[JJMAC1]

Going to have to drive from GA to AZ in a few months and I am wondering if I will be able to tow the wife's Toyota Sienna behind the Fronty on a tow carriage.

I have a 2007 nismo v6. I know that the engine will be able to handle it, but I am wondering if the tranny will or should I just pay to ship the minivan.

What do you guys think?

Thanks,
MAC

 

[Mathster]

How heavy is your trailer?
the sienna has a curb weight of 4275 so your getting close.

 

[JJMAC1]

No trailer. Was thinking of using a tow dolly but I just read on Uhaul that they only support 3500 lbs. How much can our fronty's handle? Is it worth the risk?

 

[Mathster]

I wouldn't go that far with a dolly on a frontier. No trailer brakes.
tow capacity is 6100 for 4x4 CC, and goes up to 6500 for 4x2 KC.
The truck can handle it with trailer brakes, just expect bad fuel mileage, and take it slow.

 

[Clint]

If it's not going to create a financial hardship, I would have it shipped. The drive will be less stressful and more enjoyable.
One thing many owners fail to follow is the towing break in procedure. It is for the first 500 TOWING miles and not part of the 1200 mile driving break in schedule. When you tow the gears in the differential engage deeper in the teeth and have to be treated differently so you don't have a premature failure.


Clint

 

[truckchick78]

Uhaul probably won't rent you the dolly if you are honest about what you are towing. I tried to rent one to tow a Caddy STS across town and they told me no. I definatly would not tow a Toyota Sienna that far behind my truck.

 

[Delta]

Uhaul has a car carrier that's made of aluminum, so it's light. Also it has a built in braking system in the tongue of the trailer. I wouldn't use a dolly ever again, the car carrier will be your best bet; not to mention it will be ALOT easier to back-up.

Just tell them you're carrying a Civic or something :lol:

 

[mustard23]

i think it will only work if there is 2 feet of snow..

 

[Mylt1]

If it's not going to create a financial hardship, I would have it shipped. The drive will be less stressful and more enjoyable.
One thing many owners fail to follow is the towing break in procedure. It is for the first 500 TOWING miles and not part of the 1200 mile driving break in schedule. When you tow the gears in the differential engage deeper in the teeth and have to be treated differently so you don't have a premature failure.


Clint

please quote any information on this. i have been towing everything from boats to trailers to campers since i was 16 and rebuilding rears for longer than that and have NEVER heard of this. gears are meshed using feeler gauges and nothing effects that other than shims. if someone has told you that as a fact then they are lying to you. there is no such thing as "towing brake in".

 

[Clint]

Read the owners manual under towing, it's in there.
I learned this in Club Titan (I had one) when the "know it alls" thought they could do and tow anything at any time and grenaded the rear differentials.

Clint

Just found my manual.
"For the first 500 miles that you tow a trailer, do not drive over 50 MPH and do not make starts at full throttle. This helps the engine and other parts of your vehicle wear in at the heavier loads."

I was told other info by my friends father who has a buiness that specializes in hardening steel. A lot happens when metal heats and cools. I feel he's more than qualified in his opinion about when metal fatigues and fails.

 

[Mathster]

Uhaul has a car carrier that's made of aluminum, so it's light. Also it has a built in braking system in the tongue of the trailer. I wouldn't use a dolly ever again, the car carrier will be your best bet; not to mention it will be ALOT easier to back-up.

Just tell them you're carrying a Civic or something :lol:

the uhaul trailers use surge brakes, the harder the trailer pushes, the more brake is applied. However, backing up, the brakes activate and lock up making you push harder locking them harder. surge brakes dont back very friendly. However, any trailer does back better than a tow dolly.

Some first hand experience on uhaul (atleast locally) if you show up in a compact or mid sized truck. you are automatically limited to 3000 pounds of trailer capacity. It doesn't matter what the door jamb says.

 

[Mylt1]

Read the owners manual under towing, it's in there.
I learned this in Club Titan (I had one) when the "know it alls" thought they could do and tow anything at any time and grenaded the rear differentials.

Clint

Just found my manual.
"For the first 500 miles that you tow a trailer, do not drive over 50 MPH and do not make starts at full throttle. This helps the engine and other parts of your vehicle wear in at the heavier loads."

I was told other info by my friends father who has a buiness that specializes in hardening steel. A lot happens when metal heats and cools. I feel he's more than qualified in his opinion about when metal fatigues and fails.

the motor as well as trans and rear is already warn in within the first 1500 miles of driving. adding towing weight wont change that. it cant reware in. again, NOTHING is going to change the way the gears mesh after the lash is set unless a shim wears out or the gears themselves start to wear out. i have installed more gear sets than i can count and once the lash is set its not going anywhere. ask yourself how can something wear in a second time. does that even make sense to you?

 

[Clint]

I'm not an expert on all things.
Just wonder about:
Why did Nissan take the time and purposely include that paragraph in the towing section of the owners manual?
I think Nissan does know a thing or two about premature failures and how to prevent them.


Clint

I don't doubt your abilities and knowledge but under load can't it change any dyanamics in the drivetrain?

 

[Mathster]

I'm not an expert on all things.
Just wonder about:
Why did Nissan take the time and purposely include that paragraph in the towing section of the owners manual?
I think Nissan does know a thing or two about premature failures and how to prevent them.


Clint

I don't doubt your abilities and knowledge but under load can't it change any dyanamics in the drivetrain?

Are you talking about the paragraph on page 5-19 of my 06 manual that says not to tow in the first 500 miles? I would imagine he has put 500 miles on his 07 by now.

 

[Clint]

I'm referring to the the second part about not towing over 50 mph for the first 500 towing miles.
As I see it, this is seperate from the original break in procedure.
My manual has it on a different page then yours but would think it's the same verbage.
There has to have been a precedant for them to print that item.

As always I come in here to share,to learn and to help when I can.
This is a productive forum.

Clint

 

[Mathster]

I found another caution on towing in section 9 that is along the lines of what your talking about. I hadn't looked much at the towing section for my gen 2.

 

[Clint]

I found another caution on towing in section 9 that is along the lines of what your talking about. I hadn't looked much at the towing section for my gen 2.

Mine is section 9-24

Clint

 

[JJMAC1]

well,

I certainly have broke the truck in as far as towing. Have a popup camper that is pretty heavy and have been offoad with it and up to 13000 feet here in the rockies.

But I guess I just wont take the chance by towng such a load across the southern part of this country.

That said, should I be worried about the tranny or not? I can always get a brake controller...

 

[Mathster]

There are better tow rigs obviously, but I think it will be fine for occational towing 5 or 6000 pounds with proper maintenance.

 

[00 FRONTIER]

My brother in law towed a 1972 Cadillac Deville from CA to Portland, OR with an old Range Rover and did okay. I guarantee that Cadi weighed way more than the van.

I towed a 69 Lincoln Continental on a tow dolly with a GMC Envoy. Brakes sucked and the car/dolly combo seemed to wonder some. It was a short trip, but I was puckered the entire time.