Here's a few pics of our new kayak/canoe hauler. It is fabricated out of an old boat trailer and new angle iron. I can easily lift the tongue manually with one hand and roll it about fully loaded. (My way of testing to ensure it's not too much for the Prius) You can view photos of my hitch here: http://priuschat.com/forums/newbie-...hitch-mount-bike-rack-prius-2.html#post558310 I'm approaching 90K on this 2005 Prius. I've towed and hauled a lot of stuff with no major problems to date; in addition to beating the #$@% out of it doing a rural mail route six days a week.
timm, Six boats on the trailer... hmm Are there also six people in the car? Can you tell us about a typical trip? Do you travel mostly at lower speeds, lets say 35-40 MPH? Have you had your rig up to highway speeds, say 60-65 MPH? How about MPGs, what kind of reduction do you see?
Hi Timm, Your trailer set up looks nice; are you working on a ski setup to replace the front wheels for the upcoming winter mail deliveries?
Good observation, Rokeby! Indeed, the MPGs take a hit. Usually down to twenty-five or thirty. (I do have a Ford Expedition that will only get 12 to 14 MPG pulling the trailer) A typical paddling adventure for us is on the "Lower Wisconsin State Riverway". My family of four and their belongings can all fit in the Prius at once. We haul paddles and camping gear down the road stuffed inside the kayaks. The two kayaks you see on the top of the trailer are "Sit-on" kayaks that we use as water trailers carrying the tent and stuff, towed behind mom and dad's kayaks. If we're not doing a sandbar camping trip, quite often we hook up with friends and put in at an upriver landing and then shuttle vehicles to a downriver landing. This new trailer can haul a combination of canoes and kayaks, therefore I may leave a couple of our boats at home to be able to haul the friend's watercraft. We live close to the river and probably average 30 miles on the highway for these excursions. I can travel at 60-65 miles an hour with no problem on a straight stretch of road, but 35 to 45 MPH is fast enough on the hills and curves of the very scenic country roads alongside the river. I'm blessed with not having to go 70 MPH to keep up with traffic on a four lane freeway. We welcome everyone to join us if it ever works out for you. You can view some pics of our area and organization (Friends of the Lower WI Riverway), here: Picasa Web Albums - FLOW
