itsallvoodoo
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- Thread starter
- #1
So... I got to experience towing before I had intended it. My mother's Jeep Patriot broke down on the side of the road and I needed to go rescue her and the vehicle. Her jeep was about 45 miles away on a busy interstate. I didn't have time to max out the battery, so I just hopped in the truck and went with about 230 miles of range.
I luckily had all the towing gear I needed and just had to rent a 2 wheel tow dolly. I was a little uncomfortable with how close the ball is to the back of the truck. Typically the ball hitch extends well past the bumper, but with the Rivian the hitch attaches more underneath the vehicle. I may get a hitch extender, we'll see.
Hooking the tow dolly up went as expected, getting the jeep onto the trailer went as expected, and actually towing the vehicle was a breeze. I averaged 55mph, but I had to pass some truckers at 70mph and had absolutely no issues. The weather wasn't great either, a light rain, but it all went very well. Range seemed to have reduced by a third, I didn't capture numbers as it was a hectic day trying to handle logistics and my mother and all that. I got the jeep home and off the trailer, even having to reroute midway due to an accident on my typical highway off-ramp.
After the jeep was safely disconnected I had plenty of range to get the trailer returned to the rental facility and get my mother to a car rental at the closest airport so she could drive home. I ended up getting home with about 30 miles of range left, which I was comfortable with. I'm in the greater DC area so there are always chargers nearby somewhere in an emergency.
This experience gave me confidence for our annual camping trip the family takes every summer. I would usually tow a 25ft camper several hundred miles one way, and with this experience I'm comfortable that won't be an issue. Sure, charging is always going to be in the back of my mind, but as always, proper planning makes it all work.
I luckily had all the towing gear I needed and just had to rent a 2 wheel tow dolly. I was a little uncomfortable with how close the ball is to the back of the truck. Typically the ball hitch extends well past the bumper, but with the Rivian the hitch attaches more underneath the vehicle. I may get a hitch extender, we'll see.
Hooking the tow dolly up went as expected, getting the jeep onto the trailer went as expected, and actually towing the vehicle was a breeze. I averaged 55mph, but I had to pass some truckers at 70mph and had absolutely no issues. The weather wasn't great either, a light rain, but it all went very well. Range seemed to have reduced by a third, I didn't capture numbers as it was a hectic day trying to handle logistics and my mother and all that. I got the jeep home and off the trailer, even having to reroute midway due to an accident on my typical highway off-ramp.
After the jeep was safely disconnected I had plenty of range to get the trailer returned to the rental facility and get my mother to a car rental at the closest airport so she could drive home. I ended up getting home with about 30 miles of range left, which I was comfortable with. I'm in the greater DC area so there are always chargers nearby somewhere in an emergency.
This experience gave me confidence for our annual camping trip the family takes every summer. I would usually tow a 25ft camper several hundred miles one way, and with this experience I'm comfortable that won't be an issue. Sure, charging is always going to be in the back of my mind, but as always, proper planning makes it all work.
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I traded in my 2009 Jeep Patriot for my R1S.
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