What Can I Tow With 1,500 lbs Capacity? (With 6 Examples)

Have you ever wondered what you can tow with 1,500 lbs. capacity?

Many cars and camping enthusiast will try to convince you that 1,500 lbs. of towing capacity your vehicle has are a way too low for anything useful.

And they will be wrong. Granted, with such towing capacity you will not be able to pull a big camper trailer or something like a 4-horse trailer. Still, there is a lot of things you can pull.

If you wish to enjoy an adventure outdoor, or just move something from point A to point B, that vehicle parked on your driveway could have more than plenty enough towing capacity for what are your needs.

So, what can you tow with 1,500 lbs. capacity? With a towing capacity of 1,500 lbs. you can tow the following off the back of your car which include:

Canoe
Jetski
2 Place trailers
Boat trailer
Teardrop camper
A-Frame Camper
A Snowmobile
A Flatbed Trailer
A Small Aluminum Boat
An ATV
A Motorcycle
A Small Rowboat
A Single-Axle Trailer

Table of Contents

What Can You Tow With 1,500 lbs. Capacity

When you are towing anything, you must keep in mind that the towing capacity of your vehicle is split between the trailer or carriage and the payload on it.

For example, when you are towing a boat on a trailer, you must calculate the sum of the trailer, oat, and any fluids and gear you may have on that boat.

This sum of all of these weights must not exceed the maximum towing capacity of your vehicle.

Here is a quick table of characteristic trailers and their payloads that fit in the 1,500 lbs. towing capacity:

Types	Average Weight
6-canoe trailer with 6 canoes	600-660lbs
2-Jetski trailer with 2 Yamaha SuperJets	~1,100 lbs.
2-place trailer with 2 Polaris PRO RMK 800 snowmobiles	~1,190 lbs.
Boat trailer with 14’ L1440M Jon fishing boat and 20HP engine	<565 lbs.
Teardrop camper with 7-day provisions	600-1,500 lbs.
A-frame camper with 7-day provisions	1,300-1,500 lbs.

6-canoe trailer with 6 canoes

Canoeing is a very popular way to explore many gently flowing rivers, and very enjoyable.

If you are planning such an outdoor adventure, you should have in mind that the largest canoe trailers that can accommodate 6 or more canoes weigh between 300 lbs. and 350 lbs.

While depending on the material they are made of canoes, in general, weigh between 50 lbs. and 60 lbs.

Granted, it is very unlikely that you will tow a trailer with 6 canoes, more likely one or two, or one two-seater, but it doesn’t hurt to know that even the largest loads of canoes a vehicle with 1,500 towing capacity can pull easily.

As you can see, even vehicles with much smaller towing capacity, such as compact passenger cars could tow this weight.

2-Jetski trailer with 2 Yamaha SuperJets

Depending on the number of jet skies they can accommodate, jet ski trailers can weigh 300 lbs. to 450 lbs.

Some average 2-jetski trailer weighs around 360 lbs. The lightest stand-up jet ski on the market is Yamaha SuperJet, weighing 375 lbs. So you can actually tow three of them with 1,500 lbs. capacity.

When it comes to sit-down jet skies, there are many models you can tow two of them on a trailer. Among the lightest ones is the Sea-Doo SPARK 2up, with just 410 lbs.

And you can find many make and models that weigh under 570 lbs, which is a maximum individual jet ski weight you can tow in tandem.

If you would be satisfied with towing just a single jet ski, then you will be hard-pressed to find a model that is too heavy.

A trailer for a single jet ski can weigh up to 350 lbs, and the heaviest jet ski on the market arguably is Kawasaki ULTRA310LX

2-place trailer with 2 Polaris PRO RMK 800 snowmobiles

The snowmobile trailer comes in two flowers, open and enclosed. Enclosed ones can weigh over 1,000 lbs, so unless you are planning to tow something like a kid’s snowmobiles, you are limited to open design.

The walls of enclosed ones add quite a bit of weight to them, while a 2-place open trailer, in general, weighs around 360 lbs, or roughly ⅓.

Snowmobiles come in different sizes and weights, from tiny kid-friendly Polaris Indy 120 that weighs just 147 lbs, to big Polaris Titan Adventure 155 with 658 lbs.

On an open trailer, you can tow any single one of these, and many make and models you will find to weigh less than 570 lbs, so you can pull two of them.

For example, Arctic Cat Norseman X 8000 weighs 558 lbs, Polaris PRO RMK 800 weighs 408 lbs, and so on.

Boat trailer with 14’ L1440M Jon fishing boat and 20HP engine

The aluminum fishing boats are extremely lightweight, and you can find a plethora of them that you can tow with a vehicle that has a towing capacity of 1,500 lbs.

Even with an engine, they can be extremely light. For example, Lowe’s L1440M is a 14 feet boat with a dry weight of just around 205 lbs, with a trailer and an engine it’s under 565 lbs.

There are many different aluminum boats that you can tow with 1,500 lbs. capacity, even some smaller fiberglass bass boats.

What is very important to keep in mind is that for boats you can find their dry weight, which means without an engine of fuel for it.

Outboard engines you will need for small fishing boats can weigh between 30 lbs. for small 2 horsepower engines and all the way up to 1,100 lbs. for 627 horsepower beasts.

But generally, you will be looking for a 20-30 horsepower engine, that weighs between 100 lbs. and 150 lbs.

Teardrop camper with 7-day provisions

Teardrop campers are very small trailers that owe their name to the shape they come in, very similar to a teardrop.

They are very popular among younger people who neither want, need, or can afford big camper trailers or RVs.

They come with all the basic necessities you need for camping, such as a stovetop with a couple of burners, queen-size dinettes, or single beds.

Some even come with outside showers, TVs, and fridges. Though their size is very diminutive, their weight can range quite a bit.

The smallest ones come gaslight as 500 lbs, and with a week worth of provisions, such as food, clothes, entertainment such as books, or handheld devices; their weight can go from 600 lbs up.

A-frame camper with 7-day provisions

An A-frame camper is a much heavier vehicle than a teardrop camper, and usually, they do weigh well above 1,500 lbs, but fortunately, you can find on the market some that are as little as 1,200 lbs.

When you add to that some 100 lbs. of things you could need over a course of a week, their weight is still within the 1,500 lbs. towing capacity.

Taking with you provisions for a shorter trip can decrease the load, especially if are planning to rent a pod at a camping ground.

Which Vehicles Can Tow 1,500 lbs.

There are many vehicles that have towing capacity of 1,500 lbs, even some sedans, and compact vehicles can pull them.

But the most popular class of vehicles that can pull this weight are compact crossovers/SUVs, so here is a list of some such vehicles.

The table below shows some common vehicles which have a towing capacity of 1,500 lbs:

Vehicles	Towing Capacity (lbs.)
Toyota RAV4	1,500 pounds
Subaru Forester	1,500 pounds
Honda CR-V	1,500 pounds
Buick Encore	1,000 pounds
Chevy Equinox	1,500 pounds

Toyota RAV4

Toyota RAV4 LE, XLE and Limited trims has a towing capacity of 1,500 pounds.

Toyota’s vehicles are among the most popular in all classes primarily due to their exceptional and traditional reliability.

RAV4 is arguably one of their most popular models for a very long time, along with the immortal Hilux.

Its name means “Robust Accurate Vehicle 4wheel drive” and is the victim of the naming scheme Toyota has adopted in recent years. In the past RAV used to mean “Recreational Activity Vehicle”

But despite the silly meaning of its name, RAV4 is a crossover that behaves in a very refined way both on the highway, narrow streets, and off-road.

Subaru Forester

The Subaru Forester has a towing capacity of up to 1,500 pounds.

Subaru Forester is another crossover that is produced by one of the legendary Japanese carmakers. This compact crossover shares the platform with one of the most famous Japanese cars of all time, Impreza.

Besides parts of chassis and suspension, it shares the famous 4-cylinders boxer engine.

Subaru is also famous for its all-wheel-drive system developed for rally racing in the WRC championship, AWD system that has trickled down to passenger cars and SUVs produced by this company and which makes Subaru a leader in every class when it comes to driving on snow, ice, or mud.

Forester is equipped with the latest iteration of this AWD system.

Honda CR-V

The Honda CR-V has a towing capacity of up to 1,500 pounds.

Honda CR-V is not as popular as Civic Type R, or as powerful as NSX, it is a compact crossover that is extremely reliable.

Arguably only Toyota RAV4 is a more reliable vehicle in its class currently available on the market.

While it comes with an engine with just 1.5-liter displacement, it still can pack a punch and pull 1,500 lbs.

It comes with loads of high-tech driving aids, including adaptive cruise control, emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic warning, and much more.

Buick Encore

The Buick Encore GX has a maximum towing capacity of up to 1,000 pounds.

The American legend Buick was always known for the luxury of its vehicles. Buick Encore is a subcompact crossover that attempts to bring luxury to this class of vehicles.

Equipped with a range of two engines coupled with a 6-speed automatic or a CVT transmission, it will not set roads on flame. But it will get you from point A to point B in a relaxed and enjoyable manner.

Its interior has all the hallmarks of the Buick brand, and it is very enjoyable to drive in. The most outstanding characteristic of this vehicle is its nimbleness, it handles surprisingly well for a vehicle of this height.

Chevy Equinox

The Chevy Equinox has a towing capacity of 1,500 pounds.

Chevy Equinox is another domestic vehicle coming from a carmaker with a long tradition of excellent vehicles. It can come with three different engines, a 1.5 or 2.0-liter petrol engine, or a 1.6-liter diesel engine.

But despite the differences in performance, common for all three of them is that vehicles equipped with any of them have the same towing capacity of 1,500 lbs.

General consensus among car experts is that Equinox is a good vehicle, neither bad nor excellent. It has very high reliability, and in many areas is just average for its class.

A boat, camper trailer, or many other different things. And that to tow any of them you need large trucks or SUVs that can pull 6,000 lbs. or more.

As you can see, even a compact crossover that can pull just 1,500 lbs. can be a good towing vehicle for recreational purposes.

Trailer Weight vs Towing Capacity

If you want to know more about the Trailer Weight vs Towing Capacity, just click the link to How to Measure Towing Capacity, GVWR, GCWR, Truck, Trailer

References

https://www.mullerhondaofgurnee.com/honda-cr-v-towing-capacity

https://www.steveninsales.com/much-jet-ski-trailer-weigh/