I hate to do it but I'm wondering if anyone with an STR has a hitch and pulls anything. Just curious how it handles a trailer so list how much you pull and how it does and also if you can include a pic of your hitch setup. I'd like to do some sort of hidden hitch that would not be visible unless I have the tow ball in. I'm thinking of getting a small very light trailer to pull my motorcycle. The bike only weight 380lbs so that with the trailer which wouldnt have to be big is all I'd pull. Anybody do this?

 

It was either a doorjamb sticker or manual that lists the tow rating / load and I think it was more enough then what you need...As far as I'm aware, no '05+ S-Type hitch exist pre-made, but many places can fabricate custom ones...U-Haul says if you're in the phoenix area, they will make you a free hitch since one doesn't exist...

I'm probably going to be in the market myself in the summer...

 

Someone posted that their STR had what I think would be a hitch (we say tow bar), used for towing a caravan (don't think you really have those). Pretty sure jag do them but that would be the most expensive way to do it I expect. The correct item interfaces to the car's bus(es) and handles all the rear lights (brakes, fogs, etc). It may affect gear changes a bit (this is more or less rumour). The max towing weights are in the handbook.

 

I've seen guys with trailers for hauling race rims&tires to the track for a Lotus Elise with a special trailer so I have to believe the STR can handle the sort of load you're talking about but I don't know where the attachment points would have to be.

There must be a Jaguar authored document for this?

 

I looked for a hitch for months.. no go. I even e-mailed a few mfgr's in the UK.. they only had hitches for pre 2005. I gave up. Maybe you can have one custom made? You would probably have to cut a hole in the rear valance though.

 

Found this thread: https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/s...-before-37123/

Which a member quotes:

"The owner's manual says 4079 lbs is the max load"

Edit...If you find a fabricator, I may be interested in one...But the disclaimer would be finding a shop down here who willing to install a custom piece they didn't fabricate...

 

Ya I recall seeing a STR member hauling his bike in a few pics.

 

Are the mounting points that much different for a pre-2005 car?
If you could see how that one was done then maybe you'd have a road map for how to have one made up? I think that's the big missing information here. Making a hitch receiver up isn't rocket science as long as you know the best place to attach one.

 

I suppose the 2005+ will be different, as so many tweaks were done to the body panels and also the bus concerned may then have changed to CAN.

I believe Jaguar did offer one but they may do no longer.

These tend to: www.witter-towbars.co.uk

Maybe: www.witter-towbars.co.uk/towbars/selectVehicle.php

 

Would you need to tap into the bus system on the car for the trailer's brake lights? Couldn't you gain access to the tail lamps for that?

I don't think one is realistically going to be towing a trailer with on-board brakes. If that's what anyone is thinking then I think you've got the wrong car. Get a small SUV or Crossover type vehicle.

 

The nice thing is the STR has the power and the brakes to tackle light tows.

I have been reading up on my 70 GMC, and surprisingly there are people that tow with the stock brakes!!! I would be scared to tow anything with 4 wheel drum brakes!!!

 

I don't know about the UK, here in the states each state has their own laws...Most laws state that you don't need brakes unless it's over 3000lbs...I also noticed trailer lighting laws varied wildly by state...Some states, regardless of trailer size, mandate, brake lights, blinkers, reverse and license plate lights...While others only mandated a single brake light...They make some wireless kit and I guess there more lights you need the more attractive this is...

Also, they make a hitch mounted motorcycle cycle carriers which hold your bike off the ground and put it sideways, but state laws may outlaw this if it's wider than the car...

 

The hitch mounted carriers that I have seen are mostly for dirt bikes which are light enough to lift into the cradle.
I don't think that will work with Chris's bike.

 

They drop down, like a ramp, so you ride the bike into it...Yet the question remains, what load could a STR custom installed hitch support?

 

Also what load could an STR support cantilevered off the back?

I'll need to take a look for the ones with a ramp, never seen that before.

 

Here's just about a cheapest one they make; it shows good photos, though: Hitch Mounted Motorcycle Carrier - 400Lb. Capacity

They make better models and summit sells them for under $300...

 

There are some guys on my bike's board that run a setup like that. I will not run that on a car for my bike. The guys that do it on the boards run them on Jeep Grand Cherokees and Expeditions and say it throws off the feel of the SUV with the extra weight. It also doesnt stay perfectly stiff so it still has slight movement side to side which makes stuff scary. I'm still pondering this and may just end up waiting till I'm done with school. Once I'm done I'll probably just get a tow specific vehicle with a trailer. I really want to get into traveling more with my bike and have been deciding if I want to tow it places then ride or just ride. In the future I'm looking at getting a crotch rocket for the track. There are about 3 bike tracks near me and a group of people I ride with make regular trips to them. Was just throwing around an idea of just towing a bike around with the car. I think waiting will probably be my best bet. Will allow me save for another bike.

 

Not appropriate for a sedan like a Jaguar. You really do need a frame based vehicle for something like that. That would put an enormous amount of tongue weight on any hitch, not good!

But towing a bike should be a snap if you can just find the right mounting points for a hitch receiver.

Honestly, I don't know that this is such a big deal once you know the how for this particular car.

The bike would have to be painted the same color as the STR of course ...

 

Not many here seem to tow with an STR, but that's despite it being a brilliant tow car (lots of torque, lots of power, great handling etc). Those who do tow will be generally towing a sizable caravan (usually 2-wheeled unpowered self-contained mini-home -- possibly you've seen Top Gear destroy them?). They have a full set of lights on the rear which need to behave like the car's lights would so are part of the hookup. Caravans are the bane of our roads but that's a whole other thread. I reckon the max towing weight's in the handbook. A bike is small fry.

 

If you can somehow install a class 3 receiver, which is difficult on a vechicle without a frame, it can be a good option for those that don't like towing trailers...