Towing the maximum load

[tillery444]

Originally Posted by smu1023037

All this is useful though I am still a bit unclear as to the towing ability of my truck. I have a 04 kc with no big tow package. I had a local shop fabricate a hitch and install it. It is a class III/IV as I understand it. The installer said I can tow 6500lbs with just the hitch as is and 9500 lbs with a wd hitch. I will be buying a travel trailer soon and would like to know just how much I can tow! I asked this same question at the dealership and got nothing but blank looks! What would we do without our certified nissan experts! Thanks for the help

I'm in the same boat. I want to get a 5400 lb dry wt ,TT ,toy box with a 650 toung wt. I have the XE 4x4, no big tow and also plan on using a WD hitch. I feel confident I'll be fine as long as I don't over load the trailer, but I would like some feed back from any one who has done it already.

[HudsonValleyTitan]

The max you can tow w/o the big tow package is 7500 LBS. This is why when people ask, I always say go for the BT package. You never know when you may need it, and it's cheap enough. ...even if towing wasn't the reason for buying a fullsize truck.

If you go by the Nissan towing guide, and the Titans GVWR of 6500 LBS, not many people can tow a travel trailer weighing much over that 7500 LBS anyhow. By the time you count the family, tongue weight, gas and necessities, you'll be overweight.

[cttitan]

Originally Posted by smu1023037

All this is useful though I am still a bit unclear as to the towing ability of my truck. I have a 04 kc with no big tow package. I had a local shop fabricate a hitch and install it. It is a class III/IV as I understand it. The installer said I can tow 6500lbs with just the hitch as is and 9500 lbs with a wd hitch. I will be buying a travel trailer soon and would like to know just how much I can tow! I asked this same question at the dealership and got nothing but blank looks! What would we do without our certified nissan experts! Thanks for the help

Go to RV.net and do a search on the forums. You will find everything you ever wanted to know about towing and weights and hitches and......

Basically your truck is rated to weigh no more than about 6500# which is the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) and it is rated to tow between about 6500# - 7500# depending on what model it is and if it is 4x2 or 4x4.

Now you go and weigh your truck with a full tank of gas and you in the drivers seat and it weighs in at say 5200#. Since the truck is rated to weigh no more than 6500# you can still carry 6500#-5200# or 1300# of payload.

Your trailer should have about 12% of its weight on the tongue in order for it to tow safely. So say your trailer weighs 7000# fully loaded. Your tongue weight should be around 900#.

So say you have a tongue weight of 900#. You subtract that from the 1300# of payload room you had left and that leaves you with room for only another 400# of stuff. Put the wife, a few kids and a bed full of camping gear in and you are pushing the limit on the GVWR. A weight distribution hitch will shift some of that tongue weight back onto your trailer so you get a little of that payload capability back, maybe a few hundred pounds.

Can it be done safely...sure just understand the weight ratings and what they mean. Get a good brake controller and a good weight distribution/sway control hitch that is setup properly. Then go camping and have fun!

I always think about it this way....

$30,000 truck + $XXXXX trailer + your families safety $$$$$$$ and that of those around you on the highway equals a lot of $$$$$$. To me it is worth an investment in $$ and time to understand the capability of my setup so that I know that I am doing my best to protect my families safety and the investment in my vehicles.