Well the title says it all...what do you, have you or want to tow so bad your willing to put a hitch on the back of your MINI

I can't tell you the amount of heads I turn when I hit the road with my trailer and Raptor700 following behind a CFhooded MiNi...badA ...

First time I saw a Mini towing was about a month after I bought mine, and dude was towing his sailboat!

This weekend I put in an FX300...the night before I was doing install a fellow mini called me up and told me he grenaded his tranny on the freeway. I threw on the hitch, and towed him the 15 mi to home Only took me 45 minutes but we both got home safe and atleast my car is in one piece. Dont recommend ever doing this with the MINI-do More tow kit, but know its been done...

Towed...
Raptor700 and trailer
Mini

Want to Tow...
A trailer big enough to fit the mini on, thats also light enough to safely able to carry the quad (<1200 lbs total). This way if/when I get a decent truck, I can tow the Mini while carrying the quad and have the whole family in a different city all by myself

 

Ive also wanted to be able to tow my atv, what does the website say the mini hitch is rated for?

 

Stooopid Midlands tranny...that's #2. Lets see if we can grenade the original tranny for a third time....

 

Class I hitch...
400 lbs at the tounge
1400 lbs total...

Raptor weights +/- 500, trailer +/- 300 = +/-800 lbs means easy control

 

WTF dood where ya been? Even Kal came out to the club last night..., how you gonna get up here?

 

AZblackOUT, I know you posted this a while ago, but I just now found it. Try this thread link for info on lightweight trailers -- this guy can evidently make a custom trailer. I never really followed up on it, but maybe it's what you're looking for....

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d.php?t=140011

Got a question on the MINI-do-more kit...do you not like this brand? Why? I do antique shopping all over, and the backroads aren't as much fun in my truck -- so I want to be able to tow a small trailer for my "finds" with the MINI....I thought about getting the MINI-do-more kit, but I just realized that I have the blanks for TWO back fogs, not ONE in the center...

 

What do I tow?


What else do I use my hitch for?

 

From now on, BlimeyCabrio, I'm just going to PM you on all my crazy questions!!! Can you help answer my two-blanks vs. one center blank for the tow hitch? I'm swaying towards the MINI-do-More hitch, but it has a center hitch (makes too much sense that way), ...so how would that work for MY car??? (Poor-quality photo attached)

 

You have an R56 - See the two pictures at the bottom of this page:
http://www.minidomore.com/mini_coope...iler_hitch.php

The R56 installs with a small cutout in the black grille to accept the hitch drawbar. When the drawbar isn't installed, a black cap fills the hole.

 

uh huh....right. Next question -- did you install it yourself, or did you get somebody else to do it? Considering I'd have to do the hole-punching thorugh the plastic mesh myself if I installed it, I'm not crazy about the DIY idea....

 

Did it myself, with no issues. But, correct, mine required no hole-punching.

But, if I had an R56, I'd be comfortable doing it myself. I've cut and drilled so many holes in my car by now, I'm fearless.

Here's a big thread:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co....php?p=2182581

 

Hey, just a wee bit OT, but I posted a similar question a while ago, and got some very nice replies and suggestions for what you can tow with a MINI. Unfortunately, the only trailer suggested is pretty small (4x8), not big enough to fit a MINI on.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d.php?t=144329

 

Thanks. I appreciate your help! (As always.)

 

Yeah towing a mini with a mini, has been done, but not suggested in the least... sorry for being absent from this thread. I love my mini-do-more kit, however I have had a lot of problems with the wiring getting fried on the exhaust...

 

Here's an action shot I dug up...

 

I'm about to put a hitch mount on my R50. The question is; what makes the MiniDoMore hitch worth all that extra cash over the Curt hitch?

MiniDoMore is $325 plus $85 for the special ball adapter that has chain hooks. The Curt, on eBay, is about $125 shipped, plus under $20 for a standard ball mount. The Curt has the chain hooks on the hitch mount.

The stuff I've figured out so far is the MiniDoMore has a slightly higher tounge wt rating and is mounted higher up than the Curt (the curt mounts below the bumper it looks like).

So, tell me, serous question, what makes one want to spend the extra $300-ish on the MiniDoMore?

Dwayne

 

Just looking at the design of that curtis hitch, I wouldnt trust it...The mini-do-more hitch replaces the bumper plate and bolts flat onto the core support of the car... I trust it not to pull off...

 

Posted this in another topic.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ht=epic+towing

The mast is 26 feet long, boat itself is 18 feet long and 8 feet wide. As deceiving as it is, the hulls are made of 100% kevlar, the mast and everything else is pure carbon. The boat weighs 167 pounds all up, trailer is 440 lbs give or take.

I can tow this thing up some pretty steep hills and the car has no problems. Takes hill starting to a whole new level

 

So if I want to tow a 3000-pound Airstream, I probably shouldn't do it with the MINI then?

 

Well...he did tow my Mini all the way home with not too many problems.. But Im at the super low end of 2000lbs...

 

MDM vs. Curt: MDM is the only one who makes a hitch that fits the "S". Curt does not. MDM also has the world's best customer service (talk to Brent, tell him I sent you). Curt is a huge hitch manufacturer and does, however, have the power of volume manufacturing.

I've now installed 4-5 MDM hitches on friend's Minis with no issues. They always line up and the corrosion protection seems very good. Their new model hitch (with the gussets) is rated for 2000# with a 200# tongue weight, though that's kinda pushing it with the Mini if you're not an experienced hauler. The chassis can likely handle it (the Mini's got large brakes, good power and handles well), but the trans is an issue on earlier cars and automatics, and the car itself is just physically short. I'd personally stick to 1000#/120# or so.

I have a Reese hitch-mount carrier that's carried firewood, a hitch carrier box, and a lawnmower, and my bike rack is in heavy rotation (every weekend or better) BUT... the Brave Little Trailer carries the Draggin' Dragon Pine Wood Mini Racing Track, and is a US129 Dragon veteran! That little trailer takes everything I can throw at it and even fully laden (~800lb plus or minus) is a zero problem tow.







Or you can tow this...

 

This is a great thread!

I set out to build a teardrop camper a few years ago and the design was based the Harbor Freight 4x8 ft utility trailer. Though I ended up selling my teardrop after a couple of years, I did end up buying another Harbor Freight trailer to use for hauling various items that wouldn't fit in the car. It is incredibly handy to have! After towing my teardrop with a VW Golf TDI, a Honda Civic (didn't work so well, btw), and then a Jeep Liberty CRD, I can tell you that the MINI tows VERY well for its size and h.p.

Here's a pic of me moving a piano on my utility trailer. I build a small rig to cradle the piano so it wouldn't move around. It rode great on the interstate on our hour drive home from picking it up.


Earlier this summer, a relative of my neighbor paid me to haul a vintage BMW motocycle to his house.....Indiana to North Dakota and back. Had a great trip with no issues. My MC towed the load effortlessly. I got lots of stares from people on my 3000 mile trip. At one point, someone was videotaping me....I thought for sure I'd end up on youtube or something. The best part was towing through South Dakota....While the Sturgis Rally was taking place. I had lots of pointing and smiles from all those Harley guys.



Other than these two big things, I've hauled alot of smaller loads. Lots of lumber and building materials. I have a pickup, but I keep it at my dad's house about an hour away....not so convenient. The trailer is great.....just unfold it, put in a couple of bolts and pins, and your off.

 

It only took me a few months (and I'd prefer not to think of how much money), but I finally got the whole kit and kaboodle working. It really works well! The trailer's plates are: HERWEGO

So on the MINI it'll be: x UHOH x HERWEGO
and on the Truck: TRUUBLE HERWEGO!

I find it (and the fact it looks like a little red wagon) highly amusing...but like I said before on another thread - I may be biased.

 

Looks good!

I've spent the past 24 hours trying to decide if I could pull the 4x8 trailer that U-Haul rents with the MINI...I'm thinking it's probably too much. The trailer itself is 850...I don't have *too* much to put in it but it would be 4 straight days of pulling it...

 

I've towed my '75 Mini Clubman Estate with my '04 MCs several times. I made the hitch for the car (with plans I found on NAM)and also a small tow dolly to tow the classic with. Before I got the '04 MCS I used an '85 Jetta GLI to tow the classic to Mini Meets from Ohio to Nebraska, Montreal, Florida and many places in between. No problemo!
Now that my wife has an'08 Clubman S, I'll be getting an MDM hitch, so I can tow my old Clubman with our new Clubman!