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Towing 5x8 U-Haul trailer?

72K views 41 replies 19 participants last post by  Benny Brylrcreem 
#1 ·
I was wondering if anyone has had any experience towing a 5x8 trailer? Will it be ok to tow it across the country? From what I understand, the towing capacity for my Kia Soul sport is about 2000lbs. I'm in the process of moving from Missouri to Cali and will be traveling through OK, NM, TX and AR.

Any information would be appreciated!!

Thanks!
 
#3 ·
You mean the double-axle U-Haul box trailer? I've towed two of them with our 2003 Odyssey and would advise Just Say No. You'd be better off renting the U-Haul TRUCK and putting the Soul on a car dolly behind it.

Bear in mind our Odyssey has MY towing package on it (better than factory trans and p/s cooler, upgraded H&R springs F&R, gas shocks, overload kit on back suspension), and we've towed a pretty heavy popup with it - with trailer brakes it does well. With the U-Haul? Notsomuch. Difficult tow, and we leveled it, loaded properly, checked function, etc. It's just friggin' heavy. REALLY heavy. The "surge brakes" also never quite worked right.

If you mean the 5x8 flatbed trailer, those tow better because they're single axle and not SO heavy, but they're still quite heavy for what they are.

Either way, if you DO decide to tow witht he Soul and you tow that heavy thing, you had better be really patient and careful on the road, check fluids often, and change out oil, tranz, and coolant after the trip because you'll be pushing that little car really hard. Yes, it'll DO it, but you may want to consider alternatives. Moving companies can be really inexpensive, relatively speaking.

Good luck with the move!
 
#5 ·
It's the box type trailer. Single axle. What about the 4x8? I think we can fit everything we need in that.

I've already packed the majority of my belongings in a pod that will get moved to Cali through PODS and will be stored for a couple of months. However, I have some things that I needed to bring with me to survive the next few months while all my stuff is in storage. Plus, there are some things that I don't feel comfortable putting in the pod. (computers, tvs, luggage, an amp head ect) It's not a lot and it doesn't actually equate to a lot of weight.

I would shove it in the KIA but I won't have the space as it is my fiance and me, our 4 year old daughter and dog. (Which by the way.. nixes the idea of towing the car behind a truck as we would not all fit in the cab)

And moving companies cost more than you think. Especially when moving many states away. I've already invested $2700 to move the PODS. Other moving companies are more. A LOT more. Of course, you are right... it is relative. :)
 
#6 ·
We are trying to tell you.......DON'T tow with your Soul. Now you tell us your Fiance AND your baby are going with you? It's not worth the risk (of having them or you hurt) is it? If you and your familey make it ok...what if you damage your Kia? Warranty WILL NOT be helping you. You will be paying for anything that gets damaged.
My 2 cents
 
#7 ·
YOU and others are telling me not tow with my Kia Soul. But there are others in other threads who have actually towed trailers and campers with their Kia Soul and everything was fine.

Obviously I do not want to put my family at risk. That is a big DUH.

I'm really looking for someone who has had experience with towing a trailer with a Kia Soul. Specifically a 4x8. I'm not looking for someone to tell me what the manual says. Or even if someone has more information to offer through specs? Give me numbers. Give me a reason why. SOMETHING other than 'Do not tow'. Educate me! Please?



Thanks! :)
 
#8 ·
Well... to be clear, I'm not saying "don't tow with your Soul", since it's a very capable vehicle, and the exact same vehicle in Europe is rated for towing. I'd personally be very comfortable towing 1000lb or a little more behind the Soul, as I've towed easily that much behind my Mini Cooper S (and very safely, thankyouverymuch), with a lot of safe towing experience and formal training.

Much more, though, and you're really pushing it, especially if there are significant hills between you and your destination (I have zero idea, never driven in your area, but I believe NM has some elevation to it...).

The problem is this: You've already got a loaded car. You're adding a loaded trailer. Check your GCVW: the trailer, empty, per UHaul's website, is 850lb (4x8) and 900lb (5x8). You've only got a couple hundred pounds to play with before you hit 1200-1300lb in the trailer, and that poundage adds up quick. You've also got fragile items and your dauighter and dog (both distractions while driving).

Use your judgement. I believe towing can be done very safely, but not with your load.

Consider renting a full-size van and both driving - one in the Soul with your fragile items, and one in the truck or van with the rest.
 
#11 · (Edited)
Well said.
I will add the brakes, you are risking overheating them. Not a good feeling when you comming down a big hill. When you are at the max of your soul, you put a ton of stress on every moving part. Mainly the brakes and your transmission.
Hope this helps you make up your mind. I'm not trying to scare you at all. Just trying to make it safe trip for you, and yours.
Good luck with your move!
 
#10 ·
I think you're better safe than sorry. I've towed in the past with vehicles not designed for towing and was rewarded with needing new transmissions.

No one can tell you what to do, but if you ask for advice and don't hear what you hoped...take the advice.

just my .02. Be safe, have a happy move, and best wishes on your future together. Take care of the little one. :)
 
#13 · (Edited)
Land vehicle Vehicle Car Crash Event
Land vehicle Alloy wheel Vehicle Tire Wheel

For anyone considering this, do NOT tow with a Kia Soul for any distance. my son had an accident towing a 5x8 uhaul trailer from PA to TX. we got about a half hour over the texas state line after 2 days of driving and a rear tire blew causing him to lose control of the trailer. it began to fishtail wildly and eventually spun us around 180° coming to a stop facing oncoming traffic (at 75mph speed limit). the trailer flipped on its side and we were unable to move from the center line. a tractor trailer was able to avoid a complete head-on collision by swerving just enough to only hit the front bumper on the passenger side and basically tore off the fender and wheel. we walked away unscratched luckily, but i think the car is totaled. IMHO i think that possibly the tires could not handle that kind of load for such a long time and it completely blew out. Not just went flat, mind you, but it disintegrated right off the wheel, so we were basically riding on the rim causing us to lose control. There wasn't even that much weight in the uhaul. I know because i packed it.
 
#14 · (Edited)
Sorry to hear of the accident but I don't think towing with the Soul was in itself to blame for the accident. When a blow out happens people can panic and and a chain of events can occur resulting in some real problems. The main thing one has to remember in a blowout when towing a trailer is keep the steering wheel straight and do not attempt to stabilize a swaying trailer back into track. I tow my 4x8 trailer and bike at around 1000 lbs combined and have zero issues. Glad everyone in the car was alright. The Load for the trailer and its contents are on the trailer and will not add much at all to the load of the rear wheels of the car. It would be only 50-80 or so pounds. Unfortunately tires can blow but these days it is very rare.

Mark
 
#15 ·
Kia UK. and Europe promote the 1.6 diesel Soul which is almost equivalent to your 2.0litre.petrol. We have different regulations but Kia fit towing equipment to the 1.6 petrol and it can tow up to 2300LBs with a braked trailer. In UK. you are subject to warranty conditions legal towing laws and a speed restriction of 60MPH.
If you do consider towing you really need to keep the total weight in braked trailer and weight of trailer to no more than 85% (1800lbs) that total as recommended for safe towing for safety in UK.
If you do tow it is essential you learn all you can about towing.
Nose weight at height of hitch with trailer and car loaded and tyre pressure set on car and trailer to the recommended for the weight in each.
Xtra petrol, no AC on climbs. cornering speeds need to be slower and less sharp. and so on.
I have towed from small trailers to a caravan with gross weight of 3000lbs with a 2.0 diesel Sportage and used my senses and feel for the unit. if it was windy or road surface was bad would slow down till stable.
I am sure if it is legal and you follow all the towing guides you will be safe with practise if you can hold your concentration.
If you have to have tow bar fitted with dedicated wiring not to fully void warranty I would think your cost would be close to 1000 dollars. so careful consideration needed.

Jeff
 
#17 ·
I personally would keep the Soul limit to around 1400lbs max for a loaded trailer maybe a tad more if the trailer has brakes.

Mark
 
#19 ·
If you wanted to tow something, you should have bought a truck. DO NOT tow with that vehicle. Not only does it have a high rollover rate, and very little horse power. You will damage your car, the warranty will be gone the second something snaps white towing and the possibility of killing you and your family if you wreck. Just rent a truck and tow the vehicle. You can always replace a car if need be. You can't replace the lives of your loved ones.
 
#20 · (Edited)
You obviously should never be someone to tow with a car. Done right and within reasonable trailer and load weights the Soul will be just fine. Sorry but I find your entire assertion without merit. Did you even read what Kia Europe has to say about towing with this car and how great it was doing so? Kia USA might not push the Souls towing attributes but they sure push it everywhere else.

Mark
 
#21 ·
I think a lot of things were at play simultaneously here. The added weight on the vehicle, for one. The heat (this is Texas, in the summer) and the speed of travel, increasing the heat load on the tires. The length of time driving, which adds to the heat on the tire. The high rate of speed, making recovery from the blowout much more difficult (was he going 75? I couldn't discern). Most likely the inexperience of the driver with a blowout.

Any time you're towing, you need to take it easy, whether it's with the Soul or a full-size pickup like I have.
 
#27 ·
Pat the Rat resurrected the thread, probably searched towing with the soul and this thread is what came up. id like to have Pat look at what the load rating is on one of the surviving tires. They may have been high speed rated, but with little load rating. Tire load rating gets overlooked by most people, weather they tow or not. WalMart tried to sell me a 13" tire for my 5x8 utility trailer, the load rating was around 1000 lbs. Its a heavy duty home made trailer, all steel, half of my load rating would have been taken by the trailers empty weight. I doubt the 18" tires have a very high load rating and you have to subtract the weight of the vehicle. If the U-Haul was loaded just a little heavy on the tongue it was doomed to begin with. Isurance wouldn't even have to cover it in that case.
 
#28 ·
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Not only what you have added but they said they were going 75mph and I know from using uhaul in the past their trailers are not rated to go 75mph, there is a sticker on the trailer that states to tow at 55mph max unless they have changed it since I have used them. I do not think any trailer behind a normal size vehicle should go beyond 60mph but that is JMO. I believe the speed is what doomed that Soul.
 
#29 ·
I wonder what effect installing a tow hitch would have on the warranty here in the USA? There are a lot of powertrain failures that could be blamed on towing, and the mere presence of a self-installed tow hitch could wind up causing some grief if there were a warranty claim.

I suppose one could always install the hitch, but also buy a bicycle carrier to explain why they did so. The manual doesn't say anything about carrying bicycles. :think
 
#30 · (Edited)
Exactly. Or you might have a carrier for a cooler or a rascal scooter. Just having a hitch does not mean anything and using a Soul with a trailer driven properly will not cause any drive line problems. If these cars were not meant to tow there would not be attachment points on the car for the hitch. I have had smaller cars with 85hp and they were rated for 2000lbs so come on. My buddies 6x6 Pinzgauer comes in at 5700lbs and can carry a payload of 2.5 tons and all this is powered by a 90hp engine. LOL

Mark
 
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#31 ·
What your buddies 6x6 Pinzgauer has going for it is low gearing, there are many reasons that mishap happened, also I am sure you guys know that when a low profile 18" tire is 10lbs low it is hard for even the most experience guys to eyeball it and tell if tires psi is high or low, the Soul could have had a slow leak from the night before or a fast leak it picked up moments before the tire blew, it could have had a bad belt because it was low on air and towing those heavy U-Haul trailers cause the problem for the tire. I know one thing that was at fault was the tire; JMO
 
#38 ·
Most anything built these days can tow something - even the weakest cars clock in at 120hp or greater. The problem is not in getting the rig moving, but in stopping it, as manufacturers don't usually build brakes to be any beefier than what is required for the intended purposes of the vehicle.
 
#41 ·
Typically, U-Haul will not let you rent a trailer that is too big for your car to pull safely.
They have a listing (chart) that governs that.
It's all a matter of liability.

But if you buy a trailer, that's a different matter. It's all on YOU!

Happy Motoring!

:cool:
 
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