Too much rig for this truck? Opinions?

[Bigprairie1]

Ok, I need a few towing experts to wade in. A friend of mine just bought a new 'lightweight' 26ft. RV/travel trailer out of Denver. He is driving down to bring it back and his tow vehicle is a late model Pathfinder SUV. A relatively big..but not huge vehicle, and I'm pretty sure its a V6/Automatic.
When he told me this, my intuition said....that seems way too big a tow for this truck. I don't know much about the Pathfinders or the weight of this RV/trailer (...has to be around 5000lbs?).
Anyhow, what do you guys think? Is this going to be a scary ride for him coming back? (I'm thinking....yes?).
I'm thinking of recommending he head down there with a nice diesel 2500HD in place of that Pathfinder.
What do you think IB's?
BP

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: Too much rig for this truck? Opinions?

Going to be a long pull with a V-6.
Tranny cooler is a must.
Weight distribution hitch is a must.
Brake controller is a must.
Maybe a tad too short a wheel base also.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Too much rig for this truck? Opinions?

agree with him^^^^ anti sway may help.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Too much rig for this truck? Opinions?

Like was said already, it can be done but you will need all the towing bells and whistles in place first. A friend of ours tows a 18ft house trailer with a Nissan Pathfinder and they feel they are maxed out with that set up.

 

[tommays]

Re: Too much rig for this truck? Opinions?

Having lived in a 24' trailer that i pulled it all over for 3 years the big issue is the WIND when your towing

Even with and E350 van and sway bars a good wind from the side can come close to yanking the wheel right out of your hands

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Too much rig for this truck? Opinions?

My new 28 foot TT is 5000 lbs dry weight.Then add full propane tanks,2 deep cycle batteries and any other added options and the weight goes up fast.
I towed mine 900 miles home from the dealer i bought it from.
Part of the deal was they included a top of the line Reese weight distribution hitch with dual sway control.It has the cams that the weight bars ride in instead of just the chains.
My truck is a Chevy Tahoe with the 5.7 engine,Tow package with oil and trans cooler.A K&N cold air intake,high flow exhaust and a SuperChips program on the computer.
It was still a heavy load in the mountains.The hitch system really saved my arse!
A v-6 and that short of wheelbase will make for a long,slow white knuckled trip. A high quality hitch system will be a MUST!
Tell him to make sure all the water holding tanks are empty.The dealer had about 50 gallons in mine when they did the demonstration and to check it over before the sale.
I found out when i hit the first rest area and opened the low water drains.
Another note: Get some good tow mirrors,the strap on kind are not worth a darn.I ended up buying some Cipa brand mirrors that bolt into the factory holes and will extend out when needed,The best 480 bucks i ever spent..They are just like the factory mirrors on a Chevy dually.Cipa makes them for about every kind of truck and SUV.

 

[Bigprairie1]

Re: Too much rig for this truck? Opinions?

I received a bit more info about his truck/trailer:
-Truck: Curb weight: 4800lbs, GVWR: 6000lbs, GCWR: 11,133lbs
-Trailer: weight 4700lbs (dry) w/ a Tongue weight of 625lbs.
....I think this is cutting a bit close in my opinion?

BP

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: Too much rig for this truck? Opinions?

Let me know what road he will be on with the move.

 

[JCF350]

Re: Too much rig for this truck? Opinions?

Wouldn't want to try it here where it's flat never mind dealing with the mountains. Gonna be a long slow trip.

A F250 would be much more gooder.

 

[dcg9381]

Re: Too much rig for this truck? Opinions?

It's not the up the mountains that I'd be worried about - it's breaking down from Denver.. No way in that setup.

 

[Bigprairie1]

Re: Too much rig for this truck? Opinions?

....interesting feedback so far and not too far off what I was thinking as well.
To thicken the plot...this will be his very first trip towing this particular (new) trailer and his first time ever towing anything bigger than a 20' boat. So this is a complete maiden voyage for him (...and his wife,...maybe the kids?).
I recommended he hire a hauler to get the trailer from Denver to Bellingham or Blaine, Wa. and then go down and check it out from there. Even if he tows it from there (back up to Vancouver) he will at least limit his distance substantially for any problems he may (will?) encounter. The RV/seller outfit probably knows someone who would give him a reasonable deal on this. He can do the cross border/customs trip himself and save the dough on that futz & putz event.
I'm keen to see what he says regarding this type of advice.
hmmmm.
BP

 

[lrdchaos]

Re: Too much rig for this truck? Opinions?

Pull it...probably. But will it stop it when he really needs to stop, Probably not. Even with brakes the trailer will still want to push that tiny vehicle. I know I am in the minority, but I think if you are going to be pulling a tt of any size you need a 2500 or bigger PU.

 

[Hondo65]

Re: Too much rig for this truck? Opinions?

Everytime a tractor trailer goes by him the pressure wave will try to push him off of the road. If in the event he passes a tractor trailer it is going to try and suck him into the truck. I have a Long bed Dodge 2500 Quad cab with a Cummins turbo diesel. (a very heavy pickup) I tow a 27" trailer that weighs dry 4500 lbs. I also have a weight distibutiuon hitch and dual anti sway bars. I can still feel these effects but have enough control not to be affected by them. He is going to have a rough ride and should not have his family with him if he insists on doing it with that Pathfinder. My guess is that he won't make it probably due to a blown tranny.

I had a buddy that tried the same type scenario even after I told him not too. But he read the specs and "knew" it would be alright. Well, first day back to work I saw a new 2500 dodge in the garage I didn't recognize. I asked him how his trip was he said we almost died! DId you see my new truck?

Hope you can talk your friend out of this folly.

Hondo

 

[JB]

Re: Too much rig for this truck? Opinions?

Is it too much for that vehicle?

YES.

 

[Hondo65]

Re: Too much rig for this truck? Opinions?

Oh yea, one thing that the "specs" don't take into account is tow vehicle wheelbase and length of trailer. His setup will exacerbate those wind conditions and could cause the trailer to "wag" the suv. If he insists on doinf this tell him that he can save the setup if this begins to happen by manually activating the brake controler. Problem is if he does not have experience with this kind of towing he will probably forget to do that in an emergency situation.

Been there done that


Hondo

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Too much rig for this truck? Opinions?

For about 1.25 per mile he can have it delivered.There are plenty of dually trucks that pull campers for a living.
The only reason i went so far to get mine was i wanted to save some money.I still spent 500 bucks in gas.I knew my truck could handle it and i have over 25 years of driving big trucks.
No way this guy should try that trip over the Rockies with no towing experience and that vehicle.I hope he leaves the family at home if he tries it.

 

[Bigprairie1]

Re: Too much rig for this truck? Opinions?

For about 1.25 per mile he can have it delivered.There are plenty of dually trucks that pull campers for a living.
The only reason i went so far to get mine was i wanted to save some money.I still spent 500 bucks in gas.I knew my truck could handle it and i have over 25 years of driving big trucks.
No way this guy should try that trip over the Rockies with no towing experience and that vehicle.I hope he leaves the family at home if he tries it.

Good advice Gary...thats what I'm trying to talk him into. He'll be glad later and the minor money he would save by trying to drive it back would never pay for the 'white knuckling' marathon that the trip would turn into.
More to come....hopefully good.
BP

 

[samo_ott]

Re: Too much rig for this truck? Opinions?

Aside from the whole bad idea thing, I would NOT TAKE THE FAMILY. That's a biggie. I would never tow anything risky with the family on board... (ok, maybe the wife - but not the kids!

 

[ebry710]

Re: Too much rig for this truck? Opinions?

You have probably all the advice you need, but I throw in my two cents. I have a 25' Fleetwood lite trailer. Its size and shape sound like yours. I use to pull it with a Dodge Dakota with a V-8 (318, 5.0L) engine. I use to go through brakes pads seasonly (I bought ones with lifetime warrantee). Uphill was slow and third gear. Downhill it was fast and third gear. Of course these are California hills, not mid west hills. Biggest problem is that the trailer weighed more then the truck, the transmission was small and the brakes were even smaller. Besides the fact the you have to use those big extender mirror to see anything close to what behind you.

My advise is the same as others. Get a bigger truck for the long haul over mountains or have it shipped. If the driver is a diehard, have him monitor the Pathfinder brakes and the trailer brakes throughout the trip. Alway adjust the trailer brake controls. Easy lift and sway bar is a must. Also consider rear wheel air bags with pump, the bounce on segmented payment will gets to him after a while. The wheel base of the pathfinder does not have the leverage that a longer pickup has and may not have the shocks.