How heavy should I tow?

[showdog]

Hi--I have been reading these posts about towing since we got our Titan SE, big tow 4x4 for 3 years now. My experience is that loufish is correct. I don't follow the math either (figure it is right, though), but the Titan can't tow 9000 lbs or more. We are at 5000 feet here in CO and I tow a 6500lb Jayco Jayflight over the divide and assorted mtn passes here. The truck has to work pretty darn hard to do it and I get 5 miles to the gallon.
I thought I was being pretty conservative with the trailer I got--we don't load the truck down and maybe have 500lbs of stuff/show dogs in the trailer. Since I got it all everyone (even the dealership) is telling me that it is maxed out. I figured if the truck was supposed to tow 9000 I would subtract 1000 for the altitude, and another 1000 for being a woman AND a novice. Still too much for the truck. The engine heats up so much that we have to run the AC a lot to stay comfortable and the mileage is so bad we lose hours just stopping for gas.
Plus we got the Equal-i-zer (brand) equalizer and anti-sway 1 year ago after the horror of a cheap Husky with the nasty chains, and while it is far superior the bolts continue to become loose and the mounting brackets slide when backing even conservatively. The compression screw is a joke and is always coming loose as well. I emailed Equal-i-zer and got no response. At this point all of the bolts and steel hardware are bent and need to be replaced. I have taken the trailer out 3 times since getting the new Equalizer.
I am now wishing I had gotten a whole different set up. But live and learn. Hope you have some suggestions out there. Yes, we have all the proper gadgets to be safe and know how to use them.

showdog

[HudsonValleyTitan]

""The engine heats up so much that we have to run the AC a lot to stay comfortable and the mileage is so bad we lose hours just stopping for gas.""

Getting crappy mileage while towing....ok, that's normal. But I, for the life of me, don't understand your first statement. The engine heats up what?...the interior?? How does that happen? Did I read it wrong maybe? Your coolant temp guage should barely move regardless of outside temp or hills. Mine certainly never does, and I'm towing a heavier JayFlight.

[showdog]

Sorry I was unclear. The engine does not run hot, but the heat from the engine comes into the cab and makes it uncomfortable so I run the AC a lot which may be effecting the performance especially going up hills?

The truck itself does very well most of the time. If everyone gets the same gas mileage when towing that heavy of a load then maybe I do not have a problem?

Just spoke to a rep at Equal-i-zer who thinks I may need some additional hardware and was very helpful--called me back right away.

[HRTKD]

showdog, howdy from another Colorado Titan owner!

I tow a trailer but it's about 1,000 lbs lighter than yours (a guesstimate). I have been up I-70 and through mountain county roads with it. I have not experienced the engine heat coming into the cab. That's an odd one. My worst gas mileage was about 8 to 9 mpg.

If the road is steep I do turn off the A/C to preserve pulling power for the engine.

I have an '07 and it has a few more hp/tq than the '05 so that makes a small difference. I added a cold air intake and I think that helps the engine breathe better at the higher altitudes. Once when I was coming up to the Eisenhower tunnel the Titan was working harder than it ever had before - towing at 11,013 feet tends to do that! I'll be adding a Magnaflow muffler in hopes of gaining a little more extra power.

[showdog]

[quote=HRTKD]showdog, howdy from another Colorado Titan owner!

Hi--thanks for the response! The first trip we took (me and two girlfriends, one show dog) in the 30' trailer was to Eagle over the pass. Had no experience towing anything.
I think towing in the mountains, high elevations and even higher winds are probably the big thing we have to deal with. Trip we just took was to Albuquerque over Raton pass. The pass itself is not too bad, but the crosswinds were so violent that we could not go over 55, even with the Equal-i-zer. We need every bit of knowledge and hardware we can get to keep it all on the road and not have an incredibly stressful trip. Loved the tail wind on the way home, though.

[Carbeaux]

There's not much you're going to be able to do to make towing a 30 footer in high crosswinds anything but a white knuckle event. You've already got one of the best hitches out there.

[HRTKD]

There have been times driving through Wyoming that I couldn't go over 45 mph on dry roads. And that was without a trailer! A big trailer is like a sail. It catches the wind and you have to change your driving method as necessary.

[showdog]

Originally Posted by Carbeaux

There's not much you're going to be able to do to make towing a 30 footer in high crosswinds anything but a white knuckle event. You've already got one of the best hitches out there.

Well, that remains to be seen... I have photos of all the bent mounting brackets and pins. Hoping Equal-i-zer can fix it all. The support person said some trailers needed additional hardward to prevent the brackets from slipping. I had the dealership install it and they obviously did a really poor job.

[HudsonValleyTitan]

Originally Posted by showdog

Sorry I was unclear. The engine does not run hot, but the heat from the engine comes into the cab and makes it uncomfortable so I run the AC a lot which may be effecting the performance especially going up hills?

The truck itself does very well most of the time. If everyone gets the same gas mileage when towing that heavy of a load then maybe I do not have a problem?

Just spoke to a rep at Equal-i-zer who thinks I may need some additional hardware and was very helpful--called me back right away.

Oh ok, thanks for clearing that up. I use all Reese parts including the weight distributing hitch (with tension bars and chains) and just a single friction type sway control with my TT. I have no "white knuckle" complaints but lets face it...high cross winds do a number on these trucks WITHOUT towing a huge sail behind it. It's just the nature of the beast. As for mileage, I usually get between 6 and 10 MPG while towing. The more highway the better of course. Get a long hilly, backroad tow and you can almost hear it sucking the tank dry!

[Obsession]

I have an 05 XE I had a local mechanic put in a tranny cooler and I installed a class 4 receiver hitch and brake controller myself. The gears are not an issue. If I grab too much gear I shift it down on my handy button on my gear selector. I pull a 20 foot dual 7 thousand pound torsion axle trailer and have hauled well over the towing capacity with good electric brakes and well balanced load. I use a weight distribution hitch and just bought LT 17 inch tires. I tow antique tractors to shows on the above trailer. I only tow tractors no more than about 50 to 120 miles about five times a year.
I also pulled a 4 place snowmobile trailer up into the triple digits on a Yellowstone trip from Minnesota. 99 down the hills 88 up. I was negatively influenced by a group of snow crazy red necks. I was trying to keep up with a Duramax. The Duramax set his cruse at 95.
I also tow a 16 foot boat. It toys with that.
Most days the Titan acts as a Mini Van for my Wife and kids.
I know the larger campers pull very hard. Some of the diesels struggle with the larger ones to be careful not to buy one that is too large.

[mjtech12]

Hi Everyone,
I have been towing my SunsetCreek TT which is 6500Lbs Dry add another 1000Lbs for your stuff and my 08 Titan CC has had no problems at all its a great workhorse and mines a XE with the Tow Package now if you all look at the hitch its rated for 10500Lbs i know tounge weight plays a part in what you need to tow with but if the truck can pull 9600 or better i wouldn't even worry about it.

[RobKar]

Originally Posted by bfrank

Well Nissan's website says 7,400lbs. That about lines up with what everyone else has been saying. From what I'm reading on this website the most important thing to do is keep an eye on your tranny temp gauge and if it starts to rise then drop it out of D and into 4. That'll bring the temp back down.

What are you looking to tow? Do you already own something or are you going to buy a TT?

When Towing anything over about 1500lbs tow in 4th.

[Derwud]

Originally Posted by showdog

Hi--I have been reading these posts about towing since we got our Titan SE, big tow 4x4 for 3 years now. My experience is that loufish is correct. I don't follow the math either (figure it is right, though), but the Titan can't tow 9000 lbs or more. We are at 5000 feet here in CO and I tow a 6500lb Jayco Jayflight over the divide and assorted mtn passes here. The truck has to work pretty darn hard to do it and I get 5 miles to the gallon.
I thought I was being pretty conservative with the trailer I got--we don't load the truck down and maybe have 500lbs of stuff/show dogs in the trailer. Since I got it all everyone (even the dealership) is telling me that it is maxed out. I figured if the truck was supposed to tow 9000 I would subtract 1000 for the altitude, and another 1000 for being a woman AND a novice. Still too much for the truck. The engine heats up so much that we have to run the AC a lot to stay comfortable and the mileage is so bad we lose hours just stopping for gas.
Plus we got the Equal-i-zer (brand) equalizer and anti-sway 1 year ago after the horror of a cheap Husky with the nasty chains, and while it is far superior the bolts continue to become loose and the mounting brackets slide when backing even conservatively. The compression screw is a joke and is always coming loose as well. I emailed Equal-i-zer and got no response. At this point all of the bolts and steel hardware are bent and need to be replaced. I have taken the trailer out 3 times since getting the new Equalizer.
I am now wishing I had gotten a whole different set up. But live and learn. Hope you have some suggestions out there. Yes, we have all the proper gadgets to be safe and know how to use them.

showdog

As for the Equal-I-Zer, the bolts come loose due to wear, I check mine every 6 moths or so. I need to tear mine apart and clean and retorque everything. I have 2 different trailers running Equal-I-Zer on both and never had a problem with the brackets, I wonder if your trailers triangle beams are to narrow..

As for how heavy to tow, go with the trailers GVWR of the trailer and NOT dry weights.... Just beacuse it says the dry weight is 5.5k, don't believe it.. While you are looking, look at GVWR for the trailer..

If you live in an area that has high winds, stay under 26 feet.. You can go longer, but you are taking a huge risk if you get caught in bad weather..

[showdog]

Originally Posted by Derwud

As for the Equal-I-Zer, the bolts come loose due to wear, I check mine every 6 moths or so. I need to tear mine apart and clean and retorque everything. I have 2 different trailers running Equal-I-Zer on both and never had a problem with the brackets, I wonder if your trailers triangle beams are to narrow..

As for how heavy to tow, go with the trailers GVWR of the trailer and NOT dry weights.... Just beacuse it says the dry weight is 5.5k, don't believe it.. While you are looking, look at GVWR for the trailer..

If you live in an area that has high winds, stay under 26 feet.. You can go longer, but you are taking a huge risk if you get caught in bad weather..

Your info is really good as far as I am concerned. Too bad the dealerships here in the Denver area will not tell you these things--they seem to be only interested in selling the most expensive towables (largest) w/o regard for safety.
I have been working directly with Equal-i-zer customer service and they have been really great.
Their assessment of my situation (sent a ton of photos) is that the bolts holding the brackets were overtightened (had the dealer install it) and it caused the brackets to bow removing the metal on metal contact necessary to prevent slipping. They are sending replacement parts under warranty. I am so relieved as I would not tow my trailer w/o the Equal-i-zer and needed to know there was a reliable 'fix'. It has made a huge difference in my ability to tow the trailer and not be miserable the entire time.