The Pat could probably handle it ok based on the weight you put in your post. The K&N setup would probably give you a little extra oomph on those hills though.

 

Just did a long trip towing a flatbed trailer with a motorcycle. Total weight approx 1000 lbs. No problems at all. Granted, the hills were minor but the engine (W/CVT) never went above 3000 RPM to climb them.

I used to tow a 2000 lbs camper with a 150 HP minivan. That was fine too but the lack of horsepower really forced you to go slow when climbing steep hills.

 

Thanks guys ... Seems like it's reasonable to try it then.

G

 

I am considering towing one of the little trailers myself as well. It weighs about 1500lbs. However, mine doesn't have the tow package.

I guess if I cook the tranny, that's what the powertrain warranty is for

 

As long as the trailer is "low profile", you are probably OK at 1500#.

I think a trailer made from the back 2/3rds of a Patriot would look awesome...but don't wreck yours to attain a donor vehicle.

 

I think the same thing about a matching trailor. LMAO about the donor vehicle!

 

mitakuuluu - What version do you have? If you have the 4WD off-road version then I think that already comes with the engine oil cooler (?? not sure if that is the different component). I got the tow package and in my situation since I had the off roader the only difference was the light harness........

 

I have the 4x2 CVT. I do have an engine oil temp and water temp monitor on my Scangauge, so if it gets too hot I'll pull over, but I doubt it will since the air temps right now are running in the 60s here.

 

I haven't seen an engine oil temp on my ScanGauge II. The only temps are water and intake air. By the way, at cruise speed the intake air temp stays around ambient temp plus 7-9 degrees. I'm not going to spend any money on a "cold air intake". The intake air temp is already pretty close to ambient temperature.

 

CRD tows great. more go that with my X-Trail 2.2Di. 70 miles inc 25 over very bumpy irish roads and some big hills.

 

I love how I have the tow package, but no trailer hitch

 

:doh:

I've got the tow package, the trailer hitch but no trailer! Great kit too!

 

Remember that quoted trailer weights are "dry weight", and don't include all the stuff you carry in them, and all the fluids, propane, etc. It isn't unusual to add half a ton of extra weight. Every gallon of water, waste, etc., weighs about 13 pounds.

With holiday trailers, read the manufacturers brake recommendations. You will need to have a trailer brake controller installed in your vehicle. It isn't as simple as attaching the trailer to the hitch, and taking off.

Also, 1 1/4" hitches are intended for light utility trailers, not holiday trailers.

I've done short trips to the dump with my utility trailer. Once, the trailer and junk weighed over 1500 pounds, and the Pat pulled it easily.

 

A utility trailer or very small holiday would just about do it once you load it up. I have the trailer tow group and not sure I would want to take it right up to 2000 lbs limit including loading.

Regarding the 1 1/4" after market receivers that fit the Patriot (Hidden Hitch, Reese ect), they are good up to 3500 lbs. That is much more than the Patriot itself can pull. The tongue weight limit on the 1 1/4" is 300lbs. If you go with a 2" receiver, your tongue weight will increase to 350 lbs, however the hitch limit remains at 3500 lbs.

In a nutshell what this means is the 2" receiver is nice to have, however 1 1/4" is fine for anything you would ever tow using the Patriot, unless you are going to try to pull 3500 lbs or more. (far exceeding the vehicle towing limit !)

 

Water is about 8#/Gal.

 

x2

water...........................................8lbs/gal

gas..............................................6lbs/gal

diesel/kerosene/jet fuel....................6.6lbs/gal

 

I have towed a less than 300# scooter, on a 300# trailer. Mine is a 2.0 and towed
fine. I kept it at 65 on the interstate. This is a flat trailer with no frontal area, which can be as important as weight.
To be on the safe side:
Keep the weight at 75% of maximum capacity.
Low or no sides on the trailer. The bow wave hitting the side of a box trailer could destabilize a small vehicle like the Pat.
Air up the tires (at least the rear).
Give yourself extra braking room.
Slow Down! I don't care how fast my car will go.....
I do care how fast it will stop!

 

Dodge Caliber 2.4 turbo in a patiot

does anyone wish they had more power for towing or passing????? i tow a kawasaski 700 4x4 on my 800 lb trailer and i have no power at all does anyone think that you can put in the calibar 2.4 in our pat???? i have the 5 speed 4x4 sport

 

It might be easier just to install the Caliber turbo onto your Pat's engine, as it is the same. However, like Chrysler, I'd be concerned about the drivetrain (note that the Cal SRT-4 is not available with AWD) and turbos don't always increase pulling power as much as you'd like since they tend to be more efficient at higher RPMs. Now, if you could find a supercharger....

 

I think that if you don't push it..say trying to maintain 80 mph, or at least 55 on steep grades, you can double the weight for a short distance--say bringing home a load a bricks/rocks from home depot for your yard. Just keep your distance and don't do a panic stop while in a turn--that'll "jack-knife" your rig, and the trailer will try to pass you, and will make for a terrible dent on that side!

With my Chev S10, I routinely towed over twice the limit, but again, I'm a conservative driver and treat all my vehicles with tender, light controlling touch--especially the Stearman!

 

How about hauling a 24 foot pontoon boat from lake to lake (about 15 miles) ?
Looks to be just over 3000 pounds with the trailer
The size, the launching, and re-trailering are my biggest concerns
My Ram I had to sell due to big oil, government, media manipulation, and other conspiracy's wouldn't have even noticed the boat back there, but the Patriot has me concerned.
2.4, towing package, 2" hidden hitch, cvt

any thoughts?

 

I towed the Doo to the cabin a few weeks ago and since my rig only had 2000 kms on it I went easy. Up the mountians keeping the motor @ 3000rpm max let me do 80kms no problem. The Doo weighs in at 1350lbs on the trailer. The trip is 480kms and the Riot loved it. I brought back the utility trailer empty no issues.

 

I'm about to install a hitch in my pat with the off trail pkg that I got mid April. I have about 2.5k on the engine already but still not convinced its broken in. I tow a boat thats about 1700lbs fully rigged. Its going to be interesting how the patriot will handle accelaration to hwy speeds and its passing ability when you need to overtake another vehicle going less than 50mph. As it is, the engine is on the sluggish side.
I hope I can update you guys with some good news on how the lil'truck handles the trailer.

 

I would still opt for a 2" recevier as there are more things that fit 2" than 1.25". The cost for the recevier is aobut the same. Also, I already have a 2" adjustible height ball mount to reuse.

 

towing camper



We have the 2008 2.4 CVT with tow package. We tow a 10 ft. popup camper that weighs about 1700+ pounds. The box of the camper is almost as high as the Patriot and about a foot wider. The Patriot lags a little on slight hills, but only around 70 mph. 60-65 is easy for the Patriot to maintain speed at that weight.

After averaging 80 mph for 110 miles, then towing from 60-70 mph for 170 miles we averaged just over 21 MPG. Haven't seen over 24 MPG all highway yet, so towing isn't bad by comparison.

I noticed that the RPM went up to 3500+ somewhat often when going up rolling hills, but it was able to maintain speed quite well below 70 mph. I really thought the mileage would be less, especially after I saw it revving to keep up on the wavy hills.

I have towed a lot of 5000 lb plus trailers with a large pickup truck, so I am used to trailer brakes. The popup camper doesn't have brakes, but I didn't notice any difference when stopping while towing. I'm sure that the stopping distance is greatly increased for emergencies, but for average stopping it was same as usual. I always leave plenty of room when towing so I doubt it will ever be a problem.

All in all, I am very pleased with the Patriot's towing ability. I would not exceed the towing limit, but I have no worries that it can handle what the manual states.

 

Thanks for the information - I am going to start towing with mine in the next two months.

 

I have a 4 foot by 7 foot trailer I use to haul a lawn tractor, push mower and trimmer. I only had to tow it a mile to my sisters house but it didn't even feel like I was towing anything. It really wasn't much weight though. If you drive on flat roads I bet you could tow 2000 pounds without the oil cooler. Hills will kill you though.

 

Just Installed a Hitch

Thanks for the info everyone. I just installed a U haul hitch, 2" receiver...went in "without a hitch." Unfortunatley didn't get the tow package with my pat, but I bought the wiring harness as well ($150...ouch). That's going in this weekend. After a few tows of a utility trailer I'll let you guys know how it goes!

 

I have a 2.4L, manual trans. I put the 1 1/4" hitch on because it's plenty strong enough for the vehicle rating of 2000lbs and looks better than a 2". I took my 17' sailboat (1600lbs) out for a ride to the boat ramp and it pulled quite easily. Even pulling the boat up the ramp was no power problem although I could use a bit more traction on the slipery ramp. I traded in a Dodge Ram 1500 pick-up with a 5.9L engine and was concerned the Patriot wouldn't do the job but so far it's doing just fine. Now I just gotta get rid of my 2" hitch parts from the Dodge.

I also have a 5X10 utilty trailer that I also tow my Harley with. This tows so easily that you don't really know it's there most of the time.