Towing Trailers with a Smart

[Razorback 0]

I have noticed a few threads about utility/camping trailers and some comments about the towing ability of Smart cars. If I remember correctly towing with a Smart car isn't recommended and if this is true I'm wondering what the ramifications of towing a trailer with a Smart car is, such as more wear and tear on your Smart car components, max towing capacity, legal ramifications if involved in an accident while towing a trailer with a Smart, recommended towing equipment installed on a Smart car for maximum safety in mind, and so on...

If you tow a trailer behind your Smart what can a person expect to feel while towing a trailer because a Smart's engine is pretty small to begin with and how about pulling up hills or going downgrades and how about wide trailers say 5 feet wide or so... wouldn't you have to have some pretty wide side mirrors installed in order to be able to properly see behind your trailer?

The reason I ask is to try an centeralize information regarding towing with Smarts.

I also want to get a camping trailer someday after I get my Smart. At one time I was very interested in getting an RV that all I had to do was to get in and drive to where-ever I wanted to go but in retrospect I thought that in getting a Smart car it would make more sense to get a camping trailer and pull it behind a Smart to enjoy the vehicle and camping.

I have thought about the potential limitations of towing a trailer behind a Smart car but without information I would be very leery to venture into towing anything behind a Smart. I have thought up some basic questions and perhaps someone here on the forum can help out in answering these questions:

1) What is the maximum size of a trailer that can be safely towed behind a Smart?

2) What is the maximum weight of a trailer that can be safely towed behind a Smart?

3) Do you recommend electric brakes on any trailer pulled behind a Smart?

4) What type/size of towing equipment do you recommend be installed on a Smart?

5) What different characteristics can I expect when towing a trailer with the Smarts manumatic transmission?

6) Different countries may have different laws regarding towing a trailer with a personally owned vehicle. licensing etc...?

7) What towing equipment do you consider essential in order to tow safely with a Smart?

I searched the internet for some camping trailers that I'd like to be able to pull behind my Smart when I get it and here are a couple of links that I found interesting:

1) This link is a link to several links to teardrop camping trailer companies: Teardrop Campers

2) My favorite camper found so far: Teardrop Trailers by Camp-Inn I liked the 550 Deluxe camper.

Here is a link that I thought contained some very useful towing information:

Towing Your Trailer Safely

No matter what type of trailer you may want to pull behind your Smart it is of utmost importance to do it correctly and safely.

[daichan 0]

Check out for2's avatar here: http://www.clubsmartcar.ca/forums/profile....rofile&u=72

He pulls a trailer to go camping in.

[bilgladstone 13]

Just enter "trailer" in the forum search function and you will find all the information you are looking for.Several of us have camping or utility trailers. Criterion number one is to find a trailer under 330Kg (725 pounds) LOADED weight. So maybe 500 pounds dry weight maximum. Most teardrops top out at 1,000+ pounds... too much for the smart, cousin.Bil

[Razorback 0]

I got this information from thread: http://www.clubsmartcar.com/index.php?showtopic=9889

That's not quite the case, if we want to get picky.The smart is zero rated for roof top loads, that is correct. It is non-rated for towing.. which is different than zero-rated. Zero rating means it has been tested and approved for no more than zero lbs (like the roof). Non-rated means there just hasn't been any official tow testing.However, as mentioned in various places... the official MDC tow kit HAS been tested by "a" government... not that it has any legal meaning to us in Canada. The Germany government tested and approved the smart to tow 330kg (with max 30kg tongue load), when outfitted with the MDC tow kit (the only tow kit to undergo ANY legitimate testing at all). German vehicle testing is just as stringent as ours, if not more so, so you can feel comfortable that the car with that tow kit will physically be able to handle it... whether or not your warranty will is another issue.However, you should not run into ANY warranty problems unless your towing does in fact damage the car. If it does damage the car, then of course you can't expect MB to pay for it. If it didn't cause the problem, then absolutely you can expect them to pay for it (if it was a true defect or failure of the vehicle).Don't try to mount a roof rack though... there HAS been testing, and it really is ZERO rated! - Steven

Thanks for your information "smart to tow 330kg (with max 30kg tongue load)" = tow-727.5255 lb tongue load-66.1387 lb. This gives me more information to work with. Altho many teardrop trailers exceed this weight limitation I'll continue to search for ones that fall below the max tow and tongue limit provided.

Just enter "trailer" in the forum search function and you will find all the information you are looking for.Several of us have camping or utility trailers. Criterion number one is to find a trailer under 330Kg (725 pounds) LOADED weight. So maybe 500 pounds dry weight maximum. Most teardrops top out at 1,000+ pounds... too much for the smart, cousin.Bil

Thank you for that helpful bit of advice.

[RoySkyBell 0]

I did considerable research into travel trailers (and related) some time ago! You will discover my findings here:

smart car campers and related

It's a little out of date and some information has come to light since then.

We currently pull an Aliner Alite 400: as you see in my avatar, and as described in my signature. (The Alite 300 is a one-person trailer designed for a quad to take back country. The Alite 400 is wider for two people.) The Alite is a hard sided A-frame travel trailers that can either be set up as a couch with table and galley inside or the whole "living area", in an alite 400, becomes a queen-sized bed. Fully loaded with propane, all the food, dishes gear etc it comes in somewhere between 500-600lb. It is almost exactly the same width as the smart so we have no trouble seeing in the rear views. We wanted to get electric brakes on the trailer but this used one didn't have them. So far we haven't had any concerns, may or may not put brakes on down the road - there are definitely different view points on the brake issue!

Initially, I was quite taken with the teardrops (well , I hadn't found anything else) but I couldn't find one light enough. The feedback I've gotten on them since seems to indicate that they are really not outstanding for a smart unless you only take short trips - it does slow you down and limit top speed. The Alite not only weighs but it folds down to significantly reduce the wind drag! I wanted something that I could "pop" into on the side of the road for lunch, especially in bad weather - this baby sets up in 30 seconds.

see: http://www.aliner.com

We have a MDC hitch from smartieparts that was tested and officially approved in Germany (the only approved hitch for the smart). It is rated for towing 300kg (660 lb).

see http://www.smartieparts.com

We found a used Alite in California and headed down in December to pick it up. We drove through some very mountainous country on the way home, yet we were able to keep to 75 mph with hardly any difficulty! AND we passed many of the big rigs on hills. We can feel the pull, jolt and delay of the trailer only slightly when starting or stopping and on speed bumps. Aside from that, it pulls like a dream.

The tent trailer that for2 has is also awesome. They have a nice huge room for a table, moving around in and dressing. It sets up nicely and I believe their trailer weighs in at about 300 lb. I drove their smart with the trailer - you couldn't even tell you were pulling! There's in in fact a motorcycle trailer.

If you think you want to buy an alite - I wouldn't take too long. Apparently, Aliner is now under new ownership and this is the last year that the Alite will be in production. Their other trailers are too heavy for a smart. If you are ever in our area you are welcome to drop in and see it.

[Razorback 0]

Thanks RoySkyBell I'll keep the Alite in mind as I do have some time before I purchase the Smart and I intended to purchase the Smart before I did the camper so I have plenty of time to look around the net. Thanks again for the info. YES the search function works well on finding 'trailer' threads too.