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Can an 80's Subaru tow?


Guest Cannon
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If you had a hitch, it should be able to tow >SMALL< trailers. Like less than 1,500lbs. But I wouldn't recomend just bolting a hitch to your bumper. Also, as dumb as it sounds, I'd use trailer brakes if over 1,000lbs. Just remember, your car only weighs about 2,500lbs itself. Don't try anything stupid. :-)

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There are chassis mount hitches available. However you must limit your tounge weight loads. My recommendations would be to less than 300 lbs. Also as recommended trailer brakes would be to your advantage, especially under emergency braking.

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I HAD a sweet dark green '83 wagon with only 125k miles that had a toasted engine as a result of towing when I bought it. The original owners had tried to tow the smallest u-haul avialable. I dropped the oil pan and found huge nasty looking chunks of metal. I think the bearings in the engine couldn't take the abuse and got munched. It sounded like it was going to throw a rod any second... I can still hear that terrible sound in my dead now! I have no idea how much that trailer weighed, but obviously a little too much for an EA-81 to pull up a hill. I would dare to pull one of those real small and light utility trailers for short distances. In fact it was just the other day that I was wishing I had kept the trailer hitch off that green wagon!

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I tow a small 4ft X 8ft trailer with my Brat. DON'T use a bumper hitch.... frame only!! Trailer Brakes are a MUST if hauling much over 1000 lbs. When I am on level ground I use the front wheel drive. On hilly roads I move it into 4 wheel high. I have used the 4 wheel low for short distances. I haven't had any problems yet. Watch the temp gage and take your time. The Subaru 4 wheel drive is designed to give you the power to do some serious off roading it can handle a small trailer. Marty

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Guest GeoffreyR

Well, Rich and I can prove you can at least for short trips abuse Chevy equipment to over specs. :) Sub 1/2 ton truck towing a full flatbed car transport trailer with a 2800-pound GL-10 on top of it. :) We were able to get it about 30 miles before the chevy started overheating. :)

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Guest Adam N.D.J.

Friend of mine has an 84 GL 2dr sedan 4x4 that he uses to pull to Seadoos with, he goes out a couple times a week with them every summer, and other than the normal oil burn it hasn't had a problem yet. There are quite a few things that you can pull, but I wouldn't recommend hooking up a 30 foot yacht to your Soob. Catch ya laters.

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Guest richierich

I tow my seadoo with it and it is great. I had a legacy hitch cut down and welded so it went to the body. Before we bought are piece of **** chevy I used to tow, all 80-90 subarus and 66 Mustangs around. I never used trailer brakes, but let me tell you one time i was towing a 86 Gl-10 wagon on the freeway and the wind was knocking me around pretty fierce. My suggest is do not tow anything heavier than your car, and remember whatever you tow is going to cause ware on your clutch.

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I have towed a 19ft star craft deep v boat to and from the lake many of times. The catch is that I have to over a pass to do this. I just drop it in low range and go. It hasn't hurt it yet. Get this the motor has over 300,000 miles on it. If you take it easy with it. It will not kill it. Just remember your hitch is rated for only so many pounds tongue weight. Mine is around 150 and my boat is only 90. It wont go really fast but mine will take hills about 35 to 45. Larry

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I have towed many time a small 4x8 trailer with my 83 wagon. I tried backing it up hill with a big(8Kvolt) generator in the back and it didn't have much power to do it even in 4wd. I have blown The reverse out of The BRAT in the mud doing the same way. I wouldn't recomend much towing if at all possible. Mark

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Guest camosuba

yep i regularly tow my jayco pop top camper van approx. 1000lbs unbraked , it cruises nicely at 65mph and even hauls it up the beach up the coast from here its abit slow up the mountains .Also towed the same van with my 92 L series on a 3000 mile trip with no problems . By the way the van is 7 ft wide and 10 feet long and the same height as the car when folded down

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Guest Jack in Norfolk

I was going to put a hitch on my car (86 wagon dual range 4wd) but ui haul had to special order it and the ball wasnt removable. But my mechanic used to use his old really old, the first body style 4wd wagon, like 78 or somthing to tow a big 26 foot boat. Man the looks he got at the boat ramp! Once he told me it started raining and the trailer basicly pushed him through a red light luckily nobody was coming. That car had an 84 engine and dual range tranny in it. I have seen the subes that came with hitches on them, but for the 85-93 gl dl type body styles it loks like the hitch bolts into just sheet metal under the rear hatch area. Seems kinda sketchy to me. for my own personal towing mishap, see stupid subaru tricks thread -Jack

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I used to own a Ford Festiva, the manual said that it can't pull a trailer. I put a hitch on it anyways. I have a 5' x 9' flat bed trailer, I used that Festiva for 10 years to pull this trailer with furniture in it, sometimes my motorcycle. But I don't think I had ever more than 500 lbs worth of stuff in the trailer. The trailers empty weight is probly about 400 lbs. That Festiva had 180000 miles on it and still the original clutch! I'm convinced that my '78 Brat will haul that trailer just fine. Just don't try to do anything stupid, stay within reason, don't try to go 4wheelin' or mud-boggin' pulling a trailer. Hops

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