Went ahead and ordered the kit in post #23. It will need some extras added on. I think I'll assemble it with a can of silver paint in hand to coat all the cut ends. They were already starting surface rust when I looked at a brand new one.
Made the mistake of actually weighing my current trailer. At 260Lbs it's already quite light.
Well fack me! I'm a rock of indecision. Luckily the Squeeze always provides good counsel.
She didn't think much of buying a new trailer and hacking off the ramp. "do more research??.."
Now I'm thinking about this. Just a 5x8 trailer kit. Even lighter at 250lb. Skinning the deck with 1x6 deck boards should only add about 75lbs. Not to mention it's about 6 brown cheaper. Thoughts??
I towed regularly a 6x12 aluminum trailer with my '09 Mazdaspeed3 back in the day. Other than the upgraded motor, it is similar to your matrix in it being a small hatchback. 0 issues ranging from 90-115kmh.
Loaded up I was about 1750lbs and targeted about 160lbs on the ball. Car had about 300hp with a 6 speed manual and towed it with ease.
More recently, this was my towing setup. I stepped up to a 7x14 that I purchased new and bare and built up. Fully loaded with 2 bikes, large toolbox, generator and gear I was right about 3500lbs. After much experimentation, I targeted about 200lbs on the tongue. I found that to be the sweetspot for stability. This trailer also had brakes which was nice; I wouldn't want to tow something this heavy without it. Brakes are also nice since they give you a bit of extra control in case you get any sway. In my many thousands of kms towing, I've had 0 issues. Just need to be sensible and drive to the conditions when necessary. Mind you, the engine/transmission in this car was the same as the X5 which has a 7200lbs tow rating so power was never an issue; the limiting factor is chassis. The coupe made a great towing platform. Low CG, wide track, long wheelbase, oversized brakes and cooling. Towed beautifully.
All this being said, I can say with 100% confidence that pretty much any modern car will be able to easily tow a simple flatbed trailer with a bike on it. I would experiment a bit with tongue weight and try to have the bulk of the bikes weight over the trailer axle. My next vehicle will be a X3 that I'll use for a toy-hauler style trailer. I'm curious how that will do but I am sure it'll tow way worse than my 7x14 since travel trailers are so high off the ground these days.
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