation: do we know what are the torque specs on the 8 bolts (4 per side) should be?
cmarshack
Member
As for the trailer lights, I find it hard to believe that there is no OBDII port wireless light modules anywhere on the market. It seams easy enough to make a module that plugs into the OBDII port and sends the appropriate signals to a battery powered module that could plug into a standard trailer light socket.
I have looked, but it does not seem to exist..would solve our trailer light issue.
I have looked, but it does not seem to exist..would solve our trailer light issue.
headcase
Member
For those of us who were waiting to see if Tesla was going to officially provide the option of a hitch for the Model S sold in Europe, alas it came true today. I can only hope Tesla decides to allow us owners in the US and other countries to install in our cars.
Would be really nice to have the OEM hitch along with a software update that eliminates the triggering of the sensors. And an official wiring module for those needing it! Not to mention, no more worries about potentially voiding our factory warranty.
Would be really nice to have the OEM hitch along with a software update that eliminates the triggering of the sensors. And an official wiring module for those needing it! Not to mention, no more worries about potentially voiding our factory warranty.
MarcG
Active Member
MarcG
Active Member
Finally got my tow bar installed (the acquisition through Tesla was epic, they not only needed the name of my friend who owns a Model X and his VIN, but they actually called him to confirm I was buying it for him! Just wild...)
Anyway, installation was a breeze - no issues whatsoever. Just a tip that removing the bumper, at least for me, required quite a bit of force to pull back after having removed nuts & bolts needed. I had to pull from the front edges of the wheel well to get enough force to unlatch the middle clips of the bumper. The image below, from the service manual with the yellow arrow, kind of says it all.
Anyway, installation was a breeze - no issues whatsoever. Just a tip that removing the bumper, at least for me, required quite a bit of force to pull back after having removed nuts & bolts needed. I had to pull from the front edges of the wheel well to get enough force to unlatch the middle clips of the bumper. The image below, from the service manual with the yellow arrow, kind of says it all.
MarcG
Active Member
Oh, and make sure you have deep sockets in both 10mm and 15mm to remove the bumper and original crash bar (and to install the tow bar).
Sharing some pics of my install:
Sharing some pics of my install:
headcase
Member
Great write up and pics. How about to topping it off with a video showing the dash alerts when using a bike rack and/or trailer?
I don't have a refresh but I'm assuming he'll get the same error that my legacy P85D gets with a bike rack stating 'Park Assist Unavailable' and a chime every time I slow to about 5mph.
MarcG
Active Member
MarcG
Active Member
And now for the videos you requested, one with the rack upright and the other open (didn't bother with the bike as the result will likely be similar):
headcase
Member
Nice, and thx! So the only thing you appear to be experiencing is a warning chime with the bike rack mounted. If Tesla decides to continue to only offer the hitch in Europe, I can deal with an occasional chime.
MarcG
Active Member
Most welcome! The chimes only appear in reverse, not in forward even when coming to a stop, so I’m okay with it as is.
I was chatting with a buddy from France who has a Model 3 with the official trailer hitch from Tesla from delivery, and he says connecting anything to it disables all assists such as Autopilot (and the chimes of course) so I like our solution better.
Now the only question is how do I wire up a trailer for lights and electric brakes.. need to do some digging into that, perhaps using the CAN bus?
I think the rack design will vary on if you receive warnings or chimes in drive. His only appears to warn on backing up because his hitch sits above the bumper more where my legacy car with a diff design rack doesn't sit as high above the sensor so I receive a chime everytime I come to a stop and I disabled the backup warning tone.
cmarshack
Member
I think the rack design will vary on if you receive warnings or chimes in drive. His only appears to warn on backing up because his hitch sits above the bumper more where my legacy car with a diff design rack doesn't sit as high above the sensor so I receive a chime everytime I come to a stop and I disabled the backup warning tone.
I will be mounting my 1UpUSA rack on Thursday, I will report back to see if the type/location of the rack makes a difference on the newer S.
Great photos, thanks. I also have a Plaid and am interested in installing a hitch. I would be using mine to tow a Kendon motorcycle trailer so wiring for lights is essential. Please keep us updated if you find a solution.
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