Need advice on preparing 2008 King Titan XE for pulling a TT.

bennyb2 · 07-31-2009, 03:00 AM

I purchased my basic Titan XE in 2008 and it did not have a towing package. I am now about to purchase a travel trailer and need to prepare my truck to be able to handle the load. I'm having Uhaul install a class 3 hitch with a brake controller, but that's all I've done at this point.

I know that I'm going to need some wider mirrors and I'm planning on purchasing a WD. The trailer will be a 33' Forest River Rockwood with a dry weight of about 6100#.

Any suggestions on how I might prepare my 2008 King Titan XE to best pull this TT?

Your help would be much appreciated,

Benny

BK19702 · 07-31-2009, 05:13 AM

What's the GVWR of the trailer? You may be pushing the tow capacity of a non-BT Titan. Tow rating is only going to 6500LBS or so (if you have steel wheels - a little higher if you go with SE or LE alloys). The 33' length may be a little scary too; do you have a LWB XE or SWB?

In general, WD hitch, towing mirrors, trailer brake controller are all musts - tow in 4th, grab 3rd on hills.

NBhunter80 · 07-31-2009, 06:20 AM

You will definitely be exeeding the rating of a non-bt titan. The gearing will be the thing that hurts you the most. If you plan on pulling your trailer often, then I would seriously consider upgrading to the BT gears (if you are 2wd this would be relatively easy). You also might want to look into a tranny temp guage. As was said before, make sure you always tow in 4th, and drop down if you need on the hills. If you tow in D, your tranny WILL overheat. Mine will heat up with a 6500# horse trailer if I tow in D, and I have the BT model. Always tow in 4th, and you will have less overheating issues. For what it's worth, if you don't plan on upgrading the gears, you might want to invest in a guage pod for your pillar and throw a dif temp and tranny temp guage up there. That way you can ease up if you notice your temps rising. You definitely don't want to hurt the truck and get stranded while towing your big trailer. As was mentioned before, you will need a WD hitch and trailer brake controller at min. You may want to upgrade to BT mirrors, or just get some cheapo mirror extenders to clip onto the non-bt mirrors. The main thing when towing that weight with your truck will be to take it easy. Don't worry about gearing down and slowing while going up hills. And make sure you have your trailer brakes properly adjusted for the loaded weight of your trailer. Good luck!

bennyb2 · 07-31-2009, 11:05 PM

Thank you so much for this wealth of information. When I first purchased my Titan, I never even considered pulling a TT someday. I have personalized it by making several upgrades. I guess now I'm going to have to do some more upgrading.

I'm not quite as savy with all the "Titan terminology", so please excuse my questions about your suggestions.

I do have the 2WD, so how costly would it be to change to the BT gears at this point. Is this something that should be done by the dealer?

Also, I wasn't quite sure what you meant by, "guage pod for your pillar and throw a dif temp". Can you elaborate?

I will definitely investing in the WD and am considering the BT mirrors. Do you happen to know if the 2008 XE is wired for the BT mirrors? I may have to just use some cheapo ones if I can't get the others.

This TT was a gift for my wife's 50th birthday and unfortunately, she has found one that will stretch my towing capacity, so I really need to try to find a way to make this happen with my 2008 Titan. I can't afford to try to trade this in just yet.

Thanks for your advice and I look forward to your response.

Benny

bennyb2 · 08-01-2009, 01:38 AM

BK,

I had to go to the manufacturer website to find out the GVWR and it looks like it is 8058#. The specific TT is a Forest River Rockwood model 8315SS.

In regards to your question about whether or not I have a short or a long wheel base, to be quite honest, I'm not sure. I do know that it has the 6' 5" bed on it. I guess I need to visit my manual.....

With all the research I've done, I recognize I'm pushing the limit here. I just need to determine if I can make the necessary upgrades to my XE in order to safely pull this. It's just not an option at this time to trade out my truck. I bought the truck in Sept. 2007 and it only has about 14K miles on it.

Thanks for taking the time to provide some input.

Benny

**loufish** · 08-01-2009, 09:02 AM

Quote:

I had to go to the manufacturer website to find out the GVWR and it looks like it is 8058#. The specific TT is a Forest River Rockwood model 8315SS.

That's a very nice trailer....Too bad it's the wrong one for your truck...

Tell at the very least you have now learned you ALWAYS get the tow package no matter what manufacture.

I really don't mean to bag on you.....but you bought a $25,000 plus truck and did no homework before the purchase AND then did the same thing with your $20,000 trailer....You have to admit it's kind of silly to ask all the right questions AFTER the purchase...If we were sitting down togather playing a little poker and knocking back a few, that would be my reply...

Too much trailer for that truck...there I said it...

You'll get advice on helpersprings, air bags, SuperSprings and when the dust clears....

Too much trailer for that truck...

Not meant to be harsh, but it is the bottom line.

Too bad because that's a great floorplan!...I'd like to own that trailer, and if I had a bigger truck that would be one of the trailers at the top of a short list...

Smoke05 · 08-01-2009, 08:38 PM

There have been a few posts here about non Big Tow folks having tranny heat issues when towing over the limit Nissan set for non BT Titans. Your gearing is what is going to kill you. Where a BT will sometimes require grabbing 3rd gear, you will likely need 2nd. Towing heavy with a truck not equipped for it will get old quick if you do it over any distance or frequency.

bennyb2 · 08-01-2009, 10:07 PM

Thanks to everyone for your advice. As it has turned out, the TT we were hoping to get wasn't really worth the asking price after all. To be quite honest, with all the issues that it was going to cause for my truck, I'm glad it didn't work out. Of course, my wife was a little disappointed, but we're taking another look at getting something much lighter.

This has certainly been a learning experience.....

Benny

**loufish** · 08-02-2009, 12:22 AM

Quote:

Thanks to everyone for your advice. As it has turned out, the TT we were hoping to get wasn't really worth the asking price after all. To be quite honest, with all the issues that it was going to cause for my truck, I'm glad it didn't work out. Of course, my wife was a little disappointed, but we're taking another look at getting something much lighter.

Plenty of good floorplans out there more suited for your truck...

Derwud · 08-02-2009, 10:50 AM

Look for a trailer with a GVWR of 7K or less and you will be fine!!

NBhunter80 · 08-04-2009, 06:32 AM

Quote:

Also, I wasn't quite sure what you meant by, "guage pod for your pillar and throw a dif temp". Can you elaborate?

A guage pod is simply a plastic housing that you can put aftermarket guages in...and I meant for the pillar on your drivers side where the holy sh*t handle is. You can get pods that will fit up to 3 aftermarket guages. You would want one guage for tranny temp, and possibly one for rear dif temp. That way you can monitor your temperatures. But I'm glad you are looking at lighter trailers. That one you mentioned is more suitable for the big diesels. Remember to ask all your questions before dropping a bunch of money! Good luck.