Towing a teardrop camper?

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user 24513

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I have seen some references to towing a utilty trailer, in fact my neaghbor has a small contruction crew and uses his Leaf with a trailer. But, anyone camped in a small teardrop? I am fine with the horsepower in the Plus, and also with the mileage, other issues?
 
According to Nissan, the towing capacity is zero. So, it's a bit of a guessing game. Personally, I wouldn't tow more than 1000 lbs as my worry would be the strength of the frame. That's because the battery pack is 1/3 of the vehicle weight, so I suspect the frame isn't exactly heavy duty.

Also, make sure your insurance company will cover you, in the event of an accident.
 
Ah yes the dreaded insurance scam...... having bought insurance for fifty years and never made a claim, it would stand to reason that I would be turned down now..... and the smallest teardrops are well under1000 pounds..... probably too small to get in and out of tho...
 
When we were test driving the '19 Leaf, I asked the dealer what the tow rating is. He said: Oh, I'd say 2 or 3 thousand pounds. Take that for what it is worth. When we were camping on the Oregon Coast this last Summer, there was a Tesla there that had a fairly good sized trailer it was towing (I'm guessing 5 or 6 thousand pounds). I know it is kind of apples to oranges regarding the Leaf, but I would be pretty comfortable towing 1 to 2 thousand pounds with my Leaf. I did install a 2-inch receiver on our new Leaf a few months ago (for a bike rack). It is fastened to the frame very solidly and should be up to the task (As I recall, it (the hitch) is rated for up to a 5,000 pound trailer). As far as brakes goes, If you are small enough, you do not have to have trailer brakes (I believe that limit is around 3,000 pounds). I would guess that your miles/KWH would be about half normal driving while towing. I think it would be great to tow a trailer with a Leaf (think of the free charging at your campsite)! Just my thoughts.
 
countryleaf said:
When we were test driving the '19 Leaf, I asked the dealer what the tow rating is. He said: Oh, I'd say 2 or 3 thousand pounds. Take that for what it is worth. When we were camping on the Oregon Coast this last Summer, there was a Tesla there that had a fairly good sized trailer it was towing (I'm guessing 5 or 6 thousand pounds). I know it is kind of apples to oranges regarding the Leaf, but I would be pretty comfortable towing 1 to 2 thousand pounds with my Leaf. I did install a 2-inch receiver on our new Leaf a few months ago (for a bike rack). It is fastened to the frame very solidly and should be up to the task (As I recall, it (the hitch) is rated for up to a 5,000 pound trailer). As far as brakes goes, If you are small enough, you do not have to have trailer brakes (I believe that limit is around 3,000 pounds). I would guess that your miles/KWH would be about half normal driving while towing. I think it would be great to tow a trailer with a Leaf (think of the free charging at your campsite)! Just my thoughts.

I agree countryleaf that half of the miles/kwh would be acceptable..... although from an aerodynamic and road resistance perspective I would think that a 1000 pound trailer would not halve the mileage, maybe knock a third off? gonna have to wait and see I guess.....
 
LEAF has much larger brakes than similar size ICE cars and plus model has plenty of power/range so no technical/mechanical issues. Obviously, Nissan's lack of official towing rating introduces potential legal issues (insurance and warranty, for example). I suspect you might lose about 1/3 of range, assuming highway driving.
 
dmacarthur said:
countryleaf said:
When we were test driving the '19 Leaf, I asked the dealer what the tow rating is. He said: Oh, I'd say 2 or 3 thousand pounds. Take that for what it is worth. When we were camping on the Oregon Coast this last Summer, there was a Tesla there that had a fairly good sized trailer it was towing (I'm guessing 5 or 6 thousand pounds). I know it is kind of apples to oranges regarding the Leaf, but I would be pretty comfortable towing 1 to 2 thousand pounds with my Leaf. I did install a 2-inch receiver on our new Leaf a few months ago (for a bike rack). It is fastened to the frame very solidly and should be up to the task (As I recall, it (the hitch) is rated for up to a 5,000 pound trailer). As far as brakes goes, If you are small enough, you do not have to have trailer brakes (I believe that limit is around 3,000 pounds). I would guess that your miles/KWH would be about half normal driving while towing. I think it would be great to tow a trailer with a Leaf (think of the free charging at your campsite)! Just my thoughts.

I agree countryleaf that half of the miles/kwh would be acceptable..... although from an aerodynamic and road resistance perspective I would think that a 1000 pound trailer would not halve the mileage, maybe knock a third off? gonna have to wait and see I guess.....

Yes, we will see, please keep us posted. BTW, I see that you purchased your '19 the same day we got ours!!
 
https://mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=13428&p=320022


my original post. for some reason the image does not show in the thread, but I found someone who put it on reddit. But the discussion in the MNL thread is still relevant.



https://www.reddit.com/r/vandwellers/comments/3ux7af/leafy_pulling_a_teardrop_trailer/
 
LeftieBiker said:
Nice. Two questions: how much are they, and can you use the kitchen if it's pouring rain or snow outside?

We went and looked at them. My guess in American dollars around 14000 dollars...ish.

You can get one of those portable tenty thingies that open up and just put it up over the kitchen. Takes like 20 seconds. No brakes on the tag so no need for a controller. It’s a nice upgrade from a tent as your sleeping and cooking requirements are all looked after and always available. No bathroom. But a porta potty is an option. With its weight and small shape and foot print I bet you wouldn’t lose more than 30 percent of range.
 
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