Another thought occured to me - do an axle flip and move them forward that could get you under the frame (no cut outs needed to tuck the wheels) and therefore not interfere with the doors...although you may need to have a custom receiver made...as i'm not sure how much of a rise you can buy....

 

Would you please explain your suggestion? I don't understand what you mean by "axle flip".......

Thanks.

Pete

 

JC Whitney sells air bags that go in the springs that will fit the HHR. I believe they are made for the Caviler. Several people here have used them. This may get your rear end up higher and help some. However it will not improve the tongue weight. I am sure you could get some reinforcement metal welded into the frame if you could find someone to take on the responsibility.

Good Luck. The trailer is very cool.

 

if your gonna do airbags dont get them from jcwhitney but i dont think airbags are the solution

 

i was reading up on a way to get my pop up more level when towed by my van, and came across people doing axle flips. they take the axle assembly out from under the trailer and flip upside down and remount it thus giving a higher ride height to the trailer. Not all trailer can be done this way buy possibly yours.... if this is the case then the tire would be further below the frame and not need a pocket to ride in and therefore could be moved forward under your door area...possibly

i'll try to find an article and give you a link.

 

Thanks!

Pete

 

Again, as was posted once earlier on this thread, the hitch attaches to sheet metal and NOT to the frame. The tongue and trailer weight is limited because of what the hitch itself can handle. BE CAREFUL.

 

here's the axle flip i was talking about...

http://www.rverscorner.com/axles1.html

if you can get something like this done and move the axle forward to decrease the tongue weight to 100lbs or less and being that the camper is under 1000lbs you'll be good to go.....cept for maybe a custom 1 inch raised receiver to keep the trailer level during towing


good luck and let us know the outcome.

 

I feel the trailer limits are crap for these cars. Here is a chevy epica. A european car. It can tow over 3000 pounds. I doubt it has a much different drivetrain and even body construction than the hhr.
http://www.cars-of-europe.com/chevro..._ktc2836.shtml

I just feel the weights are kept lower to sell more trucks than anything.

 

That's one reason, but also to limit lawsuits against them by people who tow MUCH heavier loads, and then have accidents as a result.

Pete