2.2 Liter Subaru and towing a small popup..
fred
I currently own an Automatic, 1995 Subaru Legacy, with a 2.2 Liter 4
Cylinder motor.
I was planning on buying a newer Subaru Outback with the 2.5 Liter 4
cylinder motor which i know should have no problem towing my about (1200 lb)
pop up camper because it has a 2000 LB towing capacity and I was planning on
getting a Transmission oil cooler installed.
Due to monetary reasons, i'm not longer thinking about getting the newer
outback with the bigger engine but i'm instead considering installing a
tranni oil cooler on my 2.2 liter and using that to tow my pop up.
I just have some questions to anyone here who has had experience..
1) Do you think that as long as i take it easy on my car i should be able to
do this? ( i dont plan on using it too many times a season, probably 1000
miles total of towing per the whole summer)
2) Does anyone know what is the tow capacity for my 2.2 liter subaru? I've
looked in its book and did some searching online but couldn't find too much
info on this.
Thanks alot! and happy camping :)
Jim Redelfs
"fred" <dont_send...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> I currently own an Automatic, 1995 Subaru Legacy, with a 2.2 Liter 4
> Cylinder motor.
My sister has probably the "same" car, albeit a 1997 'L' wagon.
> i'm...considering installing a tranni oil cooler on my
> 2.2 liter and using that to tow my pop up.
My sister bought a brand new, amazingly BASIC (no onboard systems whatsoever)
Viking 8-ft popup. The Legacy seems to do OK. (Just OK)
> 1) Do you think that as long as i take it easy on my car i should be able to
> do this? ( i dont plan on using it too many times a season, probably 1000
> miles total of towing per the whole summer)
The add-on transmission cooler will probably help. (FYI - ALL automatic
transmissions have a radiator-style cooler. Some are integral to the main
radiator, others are visibly separate. RVers, when referring to a
transmission cooler, are usually referring to an ADD-ON, additional cooler.)
> 2) Does anyone know what is the tow capacity for my 2.2 liter subaru?
According to the tow rating guide from Trailer Life for 1999, the Legacy
Outback/Forester with the 2.5L I-4 is rated to tow 2,000-lbs with a 200-lb
maximum hitch weight and requires electric brakes.
For your >10-year-old car with the smaller engine, I'd be surprised if it was
rated at more than 1,000-lb - and probably required electric brakes, too.
Needless to say, the Subaru Legacy was NOT designed to tow much.
Good luck!
:)
JR
--
2000 Skamper Ultra 249 TT
2002 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD
Vortec 8100 - Allison 1000
Tony Wesley
> hello,
>
> I currently own an Automatic, 1995 Subaru Legacy, with a 2.2 Liter 4
> Cylinder motor.
> 1) Do you think that as long as i take it easy on my car i should be able to
> do this? ( i dont plan on using it too many times a season, probably 1000
> miles total of towing per the whole summer)
Fred, I'm a bit surprised here that no one has yet responded.
You'll find the folks in this newsgroup like over-capacity.
I'd guess your 1200 pound trailer is going to weigh more like 1600
pounds (or more) with all the gear. You'll have passengers, too, I
presume. Trailer ratings are with a single driver. Add your
passenger(s) weight, their luggage, etc. Are we past 2000 pounds yet?
You have a car that might be rated (just a guess) to pull a 1000 or
1500 pound trailer. Folks here will tell you to derate that by 75%.
The trailer and gear are going to weigh close to the weight of the car.
Plus, you've got a short wheel-base car. A ten-year old car.
I'm not going to tell you that you can't do it. I'll tell you what I
have. I happen to have a 1200 pound trailer, a Palomino Pinto. I pull
it with a 4400 pound full-size GM station wagon. And occasionally, I
wish I had more tow vehicle. Or more brakes. I wish I had trailer
brakes.
> Thanks alot! and happy camping :)
Sorry if I couldn't give you the answer you wanted to hear. Happy
camping.
Wesley
10,000lb towing capacity! ;-) Just kidding...had to throw that in. Any
time a question such as yours gets asked, the poor owner gets fussed at for
even thinking about towing with a small-ish sized vehicle. Figured no one
else had yet replied, so here's my chance to be a smart-butt... :-)
The first thing would be to find out the towing capacity - should be listed
in the manual. If it is 2,000lbs, you might get away with it ok if you
don't have but maybe one other person with you and not a whole lot of gear -
keep in mind that everyone and everything besides the driver counts against
your towing capacity. If it's 1500lbs, I'd be afraid to try it. If it was
just a small amount of short local towing, probably no big deal, but I don't
think I would go very far. I know Subaru's tend to be pretty tough
vehicles, but if yours is older and probably higher miles, I'd be even less
inclined to try it - don't want to be left stranded on vacation when the
transmission or other major part gives out. I'm not sure what my old Dodge
Caravan is rated for, but at 13 years and 179k miles, I'd be afraid to even
put a utility trailer behind it for more than a few miles. Ideally, a
larger vehicle, probably one rated to tow 3000lbs+ would be your best bet...
I'll probably get blasted for even suggesting it might work (assuming
2000lbs towing capacity), but that's my story and I'm sticking with it...
:-)
Wesley
"fred" <dont_send...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:Ra6dna3RCcx...@comcast.com...
Fred Boer
I have a Coleman Taos tent trailer. It is about 1000 lbs. I've towed it with
a Subaru Loyale and a Subaru Legacy.
The Loyale (93hp!) was a brave little car, and did its best, but it wasn't
close to powerful enough. Also the brakes weren't up to the task; on a long
downhill run coming into Fundy National Park, the brakes were *smoking* and
had faded away to nothing at the end of the hill... Scary!
We next bought a Subaru Legacy Wagon, 165hp, 2000 lb towing capacity. We
thought it would be a fine tow vehicle; the dealer said, "No problem".
Experience has showed me that this wasn't true. :(
We used it on three big trips: to the West Coast two years ago, and 2 trips
to the East Coast. For our trailer it seemed to have enough of power,
although it struggled a bit on the Cabot Trail in Cape Breton in some of the
really steep spots. No problem with the brakes, either. But...it had a
problem with the tongue weight of the trailer; after the long trip to the
West coast (we live in Southern Ontario), the back tires were worn unevenly
from the suspension being overloaded.
I would listen to the other posters... Even though the trailer is only
*supposed* to weight 1000 lbs and the Subie is rated to 2000 lbs, it works
out to a whole lot more weight in the real world with the trailer packed and
the wagon packed and two kids and two adults. I would add one other piece of
information: we thought the Subie could be fine if we installed air bags in
the springs to help with the tongue weight. However, the suspension design
of the Subie prevents the use of any kind of air bags or such-like devices
to add stiffness to the rear suspension. So...you can't overcome that
limitation. Also, in neither Subie were we able to see over the top of the
trailer, which was very awkward when backing, and not a good thing in
general when driving. (Although the Outback is slightly raised, you *might*
just be able to see over the back...)
We bought a Toyota Sienna this past summer, and I am looking forward to our
summer trip to the West coast in a vehicle more appropriately suited to
pulling our tent trailer. It'll be nice to be able to see behind us for
once, as well! :)
Not what you want to hear, I'm sure. But, this has been my personal
experience.
Happy Camping!
Fred Boer
Coleman Taos 2000
Toyota Sienna 2004
"fred" <dont_send...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:Ra6dna3RCcx...@comcast.com...
Todd Brown
is that you will use the Subaru for most of your daily driving AND use it as
a tow vehicke once in a while right? As long as you keep with a lighter
pop-up, I think you should be fine. You will not set any land speed records
going up hill however. My Dad tows a Coleman Taos with a 4 cyl Kia Sportage,
(and he has never been accused of camping light) He gets there, but it just
takes him a little longer to get up hills.
"Fred Boer" <Fred...@NOyahooSPAM.com> wrote in message
news:42b028c7$1...@news.sentex.net...
ChrisGW
but it will do it. I use to tow a Trim line folding camper (all canvas) back in
the early 70's with a Gremlin. Did not go fast, but my wife and I had a lot of
fun. Remember to pack it light. Do not transport water and things like that.
ChrisGW
Fred Boer
I agree with you to a point. The Subie was our family car, and we towed our
tent trailer on trips in the summer. We got the Taos, 'cause it was the
lightest trailer we could find. As I said, the Subie had enough horsepower
to pull the trailer; we'd sail along with no trouble at highway speeds, and
only on the toughest grades did I have any problems. So, I agree that it can
pull a light trailer. However, I really *did* have a problem with tongue
weight; the inner sides of the back tires were bald at the end of our
(admittedly long!) trip to the West Coast. And, since you can't stiffen the
suspension, you really have to watch the tongue weight.
Now, I was considering adding a car-top carrier, so that I could distribute
more of the weight towards the front of the car, and that might have helped,
but in the end we got a minivan. I wonder if the Sportage, being an SUV,
might have a better suspension for towing that a Subie, i.e. slightly
stiffer and better able to manage the tongue weight. However, I'm not
mechanically inclined, so I really haven't a clue!
Cheers!
Fred
"Todd Brown" <todd...@cox.net> wrote in message
news:c5Wre.3$eV4.2@fed1read01...
Jim Redelfs
wrote:
> It seems most people here subscribe to the bigger is better theory.
It's not "theory". It's a fact of physics.
> My guess is that you will use the Subaru for most of your daily driving
> AND use it as a tow vehicke once in a while right? As long as you keep
> with a lighter pop-up, I think you should be fine.
It seems SOME people here subscribe to the "If I made it without incident it
must be OK" theory.
Most of those individuals intending to pull a trailer that is beyond the
rating of their tow vehicle justify the practice with claims of "I'll take it
easy", "There aren't any hills or mountains where I plan to go" and "It'll
just take a little longer".
They consider only ONE part of the equation: Pulling. They foolishly ignore
the trailer:tow vehicle weight ratio and, most importantly, STOPPING. They
don't want to consider the seriously diminished capability of their overloaded
lashup to avoid an accident or to remain under control in the event of an
emergency swerve or lane change. In many of these situations, the tail not
only WAGS the dog, it THROWS the "dog" into the ditch or causes a rollover.
Compounding the danger of an overloaded lashup is that, frequently, the
trailer is "small" enough that it doesn't have its own brakes.
Ignoring the increased potential for urgently STANDING on the brake pedal yet
still being PUSHED through a red light, these hapless folks load-up their
"small" camper with supplies and equipment for a week-long trip, cram the kids
and dogs into the little car/truck, strap on the bicycles and take off.
They fasten their seatbelts and the kids wear helmets while biking the
campground, but the parents fail to appreciate the greater danger to
everything they hold dear in simply GETTING THERE in an overloaded lashup.
Vehicles with higher tow ratings are not cheap. Neither are camping trailers
with brakes. That's why they make TENTS.
JR
Rodney Brown
100 lbs from the very front of the box to the very rear of the box should
reduce the tongue weight by 100 about lbs ( if my math is correct).
Also, a weight distributing hitch will help.
What is the tongue weight?
"Fred Boer" <Fred...@NOyahooSPAM.com> wrote in message
news:42b03696$1...@news.sentex.net...
Fred Boer
Yes, loading the trailer differently might help, although the configuration
of the trailer doesn't lend itself to that solution, particularly. That's
why I had been thinking of a cartop carrier. I'm not certain of the tongue
weight, and, since we have a more capable tow vehicle now, I'm not really
concerned enough to try to find out what it is. Certainly things were loaded
up, without question. My family doesn't travel light! :)
Cheers!
Fred
"Rodney Brown" <rebrown9...@mchsi.com.nospam> wrote in message
news:Qg2se.62317$nG6.27155@attbi_s22...
Jim Redelfs
"Rodney Brown" <rebrown9...@mchsi.com.nospam> wrote:
> Load the trailer differently, and you can change the tongue weight. Moving
> 100 lbs from the very front of the box to the very rear of the box should
> reduce the tongue weight by 100 about lbs ( if my math is correct).
Unless that 100-lbs is DIRECTLY over the hitch coupler, it does NOT increase
tongue weight by the SAME amount if inside the trailer. (The principles of
leverage and other physics, the teaching through which I slept in high school,
apply here.)
One needs to excercise caution in any attempt to reduce tongue weight. Tongue
weight should be *AT LEAST* 10-12% of the GROSS weight of the LOADED trailer.
Less than that will cause the trailer to sway while being towed. Trailer sway
can be a VERY dangerous condition, enough to cause a serious accident.
> Also, a weight distributing hitch will help.
True. Be sure to consult the camper manufacturer BEFORE using such a hitch.
Some makers, most notably Starcraft, do NOT allow the use of a weight
distributing hitch on their popup campers.
:)
JR
Jim Redelfs
"Fred Boer" <fred...@NOyahooSPAM.com> wrote:
> I had been thinking of a cartop carrier.
You would do well to RENT a cartop carrier before buying one. You will be
AMAZED at the drag it causes.
I'll not mention the year, make and model of car lest my true age be revealed,
(I'm 51) but I rented a cartop carrier when we took all three daughters in our
four-seater car (we played seatbelt roulette for a short time until we
replaced the car) on our first campout as a WHOLE family.
I couldn't get the car to go faster than 55 mph with my foot ON THE FLOOR.
A cartop carrier creates an AMAZING amount of aerodynamic drag.
:)
JR
al...@nospam.net
It amazes me that anyone would pull a trailer of any kind with that
vehicle. To be blunt, it is not safe. Period.
Tom
Rich256
(takes quite a while to load if you are on a dial up):
http://www.becontrols.com/Renault5.wmv
Fred Boer
expecting to have to resort to that! If my wife and 2 kids want to take so
much that it can't easily load into a full size minivan, well, I'm staying
home!!
Cheers!
Fred
"Jim Redelfs" <jim.r...@redelfs.com> wrote in message
news:jim.redelfs-AC42...@news.central.cox.net...
Fred Boer
Fred
"Rich256" <nos...@xxnospam.net> wrote in message
news:jR3se.965652$w62.7...@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
Jim Redelfs
"Fred Boer" <fred...@NOyahooSPAM.com> wrote:
> a full size minivan
Isn't that an oxymoron? <g>
(Jumbo shrimp, military intelligence, small crowd, etc.)
> If my wife and 2 kids want to take so much that it can't easily load
> into a full size minivan, well, I'm staying home!!
Ahhh! A man after my own heart! Good for you!
:)
JR
Fred Boer
Swift, and a Subaru Loyale was our "big" car for 8 years. We've had the
Sienna for 2 months or so, but it still seems like I'm piloting the Titanic.
As far as I am concerned, it's a "Super Sized" vehicle! :)
Fred
"Jim Redelfs" <jim.r...@redelfs.com> wrote in message
news:jim.redelfs-035B...@news.central.cox.net...
Mark Jones
news:Xj5se.7179$yU.5...@news20.bellglobal.com...
> I suppose it is an oxymoron! However, for 6 years I commuted in a Suzuki
> Swift, and a Subaru Loyale was our "big" car for 8 years. We've had the
> Sienna for 2 months or so, but it still seems like I'm piloting the
Titanic.
> As far as I am concerned, it's a "Super Sized" vehicle! :)
I consider all of Subaru's vehicles to be small.
Tom Shaw
front jack using a regular
bathroom scale. The difference between the jack weight and the tongue
weight due to the difference in distance from the axle to either should be
more or less negligible.
TS
"Fred Boer" <fred...@NOyahooSPAM.com> wrote in message
news:Q73se.5490$Qr3.8...@news20.bellglobal.com...
> Hi!
>
> I'm not certain of the tongue
> weight, and, since we have a more capable tow vehicle now, I'm not really
> concerned enough to try to find out what it is.! :)
>
>
Fred Boer
afternoon..
Cheers!
Fred
"Tom Shaw" <tsh...@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:m_ednWWUwcD...@comcast.com...
Fred Boer
once. I felt like I should have a stepladder to get in, and once I was in, I
was totally overwhelmed by the size of the thing. Don't think I'll ever want
anything bigger than a minivan... What I really want is one of those Smart
cars; wonder what the towing capacity is on one of those babies!! ;)
Happy Driving!
Fred
som...@somewhere.org
> It amazes me that anyone would pull a trailer of any kind with that
> vehicle. To be blunt, it is not safe. Period.
It amazes me someone could be so ignorant and wasteful. To buy an F250
just to haul a log splitter/lawnmower/motorcycle/refrigerator/sheetrock/
plywood/firewood/furniture/small boat is moronic. Period.
An economical Corolla has a towing capacity of 1500lbs. A ~180lb 4'x8'
utility trailer with a 1100lb capacity costs ~$250. That means many
people can get the bed of a "Full Size 1/2 ton pickup truck" for the
few hundred miles a year they need one with a compact car. Trailer
depreciation, hitch, and trailer registration costs less than $50/year
over the life of the trailer/car. What's the difference in purchase
cost, gas, and insurance to commute in an F250 instead of a Corolla?
Mark Jones
news:ZDjse.12547$R21.12058@lakeread06...
tiny car again,
al...@nospam.net
Have you considered the fact that someone with a trailer hitch on a
small car will decide that just because it has a hitch, It can tow
anything? The original poster did just that. He wants to use the
vehicle to tow a pop-up.
So, have you considered the cost of the human lives that could
*easily* be lost because someone "fudges" on the weight of the
trailer? Or doesn't weigh it at all? A Yugo could probably pull
thousands of pounds of trailer, but cannot stop safely, nor would it
be controllable. Driving is risky to begin with. Pulling a trailer
makes it somewhat riskier still. Pulling most pop-ups with a 2.2 liter
Subaru is way too risky. For him, his family, and possibly your family
if you are in the vicinity.
Tom
Mark Filice
says...
>
>I would still prefer the F-250 over the torture of driving a
>tiny car again,
>
I have a client of mine that owns a BMW dealership. He is always asking me about
buying one of his cars.
I laugh and tell him there isn't a car on his lot that interests me. If it can't
tow my trailer, I don't want it.
There isn't a car out there I would prefer driving over my Dodge Ram 1500.
Mark
"Those who live by the sword get shot by those who don't"
Mark Filice
>
>It amazes me someone could be so ignorant and wasteful. To buy an F250
>just to haul a log splitter/lawnmower/motorcycle/refrigerator/sheetrock/
>plywood/firewood/furniture/small boat is moronic. Period.
>
something is moronic. You can go to UHaul and rent a truck for the day and it
would be more economical.
I'm towing a 3-ton fully loaded travel trailer down the road for upwards of
10,000 miles a year--try that in a Corolla.
>What's the difference in purchase cost, gas, and insurance to commute in an F250
>instead of a Corolla?
>
Very little for me. I drive 4 miles to the train station every morning. 4 miles
home in the evening. 32 miles a week of commuting by vehicle. The difference in
fuel economy over a year's time is a couple of days worth of truck rental at
UHaul.
If that is wasteful, well I guess I am.
som...@somewhere.org
> On Thu, 16 Jun 2005 18:35:37 GMT, som...@somewhere.org wrote:
>>al...@nospam.net wrote:
>>> It amazes me that anyone would pull a trailer of any kind with that
>>> vehicle. To be blunt, it is not safe. Period.
>>
>>It amazes me someone could be so ignorant and wasteful. To buy an F250
>>just to haul a log splitter/lawnmower/motorcycle/refrigerator/sheetrock/
>>plywood/firewood/furniture/small boat is moronic. Period.
>>
>>An economical Corolla has a towing capacity of 1500lbs. A ~180lb 4'x8'
>>utility trailer with a 1100lb capacity costs ~$250. That means many
>>people can get the bed of a "Full Size 1/2 ton pickup truck" for the
>>few hundred miles a year they need one with a compact car. Trailer
>>depreciation, hitch, and trailer registration costs less than $50/year
>>over the life of the trailer/car. What's the difference in purchase
>>cost, gas, and insurance to commute in an F250 instead of a Corolla?
> Have you considered the fact that someone with a trailer hitch on a
> small car will decide that just because it has a hitch, It can tow
> anything?
Sure. People also think they can drive over the speed limit on icy roads
because they have 4WD. Wanna ban that too?
> The original poster did just that. He wants to use the vehicle
> to tow a pop-up.
The OP wants to tow a 1200lb trailer with a car that Subaru lists with
a 2000lb towing capacity (assuming he has an automatic transmission).
Towing at 60% of rated capacity doesn't sound terribly dangerous to me.
> So, have you considered the cost of the human lives that could
> *easily* be lost because someone "fudges" on the weight of the
> trailer? Or doesn't weigh it at all?
Ohh yes. Think of the children. You're talking about a completely
different issue. You said:
"It amazes me that anyone would pull a trailer of any kind with that
vehicle. To be blunt, it is not safe. Period."
You're wrong. Towing near or over the rated tow capacity of a vehicle
is dangerous. Towing a trailer weighing 60% of the tow vehicle's
rated capacity may be more dangerous than no trailer at all, but
it isn't particularly dangerous.
> makes it somewhat riskier still. Pulling most pop-ups with a 2.2 liter
> Subaru is way too risky. For him, his family, and possibly your family
> if you are in the vicinity.
Take it up with the DOT/NTSB/NHTSA then. Subaru says his vehicle
can tow 2000lbs. I would have no problem towing 1200lbs with a
Legacy and I'd think that people telling me it was "not safe" was
a blowhard. If the OP weighs his trailer and finds out its over
1500lbs, I might have a different answer, but in the mean time
I'll just assume you have a small penis and need a big truck
to compensate.
som...@somewhere.org
> In article <ZDjse.12547$R21.12058@lakeread06>, som...@somewhere.org says...
>>
>>It amazes me someone could be so ignorant and wasteful. To buy an F250
>>just to haul a log splitter/lawnmower/motorcycle/refrigerator/sheetrock/
>>plywood/firewood/furniture/small boat is moronic. Period.
>>
> I'll grant you that buying a 3/4 ton truck to use 2-3 times a year to haul
> something is moronic. You can go to UHaul and rent a truck for the day and it
> would be more economical.
> I'm towing a 3-ton fully loaded travel trailer down the road for upwards of
> 10,000 miles a year--try that in a Corolla.
See I'm an optimist. I'd like to think that the average person wouldn't be
that stupid, and that the incredibly stupid person would break their
transmission or suspension before getting far enough to hurt anyone. ;-)
>>What's the difference in purchase cost, gas, and insurance to commute in an F250
>>instead of a Corolla?
>>
> Very little for me. I drive 4 miles to the train station every morning. 4 miles
> home in the evening. 32 miles a week of commuting by vehicle. The difference in
> fuel economy over a year's time is a couple of days worth of truck rental at
> UHaul.
> If that is wasteful, well I guess I am.
No that's not wasteful, that's a perfect use for your vehicle.
Commuting 15k miles and towing < 1000lbs < 1000miles/year is a
perfect use for a Corolla.
I responded like I did because I find it annoying that so many people
chastize posters for considering towing light loads with cars in this
group. IMHO towing 1200lbs with a vehicle rated for 2klbs isn't less
safe than towing 6000lbs with a vehicle rated for 10klbs.
Rodney Brown
Assume 5' from coupler to front of box, 5' from front of box to axle, and 5'
from axle to rear of box.
Move the 100 lbs from front of box to axle, and tongue weight goes down
50lbs. Move it to the back of the box, and it should go down another 50, for
100lbs total. Obviously, that usually won't be practical.
I agree with your other points, and should have mentioned them.
I didn't know you couldn't use a weight distribution hitch with some brands.
Do you know why not?
Rodney
"Jim Redelfs" <jim.r...@redelfs.com> wrote in message
news:jim.redelfs-0D3E...@news.central.cox.net...
Fred Boer
got a reading of 190 lbs for my Coleman Taos. Unpacked... Interesting..
I quess I should also have mentioned that I have a natural gas tank and car
battery mounted on the hitch, which isn't standard, I suppose..
Not sure of the tongue weight rating for a Subaru Legacy. Actually don't
know that figure for a Toyota Sienna 2004, either. Any resources that list
this? Haven't found it on Toyota's site...
Fred
"Fred Boer" <Fred...@NOyahooSPAM.com> wrote in message
news:42b1b63a$1...@news.sentex.net...
al...@nospam.net
>I'll just assume you have a small penis and need a big truck
>to compensate.
I accept disagreement and differences all day long. Derogatory
comments like yours draw two things from me. One, instant stronger
response.
You are an asshole, dipshit.
OK, that takes care of number one. Here's number two:
<plonk>
Into my filters with you, never to be read again.
Tom
Tom Shaw
frames are not built to support the stress that a weight distributing hitch
gives. But not sure.
TS
"Rodney Brown" <rebrown9...@mchsi.com.nospam> wrote in message
Rodney Brown
tongue.
Thanks!
"Tom Shaw" <tsh...@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:ucCdnTZvH9c...@comcast.com...
Jim Redelfs
> Do you know why not?
Weight-distributing hitches place considerable torque on the frame of BOTH tow
vehicle AND trailer.
The frames of some popup trailers are not "beefy" enough to reliably withstand
the added stress.
:)
JR