How much can a nissan leaf tow? Feats of towing might!

My Nissan Leaf Forum

Help Support My Nissan Leaf Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Brenthasty

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 23, 2014
Messages
60
Location
Near portland oregon
Trailered 1 tone of hay home for the horses yesterday with our nissan leaf. Pulled it better than a toyota truck! Surprized at how little it dropped the range on the 30 mile haul! I was expecting more like a 50% drop, it was closer to 20....

Nissan Leaf Trailer Pull 1 Ton of Hay Straw Bales

Nissan Leaf Trailer Pull 1 Ton Hay Straw Bale: http://youtu.be/6sUSy7MPn2E" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Nissan Leaf Trailer Pull 1 Ton Hay Straw Bale: http://youtu.be/adawi5QRUYc" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
 
Was it literally 1 ton (2000lbs)? That implies a class II hitch. Frankly, I'm amazed that the Leaf can pull anywhere near that much weight! I have a 2500lb keel boat, think the Leaf could pull it? ;) (It's only 10 miles to the lake, and the road is flat, speed limits are 40mph the whole way)...

Not that I would ever do it. I think I'll continue to borrow a truck for the annual launch/retrieval trips.
 
I'm guessing it's all about the hills. Towing a 2000lb trailer on flat ground is probably less load on the motor than the 3500lb LEAF going up a steep grade by itself. Speed is a factor too. Those hay bails aren't exactly aerodynamic, but the profile isn't all that high.
 
Yea it would pull your boat beautifully, excellent low speed precision and control in the electric drivetrain for precise positioning. ..

It was over 2500# counting trailer frame ..
 
Brenthasty said:
Yea it would pull your boat beautifully, excellent low speed precision and control in the electric drivetrain for precise positioning. ..

It was over 2500# counting trailer frame ..

Very interesting. Of course, the torque doesn't hurt either; the Leaf would have no trouble getting the load moving (at least to say 40mph). I'd be concerned about the ability of the frame to support the tongue weight as well as the brakes to stop that much mass.
 
I've pulled about 1500 pounds of coal plus the trailer weights about 400 pounds (with my coal powered car). It did drop the battery pretty good, but it was cold and I was on some hills.
 
It does state in the Nissan Leaf Owners Manual not to tow with the Nissan Leaf. I would be concerned with the stress on the Unibody frame since its not made for towing nor has it been reinforced either.
 
electriccarfan said:
It does state in the Nissan Leaf Owners Manual not to tow with the Nissan Leaf. I would be concerned with the stress on the Unibody frame since its not made for towing nor has it been reinforced either.
Depends on the type of hitch I think. I have purchased one for mine that I have not installed yet. It basically bolts on where the tow points are under the back (you remove the towing points and attach the hitch underneath it basically). As far as weight, it attaches right under the rear seats directly to the frame and the tongue weight limit is 200 lbs (could probably be more since technically you could have people sitting in the back whose combined weight are much more than 200 lbs), but I imagine just for safety reasons, they stick with the Class I weight limit. The towing weight limit is 2000 lbs which is within the Class I weight limits (200 lbs tongue, 2000 lbs towing).

I don't see any reason why light towing would be an issue. Now if you turned the Leaf into a truck and was hauling around 2000 lb trailers of stuff all the time, then I can see that causing a lot of wear and tear on the vehicle brakes, tires, motor, etc. If you drove it down a very bump road where the trailer is bumping and thrashing the car around, I could see frame damage then. I would hope anyone that has experience towing a trailer knows better than to abuse any vehicle (be it truck or car) with a heavy trailer attached.
 
Brenthasty said:
...
Nissan Leaf Trailer Pull 1 Ton of Hay Straw Bales

Nissan Leaf Trailer Pull 1 Ton Hay Straw Bale: http://youtu.be/6sUSy7MPn2E" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
...
Great video.
Love the quizzical look on the dog's face as the LEAF towing hay goes by.

I occasionally miss the ability to haul something that my long bed 1991 Ford Ranger that went to the crusher under cash for clunkers provided.

I just need a trailer and towing bracket for the LEAF. :!:

Maybe after the extended warranty runs out at year seven :?:
 
It does state in the Nissan Leaf Owners Manual not to tow with the Nissan Leaf. I would be concerned with the stress on the Unibody frame since its not made for towing nor has it been reinforced either.
It's way more of a lawyer/ liability issue. It's much easier for them to say don't tow (and sell you a truck) than it is for them to endorse towing.
 
knightmb said:
Depends on the type of hitch I think. I have purchased one for mine that I have not installed yet. It basically bolts on where the tow points are under the back (you remove the towing points and attach the hitch underneath it basically). As far as weight, it attaches right under the rear seats directly to the frame and the tongue weight limit is 200 lbs (could probably be more since technically you could have people sitting in the back whose combined weight are much more than 200 lbs), but I imagine just for safety reasons, they stick with the Class I weight limit. The towing weight limit is 2000 lbs which is within the Class I weight limits (200 lbs tongue, 2000 lbs towing).
Looking at the following image from the second video, I'm going to guess that the tongue weight is quite a bit above 200 lbs. It is probably close to 400 lbs. if not more. Likely this is not a Class I hitch, but OP can tell us.

LEAFTowing_Hay.jpg


What's up with the chain saw/weed eater sounds at the beginning of the video? Are you trying to create a contrast with how the LEAF sounds? :D

Also, what's up with the hubcaps? Are they dinner plates? ;)
 
Aeromodded Nissan Leaf pulling a 3 point tractor scraper box on a utility trailer. Getting 3.6 mi/kwh 122 mpg @60 mph over a 100 mile average.

Leaf pulling a empty utility trailer. Getting 4.1 mi/kwh 138 mpge @60 mph over a 100 mile average.

Aeromoded nissan leaf gets 162 mpg with improved aerodynamics and range
 
Brenthasty said:
Aeromodded Nissan Leaf pulling a 3 point tractor scraper box on a utility trailer. Getting 3.6 mi/kwh 122 mpg @60 mph over a 100 mile average.

Leaf pulling a empty utility trailer. Getting 4.1 mi/kwh 138 mpge @60 mph over a 100 mile average.

Aeromoded nissan leaf gets 162 mpg with improved aerodynamics increased range. http://fireplacefurnaces.blogspot.com/2015/02/aeromod-nissan-leaf-improved.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Sounds interesting!

Unfortunately, this is what I got when I clicked the link:
Sorry, the page you were looking for in this blog does not exist.
 
A LEAF can tow exactly what it is rated to tow as stated in the manual of course you can tow more than that but I hope one has a very good liability policy that won't cancel them and deny coverage. You can also likely load 10 people in the car, there is a reason hitches have ratings when properly attached not to mention tire ratings and vehicle overall load braking, etc.
 
GetOffYourGas said:
Brenthasty said:
Yea it would pull your boat beautifully, excellent low speed precision and control in the electric drivetrain for precise positioning. ..

It was over 2500# counting trailer frame ..

Very interesting. Of course, the torque doesn't hurt either; the Leaf would have no trouble getting the load moving (at least to say 40mph). I'd be concerned about the ability of the frame to support the tongue weight as well as the brakes to stop that much mass.
maybe . . . . but just think of the re-genj
;)
.
 
Brenthasty said:
Aeromodded Nissan Leaf pulling a 3 point tractor scraper box on a utility trailer. Getting 3.6 mi/kwh 122 mpg @60 mph over a 100 mile average.

Leaf pulling a empty utility trailer. Getting 4.1 mi/kwh 138 mpge @60 mph over a 100 mile average.

Aeromoded nissan leaf gets 162 mpg with improved aerodynamics increased range. http://fireplacefurnaces.blogspot.com/2015/02/aeromod-nissan-leaf-improved.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thank you very much for posting your efficiency values. I've got a hitch on mine that I currently use to put on my hitch-mounted bike racks, but I have definitely thought about using a utility trailer to move some garden supplies around etc. I have stuffed my car totally full of peat bales before, that was pretty damn heavy! I love that the Leaf is a hatchback, I've gotten so much utility out of mine so far. I get small amounts of lumber for little projects around the house as well - 8 footers fit just fine with a seat down and resting the end on top of the front dash. :lol:

I also got the 'page not found' for your aeromod link - I commute 70km one-way and could use the extra help, especially since I am travelling the majority of the time at 85 - 95 km/h.
 
Back
Top