JSracer

say looking at the owner's manual for the 350 and 450, it shows the weight to be towed at 1000lbs, compared to the 3500lbs in the quick specs.
debating a rx450, but not sure if going over the 1000lbs will do harm to the vehicle vs the 350.

■ Unbraked TWR* 1000 lb. (453 kg)

i like the 450 for the smoothness, but not sure it has any sort of engine braking like downshifting to slow down or hold a speed. i have an aluminum motorcycle trailer and tow a bike to the mountains, total setup guessing about 1k lbs. any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. thanks !!

mspearl95

not sure, but possibly the 1k rating is tongue weight, and the 3.5k is total load weight?

Kansas

The 1,000 pound figure is the trailer weight limit for a trailer without its own brakes.

The 3,500 pound figure is the trailer weight limit for a trailer with its own brakes.

The tongue weight limit should be approximately 10% of the trailer weight.

JSracer

Jim, seeing the same. Dealer said 3500lbs. My motorcycle and jetski trailers do not have brakes.
1000lbs in the mountains minimum, second guessing the vehicle now. Shoot. Huge difference between 1k and 3500 lbs.
well, haven't purchased a rx yet, guess that's the good news.and bad news,

well i checked my gmc envoy, it pulls like 6k lbs or a tic more, but in the manual it also says 1500 without trailer brakes, well, learned something new. guessing its a safety thing, braking distance, things like that.

gadgetman1

You can ONLY tow 3500 lbs with the optional tow package. That gives you the electrical plug under the rear bumper & better cooling for the transmission & engine. It’s well worth the extra, even if you tow 1,000 lbs.

JSracer

Correct, mandatory option for me is the tow prep.
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ggebhardt

I tow my Whaler 17 with 90hp with boat, trailer and 18 gallons gas all the time. Have no issues with my 450h. Total weight is about 2500lbs. I checked the tongue weight and it was about 60lbs.

JSracer

Thanks GGebhardt, glad to hear. Trailer brakes or no ??
was getting nervous seeing highlander hybrid getting stranded and needing help towing a trailer, had me quite concerned.
now to find a 450 with the 2 options i want, sigh, feeling like i'm beating my head against a wall. lol

ggebhardt

No trailer brakes. On a few occasions I have had to brake pretty hard and the 450h handled it with ease. Still get 28-30mpg at night 65mph on the highway. I do live in Florida so no mountains to deal with.

JSracer

thanks !! much appreciated

ericsan13

I was able to tow an un-braked 1900lb trailer up and down through a snowing snow-covered mountain pass without any issues. Even when braking and accelerating the trailer felt like it was barely there. We climbed from sea level to the pass height of 4,061 ft if that helps.

I am surprised that you need a braked trailer over 1000lbs. The 5x8 uhaul's weight when empty is 900lbs alone.

However over 2000lbs I would've installed an anti-sway hitch.