Buy a bigger truck.

 

an 04 with a 6 speed is that a type O?

1. about 5500# was the heaviest i've towed simi regularly tow about 4500 open aluminum car trailer and my 92 XJ.

2. i dont have the 6 speed just a 5 speed auto with OD off and i can run at 60-70 most of the time just a little high in the RPM band. with out a trans temp gauge I would not tow in 6th gear personally.

3. again auto didnt find the need to have to down shift a lot for hills and such when on the highway a few times it would drop down. local roads and lower speeds a lot more often.

4. Intake, exhaust, lightweight pulleys, intake manifold spacer, 2* timing bump and 93 octane fuel. Felt like the truck had more then enough tq when ever i needed it. Haven't towed yet with the superchips tuner or with the R1 concepts brakes

I would recommend getting the air bag load helpers because with weight on the rear it dose sag a good amount. Also, and i plan on doing this soon, get a trans temp gauge if you plan on towing a good amount so you can see what its doing along and then allowing you to adjust your driving so you are not burning up the trans. And big key if you don't already get a good electric brake controler and upgrade your pads if you plan on doing a lot of towing because towing easy its the stopping that's harder on the trucks.

 

Not sure I would say buy a bigger truck. If you are going to tow around 5000lbs, you should be fine.

Do you have a CC or happen to have a CC long bed? They have a longer wheel base and can tow with minimal trailer sway because of that. The 4.0 litre in our Nissans has a lot of hp, and I've heard a ton of good things about that motor. (granted the Taco has a 4.0 litre, but it has 40 less hp than the 4.0 litre in the Nissan).

I think you will be fine.

If you are bored or just want to test it, and have some money laying around, go rent a U-haul trailer for a few hours, and tow it around. If you put a smaller car on it, it would be probably 5000lbs.

Perfromance adds, I would consider intake/chip/exhaust to let it breathe.

I saw a thread somewhere about mpg and towing with your Nissan, and it sux, but I'm sure that is a common theme with all trucks/trailers.

Hitch it up and drive it!

 

I would not tow a 25' trailer with these trucks. Remember towing a 5000lb boat or open trailer is ALOT different from towing a 5000lb camper. The frontal area on those ****ers is HUGE. Not to mention you are pre-07 so you have the shorter wheel base, your going to have to be careful about getting into a sway situation.


Will the truck tow it? Sure it will, but you will hate every mile. You will be working the truck very hard and it will show it. Get a bigger truck, it will tow better, ride better, get better gas mileage, and last longer.

we towed our boat with a titan, a D40, a D22, and a Armada (QX56). The D22 was miserable, it was working its pants off to do 55 and was just not good- very tiring to drive, the D40 was adequate, it will still working really hard, and ride and control suffered , and the Titan/Armada was comfortable, barely noticed it was back there. if your going to be going on long trips, you want a vehicle that will tow that trailer comfortably.

 

I've towed a couple cars on an open car trailer, so 4500-5000lbs or so?
The engine is well up to the task- plenty of power-
My trailer has brakes but I didn't have them hooked up, and just using the truck's brakes they seemed good enough.
If I was doing any frequent towing in the 5000-6000lb range, I would hook up the trailer brakes and get a weight-distributing hitch with sway control.
To make my car trailer tow right without any sway I had to have a lot of tongue weight which made the truck squat a lot.
I thought about the airbag thing but decided against it- it might level the truck but all that weight is still on the rear axle- versus a weight-distributing hitch which will send it to the front too.

I'm actually looking at getting a trailer similar to you- 6000lbs with an 800lb tongue weight, and that's right at the "limit".
I'd rather have a little breathing room so I'm thinking that with a WD hitch and stiffer springs in the front and rear (which I want to do anyway for a mild lift) I will be fine.

Oh and also- 04- that must be a typo?
And I have a 6-spd too- as you know 6th is super-tall, and while towing it's pretty worthless-

 

I have a 24' Cobra Sandpiper travel trailer with a 5500 lb. GVWR. The frontier will pull the type of travel trailer you are talking about but it is a less than ideal situation. The engine really isn't the problem, sure it won't pull the 10,000 foot passes in my area at 60 mph, but it will maintain a continuous 45 in 3rd gear which isn't too bad. On the highway in Colorado I have never used 6th gear. I am usually alternating between 4th and 5th.
The rear suspension is the real culprit here. With a 600 lb. tongue weight located about three feet behind the rear axle the suspension sags noticeably. Any time the truck and trailer hit any type of rough road the weight of the trailer makes you a little uncomfortable in the drivers seat. This is with a weight distributing hitch.
I have never had any problems with the frontier brakes, they seem up to the task.
I'm not trying to dissuade you, but perhaps you should try to tow the trailer you like before you buy. With a trailer of the size you are talking about, you will be very aware at all times that it is back there. You will probably be on edge most of the time while driving. Towing a travel trailer is much much different than towing a flatbed trailer with a vehicle on it or a boat trailer.
Feel free to ask me any questions about my combination

Forgot to add, I assume those weights are what the manufacturer claims are the unloaded vehicle weight rating. You would probably be a lot closer to the actual trailer weight by assuming it is the GVWR. Once you add on options and pack all of your stuff in there the trailer weight will skyrocket.

Also try the rv.net forums. They are a wealth of information.

 

I tow a 25' Prowler camper that weighs 5370lbs with my 07 CC auto trans. It is no trouble at all. I do have trailer brakes and a weight distributing hitch with sway control. So far it has been great. I bought the camper in Marion NC and towed it home to Clemson SC through some tough mountains and I was impressed with the Frontier.

 

Thank you for the information. First, my truck is a 2006, not a 2004...that was a typo...sorry about that. It is a club cab, not a crew cab. In comparing specs, my '06 has 9" more wheelbase than the '04 and slightly wider track. The '06 has 55 more hp and 38 more ft lb of torque.

Still, In summary, It sounds like I might be better off getting a Titan (or larger truck of some other make) to tow a 5000-5500 lb camping trailer if I want to be driving without worrying about it swaying. I don't want to be constantly worrying about having a trailer behind me. With the Titan, I'd probably be driving in 5th gear with the V-8 and auto trans on level roads, and getting better gas mileage than I would with the Frontier's V-6 and 6-speed, having to drivie with it in 5th gear.

With any truck, I'd get a weight distribution hitch and use trailer brakes. I'd also opt for a cold air intake system and a performance exhaust system for better breathing.

 

I tow a 24' that weights in at 4500lbs loaded up and the truck tows really nice. The downside is the mileage. I get better mileage than a titan on everyday driving but a Titan gets much better mileage than me towing a similarly sized travel trailer. A lot depends on how much you will be towing and working out the difference in mileage. If you tow a lot you could actually spend less on fuel in a year on a Titan than a Frontier.

 

in towed a 4300 pound uhaul from blacksburg va to asheville nc. As already stated, engine power is not the problem.(I have an 85 mph in a 65 ticket to prove it) You will not spend much time in 5th gear especially if you plan on driving on a road with any sort of grade. It does all right but can be slightly unstable on mountain passes and during high winds. also be careful not to burn up your clutch while trying to back said uhaul trailer up a steep driveway in 2wd.