Towing Smart car

[Tom_M1]

Most of the tow bars require the installation of a base plate which is a major expense and requires the removal of all the front panels to install.

There is a British company that uses the spots where an eye bolt screws through the bumper into the front cross member. This would make it very simple to add a tow bar. BUT, I have read one report that says that the tow bar ripped loose from the tow points.

I would appreciate any feedback from anyone that has used the existing tow points.

This is the eyebolt that comes with the car:


British tow bar:

[Tom_M1]

Well I decided to go the cheap route and purchased a Curt tow bar for $100 and a tow eye from eBay for $22. I had to drill a hole through the bumper on the driver side to install the second tow eye. I got the tow bar rigged up and hitched up to my pickup truck then went for a drive around the neighborhood. I accelerated and braked hard a few times to give it an extreme test. When I got back home I found that one of the tow eyes was bent. So much for that idea. I now have on order a Roadmaster base plate. I plan on using the Curt tow bar with the Roadmaster plate.

[janstey58]

My MIL is still going with the eyelet bumper pull, based on actual experience and 1000s of safe miles from another RVer.

[Tom_M1]

The towing eye is available on eBay and Amazon. I have not decided what direction I will pursue. I won't be towing until August so I will wait awhile.

[fpresto]

Tom, I have the same manual and as you posted it says "Contact an authorized smart center for information on recommended tow bar equipment and installing a matching on/off switch on the battery terminal." Do it and they will tell you to use a baseplate. You can also contact Smart USA at https://www.smartusa.com/contact and ask them. In my opinion the tow hooks are for emergencies not long distance towing at least for the cars manufactured for the US market, there are differences. I looked at the tow hook attachment points and was not satisfied with their apparent strength. If you decide to do it I suggest that you at least look. Your opinion may be different than mine. As I said in a prior post finding the correct eyebolt with the correct thread is very difficult. It is not a common type used in the USA. If you need one PM me and I will give you a link to where you can find one if I can track it down.

[Tom_M1]

From the 2013 owners manual:

From the "Towing eye bolt" section:

WARNING
For safety reasons, recovery or lashing down of the vehicle by means of the towing eye is not allowed. Failure to observe this could result in the towing eye being ripped out of its mounting and people being injured.

It then proceeds to the "Flat towing" section:

For vehicles that will be flat towed over long distances observe the following recommendations:

Preparing the vehicle:
Contact an authorized smart center for information on recommended tow bar equipment and installing a matching on/off switch on the battery terminal.

Before towing:
- Make sure the ignition is switched on.
- Engage the parking brake.
- Depress the brake pedal and keep it pressed.
- Move the gear selector lever to neutral position N.
- Release the brake pedal.
With the gear selector lever in neutral position N, the key cannot be turned fully to starter switch position 0. Therefore turn the key in the starter switch as far left as it will go when switching off the ignition.
- Switch off the ignition.
- Leave the key in the starter switch.
- Wait approximately 30 seconds until the multifunction display in the instrument cluster is completely blank.
- Turn the battery off using the previously installed battery switch.
- Release the parking brake.
- During towing: Make sure the gear selector lever remains in neutral position N with the ignition switched off.

It first warns not to use the towing eye for recovery and then goes on to instruct how to flat tow. It does not say specifically not to use the towing eyes for flat towing.

As I mentioned in my first post, there is a company in the UK that uses the towing eye mounts to attach a tow bar. It appears that it is okay for them. I don't see any mention of beefing up the tow eye mounts on their website.
http://www.smart-tow.com/

[fpresto]

Tom M, I never said it was OK in Europe. I said it was a European thing. The only web sites I have seen selling the tow bars were European. Whether it is legal there or not I don't know. I had considered towing using the eye bolts and went so far as to order a 2nd eye bolt (very difficult to find as they use a strange rounded thread) but decided against it. What I do know is that when installing the base plate I got a good look at the threads for the eye bolts and the metal that they are in. I would never use them except for emergencies as they are designed. That is my opinion, yours may be different.

[John___Angela]

For what its worth this is how we do it. But, its electric so we have no choice. Kinda like the trailer though. No road wear on the car. Pros and cons.

[John___Angela]

Tom_M wrote:

fpresto wrote:
It is my understanding that towing with the tow hooks was a European thing and I think that Mercedes says it is for emergencies. I certainly wouldn't do here.

Why would towing in Europe be okay and not here?

The difficulty of installing a base plate is overstated. My S.O. and myself installed a Blue Ox base plate ourselves. I wouldn't call it easy but is certainly doable.

I would have no problem installing a base plate myself but would prefer not having to spend $400 for one.

Sam Spade wrote:
Have you considered getting a small open trailer to put it upon ??
Should be fairly inexpensive and totally safe for the mechanics of the car.

I have a small flatbed trailer that would handle the Smart okay and may give it some more thought.

Good morning. But keeping it real, it is not ok in Europe either Mercedes says that these points are not suitable for towing. Consider joining one of the smart car forums as there are many knowledgeable people will to share their info.

Good luck and safe travels.

John

[janstey58]

X2, the eyelet base plate and Harbor Freight drawbar were around $400 per the owner with this setup that I talked to last year. And 1000s of miles with no issues. I don't see anything wrong with this.

[Tom_M1]

fpresto wrote:
It is my understanding that towing with the tow hooks was a European thing and I think that Mercedes says it is for emergencies. I certainly wouldn't do here.

Why would towing in Europe be okay and not here?

The difficulty of installing a base plate is overstated. My S.O. and myself installed a Blue Ox base plate ourselves. I wouldn't call it easy but is certainly doable.

I would have no problem installing a base plate myself but would prefer not having to spend $400 for one.

Sam Spade wrote:
Have you considered getting a small open trailer to put it upon ??
Should be fairly inexpensive and totally safe for the mechanics of the car.

I have a small flatbed trailer that would handle the Smart okay and may give it some more thought.

[Sam_Spade]

Have you considered getting a small open trailer to put it upon ??
Should be fairly inexpensive and totally safe for the mechanics of the car.

[fpresto]

I tow a Smart. It is my understanding that towing with the tow hooks was a European thing and I think that Mercedes says it is for emergencies. I certainly wouldn't do here.
The difficulty of installing a base plate is overstated. My S.O. and myself installed a Blue Ox base plate ourselves. I wouldn't call it easy but is certainly doable. The instructions were clear. You do have to pull off the body panels but that is certainly not hard and they are fairly large and very lightweight. If you take your time and follow each step in the instructions you would have no issues.

[janstey58]

My wife and I met a couple traveling through our area with a Class-A pulling a smart car (which my MIL also owns both and wants to make her SC into a toad). We talked with the owners quite a bit, and they bought a tow bar meant to screw into the eyelets, and have been towing 1000s of miles with this setup safely. His setup also included a $60 or so tow bar from Harbor freight for the MH hitch.

The only other issue was you need to put bungee cords around the steering wheel to stiffen the steering gear. Unfortunately his source (I think NM located?) didn't make the tow bar anymore. Based on his advice/experience, I would think this would be a viable way to tow. Just my .02

[John___Angela]

Good morning. We are long time (12 year) smart car drivers. We have had three diesels and now down to an Electric Cabrio. The towing hooks are not meant for long term towing usage. I recommend not using them for towing behind an RV.

To install the tow bar go to a Mercedes Dealer (or smart car dealer if you are in the US). An RV shop can take hours to figure out how to get the body panels off. A Mercedes dealer (or smart car dealer in the US) has technicians trained on how to remove them. It will take a trained person 20 to 30 seconds per panel to remove them. For most of the panels it is that fast.

Good luck and happy camping.