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Towing with my 2.5 4 cylinder

20K views 29 replies 11 participants last post by  jogosub 
#1 ·
I'm sure this has been asked a thousand times, but here it is again. From a newbie.

I'm a new Outback owner and want a little advice on the towing/ cargo carrier capacity of my new Outback. I know the vehicle is rated to 2700lbs. My question is from a practical weekend warrior perspective. Will I have any problems towing a small 500lbs trailer with another 250-500lbs worth of gear in it? I can't imagine it would be any different than a cargo carrier on the top loaded down or a hitch hauler with gear. I just want your feedback from experience and opinions.

Thanks in adavance!
 
#2 ·
I asked the same question a few weeks ago and the general consensus is with that small of a trailer, you won't even know its back there.

The only thing I was cautioned on was that if towing in the mountains with a trailer on the heavy end of the rating, you may need to watch your engine and transmission temps.
 
#3 ·
Hi and welcome to the forums. Search SUCKS here, so the easy way to find stuff is to enter a Google query like this:

https://www.google.com/#hl=en&safe=...874,d.cGE&fp=f57bf628413e002&biw=1012&bih=568

Enjoy your Outback and don't worry about that light load unless you are driving straight up Mt Killimanjaro...... but make sure you carry a spare tire for the trailer, and a complete pre-lubed hub with bearings, (or else bearings and grease, and the tools to change the parts on the side of the road). The hub will cost very little, and if your bearings seize one day, 50 miles from any town, you will thank me for the advice. ... http://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hubs-and-Drums/Dexter/34822BX.html

John Davies
Spokane WA USA
 
#9 ·
hi and welcome to the forums. Search sucks here, so the easy way to find stuff is to enter a google query like this:

https://www.google.com/#hl=en&safe=...874,d.cge&fp=f57bf628413e002&biw=1012&bih=568

enjoy your outback and don't worry about that light load unless you are driving straight up mt killimanjaro...... But make sure you carry a spare tire for the trailer, and a complete pre-lubed hub with bearings, (or else bearings and grease, and the tools to change the parts on the side of the road). The hub will cost very little, and if your bearings seize one day, 50 miles from any town, you will thank me for the advice. ... Trailer Hub Assembly - 2,000-lb Axles - 4 on 4 - L44643 Bearings Dexter Trailer Hubs and Drums 34822bx

john davies
spokane wa usa
+1 ! :29:
 
#5 ·
I don't believe this is true. Even if the hitch itself is rated for a higher weight the car is not. By exceeding the trailer weight and/or tongue weight limits identified by Subaru you will likely void the warranty if something bad happens. Actually, looking at how the aftermarket hitches are installed as compared with the OEM hitch my gut feeling is that the OEM attachment method is stronger. Regardless, always follow manufacturer's towing limits.
 
#6 ·
There are a lot of threads on this subject elsewhere on this forum... SCCO9803 also did not say what "new" Subaru is he/she buying - new 2013 or "new" to him/her.
There may not be a warranty issue... but, generally I agree with you vtmechng. However, people generally ignore these limits unless you rent one from a rental agency.
 
#7 ·
It's new to me and also new from Subaru 2013. The hitch is an after market one installed by the local hitch and trailer company in my town. I'm not concerned about manufacturer limits as I'm only planning to tow half of that limit. I just wanted to know what people's experiences or recomendations are.
 
#8 ·
I have an aftermarket as well (from U-haul) but I mainly use it for my bicycles... I had an aftermarket U-Haul on my 2010 Forester XT as well and I followed the hitch specs, when towing U-Haul trailers/moving boxes - but - likewise, I never exceeded the limits.
In my opinion (contrary to vtmecheng) I think aftermarket hitch is attached to the car better than the OEM hitch.
 
#16 ·
I have a '12 OB Premium 2.5 CVT and I tow my Teardrop trailer with no problems. My Teardrop probably weighs around what you are looking at pulling ~ 1000#. My wife and I went to Yosemite last year which is about a 4-5 hour trip each way, and if you have ever been to Yosemite you know that the drive includes a lot of hills (some pretty steep) and switchback roads into and pout of the valley. The OB performed admirably. The paddle shifters especially came in handy uphill and especially downhill. I was quite satisfied and pleased with the OB's capabilities.
BTW I have a self installed Draw Tite 1 1/4" hitch and wiring harness I purchased from eTrailer.com. I installed per mfg's recommendations drilling holes in the frame with no problems on the install or while towing. And the wiring harness took all of 5 minutes to install. As I have purchased a number of times from eTrailer I cannot say enough good things about them!
 
#17 ·
subiesailor is spot on here. All of the aftermarket hitches bolt into the bottom of the crush zone frame. The rear most hole is reinforced with an additional layer of steel but the forward most mounting hole is remarkably thin. What the Subaru OEM hitch does is bolt to that rear most hole and further reinforce the hole with a bracket that fits into the tubular frame, bolting a bracket to the hitch mounting hole and a hole on the side of the tube. The OEM hitch also uses the bolts that hold the metal bumper on the car to further strengthen it's attachment. So the aftermarket hitches don't use these bumper bolts and only have a strip of steel as a backer for the bolts going into the tube frame instead of the large bracket.

OEM Hitch. Notice brackets 2 and 3 that conform to and reinforce the tubular frame by using two bolts into the double walled section of the vehicle. Also, you can see that it uses the four existing bolts that hold the metal bumper on the car. It is all these extra attachments that parts that are bent to conform to the Outback that likely make the OEM hitch more expensive.
Auto part Diagram Automotive window part


A typical aftermarket hitch. Notice it only uses two bolts per side. The rear bolts are in the double walled section of vehicle frame but the forward ones are in a thinner section. Note that the forward holes are not designed by Subaru for attachment of a hitch so who knows how much load they can take (by how thin the material is I am guessing not much). Also the reinforcement plates are just rectangles that do not conform to the tube's shape or bolt to the sides of these frame tubes.
Auto part Diagram Technical drawing Parallel


Sorry if my descriptions don't make sense, I did my best without having pictures of the cars opened up with both designs side by side. Also, I'm not saying the aftermarket can't take that 200 lb. tongue and 3,000 lb. total trailer weight capacity. It just seems that it's unlikely the aftermarket attachment method is stronger so I wouldn't go beyond the Subaru identified limits.
 
#19 ·
In the end I have a Torklift aftermarket hitch instead of the OEM one. Towing my little utility trailer that's under 2000 lbs I'm not worried at all. Actually, our bike rack with 4 bikes on it probably puts more stress on the hitch than the trailer. No question it is a higher equivalent tongue weight.
 
#20 ·
Hey all. I have a 3 week old OB Limited and I'm trying to research hitches... I say trying because it's all kind of confusing to me. I am not knowledgeable about cars and I'm trying to learn. It is not an option for me to install a hitch myself, so I'm going to have to go with an aftermarket one.

My questions are:

- Are aftermarket hitches not as secure as OEM hitches/ are OEM hitches better? Or is this just a preference thing? From things I've read on here, people seem to prefer OEM hitches due to the way they are attached to the car, right? But I've read that some of you have aftermarket hitches as well, and I haven't read about any problems.

- From what I'm reading, no matter what kind of hitch I get, I should stick to the manufacturer's guidelines concerning weight. Is this right?

- When contacting a local company to get this done, is there anything I should be asking them? Am I going to have different options on what kind of hitch I can get installed?

I really have been reading all of your posts about hitches... I just think some of it is a bit over my head. I appreciate your input!
 
#28 ·
Hey all. I have a 3 week old OB Limited and I'm trying to research hitches... I say trying because it's all kind of confusing to me. I am not knowledgeable about cars and I'm trying to learn. It is not an option for me to install a hitch myself, so I'm going to have to go with an aftermarket one.

My questions are:

- Are aftermarket hitches not as secure as OEM hitches/ are OEM hitches better? Or is this just a preference thing? From things I've read on here, people seem to prefer OEM hitches due to the way they are attached to the car, right? But I've read that some of you have aftermarket hitches as well, and I haven't read about any problems.

- From what I'm reading, no matter what kind of hitch I get, I should stick to the manufacturer's guidelines concerning weight. Is this right?

- When contacting a local company to get this done, is there anything I should be asking them? Am I going to have different options on what kind of hitch I can get installed?

I really have been reading all of your posts about hitches... I just think some of it is a bit over my head. I appreciate your input!
I will do my best to answer your above questions.
1. So far no one has had any problems with aftermarket hitches handling the Subaru identified maximum towing capacities. As an engineer my gut feeling is that the OEM attachment method is likely stronger than the aftermarket method. Now this is different from the question, "which do people like more?" Most on here go with an aftermarket option to both get a 2" hitch receiver and avoid having the receiver stick way out from the rear bumper. I don't think anyone here but me has even given the different attachment methods a second thought.

2. Always stick with the manufacturer's limits.

3. Most installers will increase the size of access holes to allow installation of the hitch mounting bolts. This is normal and no one here has experienced issues with this. What you do need to make sure of is the installer will spray a rust inhibiting paint where they drill so you don't get rust in the future. If the installer seems a little sketchy about this, "oh... yeah... sure we will," go with someone else who says, "we always do," or something like that. Just don't want unpainted steel. There should be only two options, a 1.25" hitch and a 2" hitch. If you are going aftermarket then get the 2" hitch.

One other thing. Don't let Uhaul install the wiring. From what others here have said they don't use the Subaru provided wiring plug. If you really are not handy I bet the dealer can install the wiring for you or try to find a mechanic that will install one you bring in (which you can get from etrailer for a low price)

Good luck.
 
#21 ·
I think the weight limits would be the same for OEM and aftermarket.
The only difference is (correct me if I am wrong) that the aftermarket is a 2" square while OEM is 1 1/4 inch square.
I have U-haul a.k.a. Hidden Hitch on mine and I am happy with it!
 
#26 ·
I mostly use it for bikes and U-Haul small trailers for moving and stuff...light loads, generally. I bought the wiring harness with flat plug from e-tariler.com. They have one specifically for OB application. You can barely see that on the left side of the square box (wires are enclosed in black corrugated wire protector sleeve). It plugs into the existing socket behind driver's side rear cargo area panel. Then you run it outside through one of the plugs on the bottom of spare tire well. If you are thinking of getting the same, don't get the wirings from U-Haul! You save money on the wiring as well as labor installation thereof.
 
#27 ·
Little tip on the wiring. Keep it in the foam tray under the rear floor. When needed you simply pull it out and use the hatch to position and hold the wires out of the hitch. Been doing this since 2001 I tow a bunch and HATE the stupid external plugs right next to the hitch. Broken corroded plugs and wires plus you need to keep a roll of electrical tape handy to tape trailer wires up to keep them from being pinchedin the hitch.
 
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