Hey Everybody! I have a 2009 Mini Cooper S Clubman Automatic and would like some feedback on hauling a 900 lb Teardrop on occasion... Good idea? Bad idea? Idea? I would like your take on this. Thanks! From Oregon.

 

I'm not sure that the MINI is really a half-tonner considering your weight 150 being added to the teardrops 900= 1050lbs. It would probably survive but I don't think I would make a habit of it.

 

I'm not sure either. I know that I've seen several threads discussing this though. Keep poking around, you'll find what you're looking for.

 

MINI FINI tows a teardrop on their Clubman S w/ no problems, other than a drop in gas mileage

What's the tongue weight? The tongue weight is what you need to concern yourself with. Not saying you can tow a 7500+ pound Airstream, but in your case you should be okay with a teardrop, if the tongue weight is 150-200 pounds

-Jim

 

The hitch I was looking at last night for the R56 was 200lb tongue weight, 1400lb trailer. Not something I would tow, but 900lb occasionally isn't horrible.

 

If you do a search, there are several threads on this very subject, and a number of folks haul everything from motorcycles to boats to teardrop trailers to Minis behind their MINIs. You'll be fine. Just pay attention to the tongue weight and balance your load, and don't try to haul the trailer and a ton of stuff in the car.

 

And go with a MINI Do More hitch. They did all the R&D and Curt just ordered their hitches and copied them to make a buck. MDM sponsors events and supports the MINI community. Also, Curt says their hitch can handle 1400 pounds, though I "think" the Clubman is rated at 1200 or there abouts.

 

The Mini-Do-More hitch might be fine if you're hauling something like a small trailer, but I had a horrible experience with their hitch and the cargo platform/storage box that they also sell.

Even keeping the total weight well below the 200 pound maximum, the cargo platform bent the hitch until the platfom was dragging on the ground, tearing the bumper cover in the process.

The hitch may do just fine with 200 pounds if the weight is pressing straight down on the hitch. But something like the cargo platform that isn't supported anywhere except at the hitch puts too much of a twisting/lever force on the hitch instead of a downward force.

 

As mentioned...several people here towing a Teardrop with a MINI....check my gallery....
Philip

 

When did this happen? how did I miss that?

I was actually surprised with how well the MINIdomore held up to the Detroit road punishment with the trailer I was pulling. I can say that MINI FINI has the ideal design with the frame rails that fit into the frame rails but most hitches dont use that design anyway. If you search towing youll find my brief write up about my experience towing over 1K lbs from detroit to kansas without issue.

 

This was the summer of 2009, when I was moving back to Virginia from California.

As I said in my earlier post, the MDM hitch does fine with trailers (I've used it with a trailer as well), but with the cargo platform that's only supported at the hitch and nowhere else, it failed miserably. In fact, no part of the package (hitch, cargo platform, cargo box) was what it should have been or what was advertised, so I was pretty soured on the whole experience.

 

That is weird. Honestly I had exactly the opposite experience. The service kinda sucked but the quality of the product was great! Sorry to hear about your troubles. So im guessing youre rocking a MINI FINI now? I would if I had the money. that was the deal breaker for a college student on limited funds.

 

No, I still have the MDM hitch, but I know now not to use it with anything that doesn't have wheels.

Here's a quick rundown of the problems I had with the products I ordered:

The cargo platform was two feet wider and 20 pounds heavier than advertised, making it hard for one person to insert it into the receiver. Also, the tongue on the platform wouldn't fit into the receiver at all until I ground the powder coat off of it. The tongue also wasn't removable as advertised, and the platform didn't have the advertised holes for relocating the license plate.

Their cargo box was advertised (and still is) as "12 cubic feet", but it's barely half that (6.7 cubic feet in reality). After much prodding, MDM has updated the description on their website to reflect the true volume, but they still call it the "Cargo Carrier Box 12 cu ft", which makes no sense at all.

Lastly, there was the above-mentioned problem with the weight capacity. Even when keeping the total weight of the platform, box and contents below 200 pounds, the hitch bent to the point that the cargo platform ended up dragging on the ground. I think MDM calculated the weight capacity of the platform based solely on the tongue weight rating of the hitch, not realizing that the force is being applied in a totally different manner compared to when towing a trailer.

 

Oh so true.

 

Personally, I've never felt real comfortable about those cargo platforms. I see people going to the beach with those packed with stuff. You can just watch it wallow back and forth.