Trailer towing with a ... well I don't know?
 

So I found a good deal on a Boler trailer. For those that don't know the name, it is a little fiberglass camping trailer made in Alberta, Canada. This particular one is a 1971 model. The manufacturer info says it weighs 900 pounds. I think we can safely say the Insight is not an option to tow it. But I can't find any info on the towing capacity of the Jetta. (1992 IDI turbo diesel, 5 speed). I know trailer towing isn't a common theme in ecomodding, but if it's possible I would much rather use the Jetta than something like my Comanche. Comanche can tow 4000 pounds, the Previa is good for 2500 pounds, but this is only 900! I found testimonials of people using Jettas to tow dirt bikes, sea doos etc, that are close to that weight range, but that doesn't mean it's 1. safe 2. legal 3. a good idea. Anyone have any input on this?

I think you'll be fine. RV Lifestyle - Hitch Hints

my 98 Beetle is rated to tow 900 lbs / max tongue weight of 200 lbs, Your car must be able to pull at least the same i would think. I put the round tube model of the hidden hitch brand receiver on my car that I use to tow a 700 pound jet ski on a 200 pound trailer,it is hard to tell that the trailer is behind me, the car pulls as normal.

Wow, I really want the baby Airstream in the picture in that article! Here is a random Boler ad for anyone that has not seen the aero-ish/lightweight goodness that is a Boler.

1975 13' Honey Bee Travel Trailer by Boler | NW Ontario, Canada | Fiberglass RV's For Sale

The ad says towable by a 4 cylinder too, I just wish I could find the actual North American towing capacity for my car.

Like so many other small cars sold worldwide, the manufacturers edit the owner's manual for North American (at least in the US) models so there is no recommended towing. As opposed to their European and Australian counterparts, which feature recommended towing capacities in the manual. Why? Not because the cars are any different in their abilities, just because of possible litigation. For example, the manual for my '08 Mazda does not allow for any towing, while the manual for the identical car overseas advises about 1300 lb. tow capacity. I'm not sure if that is the same in Canada; you may get lumped in with our overlitigiousness.

Try researching overseas owner's manuals for the same car. You'll probably find recommended capacities there...

That is a good idea. The only problem is if something was to happen accident wise, I don't think it would help much in protecting me from getting my a$$ sued. I am sure the car could handle it, and in Europe it would be legal, but sadly if I can't get some sort of VW provided documentation saying the Jetta is rated for that much towing capacity in Canada then I would just rather not risk it. Which it totally stupid but at the same time totally not surprising. Bah (insert anti-lawyer joke here).

Get in touch with Andy Thomson [correct spelling] at CAN AM RV in London, ONT (the above link author). No one in North America knows more than he about setting up hitch rigging. As to what is legal and what isn't you'd need to understand that manufacturer ratings are not legally-binding. Only the government states conditions applicable to liability, not private corporations. In the U.S. it is generally tire and axle weight ratings. What can be done is much more than what is generally accepted (given that some situations with some tow rigs will not be tenable). These are not airplanes where performance ratings, structural loads and the rest are government set.

Were the liability assertion true then it is no different than cell phone use, and is considered contributing and not nearly so direct as this example as there are no studies I am aware of that lend credence to the argument (speaking of recreational users, not commercial). I can, and have made the argument several ways, including the one you cite. But it's a shadowy creation.

Part of the difference between Europe and the U.S. is that trailers over there have different design parameters that allow very light trailer tongue weights. In essence, a bumper hitch is attached to tow trailers. Over here one needs a different hitch -- weight-distributing -- that spreads the tongue weight over the whole vehicle and back to the trailer axles. A different design.

This situation is no different than what U.S. car owners faced in the 1960s': needs a hitch expert to set it up correctly. We exceeded the numbers on several family rigs in that era, throughout the U.S., Canada, and Mexico for over 70k miles towing; cars that went nearly 200k each. Very good performance. In one case, the same trailer 27-years and but two tow vehicles. Do it once, do it right. A custom hitch is much better than an off-the-shelf piece.

The hitch -- the rigging -- is more important than the specific vehicles involved (contrary to the "wisdom" of the RV'ng crowd in general).

If Andy says you can do it, then you can count on the fact that he and his father have, through their RV dealership, set up thousands and thousands of rigs, many considered unconventional today. But not yesterday. Were there problems in this then their business insurance carrier would raise a red flag . . and it has not.

The Boler had a nice reputation from what I've read. As do the CASITA and SCAMP today. Continue your investigations, please.

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Wow, thank you very much.

I really don't understand why you guys in the US (or NA) make such a fuss about towing.

We use a bumper hitch (ball) usually attached to a cross-beam that's in turn attached to the chassis. Plain and simple.
We use lower tongue weights, 50 to 75 kg (110-165 lbs) and the trailers are set up for that.

And yet we get to tow around 75 - 90 % of the empty car weight with a braked trailer.
Without trailer brakes, it's usually below 50% empty weight.

Americans think that vehicles are magical things that don't need maintenance, can carry any load that fits inside, can haul anything that can be placed on the hitch and can be driven just the same as if it were unloaded.

Oh, and having access to a piece of equipment automatically makes you a qualified operator, and buying it makes you an expert operator.

So yeah, some of us get a little antsy about limits.