brent@minidomore ... the tow options (1400# max) also seem to be rated for weights that are higher than the gross weight rating for the car. Do the tow options come with a disclaimer?

 

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Mad Dane, you travel light! 8 gallons of water alone is 64lb, you're saying all your gear weighs 35 lb? You travel light! ;-) You may be a tad over that 850lb, my man. Though that's likely not a problem - I've towed the Mini Grille (pictured way up in the thread) with my the '06S with really no issues, it's at least 900lb.

Our little cars have such good handling and oversized brakes for their size that towing 1000lb is not a major concern. Yes, be careful and know how to tow, and you're not drag racing anyone with a trailer on and winning (though you'll put on a mightly respectable showing, believe it or not), but 1000lb is pretty tame.

Really nice teardrop, by the way - LOVE the matching striping!

 

I have to agree with "The Mad Dane".

 

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I am looking at this MINI Clubman towing an Airstream Argosy.

I am wondering if, proper weight distribution, adding trailer brakes, and maybe a sway control hitch would work?

 

I'm not even going to touch or comment on this one, all I can say is, see my post above...

 

I understand . I have had a brief conversation via email with that guy. The hitch and sway control are built to distribute the load evenly on all 4 wheels ... and prevent sway and uneven loading. The load is carefully balanced, and they trailer has its own brakes. They swear by it. He has other examples with cars pulling large trailers.

In this investigation, I am struck by the wide range of experiences and recommendations. It ranges from "never tow anything with a MINI" to examples of MINIs towing MINIs and MINIs towing a 27 foot Argosy.

You are towing a 750# trailer. Not far off from a 900# trailer that I have my eye on. I really want it, but I have my doubts for sure.

 

Well after reading this I have to say I am curious what the true weight handling capacity of the MDM trailer hitches are. I noticed in the factory MC hitch, that there are bars that fit into the tubes at the back of the chassis and bolt in. I am curious why MDM did utilize these? Any extra strength is welcome in my opinion.

I will be towing a 4X8 u-haul trailer from Detroit, MI to Kansas City, KS in 2 weeks. They will not rent the smaller trailer for a one way otherwise I would much rather tow that. The sad thing is I only need room for a 27" TV and a 3 drawer Oak dresser. The dresser fits in the MINI but cannot fit the TV and the dresser at the same time. Oh well. should be a fund drive. Ill be sure to take some pictures.

I will be towing it with a MDM hitch.

Here is a picture of the U-haul trailer in tow. It ended up being 1200lbs+ and towed as though it was not there at highway speed.

 

So you towed 1200 without a problem? Any mountain passes on your route?

 

Yes and what was your tongue weight?

 

I am saying it was 1200lbs as a low estimate. Likely it weighed more. The tongue weight was likely near 150-200lbs. I had to really man handle it to move it myself.

As for the terrain, it was mostly flat but I had very little trouble on hills and there are a couple of decent ones on the drive from Detroit to Kansas City. I took I94 to I55 to I70 for reference. Fairly flat. I averaged about 23mpg while doing it.

I cant say how fast I got going at a couple points but the speed limit was 70 most of the way and on the open stretches I was going the speed limit I had a number of people look in complete shock as I passed them pulling a trailer as big as the car.

I did not experience very much trailer sway except in one construction zone where I backed down to 50mph to calm it down and even then it was not bad at all. (the road was very uneven) Other than that the car drove like there was no trailer back there. I was meticulous about making sure the trailer was balanced and everything was secure so that the weight would not shift during maneuvers.

Overall it was a fun experience and can confidently thank Brent at minidomore.com for providing a quality product.

 

I wouldn't back away from a 900lb trailer at all, that wouldn't be a problem At All.

One note: Having a trailer on does give the tail a little more to deal with. If you have an aftermarket (stiffer) rear sway bar, you're going to want to dial it back a notch or two softer for towing, just to be safe.

I've not had any sort of problem whatsoever, but in aggressive or accident-avoidance maneuvers you'll notice the weight back there no matter how small the trailer. Towing the Mini Grille is an extreme example: There's literally two or three pounds of tongue weight - nothing, really - but the way that thing turns is via the lateral motion of the hitch pushing on the OE steering geometry of the Grille Car. Let's just say that it "significantly helps with rotation", but is still quite controllable. Lets also say it's tamed the dragon, at a respectable speed, so we're dealing with extreme situations here.

This also applies to bikes on a hitch rack. Two 30lb bikes and a 20lb rack makes 80lb of weight, slung wa-ay off the back. You'll notice it in extreme maneuvers - but it's not a problem.

 

DixonL2 you make a very good point. Under maneuvering a trailer is noticeable. I should have clarified that in a straight line the trailer I was pulling was not very noticeable. I do have to say the one thing that surprised me most was the lack of trailer sway due to high winds.

 

I thought I would provide an update on my tow experience. I have a 2006 MCS JCW with a Mini Fini Sport Link. I purchased the sport link in 2004 and it was specifically for carrying bicycles. After talking to Mini Fini, I remove the bike rack and had a friend weld on a 2" receiver .. and retrofit the bike rack for the receiver. Then I bought a 2" hitch ball for towing a 8x5 utility trailer. The trailer, with tongue, is almost exactly the same lenght as the Mini.

The rating for the Mini Fini sport link is 1450# and 150# hitch weight.

This last week, I used the trailer for a week long camping trip. The manufacturer told me the trailer weighs 550#. I meticulously weighed the cargo as I loaded it, and my final travel tow weight was 1365#, and the hitch weight was 145#. In reality, I believe I was closer to 1400#. I was completely stressed out before leaving. Would the Sport Link Hold? Would the engine handle it? Would the transmission hold up? Would it be drivable?

About 1000 miles later, and I completely happy. The trailer was noticeable, but tracked extremely well. I drove the speed limit (65~75 mph) the entire trip with a couple of very short periods at 80 mph. Gas mileage was about 20~21 mph. I never lacked enough power. It handled 6%~7% grades with ease. My speed was only down about 1 or 2 mph compared to unloaded at the same rpm. I never felt sketchy in any way on the road.