Towing questions for newbies

ixian · 06-14-2005, 11:58 AM

I read the faq, but it pains me to say that I am a complete neophyte when it comes to towing and I have what are probably very basic questions.

I have a 2004 Titan LE that came with the "Big Tow" package. As it happens, this weekend I am going to make my first tow in this truck, in-town, and then at the end of July I get to tow a trailer all the way from Denver to Austin, Texas.

The trailer in question will be the standard U-Haul double axle type (this one ) which has a max load of 2200 pounds - from what I understand of the Titan's towing capacity, it should hardly break into a sweat.

I went ahead and purchased both a tow hitch ball mount and tow ball from one of this site's sponsors, Courtesy Nissan (I also got a Truxedo cover from them, excellent service) which I assumed I would need based on the load I would be towing - is this correct?

I also see I have a plug for trailer lighting already installed, will this mate with a U-Haul trailer or am I going to need an adapter?

And finally, my truck came with a trailer brake wiring harness, but I am assuming that for this kind of load trailer brakes aren't needed? The description of the trailer on U-Haul's site says "automatic hydraulic surge brake" but I'm too much of a towing dummy to know what that means, or if I need to even worry about wiring up trailer brakes, etc.

Right now I am assuming I will just need the two accessories I bought above and some safety chains. Am I correct or horribly wrong here?

Thanks!

travism · 06-14-2005, 12:15 PM

You are well on your way.

I would verify with U-haul what size ball you need for your trailer. It will probably be 1-7/8" or 2" I think. Make sure your ball matches their coupler. Your ball mount is fine.

You will need an adapter for the lights. We have a 7 pin harness, the trailer will probably have a 4 pin. Verify the 4 pin part with Uhaul. Adapters are cheap, but here is one.
http://www.etrailer.com/Merchant2/me...ategory_Code=A
You can probably find one at Uhaul or a car parts place for a little more.

You don't need to worry about the brake wiring harness. The trailer surge brake system is a stand alone system. When you hit the truck brakes, the trailer coupler (the part that fits over the ball) "surges", or moves on the tongue as the trailer tries to push on the truck. This movement activates a piston that engages the trailer brakes.

The safety chains are probably already connected to the trailer. Verify this with Uhaul.

You shouldn't have any trouble with that load behind your Titan. Just be a little more cautious and allow for a little more stopping distance. Good luck and have fun.

travism · 06-14-2005, 12:26 PM

I just realized that the 2200 lbs was just the load weight. At 4,400 lbs gross weight behind you, it's a little bit more to handle. Just be careful until you get used to the extra weight. Also I would recommend towing in 4th gear with that load. If you use overdrive "D" you may get high transmission temperatures, and you have a gauge for that.

The only other thing I thought of is their recommended ball height on the webpage you linked to. You may want to check that with your ball mount inserted in the hitch. It's important for a tandem axle trailer to be level so all 4 tires help support the load. I think you'll be okay with what you've got, but you might need to buy a ball mount with a little more drop to it.

*textitaninva* · 06-14-2005, 12:30 PM

"automatic hydraulic surge brake"
When you brake, there is a type of piston in the neck of the trailer that gets pushed from the weight of the trailer which makes the trailer brakes lock.
I pulled the same trailer with my non big tow and it was fine. U-haul usually gives you the adapter for the wiring harness if you dont have the right one.

ixian · 06-14-2005, 01:04 PM

Perfect, thanks for the answers!

Yes, I should have thrown in trailer weight too - told you I was new to this

. 4400 pounds is still well under the Class III hitch rating though.

I got the ball from the same place, Courtesy Nissan (http://www.courtesyparts.com/Merchan...de=999T7-A60C2)

It's 2'' so it should work - I can't tell if it has enough of a drop though.

I verified it is a 4 pin but you all are correct, they have 7-4 pin adapters for cheap - they will probably just give me one for my Texas tow. And the trailer does come with safety chains so I'm all set there as well.

Luckily I am doing an in town move first to get some stuff out of storage; I am going to use that as an opportunity to get used to driving with the trailer, etc.

Thanks again!

BCTitan · 06-15-2005, 08:23 PM

I am towing a 19' Bass boat w/ 200 hp engine, tandem trailer with surge brakes. Estimated weight is 3700 lbs with gear and gas. I have been told to put truck in 4th gear w/ tow mode(I have Big Tow Pkg). Is this the norm or could I get OD w/ Tow Mode to work as well(except up hills,etc.)?

NT2005 · 06-16-2005, 04:49 AM

Quote:

I am towing a 19' Bass boat w/ 200 hp engine, tandem trailer with surge brakes. Estimated weight is 3700 lbs with gear and gas. I have been told to put truck in 4th gear w/ tow mode(I have Big Tow Pkg). Is this the norm or could I get OD w/ Tow Mode to work as well(except up hills,etc.)?

I think you will be fine in OD instead of 4th since you have the tow package. If you get into hills i would shift to 4th before the truck shifts. Your boat is really right at the edge between not using OD and using OD. You have to pay attention to how the truck feels and watch the transmission temp gauge. I have towed my 5000lbs trailer on flat roads in OD and it seems ok but ANY grade or head wind and it will have to shift.

I did have my transmission gauge move once on a 14% grade. I shifted down a gear and it went right back to normal.

*wmtom* · 07-02-2005, 04:18 AM

im pretty sure our owners manual says its best to have the tranny in 4 rather than od at all times when towing, check it out to be sure

aggiesarge · 07-02-2005, 06:47 AM

Ya know, I towed the exact same Uhaul trailer (6X12 tandem axle) from Texas to DC and had the truck in D and Tow Mode on, and never noticed a single variation in the Tranny Temp. It never occured to me to put it in 4, but I didn't notice it having any difficulty or searching for a gear. I guess I got lucky. If I had to do it again I'd use 4.

And this included going through Tennesse, so lots of steep grades at times...

rtapia · 07-21-2005, 11:03 AM

You got ripped off with the tow hitch. You can get them at wal-mart for $20 with the ball and pin included.

gsphuntr · 08-10-2005, 07:16 PM

I haven't bought my travel trailer yet, and will probably spend as long shopping as I did for my Titan (1 yr and several dealerships in Colorado). For the break in period, does it matter how heavy the trailer is to break in the Titan? For example, I have a 12' single axle, angle iron trailer in which I tow my ATV and miscellaneous other camping and hunting gear. I haven't weighed the rig yet (will do so soon), but suspect it weighs in around 2500 lbs when loaded. I've been logging my miles at 50mph while pulling this rig, but was wondering if this is sufficient if I plan on pulling a travel trailer that weighs around 6500 lbs? Or, should I borrow/rent a trailer with comprable weight to truly break in my Titan. Thanks for your help. BTW, it sucks driving 50 mph and having other rigs pass me thinking... that truck can't pull crap.