New Toad

[Bob (WA0MQE)]

Instead of towing a vehicle around we'd been thinking about hauling a motorcycle on a small trailer for awhile now. Primarily because of the lighter weight as well as the gas mileage on the vehicle, etc. But I couldn't quite get over the motorcycle being our only means of transportation, especially in inclement weather, being able to haul groceries, etc.

So my wife and I finally found what we wanted.



I could have towed it 4-wheel down, but as small as it is I didn't feel confident with it being so close to the ground, and I'd heard of a few concerns towing one flat down. So we opted for the trailer. It's all aluminum and weighs 500 lbs with the spare tire, the tongue weight empty is 48 lbs, with the car on it, it's 150 lbs. The car and trailer together weight 2400 lbs.

[Jim Stewart]

OK, that's just darn cute. What kind of car and trailer brands are they? I'm a big guy, it might be like spandex on a chubby lady for me, but I would like to try one on.

Thank you for sharing!

[Triker56]

It looks like to me it could be a Smart Car on top of a Aluma trailer if I was to guess.

I pulled a 2,400 lb enclosed trailer for 9 years with a HD Softail inside it.
Plus tool box, 6' ladder, 4' ladder, bike jack, cleaning supply's, spare tires for trailer & MH, and miscellaneous items.

This year pulling a HHR 4 down. It is better ride on those rainy days. Also hold more grocery's and better for going to laundromat. And better on these old bones.

[Easyrider]

Looks good Bob, I think it looks like you can swivel the tongue jack on the trailer up out of the way too! How much time does it take to get it all loaded and ready to go or unloaded and ready to use?

[Submustang]

We went with the best of both worlds. Installed a loader in the pickup so we have both the truck and the bike.

[Bob (WA0MQE)]

It is a 2009 Model: Passion Smart Car. The trailer is indeed a Aluma Model: 6810H. The xx10H means it's a 10' bed and it's the Heavy Duty one. I chose them both for the light weight.

Jim, the roominess inside will surprise you. It has large doors and since it only holds two people there's plenty of room to move the seat back for you long legged guys.

Easyrider, so far I've only loaded and unloaded it once. It doesn't take very long at all to hook the trailer to the moho, and drive the car up on it, a matter of minutes. Attaching the tie downs took as long as hooking up the trailer and loading the car, but it was my first try. It will get quicker as I get used to it. However, it definitely takes longer to hookup and unhook then a tow bar, but it's still not long.

More of a concern to me will be doing something with the trailer once I get into an RV Park and unhook. If the space is a pull-through and long enough I'll just leave the trailer hooked up to the moho, but if it's a back-in I'll need to resort to storing it in a different area I guess. I know a lot of guys tow trailers, and many a whole lot bigger then this one. And they seem to do okay with it. Time will tell.

Oh, by the way, I'm attaching a tow bar to the back of the Smart Car. (they make one for $90) which has a load capacity of 100lbs, and towing cap. of 1000 lbs. Since this trailer empty only weighs 500lbs and the tongue weight is only 45 lbs I'll be able to use the Smart Car when I need to move it farther then I'd want to push it by hand.

[GaryKD]

Nicely done Bob. Best of luck.

[ernieh]

Nice setup, but I would be a little concerned with the tongue weight, especially on a single axle trailer. It seems a little light. As I recall, most mfg's recommend at least ten to twelve percent on the tongue to prevent sway.

[Bob (WA0MQE)]

It's pretty close to 10% now. Maybe a little on the light side, but I towed it 200 miles yesterday and it handled itself just fine. I think the trailer is too short to be concerned about sway.

[Janshark]

Hi Bob,

I'm in Canada and we've had Smart Cars up here for quite awhile. In fact some friends of mine got one of the first ones in British Columbia.

When they went south with their Class C they did exactly what you did: put the Smart Car on a trailer. And a hitch on the Smart Car to move the trailer if necessary.

Be prepared to answer a lot of questions about the Smart Car. Wherever they went, poor Bryan would have to answer tons and tons of questions. I think he eventully printed out something and would hand it to people.

Oh, and as for room inside: Bryan is 6'4" and he fits in there just fine!!

P.S. We call it the clown car

Happy Driving!!

[a k]

Plus you can back it up.

My wife calls mine the COSEY COUPE

[Batman_777]

My problem with using a trailer to haul a tow is: What do you do with the trailer when you arrive at the RV park?

[Bob (WA0MQE)]

Batman_777... I asked that question prior to my purchasing the car and trailer. For the most part all the responses were positive. Just about everyone, and there were a lot of them, said they'd either never had a problem or it was a minor issue. Most of the RV Parks had plenty of room in the pull-thru sites, or they had a place in the back to leave the trailer.

I also did a mental check back on many of the RV Parks we'd stayed at over the years and only recall a small number that might have been an issue.

One good thing about this trailer is it's only 14-feet long with the tongue included. Once unloaded and unhooked I can slide the trailer under the back of the motorhome and only have about 11-feet sticking out. With my 35-ft motorhome this is only 46-ft. Most pull-thru's and even many back in's have this much space.

[hardy1000]

Very cool, I am seeing alot of smart cars on the road.

Looks great