Hi all,
I have a 2012 Frontier Pro4X crew cab. Fantastic truck, which I have towed a 2000 lb pop up camper with for the past 2 years with no issues. We are trading up to a 23' 4800lb Airstream. Just wondering if anyone else is towing a similar weight, and if so did you make any mods or discover any tricks? It's about 80% of the Frontier's capacity so I should be good, but it's a lot of weight for a mid size nonetheless. I do have a trailer brake controller. Thoughts?
Watch your rear axle weight and gross weight of the Fronty. I tow a 3850 lb trailer and I've been on the scales weighting in at 5800 lbs with only the front and rear axle on the scales.
I do have weight distribution hitch and that pretty much eliminates sway.
Power has not been an issue at all even in mountain passes. Pleasantly surprised at the power.
I will definitely be getting the weight distribution hitch. I just finished up a review on all the 14' 1/2 ton trucks. None of them did better than 11 mpg towing. Not sure if the Frontier can be much worse...
That's 4800lbs before you add all you food, ammenities, water, etc. I would think you would be overweight real quick, not sure I would go down that road. Our brakes are bad enough as is.
Hi: daviscr5... Don't tow an Airstream but we do tow a 5th. wheel trailer. Our Escape 5.0TA is 3700# dry wt. with a pin wt. of 600#. The trailer is 21' 6" long with the hitch directly over the axle and we get around 15.5 mpg's towing.
The only mod we did to the 2010 V6 CC LB truck is add the heated powered extendable trailer tow mirrors from 1AAuto. I just relined the rear brakes and added new tires @ 60,000 miles.1A Auto : Aftermarket Auto Parts, Car Body Parts, Replacement & New Automobile and Truck Parts | Buy Discount Car & Auto Parts Online
CanNissan N.S. of Lake Erie :hi:
Thanks for the ideas. 15.5 mpg is impressive considering I only get around 16.8 without a trailer. I'm going to give itowing the Airstream a shot but am fairly certain I'll have to breakdown and trade our Passat for an F150. The Frontier will stay!
IMO, 5,000# trailer is too much for a Frontier. Plan for 8 to 10 mpg when towing and stay out of overdrive. Hope your CC isn't a short bed. Long beds tow better.
5k lbs is still 1100 lbs less than max. Latest full sized shootout demonstrated that most of the big V8s and eco tech v6 didn't do much better than 11 or 12 mpg towing. Will give it a shot and let the group know. I plan on keeping it at no more than 65 mph on the highway.
We are looking at a Jay Flight @ 4200/dry. Interesting to see how things develop.
There are different "dry" weights as some are from factory with propane and generator fuel on board.
With an equalizer hitch the class 3 is good to 8000 lbs. The Frontier is still capped at 6100. Even with 400 lbs of water and propane it is well within the capabilities of the truck. Most people tend to overpack when camping, but I would be hard pressed to pack another 1,500 lbs to max it out.
There was a link to a video somewhere here of 3 "burly" gentlemen taking a Frontier up some way long hill with a large boat in tow and it seemed to take it all in stride.
We are looking at a Jay Flight @ 4200/dry. Interesting to see how things develop.
There are different "dry" weights as some are from factory with propane and generator fuel on board.
With an equalizer hitch the class 3 is good to 8000 lbs. The Frontier is still capped at 6100. Even with 400 lbs of water and propane it is well within the capabilities of the truck. Most people tend to overpack when camping, but I would be hard pressed to pack another 1,500 lbs to max it out.
There was a link to a video somewhere here of 3 "burly" gentlemen taking a Frontier up some way long hill with a large boat in tow and it seemed to take it all in stride.
3 ten pound sleeping bags
1 twenty pound cast iron dutch oven
Just a single bag of ice for the cooler is ten to twenty pounds, a decent cooler typically pushes 50 pounds.
There's a hundred pounds of stuff in the blink of an eye.
Camping gear adds up fast. Not that any single item is heavy, but there are a LOT of little items.
I don't deny that many people over pack for camping, but having done it for a very long time we have it down to not exactly bare bones, but sensible selection.
Not sure what you have for stuffing in your sleeping bags?? :surprise: Lead shot maybe? Sheets, a comforter and pillows might be 15 lbs all in.
2 aluminum pots and 2 cast iron pans, maybe 15 lbs.
Ice??? We don't make mixed drinks and virtually every travel trailer has a fridge/freezer hence eliminating the need for coolers.
For 2 people for a week we'd be hard pressed to load the trailer to 6100 lbs, and even if it got close to that there's alternate storage in the truck.
Most don't pack bare bones uber light. I know plenty of people who still bring a cooler loaded with drinks so you are not constantly going in and out of the fridge. Those RV fridges are will known for slow recovery. Having a cold drink sitting next to the chair is so much nicer than having to run into the RV for each drink. All those little cubby holes hide a lot of weight in little bits.
Just like going grocery shopping, each item is light. But try and lift them all at once and it is a lot of weight.
Yep, that store is a life saver some days. I remember you posted where/how much you got your tow mirrors from/for. I found a thread about them and links to the site for 1A. Is there any advantage to the ebay vendor? The link to ebay just went to closed item sold.
So I pulled the trigger on the tow mirrors, with exchange and shipping and brokerage and taxes I should get in at about double the listed price. How I love living north of the border. What was all that Free Trade BS anyway?
Hi: Mach1tosh... We were so lucky to get 'em while in Florida!!! Sorry that crossing the line is still not "Free Trade".. not even fair trade but 1AAuto trailer tow mirrors are worth it though!!!
CanNissan N.S. of Lake Erie :hi:
It sounds like you will be within limits on the trailer, but I would suggest getting the truck and unpacked trailer weighed together and maybe a dry run loaded weight as well. You may be pleasantly surprised or disappointed at the actual weight you are hauling.
That's impressive! I've hunted around the Airstream forum and can't believe what tow vehicles are being used out there - especially with enthusiasts in Europe. Much smaller and many fewer horsepower than our Frontiers. Agreed that it has a lot to do with the driver. I will have a Reese weight distribution system along with trailer brakes. I'm expecting ~4800 lbs for the trailer and about 300 lbs of gear. My only disappointment is that I'd like to travel with my 13' Ninja 1000 in the bed as a mountain road weapon. I think that may be a bit much, especially since my tail gate cables have stretched a bit over my past few trips with the bike in the back. That said, I think the truck is up to the task...although I wouldn't mind getting a new F150 5.0 crew cab to complement my Frontier....?
So picked up the trailer today. Looks a little low at the back but the weight distributing hitch hasn't arrived yet. If that doesn't do the trick, overload springs.
4200 lbs. and the truck pulled it great. The hardest part was keeping it under 50 MPH (80 KPH), as per the owner's manual. Happy trails ahead.
well done sir! I liked following this thread, looks like its squatting a tad. lol. keep us posted with the mods you do to help that. That's the size trailer my wife and I would like
Thanks, it's just the 2 of us also. Great previously enjoyed with queen bed walkaround, full kitchen (3 burner stove w/oven, fridge freezer & microwave) and a full bathroom across the back.
I've always preferred air bags over any kind of extra spring on a truck. I don't rock crawl, so I don't worry about articulation and it's nice to be able to air them up only when need rather than drive around with the extra stiff ride in the back more spring would possibly give you.
I have thought about air bags and while yes they are more flexible I'm more of a low tech (cheap LOL) kinda guy. I'm not dismissing bags but will see how the equalizer hitch changes the stance.
Hi: Mach1tosh... A WDH should take care of the tug droop. Towing a little nose down is better than nose up though. Adding cargo weight, if possible, behind the axles of the trailer will help offset tongue wt. too!!! BTW nice rig...for a "sticky".
CanNissan N.S. of Lake Erie :hi:
Thanks, see how polite we Canadians are to each other. A "sticky" that cost 1/3 what your "chiclet" did. Weight distribution is important as you say, but the only "cargo" on board coming home was the full propane tanks. Hard to move it around ::wink::.
Congratulations on your new trailer, really looking forward to hearing how you like it and how the truck does after a good long haul. I've had my eye on a GreyWolf 19RR toy hauler for some time now, ~4200lbs dry weight just like yours. I've heard a lot of back and forth on whether or not it's something i should be towing, but not many people with actual experience towing that size trailer with our trucks.
I've started armoring my truck for such task, got ride rite air bags first, then a Tekonsha P3 brake controller, most recently the 1A auto tow mirrors, and soon I'll be getting my 3.69 gears installed to help make up for my over sized tires. Oh and i almost forgot, I'll most definitely be adding a very large transmission cooler when I get the chance.
As you already know the Tow Mirrors are a necessity, and worth every penny, as for the over load springs, i'd recommend going with the airbags, they are hands down the best all around modification I've done to the truck. They allow me to stiffen up the ride when i need it, and soften it up when i'm not towing or hauling.
Anyway, best of luck with the new toy, can't wait to hear how the truck tows it on the long haul. ::smile::
Thanks, the mirrors and equalizer hitch are speeding to my door as I type this. I'm using a Curt brake controller and found 3.5 worked nicely, not to much that it jerks the trailer around but still plenty to provide adequate braking.
The drive home was about 110 miles on rural highway, traffic lights,several small towns and a few hills.
The temp gauge stayed nice and low during the whole trip so I'm pretty certain that on the whole it's going to be a good tow rig.
Hi: Mach1tosh... A WDH should take care of the tug droop. Towing a little nose down is better than nose up though. Adding cargo weight, if possible, behind the axles of the trailer will help offset tongue wt. too!!! BTW nice rig...for a "sticky".
CanNissan N.S. of Lake Erie :hi:
Hi: Mach1tosh... With the bathroom across the back it'll take a lot of TP to offset the propane tanks!!! I also thought that a trailer classed as a 21 would be that from hitch to bumper. Our fiberglass egg is 21' 6" pin to bumper.
I sold our '07 Escape 5.0 for 2 Grand less than I payed for it after 7 years. They hold their value better than a Fronty!!!
CanNissan N.S. of Lake Erie :hi:
One word, airbags. Do it, don't be cheap. They will make your truck and WD hitch work much better together. Electric brakes go without saying also.
Don't be an amateur so go with both. You are pushing your max limits.
Bags are much better than extra springs.
With that said my 4500 +- flatbed & off road car pull better behind my Frontier (motor wise) than my V-10 van.
My V-10 gets 6-9 mpg towing an my Frontier get 7-10 mpg.
One word, airbags. Do it, don't be cheap. They will make your truck and WD hitch work much better together. Electric brakes go without saying also.
Don't be an amateur so go with both. You are pushing your max limits.
Bags are much better than extra springs.
With that said my 4500 +- flatbed & off road car pull better behind my Frontier (motor wise) than my V-10 van.
My V-10 gets 6-9 mpg towing an my Frontier get 7-10 mpg.
I have a 4WheelParts shop in the neighborhood and am going to look into the airbag option as they seem to be a popular upgrade among the group. Wonder if the Pro4X Bilstein shocks would make a difference on their own?? Should have a ride report by Sunday...
Yes, I have them in two diffferent Silverado's I use as a contractor, just as the back would start to squat they make contact and hold the load and cushion it too. My friend (another contractor) uses them and suggested I try them myself.
I have the Hellwig 1000 pound springs for a first gen on my 2011. They work well for a reasonable price, and I didn't notice too much change in ride quality.
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