Towing a Trailer

[Oils4AsphaultOnly]

just happend
illeagal in eu ...
[youtube]https://youtu.be/nYgymKGMdiQ[/youtube]

Why was this illegal in the EU?

 

[LeftieBiker]

That load is poorly secured for its mass, and it looks like the utility trailer lacks its own brakes. The load could push the car into an intersection, or off the road, under hard braking.

 

[Oils4AsphaultOnly]

That load is poorly secured for its mass, and it looks like the utility trailer lacks its own brakes. The load could push the car into an intersection, or off the road, under hard braking.

Are you sure? That load looks bulky, but not heavy (probably a bale of hay?), since the suspension didn't recover more than an inch or two. That kind of utility trailer is usually only rated for 1000 lbs or so. Although it probably doesn't have its own brakes, but with a 3600lbs tow vehicle, the tail won't wag the dog. Especially since all the aftermarket hitch receivers for the Leaf are rated for less than 2500lbs (my Torklift hitch is only 2000 lbs).

Any other ideas why this would be illegal in the EU (where towing with cars is pretty standard)?

Edit: Never mind. I just clicked the youtube link and saw the video description. It's actually a 1500lb load.

 

[LeftieBiker]

You can tell it's heavy when the tractor struggles a bit with it. And by my estimate the suspension comes up about 6"-9" as the load is lifted from it.

 

[jkline]

Insane. At that weight, the trailer is going to be driving the car.

 

[kaiat]

just happend
illeagal in eu ...
[youtube]https://youtu.be/nYgymKGMdiQ[/youtube]

Why was this illegal in the EU?

Leaf is not rated for towing by Nissan and thus it is not legal to tow. In the EU, unless the car manufacturer provides a certified towing capacity, you simply can not tow anything. You can however mount a tow bar on a Leaf to use with a bike rack for instance.

EVs with some sort of towing capacity has been sought after for years by prospective EV buyers in Europe. We have started to get a decent selection now though with perhaps TM3 and VW ID.4 leading the way.

 

[Oils4AsphaultOnly]

Why was this illegal in the EU?

Leaf is not rated for towing by Nissan and thus it is not legal to tow. In the EU, unless the car manufacturer provides a certified towing capacity, you simply can not tow anything. You can however mount a tow bar on a Leaf to use with a bike rack for instance.

EVs with some sort of towing capacity has been sought after for years by prospective EV buyers in Europe. We have started to get a decent selection now though with perhaps TM3 and VW ID.4 leading the way.

Thank you for the detailed explanation!

 

[user 24513]

I have had some interesting mileage reults from towing the trailer in different situations:

Leaf SPlus, Big Tex 30 trailer (weighs about 850# and can haul up to a ton but never will, behind the Leaf).

Towing the trailer WITHOUT the mesh tailgate, which is designed to lower to drive ride-on mowers into the trailer, we have been getting between 2.8 and 3.2 m/kWh. But, towing the trailer with the tailgate up, straight in the air and about 4 feet tall, the mileage went down to the low 2s. On the return trip we took the tailgate off and laid in down in the trailer and the mileage went back up to the high 2s. Makes sense, I guess, air resistance is the greatest enemy of efficiency and that sucker must be pulling and pushing some air even though it is mesh and not solid.

 

[johnlocke]

I have had some interesting mileage reults from towing the trailer in different situations:

Leaf SPlus, Big Tex 30 trailer (weighs about 850# and can haul up to a ton but never will, behind the Leaf).

Towing the trailer WITHOUT the mesh tailgate, which is designed to lower to drive ride-on mowers into the trailer, we have been getting between 2.8 and 3.2 m/kWh. But, towing the trailer with the tailgate up, straight in the air and about 4 feet tall, the mileage went down to the low 2s. On the return trip we took the tailgate off and laid in down in the trailer and the mileage went back up to the high 2s. Makes sense, I guess, air resistance is the greatest enemy of efficiency and that sucker must be pulling and pushing some air even though it is mesh and not solid.

Actually the mesh may make it worse because of the turbulence of the air going though the small openings. You might try using a tarp over the trailer to reduce turbulence and drag.