towing
 

hey guys i need to tow a trailer next weekend, and probable quite a bit after that...
basically what i need to know is where do i go to get a hitch for my alero?
anyone know?

I have a DrawTite trailer hitch, Class II, for the Alero.

I may be able to ship it through my work. Kinda short notice though, you need one this weekend (Oct 24-26)? Or next weekend (Oct 31 - nov 2)?

I could probably ship mine to you quickly.

cant the alero tow 1K lbs max??

^you can't always go by waht the manufactuer says

look at the hidden hitch company, they moght have one. and they don't stand out and look bad, hence the name

Thats what its rated at, I'm sure you can do 1500 or maybe a little more if you're really careful while driving, but if you had to slam on the brakes or something then the frame is not designed to handle the extra weight. And then bad things would happen

The engine can handle it, the tranny can't ;)

a transmission cooler is highly recommended for any towing.

only 1000 pounds?

hey guys thanks for the info.. and i have another vehicle i can use until i get a hitch, so i dont need one TODAY lol
but thanks!

tranny and brakes are what isn't set up well for it

If you have brakes on the trailer, no problem going over the rated weight.

yeah, i figure that it would be ok with up to 1500 lbs. you are going to want to make sure that you have everything in tip-top shape before towing and obviously you should do oil changes more often. just easy on accelerations and braking and you should be fine. just be aware that loading the trailer improperly could lead to loss of control and also could be a killer for your rear struts so load with care to get the right tongue weight. it might not be a bad idea to run the tranny in "3" instead of "D" as well because the extra weight will make it jump in and out of overdrive too much and wear stuff out faster and heat the tranny up more than it should.