!help FAST!

Pee Wee · 06-03-2005, 05:16 AM

Today I'm going to buy a SE4x4x titan to pull 28' camper with a weight of 7200 loaded. I know the titan is rated to pull 9500 but they can tell you just about anything to get someone to buy it. Is the titan built hevy enough for the job or should I get a 3/4 chevy to be on the safe side? Just want get as many opinions as I can from you titan owners.

Thanks for your time!!!
Pee Wee

keane · 06-03-2005, 05:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pee Wee

Today I'm going to buy a SE4x4x titan to pull 28' camper with a weight of 7200 loaded. I know the titan is rated to pull 9500 but they can tell you just about anything to get someone to buy it. Is the titan built hevy enough for the job or should I get a 3/4 chevy to be on the safe side? Just want get as many opinions as I can from you titan owners.

Thanks for your time!!!
Pee Wee

7200 should be fine. There are others on here that carry that load with no problem. It is important to check the tongue weight to make sure it isn't too heavy. If it is a 5th wheel, you might want to run the numbes as the hitch weight is much heavier than a regular travel trailer. Also, if you buy a KC you can tow more than if you buy a CC.

NT2005 · 06-03-2005, 05:35 AM

Pee Wee,
I would have to tell you to go with the 3/4 ton if you plan on long trips or lots of trips. The Titan will pull it but you don't want wind or hills. The Titan suspension, brakes and tires are not made to handle that load like a true 3/4 ton truck. I pull a 23' TT with a dry weight of 4300 and close to 5000 loaded. My truck does a great job even in the hills but i wouldn't tell anyone to pull more than this and expect them to be happy on a highway with big rigs. You will get pushed around a little. You also my want to think about gas mileage vs a diesel. The diesel will pull better and get you an extra few miles to the gallon. I get around 10mpg towing 15mpg when not towing.
One more thing to think about is GVW of your truck. Rememeber you have passengers, gear and tongue weight which in your case should be at least 800lbs. You will have a hard time staying under the trucks GVW.

Good luck,
NT2005

rarjar · 06-03-2005, 05:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NT2005

Pee Wee,
I would have to tell you to go with the 3/4 ton if you plan on long trips or lots of trips. The Titan will pull it but you don't want wind or hills. The Titan suspension, brakes and tires are not made to handle that load like a true 3/4 ton truck. I pull a 23' TT with a dry weight of 4300 and close to 5000 loaded. My truck does a great job even in the hills but i wouldn't tell anyone to pull more than this and expect them to be happy on a highway with big rigs. You will get pushed around a little. You also my want to think about gas mileage vs a diesel. The diesel will pull better and get you an extra few miles to the gallon. I get around 10mpg towing 15mpg when not towing.
One more thing to think about is GVW of your truck. Rememeber you have passengers, gear and tongue weight which in your case should be at least 800lbs. You will have a hard time staying under the trucks GVW.

Good luck,
NT2005

I disagree. I have pulled 8500+ lbs (Kubota 4 wheel drive tractor with front end loader, Rhino brush hog and box blade) over 1500 miles on a heavy duty 22' bumper pull trailer through some strong winds and the Texas Hill Country with absolutely no problems. Admittedly, the trailer has brakes on both axles, but IMO, regardless of the vehicle used to tow, you should have trailer brakes when towing over 1500 lbs or so. In fact, I pulled the same load with the 2003 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD I owned just prior to the Titan, and I see little difference (other than I get a little better gas mileage in the Titan). My 2 cents worth.

leeroy300 · 06-03-2005, 05:55 AM

I would have to say for the casual weekend trips and every day type driving go titan for much more ie: more than 8 weekends a summer and more than 400 miles each time go heavier, and if you are doing this as a retirement type thing go diesel as they are specificly designed for towing .

NT2005 · 06-03-2005, 07:22 AM

Quote:

I disagree. I have pulled 8500+ lbs (Kubota 4 wheel drive tractor with front end loader, Rhino brush hog and box blade) over 1500 miles on a heavy duty 22' bumper pull trailer through some strong winds and the Texas Hill Country with absolutely no problems.

I am very impressed with the Titans pulling power and the transmission does a great job of shifting. The limits are the rest of the truck such as suspension, tires and brakes. These are all heavier in a 3/4 ton truck. I see in your signature you have helper springs. That is my point. The stock tires are an issue aslo, not the same tires you find on a HD truck and this makes a difference in this case.

PeeWee
Another thing to think about is the fact that some dealers will not mount a 5th wheel hitch on the Titan. They say the frame is not built for it.

NT2005

92TripleBlack · 06-03-2005, 07:26 AM

I'd just make sure you get the big tow package, big tow mirrors, wiring for the trailer brakes, and class IV hitch. Should be fine.

proptwister · 06-03-2005, 08:02 AM

I agree with most the others. If you are pulling your TT on a irregular basis and not cross-country every other month, the Titan will work very well. I pull a 28' TT with no problem. Actually pulls and handles it much better than my 02' Silverado I had. Just make sure to get your Titan with the BIg Tow package that includes the extra coolers, extending mirrors, and lower gear ratio.

If on the other hand you are retired/semi-retired and will be pulling your TT weekly or an long cross-county trips, a diesel is you better choice.

Later,
Matt

physix · 06-03-2005, 08:37 AM

You didn't specifically say you were getting the big tow package. A word of warning, when I bought my titan, I had both the salesman and his manager telling me that any titan could tow the full 9500 pounds as long as we had the proper hitch installed. I thought I knew different at the time but was almost talked into getting an SE without the big tow package. I went home and did a little more research and had to walk away from the deal they were offering me before the dealership called around and found out they were mistaken. Anyway, as most everyone on this board knows at this point, to get the full 9500# towing capacity, you need the big tow package with it's specially geared transmission and the other bells and whistles. Just a friendly warning.

keane · 06-03-2005, 09:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NT2005

Pee Wee,
I would have to tell you to go with the 3/4 ton if you plan on long trips or lots of trips. The Titan will pull it but you don't want wind or hills. The Titan suspension, brakes and tires are not made to handle that load like a true 3/4 ton truck. I pull a 23' TT with a dry weight of 4300 and close to 5000 loaded. My truck does a great job even in the hills but i wouldn't tell anyone to pull more than this and expect them to be happy on a highway with big rigs. You will get pushed around a little. You also my want to think about gas mileage vs a diesel. The diesel will pull better and get you an extra few miles to the gallon. I get around 10mpg towing 15mpg when not towing.
One more thing to think about is GVW of your truck. Rememeber you have passengers, gear and tongue weight which in your case should be at least 800lbs. You will have a hard time staying under the trucks GVW.

Good luck,
NT2005

I too have to disagree. Unless it is a 5th wheel, the tongue weigth will be nowhere near 800lbs. There are plenty of TT's over 28ft that have tongue wieghts in the 500lb range. Also, Nissan designed the Titan to pull 9500lbs (properly equiped KC) and that would include the brakes, suspension and tires. If they didn't do that, their liability would be enormous. You just have to make sure you stay within all the stated limts in your owners manual.

As to a diesel 3/4 ton, you are going to pay ALOT more to save some MPGs and many times your mpg savings don't match the extra initial cost. You will be also be giving up ride quality when you are not towing.

Unless you are retired and are going to be pulling this trailer everyday, I vote for the Titan as it will suit your needs just fine. just make sure you have it properly set up with a WD hitch and sway bar if it is a TT. there are others on this board that have 5ths so don't worry that you can't pull a 5th.

My $0.02.

NT2005 · 06-03-2005, 10:04 AM

Quote:

I too have to disagree. Unless it is a 5th wheel, the tongue weigth will be nowhere near 800lbs. There are plenty of TT's over 28ft that have tongue wieghts in the 500lb range.

Proper setup is 10%-15% of the 7200lbs on the tongue to prevent sway. That means you should have 720lbs - 1080lbs on the truck. Given the payload of the truck (1440lbs for 4x2 cc) that doesn't give you much for passengers. Tires on the 3/4 ton trucks improve sability, not that the Titan tires aren't rated for it.

I'm just trying to help someone make the correct choice. If you want some good information on towing and pulling trailers check out www.rv.net/forum.

NT2005

ptgarcia · 06-03-2005, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pee Wee

Today I'm going to buy a SE4x4x titan to pull 28' camper with a weight of 7200 loaded. I know the titan is rated to pull 9500 but they can tell you just about anything to get someone to buy it. Is the titan built hevy enough for the job or should I get a 3/4 chevy to be on the safe side? Just want get as many opinions as I can from you titan owners.

Thanks for your time!!!
Pee Wee

Pee Wee,

Like most of the others have already stated, if you make the monthly weekend trip with the occasional week-long long-haul the Titan will be a good choice. If you're retired and take 500 mile trips every other week, or only like to camp at the top of the tallest mountain, the 3/4 or 1-ton may be a better option.

The towing power of the Titan is impressive, so you won't be lacking there. My trailer weighs 8000 lbs loaded and my Crew Cab pulls it very well.

Where the Titan will show its weakness is in the suspension department. Do yourself a big favor and spend a few hundred dollars on some upgrades once you get your truck. Get yourself a set of air bags (Air Lift makes a good set for about $200) or helper springs (I use Timbren Aeon convoluted rubber springs on my 4x2 - $155) to help keep the truck level. Also consider a better set of shocks. I'm towing with the stock Ranchos that come with the offroad package but will be replacing them with Bilsteins (probably) once they become available. There's nothing wrong with the Ranchos, I just would prefer a stiffer shock.

I'm not sure about the 18" tires, but the 17" Rugged Trails have a 2575-lb load rating so you will be okay there. They may feel a little soft but they won't blow out under the load. If the got the cash a set of LT tires with a stiffer sidewall are a good choice.

Be sure to get a GOOD weight distribution hitch and sway control. You'll need this no matter which truck you choose. I use the Reese HP Weight Distribution (1200-lb bars) and HP Dual Cam Sway Control. Works great and easy to use.

Even with the upgrades listed above you'll spend less on the Titan than a 3/4-ton and the Titan is a much better daily driver. Good luck and enjoy your new Titan!

jerry426 · 06-03-2005, 04:56 PM

I am impressed by the quality of brand neutral and realistic advice everyone has given on this thread! I have considerable towing experience (though not yet with my Titan) and everyone's comments are good. Only thing I would add is..... if you're going to do enough heavy towing to justify 3/4 ton, go ahead and get a 1-ton rig with a diesel if the budget will permit.

No matter which route you go, make sure the trailer braking system is fully up to the task at hand. The weight distribution hitch is also a good idea.

Jerry

Pee Wee · 06-03-2005, 07:48 PM

Well, I went ahead and got the titan today, SE 4x4 big tow. I went with it because we use the camper about 10-12 time a summer but most are less than 50 miles from home the longest trip we have planed is aout 400 miles. All I can say now is if this thing pulls the camper half as good as it does buy itself I made the right choice. This is one NICE ride, should have bought it last year instead of the tundra dc! Didn't know we would end up with a new and bigger camper so soon, live and learn. One mor thing everyone says to get a good wd hitch what makes one good and one bad? The place where we bought the camper said they will put one on, Will It be sonething iwant?

Thank
PW

david1990 · 06-03-2005, 07:51 PM

Congrats on the new truck!