newbie here.
i have a subaru forester and would like to put a trailer hitch on it and buy a scamp. is this okay? i had a subaru outback and pulled a hard sided Aliner with it with absolutely no problems. but the forester is another animal and i think it could be marginal. i would appreciate any advice.
I bought my Outback new in 2015. At that time the Outback had 2700# max tow Capacity the Forester had 1500# . While I preferred the Forester/s looks, price, and size I knew it would be difficult to pull a 1200# + trailer higher depending on options and load. I know older Foresters have a higher rating and I don't know about the 16s or 17s capacity. My advise is do nt exceed the manufactures limits and the bigger the margin you have the better off you are.
JMHO
thank you for your reply.
i didn't see any mention of trailers in the owners manual. the year of the forester is 2011 and it doesn't have the power of my 2005 outback so i know it will have a problem negotiating some grades. i would be interested to know if any members here have this model and experience with pulling trailers.
lookie
I will be picking up a 13 footer in Backus on July 7th with my 2015 Forester. My 2010 Forester with the 2.5 L engine had a tow capacity of 2400 lbs. My 2015 Forester with the same 2.5 L engine has a tow capacity of 1500 lbs. The Outback with the same 2.5L 4 cylinder engine is rated for 2700 lbs.The Impreza with the 2.0 L engine has a towing capacity of 1500 lbs. I think Subaru is full of "hot air" with their tow ratings. I'm not concerned about pulling a 13 foot Scamp with a Forester. Don't let the fact that you drive a Forester stop you from buying a 13 Scamp camper.
Anthony Memoli
2011 Forester has a 2400 pound tow rating with electric brakes on the trailer. https://www.edmunds.com/subaru/forester/2011/#edm-entry-features-specs
We tow with a 2004 Forester (same rating) and you will go more slowly up the hills.
We picked up the 13 foot Scamp in Backus last week. I towed it home, 1,600 miles with my 2015 Forester with a six speed manual transmission. There were no issues towing it with the 2.5 L engine. On flat roads I was able to cruise in sixth gear at about 62+ miles an hour. At 55 to 60 I would use 5th gear. On hills I would anticipate the decrease in speed and downshift to a lower gear. I won't say I didn't know it was back there, I did, but the Forester will pull a 13 foot Scamp. I plan on keeping the forester for another 2 or 3 years. I might opt for a turbo charged 4 cylinder next time, I'm just not willing to give up the Forester which gets about 30 mpg highway for a 6 cylinder vehicle getting around 20. We are continually driving from CT. to northern VT. and back, a trip of 600 miles and I am looking for fuel efficiency. I think a turbo four will give decent gas mileage and sufficient power for towing the 13 footer.
Anthony Memoli