[Fyouberg]

I am preparing to purchase a 19' travel trailer. The dry weight is 3069 lbs. and it's a single axle unit. My truck is a 2015 Frontier SL 4x2, 6 cyl. crew cab and came with a hitch and a 7-pin connector. I have a zillion questions and here are the ones at the top:

Has my truck got enough omph to pull this trailer at highway speeds? (65 mph)

How can I tell if this truck came with a transmission cooler? If it doesn't should I have one installed?

What brand of brake controller does the job and doesn't cost an arm and a leg?

Are there other modifications that I should consider before towing?

Other cautions or advice?

Fred Y.

 

[Nissan4Life]

Should be able to do 65.
pretty sure all autos came with a cooler. Question is if you want to put a bigger one in.
You should add airbags to the rear suspension.

 

[GMK14]

I'm using the Tekonsha P3 trailer brake controller, I found it on sale on amazon for pretty inexpensive and the cable that just plugged into the trucks trailer controller plug under the dash. The install was just plug and play. Its easy to adjust pressures and everything is pretty straight forward on it, plus you can use it with up to 5 different truck if needed (i think its five it was a bunch anyway).

Definitely get air bags and maybe a sway control set-up to.

 

[ghmpm]

Your SL is top of the line so am sure it is set up to tow with no problems. Transmission cooler is standard as is the tow package. I also have a Tekonsha brake controller and it works fine. Watch your speeds and change oil more frequently and you should do fine.

 

[jp1]

Should be able to do 65.
pretty sure all autos came with a cooler. Question is if you want to put a bigger one in.
You should add airbags to the rear suspension.

Will the airbags do much to change the ride quality while not towing or hauling?

I'm also looking at getting a 19' TT like the OP in the Spring and was considering the airbags for the back.
Since the truck is my daily driver though, I didn't want to make affect the daily, unloaded ride quality much.

 

[ratman6161]

I am preparing to purchase a 19' travel trailer. The dry weight is 3069 lbs. and it's a single axle unit. My truck is a 2015 Frontier SL 4x2, 6 cyl. crew cab and came with a hitch and a 7-pin connector. I have a zillion questions and here are the ones at the top:

Has my truck got enough omph to pull this trailer at highway speeds? (65 mph)

How can I tell if this truck came with a transmission cooler? If it doesn't should I have one installed?

What brand of brake controller does the job and doesn't cost an arm and a leg?

Are there other modifications that I should consider before towing?

Other cautions or advice?

Fred Y.

Its really the fully loaded weight that counts. But since its a single Axle I'm assuming the GVWR for the trailer is probably 3500 - 4000? With the proper gear, that should not be a problem.

In that weight range, seems to me the aerodynamics are almost more important than the weight. My snowmobile trailer is a 16x7 enclosed and its manufacturer claims 1065 pounds empty. With a spare tire and other stuff I keep in there, I'm guessing its about 1300 before I put sleds in it. I estimate the weight of the two sleds, including a full tank of gas and other gear in each at about 1200. Throw about 200 pounds of baggage back there and you get to about 2700 + or -. The point I'm headed for is that how the engine performs doesn't seem too much different in how it feels or in gas mileage between hauling it empty Vs hauling it full. So I'm figuring its got to be the aerodynamics of the trailer that's the real issue.

My trailer is a 7 foot wide and I think most travel trailers are 8 foot? So aerodynamics will be worse and the trailer will be heavier than mine too.

I think all 4L's have a transmission cooler from the factory even if you don't have the factory towing package. If you have the factory towing package then hooking up a brake controller is easy. If you look on etrailer.com you can get a package that includes the brake controller itself and the adapter cable you will need to just plug it into the connector behind the steering wheel.

 

[shift_RUSH]

You can simply air up/down on an as-needed basis. If you're handy and like electrical mods, then an on-board compressor w/ an in-cabin controller & gauge will work well. Will recommend that you keep both sides separate as opposed to one closed loop, fwiw. My system has 2 Schrader valves located near back bumper and I use a manual high-volume bicycle pump to do the deed...requiring only 3-5 pumps to go from 0-25psi, or anywhere in between. I frequently haul +/-650 lbs in the bed = air up to 20-25psi. Unloaded = air down to 8-10psi. Best mod to date, imo.

 

[Ryno_7]

A weight distribution hitch is nice to have, a better solution than air bags in my opinion but you could also have both! The Frontier has plenty of power for towing, at 65mph you'll likely see 10-13mpg depending how aerodynamic your trailer is. Your transmission cooler is integrated to the radiator, a known failure on 2005-2010 trucks (atf/coolant cross contamination). I have a 6spd and run along in 5th when towing on the highway, I've heard it's wise to turn overdrive off in the automatic trucks.

 

[Nissan4Life]

Will the airbags do much to change the ride quality while not towing or hauling?

I'm also looking at getting a 19' TT like the OP in the Spring and was considering the airbags for the back.
Since the truck is my daily driver though, I didn't want to make affect the daily, unloaded ride quality much.

Depends on how much air you have in there. THe airbags replace your factory bump stops so they need to have air in them all the time; 10 psi or so. You will not notice the 10psi. But at 30 ish psi you will start to notice it being stiff if your are not loaded. Airbags are a must if you want to keep your rig level when towing. A level rig keep enough weight over your front tires so that handling is minimally affected.

 

[Fyouberg]

thanks everyone for the advice. I've ordered my brake controller and have also found a similar unit for rent. I plan to rent it in January and pull it several hundred miles to a state park. If I'm on the straight and level and the truck is not searching for a gear, is it OK to run it in overdrive at 65?

 

[V8 man]

So long as you are not hunting in and out of overdrive it is save to use it. If it is shifting a lot when it really shouldn't be, that is the time to turn the overdrive off. Also on down hills you can turn the OD off to help control speed and not cook the brakes. While at it don't be afraid to downshift into 3rd, or 2nd as well. You can do 1st as well but by then you are already under 30MPH.

 

[shift_RUSH]

Airbags are a must if you want to keep your rig level when towing.

When towing at night a level rig means your headlight beams are not in the trees.

 

[ArklatexRed]

What is the terrain were you will be towing? I tow a pontoon boat with an advertised dry weight of 3357 lbs in the foothills of the Oachita Mtns in AR, level terrain 65 is no problem but long uphill pulls drop me down to 60 then the transmission down shifts. Mine may have a quirk but several times my cruise control cuts out if the speed gets below 55. I would think the front profile of your trailer may also impact the towing experience, is it somewhat aerodynamic or a giant sail sitting in the wind stream? My boat sits well above the cab and the play pen area is pretty flat, don't think that would be considered aerodynamic.

Sent from my VK810 4G using Tapatalk

 

[OutFrontFrontier]

My trailer has a GVWR of 2900lbs, I can pull 70+ w/o issue. I rarely use OD when pulling but I prefer a lil more throttle response over MPGs. I use the Tekonsha P3 as others have mentioned. I added air bags after my 2nd trip towing. With the canopy, bed loaded & camper she was squatting too much for me, at 30psi it is dead level.
Looks like there's a set of Timbren load levelers in the classifieds- http://www.clubfrontier.org/forums/f114/timbren-ses-kit-249090/

 

[nealinnevada]

I wouldn't tow without a way to monitor transmission fluid temperature. Seriously, your truck will pull it fine, it is stopping I would be most concerned about (and the tranny fluid temperature).

 

[V8 man]

Load equalizing hitch evenly loads the truck. Takes the trailer tongue weight and puts it on all 4 tires. Airbags just to level the truck only levels the truck but does not distribute weight to all 4 tires. The rear axle still has all the tongue weight and the weight leveraged off the front axle as well.

And the cruise control will kick off if the speed drops by 10MPH. If you set to 65 and hit a hill that pulls you down to 55, the cruise will drop out. That is just how it works.

 

[mtyler11]

thanks everyone for the advice. I've ordered my brake controller and have also found a similar unit for rent. I plan to rent it in January and pull it several hundred miles to a state park. If I'm on the straight and level and the truck is not searching for a gear, is it OK to run it in overdrive at 65?

Any time the trans starts to hunt (shifting back & forth between 2 gears) its best to drop down a gear. Shifting out of OD does nothing if its hunting between 3rd&4th... If its not hunting, let it run what it wants to run for efficiency.
When headed downhill you'll have to drop down a gear or 2 for engine braking to be of any use. If you're coming down a hill at 45-50 4th gear isn't slowing anything, you'd have to drop to 3rd.

Attached is an excerpt from the FSM. The Half-throttle upshift numbers give you a general idea what max speed you should be at when manually downshifting. Full-throttle numbers are the "break-it" speeds...