[scott5345]

I have been doing some research to determine if I could pull a small utility trailer behind a Hatchback without major problems. Mazda official statement for the US is "No". I found in Australia Mazda says "Yes".

From website: Designed specifically for Mazda3, with a factory tested 1,200kg (2645lbs) (braked)* towing capacity and 75kg (165lbs) tow ball download capacity*. The detachable tongue kit makes the tow bar invisible once removed. Comes complete with a trailer wiring harness.

Accessory Details

The trailer would only be used to haul less than 200lbs. Mostly tree branches, plywood and other items that would not fit in the hatch. I would be pulling it about 25 miles 8 times a year.

Is or has anyone pulled a trailer with the Hatchback? I would like to here your comments.
What engine size do you have 2.0L or 2.5L? I know the 2.5L would be easier.

Lastly, can anyone recommend a light weight trailer 4x6 or 5x8

 

[Babie]

My brother advises not to. No where also to attach a hitch. It is a lightweight frame vehicle.

 

[scott5345]

Does your brother work for Mazda? There is a place for one or Mazda wouldn't sell one in other countries. Mazda has towing specs which I would never come close to. I looking for real world comments.

 

[rvoll]

I have been doing some research to determine if I could pull a small utility trailer behind a Hatchback without major problems. Mazda official statement for the US is "No". I found in Australia Mazda says "Yes".

From website: Designed specifically for Mazda3, with a factory tested 1,200kg (2645lbs) (braked)* towing capacity and 75kg (165lbs) tow ball download capacity*. The detachable tongue kit makes the tow bar invisible once removed. Comes complete with a trailer wiring harness.

Accessory Details

The trailer would only be used to haul less than 200lbs. Mostly tree branches, plywood and other items that would not fit in the hatch. I would be pulling it about 25 miles 8 times a year.

Is or has anyone pulled a trailer with the Hatchback? I would like to here your comments.
What engine size do you have 2.0L or 2.5L? I know the 2.5L would be easier.

Lastly, can anyone recommend a light weight trailer 4x6 or 5x8

I have a hitch and have pulled a trailer. You can put a class 1 hitch on the car with a 200 lb tongue weight and a 2000 lb total weight. You should not be worried about the frame as Mazda designed a place to put the hitch. I borrow my neighbors trailer but only use it 4-5 times a year for short distances. That said, the frame is not the issue and the engine is not the issue. The only issue is the transmission. If you are not going too fast and only go for short distances, it is not a problem. I would not pull a trailer any long distance as the transmission may not cool properly.

I think Mazda in the U.S. is afraid that if they say the car is OK for towing, then people will haul things long distances and hurt the transmission. Rather than putting a caveat on the statement, they just say no as U.S. consumers like to sue a lot. Look at etrailer.com for proper fitting equipment and choose the Curt hitch and the custom wiring so you don't have to cut any wires.

 

[rvoll]

My brother advises not to. No where also to attach a hitch. It is a lightweight frame vehicle.

@Babie Your brother is wrong on this. The frame is fine and so is the motor. It is the transmission that can get overheated if you pull something for longer distances. As long as the hauls are limited and short and you keep the speed down there is nothing to worry about. We don't get a lot of things here in the U.S. because people sue a lot and don't read the fine print. The frame is actually designed to hold a hitch which they do allow on this exact same car in other countries.

 

[scott5345]

Now does anyone have a recommendation for a light weight trailer. I currently don't have one as I have a truck that I would be trading in on the Mazda.

 

[scott5345]

I have a hitch and have pulled a trailer. You can put a class 1 hitch on the car with a 200 lb tongue weight and a 2000 lb total weight. You should not be worried about the frame as Mazda designed a place to put the hitch. I borrow my neighbors trailer but only use it 4-5 times a year for short distances. That said, the frame is not the issue and the engine is not the issue. The only issue is the transmission. If you are not going too fast and only go for short distances, it is not a problem. I would not pull a trailer any long distance as the transmission may not cool properly.

I think Mazda in the U.S. is afraid that if they say the car is OK for towing, then people will haul things long distances and hurt the transmission. Rather than putting a caveat on the statement, they just say no as U.S. consumers like to sue a lot. Look at etrailer.com for proper fitting equipment and choose the Curt hitch and the custom wiring so you don't have to cut any wires.

One other question that comes to mind. Would having a manual transmission be better or worst since I remember in other vehicles with towing the automatic transmission had higher towing capacity.

 

[spacegator]

Now does anyone have a recommendation for a light weight trailer. I currently don't have one as I have a truck that I would be trading in on the Mazda.

I'd rent a pickup from uhaul or home depot etc. for ~$25/day for when you need it. I say this as someone who is currently downsizing from a full-size truck to the M3.

For me it's cheaper to rent the truck when I need it and not risk messing the car or the warranty, personal 2 cents.

 

[Babie]

@Babie Your brother is wrong on this. The frame is fine and so is the motor. It is the transmission that can get overheated if you pull something for longer distances. As long as the hauls are limited and short and you keep the speed down there is nothing to worry about. We don't get a lot of things here in the U.S. because people sue a lot and don't read the fine print. The frame is actually designed to hold a hitch which they do allow on this exact same car in other countries.

He agrees about the trans 100%. What i meant is no US OEM hitch available, sorry.

I wanted one for a bike carrier, when we looked into it. Just a roof one which is ugly and looks bad.

 

[GirchyGirchy]

He agrees about the trans 100%. What i meant is no US OEM hitch available, sorry.

I wanted one for a bike carrier, when we looked into it. Just a roof one which is ugly and looks bad.

When did you look? The Curt came out sometime last year, so it's been available for a while. Who cares about OEM when it's as cheap and well made as it is.

 

[rvoll]

He agrees about the trans 100%. What i meant is no US OEM hitch available, sorry.

I wanted one for a bike carrier, when we looked into it. Just a roof one which is ugly and looks bad.

@Babie Get the Curt hitch. I got mine at etrailer.com.

 

[rvoll]

One other question that comes to mind. Would having a manual transmission be better or worst since I remember in other vehicles with towing the automatic transmission had higher towing capacity.

A manual transmission is worse for towing a trailer because generally the shifts aren't as smooth and the added weight puts a lot more stress on the clutch. That said, if you're only going to do this sparingly, it shouldn't make much of a difference. You're not going to try and race your car with a trailer on it, are you?????

 

[2.0_Mazda]

^ I would tend to think that having a manual transmission would be better when towing a trailer. Since you know you're towing, you shift slower and slip the clutch a little more in first, but the auto wouldn't know your pulling something and may still want to shift as quickly and efficiently as possible.

 

[rvoll]

^ I would tend to think that having a manual transmission would be better when towing a trailer. Since you know you're towing, you shift slower and slip the clutch a little more in first, but the auto wouldn't know your pulling something and may still want to shift as quickly and efficiently as possible.

That isn't the way it works. Can you be sure EACH AND EVERY SHIFT is perfect? What happens if you pop the clutch by accident? Besides, the auto will maximize how cool the transmission runs.

 

[stegl]

Agreed and you use the sport shift and can control the shifting points better. Would be interesting though using a scanguage to check the transmission temps if available.

 

[stegl]

@Babie Your brother is wrong on this. The frame is fine and so is the motor. It is the transmission that can get overheated if you pull something for longer distances. As long as the hauls are limited and short and you keep the speed down there is nothing to worry about. We don't get a lot of things here in the U.S. because people sue a lot and don't read the fine print. The frame is actually designed to hold a hitch which they do allow on this exact same car in other countries.

Even though Mazda allows hitch use in other countries ; they say no trailer towing here . Although nothing about a bike rack which to me is ok. BUT trailer towing could present a problem with warrantee issues as we are in NA and have to abide by OUR warrantee and not how it is handled in Europe or Australia. Just my thoughts..

 

[rvoll]

Even though Mazda allows hitch use in other countries ; they say no trailer towing here . Although nothing about a bike rack which to me is ok. BUT trailer towing could present a problem with warrantee issues as we are in NA and have to abide by OUR warrantee and not how it is handled in Europe or Australia. Just my thoughts..

Technically, you are certainly correct. However, anyone that uses the 3 to pull a heavier trailer for any distance deserves what they get. If you use it for short distances to bring stuff home from Home Depot, there won't be any problems. A couple of off road bikes -- no problem. Loads heavier than about 1000 lbs -- a problem.

And if you do run into a problem, just tell them you don't use the hitch for towing, you use it to carry your bikes. They tell you not to tow and not to install a hitch.

All of that said, unless you do heavy distance towing, you won't have any problems.

 

[Lumberjack]

It's class II (2) hitch that is 200lbs and can be put on Mazda (I have one).

I have a hitch and have pulled a trailer. You can put a class 1 hitch on the car with a 200 lb tongue weight and a 2000 lb total weight. You should not be worried about the frame as Mazda designed a place to put the hitch. I borrow my neighbors trailer but only use it 4-5 times a year for short distances. That said, the frame is not the issue and the engine is not the issue. The only issue is the transmission. If you are not going too fast and only go for short distances, it is not a problem. I would not pull a trailer any long distance as the transmission may not cool properly.

I think Mazda in the U.S. is afraid that if they say the car is OK for towing, then people will haul things long distances and hurt the transmission. Rather than putting a caveat on the statement, they just say no as U.S. consumers like to sue a lot. Look at etrailer.com for proper fitting equipment and choose the Curt hitch and the custom wiring so you don't have to cut any wires.

Even though Mazda allows hitch use in other countries ; they say no trailer towing here . Although nothing about a bike rack which to me is ok. BUT trailer towing could present a problem with warrantee issues as we are in NA and have to abide by OUR warrantee and not how it is handled in Europe or Australia. Just my thoughts..

 

[pkpdjh]

I can tow my small sailboat (Capri 14.2)

I have:

2014 Mazda3 S Touring Hatchback (2.5L Engine)
350lb sailboat + 400lb trailer
Torklift Ecohitch custom hitch for Mazda3

I have towed my boat across Phoenix without any problems. Honestly, you almost forget it's there.

The Ecohitch is worth the extra money. If you have an S (or probably any model with LED taillights), you will need to do a little extra work to install the hitch. Specifically, before taking the bumper off, there are more screws to undo. Then, you need to run a 12V line from the battery directly to the box. It wasn't too bad. I'm not the handiest guy and I was scared as hell to mess with my new fancy car, but it came out great.

 

[Erik the Bike Man]

I have:

2014 Mazda3 S Touring Hatchback (2.5L Engine)
350lb sailboat + 400lb trailer
Torklift Ecohitch custom hitch for Mazda3

I have towed my boat across Phoenix without any problems. Honestly, you almost forget it's there.

The Ecohitch is worth the extra money. If you have an S (or probably any model with LED taillights), you will need to do a little extra work to install the hitch. Specifically, before taking the bumper off, there are more screws to undo. Then, you need to run a 12V line from the battery directly to the box. It wasn't too bad. I'm not the handiest guy and I was scared as hell to mess with my new fancy car, but it came out great.

How did you notch your bumper? The instructions weren't very accurate but I think mine turned out pretty nicely.