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Old 04-07-2015, 06:39 AM   #1
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2011 Jay Feather 19H - Towing with a 2009 Nissan Pathfinder SE V6

Originally posted this Question on RV.NET and they pretty much said "no" to the question. Before I even purchased this TT from the dealership they wouldn't even let me look at it without letting them know what kind of tow vehicle I had.

Original question;

Any worries here? Most towing will be 2 hour trips from northern Massachusetts to the White Mountain Region in New Hampshire. Not a ton of large up hill roads, mostly long inclines and 90% of the travel will be highway. Weight Distribution Hitch and Sway bars needed?

Ive seen this exact vehicle towing much larger campers on the highways and parked at camprgrounds.

Any insight is greatly appreciated.

Trailer Specs

Unloaded vehicle weight (lbs.) 3615
Hitch weight (lbs.) 440
Gross vehicle weight (lbs.) 4950
Cargo carrying capacity (lbs.) 1335

Vehicle Specs

MAXIMUM TOWING CAPACITY** 6000 lbs.
MAXIMUM PAYLOAD** 1564 lbs.
GROSS WEIGHT 6000 lbs.
CURB WEIGHT 4446 lbs.
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Old 04-07-2015, 08:56 AM   #2
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We tow an x18d with a 2012 V6 Nissan Pathfinder. I would say my numbers are similar, but you are a bit heavier fully loaded. We tow flawlessly (gas mileage suffers) and have never had a problem. Last year we went to the outer banks from CT and this year I towed all the way to Disney.

I've made the trip to the White Mountains (North Conway area) multiple times and again, no problems.

When I figured all the numbers, I believe that the actual tow capacity of the pathfinder to be around 5000 fully loaded......
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Old 04-07-2015, 09:14 AM   #3
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We tow an x18d with a 2012 V6 Nissan Pathfinder. I would say my numbers are similar, but you are a bit heavier fully loaded. We tow flawlessly (gas mileage suffers) and have never had a problem. Last year we went to the outer banks from CT and this year I towed all the way to Disney.

I've made the trip to the White Mountains (North Conway area) multiple times and again, no problems.

When I figured all the numbers, I believe that the actual tow capacity of the pathfinder to be around 5000 fully loaded......
Thanks for the reply?

Do you use any WD hitch, Sway bars and/or the Airlift 1000 with your setup?
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Old 04-07-2015, 09:15 AM   #4
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We have a Reese WD and sway control. Works great. No airlift (I bought a system just have not installed it yet).
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Old 04-07-2015, 09:53 AM   #5
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I think you misunderstood the answers on rv.net. It wasn't "no", it was "proceed with caution". You'll be pushing the capacities of that SUV, but I think for what you are doing it will work fine. I've towed close to capacities with 2 different rigs over the years. It sounds like you know what the limitations are and that's really important to know. But I suspect eventually you'll want to do more than those short trips and will be wanting a bigger tow vehicle at some point.

Yes, you will need a W/D hitch. SUVs have soft suspensions. Rear squat is not an issue. My Sierra is down about 1 1/2 inches when everything is connected. Putting a travel trailer on the hitch on will remove weight from your front wheels, thereby reducing steering control. Trust me, it's not fun driving at highway speeds with reduced steering control.

As was pointed out on rv.net air bags will improve your ride quality, but will not put weigh back on the front wheels. There is usually a specification for this in the owners manual, for example, with GM trucks we have to bring the front fender height back to stock when adjusting the WD hitch. I have not use airbags since I towed a small hybrid with a mini-van. Haven't needed them with any of my trucks, but they are nice to have, especially if you regularly have a lot of people in your vehicle or haul a lot in the back. Why not start with a properly setup WD hitch and decide later if you need the airbags?

Also, keep in mind just because someone else is towing a bigger trailer, doesn't mean that the dealer sold them the right size trailer.
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Old 04-07-2015, 11:50 AM   #6
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I am in the process of buying my first TT. One thing I don't see in your numbers is your actual vehicle weight. This is a crucial number to see what your actual payload is. That will determine your towing ability. You want to stay in the 10-15% range with tongue weight of the total loaded trailer weight. Here is a handy towing calculator:

RV Tow Check | Towing Guide Eliminator
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Old 04-07-2015, 12:00 PM   #7
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It's listed in vehicle specs - Curb Weight 4,406 lbs - That's what My vehicle with it's standard stock options on a full tank of fuel and allows a payload of roughly 1,500 lbs.

The total GCWR is 11,133 lbs
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Old 04-07-2015, 12:02 PM   #8
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It's listed in vehicle specs - Curb Weight 4,406 lbs - That's what My vehicle with it's standard stock options on a full tank of fuel and allows a payload of roughly 1,500 lbs.

The total GCWR is 11,133 lbs
Edit: I am assuming curb weight means without passengers or cargo. You need to add those in and then see how much payload is left for the tongue.
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Old 04-07-2015, 12:06 PM   #9
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Edit: I am assuming curb weight means without passengers or cargo. You need to add those in and then see how much payload is left for the tongue.
We made the mistake of not factoring those in when renting trailers a couple of times to see how we liked it. Figured that GCWR-curb weight = trailer amount we could tow. Doesn't work like that and in hindsight we were WAY overloaded.
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Old 04-07-2015, 12:19 PM   #10
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allows a payload of roughly 1,500 lbs.

The total GCWR is 11,133 lbs
For grins, look at the weight sticker in your driver's door. It should have the payload listed as determined at the factory. 1500# seems high for an SUV.
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Old 04-07-2015, 12:33 PM   #11
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For grins, look at the weight sticker in your driver's door. It should have the payload listed as determined at the factory. 1500# seems high for an SUV.
Yep, seems high to me too. I have a 2013 Ford Expedition EL and it's payload capacity is 1,276 pounds.
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Old 04-07-2015, 12:43 PM   #12
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I have a 2004 Expedition and sticker says 1555#.
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Old 04-07-2015, 12:59 PM   #13
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Sorry my mistake. It says 1120
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Old 04-07-2015, 01:07 PM   #14
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Sorry my mistake. It says 1120
Ah! Excellent. This makes much more sense and puts things into perspective. Payload is where most SUVs fall short for trailers at this size.

So let's assume for a moment that you load your trailer up to it's full GVWR, which you most likely will not, but it's a good planning exercise. Also for planning figure 13% for tongue weight. 13% of 4950# is 643#. Subtract that from 1120 and you are left with 477#. That's 477# for your passengers, dog, and any stuff you might decide to carry in the SUV. You also have to subtract the weight of the WD hitch, maybe 100# at a guess?

So can you keep the weight of everything in your SUV under 377#?
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Old 04-07-2015, 01:24 PM   #15
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Ah! Excellent. This makes much more sense and puts things into perspective. Payload is where most SUVs fall short for trailers at this size.

So let's assume for a moment that you load your trailer up to it's full GVWR, which you most likely will not, but it's a good planning exercise. Also for planning figure 13% for tongue weight. 13% of 4950# is 643#. Subtract that from 1120 and you are left with 477#. That's 477# for your passengers, dog, and any stuff you might decide to carry in the SUV. You also have to subtract the weight of the WD hitch, maybe 100# at a guess?

So can you keep the weight of everything in your SUV under 377#?
That's a good exercise to go by for sure. Our camping trips are only weekends (Friday-Sunday) 95% of the time, the occasional long weekend sprinkled in. I dont see us ever getting the trailer to it's max weight, my wife is a frugal when it comes time to determine what goes and stays. As long as I have a few pairs of shorts and beer I'm good. I'd say with the items we bring is close to the 500lb mark and that may be pushing it.

We towed a 900lb 92' Skamper popup with a 2011 Rav4 4cyl (1500lb Tow cap) for years, and even with that I dont think we ever over packed because that little Rav4 towed that thing with ease.
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Old 04-07-2015, 01:40 PM   #16
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I think you're going to be fine. As I said before, you might be wanting a bigger tow vehicle at some point, but for now, just go have fun.
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Old 05-04-2015, 07:26 AM   #17
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I took the RV out for a spin this weekend to get a feel of it before we start camping season. The Pathfinder towed it very well, up and down hills. I could definitely tell it was there behind me but it pulled a lot better than I expected. It was currently hooked up with no weight distribution hitch since it was only a trip thru some towns, narrow hilly back roads and a few highway cruises.

I expected more a dip on the rear with the trailer hooked up but it only came down about a 1.50", but this was a dry run with no extra cargo.

Overall it was a good experience and makes me feel a lot better about my purchase.

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Old 05-04-2015, 07:48 AM   #18
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Thanks for reporting back! You will want the WD hitch, even for short trips. I can see that your front end is high. That's the part to worry about.
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Old 05-06-2015, 05:35 AM   #19
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Thanks for reporting back! You will want the WD hitch, even for short trips. I can see that your front end is high. That's the part to worry about.
I noticed that too from the picture.
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Old 05-06-2015, 07:25 AM   #20
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snip......Overall it was a good experience and makes me feel a lot better about my purchase........snip
Now that you have the new HTT, take your TV/HTT combination under "loaded" conditions to your local CAT scale, thus confirming your weights and proper WDH adjustment.

The CAT scale is the only way to optimize your TV's towing characteristics under your personal loading habits.

CAT scale how-to: http://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f3...v-tt-3871.html

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