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Towing with a Forester

kayakingsuekayakingsue Member Posts: 13
edited August 2014 in Subaru
How do I connect a trailer with trailer brakes to my 2007 Forester? I bought the tow package with the 07, but it only has a four-prong connector for brake lights and turn signals. The people selling me a pop-up tent trailer say I must have a 7-prong connector to connect the trailer's brakes to the Forester, but that Subaru must install it. When I went to Subaru, they said that the Forester was rated for 1000 pounds without trailer brakes and 2400 pounds with trailer brakes, but that they didn't sell or add the connectors to allow the car to tow the larger amount. What sort of "Catch 22" is this? They say it will tow 2400 pounds, but won't equip the car to do so. Now what should I do?
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Comments

  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Unfortunately the dealer is correct. This a problem common to virtually every vehicle that tows. There is a braked trailer rating and an unbraked trailer rating. Subaru is not alone here.

    The simple fact is the Forester can "pull" 2400 pounds, it just can't "stop" 2400 pounds safely or quickly, hence the need for trailer brakes for anything over 1000 pounds.

    What I would do is go to a trailer dealer—one that specializes in all sorts of trailers—not a camping center, which may sell pop-up trailers. Trailer dealers do this all the time.

    You will also need a dash-mounted or console-mounted electronic trailer brake controller, so that you can adjust the amount of braking needed for the trailer. That's what the extra wires on the 7-pin connector are for.

    Bob
  • kayakingsuekayakingsue Member Posts: 13
    Thanks for your answer! I guess I was just naive when I thought that buying a towing hitch meant that they were selling me everything I needed to tow (and, of course, stop). I'm still pretty cranky that the guy at Subaru Parts acted like he didn't have a clue what I needed.

    I wonder what the new wiring and trailer brake controller will cost?
  • kayakingsuekayakingsue Member Posts: 13
    Bob,

    Is there going to be any problem with the rest of my Forester's electrical systems if I retro-fit a 7-prong plug and brake controller into the car?
  • kavoomkavoom Member Posts: 181
    "Is there going to be any problem with the rest of my Forester's electrical systems if I retro-fit a 7-prong plug and brake controller into the car?"

    Man they sold you a bill of goods. I got a retrofitted Class II Hidden Hitch for less then the Subaru Class I hitch. And NO, if it is done right, you will have NO problem with the electrical. They will run a wire down from the battery then put a converter (little black box) in line and connect up with the four pin under the tire and run it all back to a preset 7 pin box connector next to your hitch. No problem, but around 150 bucks. And let a hitch installer do it. They generally will say it is very easy on a Subaru as it is already set up for a four pin and that makes it easier for them.

    Show them up front how it is set up and that might lower the estimate since it is easier for them.
  • kayakingsuekayakingsue Member Posts: 13
    Thanks for that quick info! I'll check it out.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    "Is there going to be any problem with the rest of my Forester's electrical systems if I retro-fit a 7-prong plug and brake controller into the car?"

    Man they sold you a bill of goods. I got a retrofitted Class II Hidden Hitch for less then the Subaru Class I hitch. And NO, if it is done right, you will have NO problem with the electrical. They will run a wire down from the battery then put a converter (little black box) in line and connect up with the four pin under the tire and run it all back to a preset 7 pin box connector next to your hitch. No problem, but around 150 bucks. And let a hitch installer do it. They generally will say it is very easy on a Subaru as it is already set up for a four pin and that makes it easier for them.


    This is not entirely true.

    What has to happen is that a brake controller needs to be installed, not just a 7pin connector.

    The best brake controllers to get are the Teckonisha (sp?) and run about $120-150 depending on where you buy it. Then you need to connect it up yourself or have a trailer place wire it up. Since the Subarus IIRC are not pre-wired for the brake controller you'll need to run a power wire from the battery to the controller, then the controller connects up to your brake light switch and a few other connectors, then runs back to the 7-pin connector in the rear. What this does is provide 12 volt power and amperage to actually engage your brakes on the trailer. Simply putting a 4 to 7 pin adapter will not yield any braking action on the trailer.

    Cost runs about $200-300 to get the install done, so you are looking at roughly about $500 overall to get a good controller and have it installed. Don't get a cheap controller that only works off your brake lights as they will kill your brakes on the trailer as they are not inertially controlled as the more expensive ones are. The inertially controlled ones provide braking based on how quickly you are braking rather than on how long your foot is on the brake pedal.

    -mike
  • kayakingsuekayakingsue Member Posts: 13
    This is getting more and more complicated, and I REALLY appreciate everyone who has taken the time to help me understand all the aspects of this issue. I've made notes of all the suggestions, and I'll post what the feedback I get from the Trailer Guys in the next couple of days.
  • kavoomkavoom Member Posts: 181
    I thought we had already dealt with that and that brakes were "assumed." But yes, the Prodigy is the best brake controller out there for the money and worth any extra few bucks you might pay.

    That is the reason for having a 7 pin hitch. It's the brakes... And that is failing of Subaru. Why install electrical for towing that isn't up to the brakes that you (as a manufacturer) require for anything over 1,000 lbs. All that does is tempt people to not put them on...
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Don't single out Subaru on this. Until this year and only this year on 2500 series pickups was there a brake controller on the pickups. Yet all the Pickups and SUVs come with a 7-pin connector and require braking above roughly 1500lbs.

    You have to get someone to install the brake controller anyway, they don't charge a lot more to get the 7pin connector also wired in.

    -mike
  • brett2007brett2007 Member Posts: 39
    Out of curiosity, what is the size of the opening on the Forester's trailer hitch? I currently have a hitch-mounted bike rack for my Liberty which I think requires a 2" hitch mount.

    Is it 2 inches?

    Thanks
  • kavoomkavoom Member Posts: 181
    Nope, it's the smaller 1 1/4 inch I think made for Class I and II hitches...

    There are not as many choices for items like what you are looking for, but they are out there and there are also reducers for the 2 inch openings.
  • dt63944dt63944 Member Posts: 66
    It's amazing the number of people, even trailer dealers, who don't see the need for trailer brakes. I tow a 1000# tractor with my Forester and the trailer doesn't have brakes and I consider it an unsafe situation. My new trailer is going to have hydraulic (surge) brakes so the others in my family can use it with their vehicles. Electric brakes are a pain because the vehicles using them require wiring. Hydraulics don't rely on electric controllers. BTW, I recommend Triton trailers, they've got a very versatile line at fair prices.
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    It's amazing the number of people, even trailer dealers, who don't see the need for trailer brakes.

    Yep. That's been a long-time hot-button issue with me. The vehicle makers (Subaru!) don't make it any easier either, as they bury that trailer brake info in the owner's manual. I've even requested that Subaru offer an dashboard-integrated electric trailer brake control, like what Ford and GM offer on their HD pickups.

    It would be great if Subaru took a leadership role here, but they don't seem to care. :(

    Bob
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Good luck finding surge brakes. Most states only allow them on boat trailers, and even then most of the boat trailers are going to Electric over Hydrolic.

    I was looking for surge brakes for my car-hauler flatbed trailer and could not find them anywhere on the east coast.

    Electric over hydrolic or straight electric are superior in that there is no tounge smacking into the ball giving your car a push from the trailer as it comes forward.

    As for an integrated controller, it's a lot of hardware to include when 95% of the vehicles out there don't tow. They other problem is that some trailer brake systems are incompatible with the factory brake controllers. For instance the GM factory controller cannot control Electric over Hydrolic used on a lot of boat trailers.

    I have surge hydrolics on my cigarette boat trailer with disc (just had them converted from drums) on 2 of my 3 axles. I love them now, they are running vented discs that are found on the front of 3500 series GMC trucks so it's nice because rotors and pads are easy to find when I have to replace em :)

    -mike
  • xtopxtop Member Posts: 29
    Hello: We just purchased a T@B travel trailer. It's GVWR is 1939 lbs. it does have mechanical surge brakes. I have been looking around to see if there is any way to beef up the rear suspension on the Forester without luck. I imagine it's not a common request. I am also looking at the 7-pin trailer electrical plug installation. I have ordered a Subaru specific T-connector and adapter for the 7-pin. We already had a Hidden Hitch class II installed for bike racks and the like so that is done. We haven't actually picked the trailer up yet as the electrics must be installed next week. Are there any suggestions relevant to towing with the 2004 Forester XT with manual transmission? I would love to hear any experiences with this vehicle towing. We live in the Colorado mountains but most travel would be to lower elevation. Thanks and best regards to all, Fred
  • kayakingsuekayakingsue Member Posts: 13
    When I first asked about towing with my 2007 Forester someone said that it wasn't what the car could pull, it was what it could STOP. With that in mind, several other people said what I needed was a Prodegy Brake Controller that would connect the car's brakes to the trailer's brakes so they'd activate when you hit the brake pedal. I had one installed for $170.00 in Longmont at Big Boys' Toys; talk with them about where in the car's cab they are going to put the little box because the first time they installed it I couldn't move my right leg from the gas to the brake without knocking against it! I've driven my tent pop-up to the west coast and back and have had no trouble with the brakes. The car needed to be shifted down into THIRD on some of the hills, however, and my car's newer than yours and my trailer is lighter, so don't load the T@B with very much.
  • xtopxtop Member Posts: 29
    The trailer has its own brakes actuated through the tongue. I'm hoping that's sufficient. I would love to hear if it's not. The 2004 and 2007 Foresters are essentially identical mechanically. What model Forester is yours? Ours is the turbocharged model. I see yours is a manual shift. We don't plan on loading it too heavy as there don't seem to be any kits to increase the load carrying capacity of the rear suspension. We travel pretty light most of the time. We go looking for wildlife as I am a photographer and my wife and I love animals. Did you adjust the headlights for night driving? It sounds like you're having fun with your trailer. Fred
  • kayakingsuekayakingsue Member Posts: 13
    From what everyone has told me, if you have a brake controller in the car that controlls the brakes in the T@B you will be fine. The issue with me was the Subaru sold me their hitch set-up as though it would be sufficient for anything the Forester was rated for, but it was not and I had to retro-fit the brake controller and then buy something extra to accommodate the trailer's ball hitch.

    My Forester is the cheapest model, so you may have more soup than I do, which will make climbing those hills much nicer.

    I was a camp-host in Oregon so I could kayak more frequently. I missed my Colorado sunshine, but I had a wonderful time, the the kayaking was fabulous. I like my tent trailer because it has more room when both beds are extended, although it had the same floor space as the T@B I looked at. However, it's really chilly when the nights get cold.
  • kayakingsuekayakingsue Member Posts: 13
    From what everyone has told me, if you have a brake controller in the car that controlls the brakes in the T@B you will be fine. The issue with me was the Subaru sold me their hitch set-up as though it would be sufficient for anything the Forester was rated for, but it was not and I had to retro-fit the brake controller and then buy something extra to accommodate the trailer's ball hitch.

    My Forester is the cheapest model, so you may have more soup than I do, which will make climbing those hills much nicer.

    I was a camp-host in Oregon so I could kayak more frequently. I missed my Colorado sunshine, but I had a wonderful time, the the kayaking was fabulous. I like my tent trailer because it has more room when both beds are extended, although it had the same floor space as the T@B I looked at. However, it's really chilly when the nights get cold.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    If you have surge brakes you won't need a controller.

    As for the rear suspension, the easiest thing to do is to move anything inside the trailer to the rear to reduce the tounge weight. You may be able to get some custom upgraded springs for the rear which would help.

    -mike
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
    I don't suppose that installing the self-leveling suspension is a financially feasible option?

    -Frank
  • xtopxtop Member Posts: 29
    I imagine that I will load up the storage at the rear of the trailer itself to cut the load on the back of the Subaru. A simple and effective method, thank you. The battery might end up being moved as well to help.

    The self-leveling suspension would be lovely but not an option for me.

    What would be an optimum hitch weight on the tongue, does anyone have an idea? It's common knowledge, I'm sure, but I don't know it.

    Thank you, everyone, for your help.

    Fred
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
    Hey where's Bob, our resident towing expert and champion of all things towing related :P
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Ideally w/o the leveling you'd want less than 10% tongue weight of the trailer and not less than 6%.

    On my peformance boat trailer I run about 600lb tounge on a 10,000lb trailer and this works out well to keep it balanced.

    -mike
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    Mike,

    I'm curious. How does one actually determine the tongue weight?

    tidester, host
    SUVs and Smart Shopper
  • kavoomkavoom Member Posts: 181
    First, Subaru's tow great. 2004's are better than the newer ones IMHO as they softened the ride when they added a half inch of height in 06. I had to retro "Pinks" springs into my 07. I had 200 lbs on my tongue weight and my base model sagged less than an inch so try it. Do not use the OEM hitch go for a retrofitted Class II hitch like a hidden hitch.

    You could beef up the suspension if you wanted but, for example, the load leveling struts (standard in Australia only available in auto LL Beans in U.S.) will run you around 800 bucks for parts alone in the U.S. At a dealer, count on another 3 to 400 for labor.

    You will need a seven pin hook up for electric brakes but Subaru's already have a four pin built in (look in your spare tire well/see the rubber grommet in the bottom?) and installers say they are easy to convert to 7 pin.

    Tongue weight is figured by looking at what the manufacturer says tongue weight is, and then adding the battery weight and the propane tank weight. So, generally, you are looking for around a 150 lb tongue weight to stay under the Subaru 200 lb rating. Don't worry about a few pounds over.

    And Subaru North American tow ratings are low compared to other countries. Many are convinced it is fear of lawyers as to why. In Australia they are rated at 3200 lbs for example and around 240 lbs tongue weight (remember load leveling struts are standard down under except for the absolute 2.0 base model.

    Forester's are still the highest rated (at 2400 lbs)relative to size/engine in the U.S. A manual transmission is preferable IMHO and with the turbo, you will have NO problems going anywhere. You don't need to add a tranny cooler with a manual either. But you will need to change out tranny fluids more often.

    I tow an 1800 to 1900 lb pop up with electric brakes and between my two Foresters (I have an 07 Premium Package manual now) I have put close to 20K in trips over mountains hills and dales. I've seen T@Bs on many a Subaru.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    They're basically fancy struts, so a swap may not be hard, but they are PRICEY! :surprise:
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    You will need a seven pin hook up for electric brakes but Subaru's already have a four pin built in (look in your spare tire well/see the rubber grommet in the bottom?) and installers say they are easy to convert to 7 pin.

    There is no such thing as a "conversion" from 4-pin to 7-pin, at least not easily. For a 7-pin you'd need to put in a brake controller and brake controller connections to the rear where the 7-pin connection goes. It's not plug-and-play so to speak.

    Tongue weight is figured by looking at what the manufacturer says tongue weight is, and then adding the battery weight and the propane tank weight. So, generally, you are looking for around a 150 lb tongue weight to stay under the Subaru 200 lb rating. Don't worry about a few pounds over.

    That's actually incorrect.

    Tounge weight is actually calculated by putting a scale under the tounge at the hitch-height with a fully loaded trailer. You can use a bathroom scale but make sure to put a rod or something so that it's at the correct heigh of where it will be when hitched.

    -mike
  • xtopxtop Member Posts: 29
    The T@B trailers have a 7-pin plug so I am using an adapter. I notice the 4-pin to 7-pin adapter has has some extra wire pigtails and I assume they are for electric brakes, etc. The T@B uses surge brakes which eliminates the electric brake connection. Now I have to figure out how to hook it up so that the car alternator charges the battery in the T@B through the 7-pin plug. The manual shows this but I will have to investigate this feature further when we get the trailer home. The manual shows the bathroom scale method of checking tongue weight. It should work well for what we are doing.

    We are picking the trailer up tomorrow. It will be interesting.
  • kavoomkavoom Member Posts: 181
    They have to run wire from the battery to a converter box I can't think of what it is called but it is separate from the controller and is in line. They run the wire along the frame and then hook into the four pin connector that then goes out of the grommet.

    Perhaps I should have said "relatively" easy or "comparatively" easy as compared to a vehicle that has nothing. I can only comment on what two installers said to me.
  • xtopxtop Member Posts: 29
    Has anyone installed a battery isolater on their Subaru? Any suggestions as to brand, wire gauge use to go to the trailer, etc. would be appreciated. I have found several including kits using 8-gauge wire. The alternator is not over 70 amps in our Forester, I believe, which determines the wire size.

    We are picking up the trailer today and I will ask the dealer about this as well. Any first-hand experiences will be welcome.

    Fred
  • aathertonaatherton Member Posts: 617
    "... load up the storage at the rear of the trailer itself to cut the load on the back of the Subaru."

    But you should be sure that at least 6% and preferably 10% of the trailer's weight is on the tongue, up to the car's limit of 200 lbs. Otherwise the trailer will tend to wiggle and fishtail.
  • xtopxtop Member Posts: 29
    We have towed it home now. It tows wonderfully and stops perfectly. The mileage definitely dropped and I had to shift down to 4th for most of the hills but it pulls very nicely. I will be weighing the tongue load in a day or two to see where it is at present. I will probably load it to 150-200 lbs. which is around 10% of its weight. We had to run antifreeze into the water pump as it will be freezing here at 9100 feet of elevation tonight. We are delighted so far. I will be installing the battery isolater and power cable to the trailer from the car in a week or two. I really like the idea of charging the trailer battery as we drive. We also looked at the solar charging panels at Camping World. Is anyone using those?

    Thanks for all the good advice. We do appreciate it.

    Fred
  • aathertonaatherton Member Posts: 617
    "... As for the rear suspension, the easiest thing to do is to move anything inside the trailer to the rear to reduce the tounge weight."

    This page shows the tongue weight for the T@B trailers is 110 to 145 lbs.
    http://www.tab-rv.com/specs/dimensions.php

    T@B has probably balanced the trailers to have enough tongue weight so the trailers pull in a stable manner, and the weights do not seem excessive for a Forester suspension. I would be careful about loading the rear of the trailer to reduce tongue weight, as it might be dangerous.
  • xtopxtop Member Posts: 29
    Thanks for that information. I should have looked on the site myself, duh! It pulled perfectly off the dealer lot so I will try to maintain the tongue weight it has at this point. I would not change the tongue weight balance with loading and I will be weighing it soon. It has been snowing so much that I haven't been able to do that yet. We are taking it on an inaugural 1,000+ mile trip this week to get out of the snow for a bit. We hope the mileage improves as it only got 13.3 MPG on the trip home. I should mention that we gained 4,000 feet in elevation and passed over a near 11,000 foot crest to get here from the Colorado plains. Most of the trip this week is much flatter than that so it should be a good indicator of the fuel economy we will get in future.
  • xtopxtop Member Posts: 29
    The bathroom scales registered 225 lbs. I think I will try to balance it out at around 150-175 lbs on this first trip and see how it tows. There is lots of storage in the rear of the trailer so it should be simple to lighten the tongue load just a bit. I can see where the load is coming from as the heat pump is in front of the trailer axle along with the water tank, LP tank, and battery. After this trip, we are planning to store the trailer for the winter so we hope to find out a few things about it before that.

    Thanks to everyone for all your help.
    Fred
  • kayakingsuekayakingsue Member Posts: 13
    How did your trip go? What does a battery isolater do?
  • xtopxtop Member Posts: 29
    The trip starts in the morning.

    A battery isolater allows me to charge the battery in the trailer using the tow vehicle alternator without risking discharge of the tow vehicle battery. It's a one-way switch.

    Fred
  • kayakingsuekayakingsue Member Posts: 13
    Do you have to add an isolator, or does it come
    with the trailer connection?

    I thought the car's alternator automatically
    recharged the deep-cell battery on the trailer
    through the electrical connection that lit the
    trailer's exterior lights and activated the
    trailer's brakes.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Have a good trip, Fred! He's probably off already.
  • kayakingsuekayakingsue Member Posts: 13
    Yes, Fred's off on his first T@B trip and I'm back from my camp-hosting with my pop-up trailer, full of insights about trailing and pop-up living. I'm going to write Fleetwood a long letter about how they could re-design that rig to be more useful for a single person.

    Does anyone know anything about retrofitting a pop-up for someone who isn't interested in sleeping the maximum number it (in theory) could hold?
  • xtopxtop Member Posts: 29
    Hi, we're back. The isolator is not strictly necessary. It simply protects your car battery from discharge through the trailer. If the wiring were in place, the car would charge the battery in the trailer. Most trailer harnesses that are built into the cars will only run the turn signals, tail lights, and brake lights through a 4-pin harness. The 7-pin adapter that I bought has three more wires and a ground if you want to send power to the trailer battery. One of the three wires is the 12-volt charging wire which someone has to add on to the system along with the aforementioned isolator. I can't remember what the other two wires are for.

    The trailer towed beautifully. MPG ranged from 13-17. A high-pressure water line leaked but we found a replacement at the local Ace Hardware in Socorro, NM. The LP-gas alarm went off last night but we couldn't find any leaks. We had the heat on again today and no alarm. Hmmmmm.
  • xtopxtop Member Posts: 29
    Sounds like an owner refit to me. We found out a lot of things too. I will be making mods as we go along. Our max sleeping capacity and max number of sleepers is in agreement so we don't have that problem. How about a home theater in the other end of your rig? Just kidding. Good luck working it out.

    Fred
  • xtopxtop Member Posts: 29
    Yup, we were off. Now we're back. One thing I failed to mention is that by putting everything we could in the rear of the trailer we changed the tongue weight from 225 lbs. to 205 lbs. Whoopee! Big deal, eh? I am going to have to adjust the headlights for towing for sure.

    Fred
  • kayakingsuekayakingsue Member Posts: 13
    For what it's worth, a friend who had a trailer said that their alarm went off when the 12 volt battery was low.

    The guy at the dealership who ran me through the trail set-up when I bought it told me that the car would not charge the 12 volt. Everything I've read and heard disagrees with that. I'll bring it up with them the next time I go there, along with the fact that they left the paper instructions for the heater INSIDE the heater behind a part you could only get to by removing a sheetmetal screw that was set so close to the top that no screwdriver could reach it!

    No home theater--I use the extra bed to store things; the real problem is the mega-uncomfortable table seats and the stinking table, which sit out into the "aisle" too far.

    I'm glad your maiden voyage was a success,
    Sue
  • xtopxtop Member Posts: 29
    Well, the trailer was attached to "shore" power at the time the alarm sounded but it's possible the battery is defective. Anything is possible.

    As to the car alternator charging the trailer battery, it will charge if I get a 12-volt power source to the correct terminal in the 7-pin connector. I will install everything in the spring before we pick up the trailer from storage. I have the correct isolator part number from the manufacturer and the recommended circuit breaker amperage along with the proper wire gauge number.

    The charging question should perhaps be addressed to the manufacturer of your trailer. My trailer manual says it will charge and the mechanic who took us through our setup said it would charge on this trailer provided I do as I have stated. I have also ordered a compact solar panel charger that will fit nicely and puts out 6 watts max with a regulating circuit built in.

    Are the table seats in the form of benches on your trailer? The table could probably be shortened by someone in a good custom carpentry shop.

    Thank you, we are very happy about it also.
    Fred
  • kayakingsuekayakingsue Member Posts: 13
    But "shore" power doesn't power everything. If the blower on the heater is powered by your trailer's battery, maybe the alarm will sound if you don't have enough 12 volt power? Or maybe it was the battery inside the alarm...but then why didn't you have a problem the next day?

    Will you solar panel make the outlets run?

    The table's seats are benches (that make the mattress on top of the table if you want to travel with midgets). Their foam is miserable; I will replace it and make new slip covers. (It would be nice it someone would design a small pop-up for use by one or two--with two comfy big seats instead of bench seats for four.)

    The real issue is the table: its legs are off-set to accommodate the wheel-well, but not enough, so it doesn't go all the way to the wall and then the other legs (and about six inches of the table) are in the way. I tried to move the legs, but then they wouldn't fold up and I couldn't store it to fold the trailer down. I've got a couple of designed sketched out, but before I do anything I'm going to look at another Yuma to see if all the tables are that way. I swear the first one I looked at didn't have a table in the aisle.
  • xtopxtop Member Posts: 29
    Our built in inverter charges our battery if we are hooked to an outside 110-volt power source. Therefore, in fact, the inverter is running the alarm system. That's not to say that there couldn't be some other glych in the system. I will have to take a look inside the LP-gas alarm and see what it has for independent power. I'm not sure it has a battery as when I pulled the fuse, it stopped sounding.

    The solar panel will constantly charge the battery at only a small trickle rate. It will not power the trailer. It simply helps to keep the battery charged while the unit is parked in the sun. A solar panel that would run the outlets would have to be very large with present technology. There are larger panels available but I wouldn't want to mount them on our tiny rig and they get really expensive, really fast. Sort of like LCD TVs because of the fabrication costs for large panels.

    We are looking at finding memory foam in bulk and replacing the foam on the upper part of our sleeping surface. Ours are also the bench cushions for the dining table. Our present foam is quite nice but it would be better if it were the memory type, we think.

    Good luck on your design modifications. Yes, they do design most pop ups for the family with two children at the very least. It's much like being too tall or too short in stature. Everything is built for the median size person or family.

    Fred
  • postymcgeepostymcgee Member Posts: 1
    Hello all....

    Does anyone know if there is any upgrading required to use a Subaru Forester to tow an RV trailer?

    The owner's manual says 2000 lb max, but the trailer is around 2500 lbs....

    Has anyone towed over the max before?

    Would I need a transmission cooler, upgraded suspension, etc.?

    Does having all-wheel drive make a difference?
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Subaru, like many other vehicle makers, limits towing to 1000 pounds if the trailer doesn't have trailer brakes.

    Current-generation Foresters are rated to tow 2400 pounds (w/trailer brakes). You must have a first-generation Forester if it's rated to tow 2K.

    Bob
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