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Old 09-30-2013, 12:18 PM   #1
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Towing 5.0 with Frontier?

Wondering if the other folks who are towing a 5.0 Escape with a Nissan Frontier have looked at all the weight issues carefully.

We just recently weighed our setup (shown in our signature) and are a bit surprised by the numbers as discussed in this thread:

http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f9...tier-2829.html

If you tow a 5.0 with A frontier, what are your numbers?
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Old 09-30-2013, 01:32 PM   #2
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I tow mine with a 2009 Ranger and have found that you have to be really careful on how you load the trailer to keep the pin weight down. I keep my fresh water full (behind the axle), have bikes in the back and load all the heavy stuff on or behind the axle. That keeps the pin weight down to about 700lbs and once the truck is loaded with passengers and gear I have about 100lbs to spare for my truck GVW. The problem arises when you are out camping and the black and grey water tanks start to fill because they are in front of the axle ........ you have to find a dump station fast because full tanks can add up to 500lbs to the weight in front of the axle and about another 200lbs to the pin weight.

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Old 09-30-2013, 01:41 PM   #3
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Have you ever looked up your Combined Weight of Occupants and Cargo to see how much weight in passengers and cargo your tow is rated for?
(Ours was printed on the label in the door jamb.)
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Old 09-30-2013, 02:06 PM   #4
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I tow a 2013 5.0 with a 2012 Frontier SV 4.0L 4wd crew cab long bed. I have not weighed the trailer, but the label on my truck's door jamb states the combined weight of occupants and cargo should not exceed 1102 lbs.
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Old 09-30-2013, 02:19 PM   #5
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I think the compact trucks like Ranger, Taco and Frontier short bed and Sport Trac have a limited weight of approximately 1000 lbs, the regular sized 1/2 ton trucks like Ram/Chevy/Tundra/Titan can carry about 1500 lbs. The name 1/2 ton is applicable here. Unless you move up to 3/4 ton trucks, you need to watch your weight.
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Old 09-30-2013, 02:26 PM   #6
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I wonder if the dual axle 5th wheel will have lower pin weight?
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Old 09-30-2013, 02:28 PM   #7
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Interesting thought Jim.
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Old 09-30-2013, 05:44 PM   #8
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My Ranger has a kerb weight of 3750lbs and a GVW of 5260 which would believe one to think that there is lots of room to tow the 5.0 but kerb weight is similar to dry weights of trailers! Kerb weight is suppose to be ready to roll, full gas tank and driver but not options. When I weigh my Ranger with a full gas tank and me as the driver I get 4100lbs not the 3750 as advertised. This leaves me with 1160lbs left. My 5.0 hitch weighs 150lbs, my wife 130, the pin weight of 700 and I carry a BBQ, camp stove and misc items in a box in the bed of the truck which I estimate at around 75 to 80 lbs which basically leaves me with 100lbs to spare. Last time I weighed the trailer while on a 2week trip I got 2900lbs for the trailer axle, 2550 for the front axle and 2650 for the rear axle which means I was only 60lbs under the truck GVW. It's tight but still legal.

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Old 09-30-2013, 06:20 PM   #9
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Just don't eat any birthday cake before the next weigh in.......
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Old 09-30-2013, 07:18 PM   #10
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Hi: All... As I always say...instead of packing beer and food go with "Slim-Fast".
At least the suspension of the Frontier 4X4 is beefy enough it doesn't need helper springs or air bags like our original GMC Sierra Sht. Box P.U. did. Alf
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Old 09-30-2013, 11:22 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by escape artist View Post
At least the suspension of the Frontier 4X4 is beefy enough it doesn't need helper springs or air bags like our original GMC Sierra Sht. Box P.U. did.
That's "short box", right? As a former GM pickup owner, that's not how I read "Sht. Box" the first time...

I agree, suspension does not seem to be the issue for these Frontiers. On the other hand, if all a truck needs is air bags, that's not a huge deal.
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Old 10-01-2013, 12:01 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian B-P View Post
That's "short box", right? As a former GM pickup owner, that's not how I read "Sht. Box" the first time...

I agree, suspension does not seem to be the issue for these Frontiers. On the other hand, if all a truck needs is air bags, that's not a huge deal.
Hi: Brian B-P... You see "i", I see "or". It was both. Didn't have enough power to pull itself up a hill without downshifting. Wimpy springs even with helpers. Alf
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Old 12-26-2013, 01:10 PM   #13
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Quote:
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Hi: Brian B-P... You see "i", I see "or". It was both. Didn't have enough power to pull itself up a hill without downshifting. Wimpy springs even with helpers. Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie
Hi, I started considering a GMC/Chevrolet 1500/Sierra/Silverado for towing a 19'. I would get the 5.3L v8. Which engine did you have that s*cked? j
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Old 12-26-2013, 08:14 PM   #14
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Hi, I started considering a GMC/Chevrolet 1500/Sierra/Silverado for towing a 19'. I would get the 5.3L v8. Which engine did you have that s*cked? j
Hi: jamie beers... It was the 4.3L V6 with the tow/ haul trans. We really love the Nissan Frontier 4L V6. 6300 tow cap. too. Alf
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Old 12-27-2013, 10:51 AM   #15
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I know that Escape has not posted any specs regarding the new 5.0 tandem. Do you think a Frontier will be able to tow it or will it need a V8? Not ready to buy but thinking ahead for what kind of tow vehicle I would need. Can always just wait until more information is available...

Thanks
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Old 12-27-2013, 11:11 AM   #16
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Originally Posted by Jfocallag View Post
I know that Escape has not posted any specs regarding the new 5.0 tandem. Do you think a Frontier will be able to tow it or will it need a V8? Not ready to buy but thinking ahead for what kind of tow vehicle I would need. Can always just wait until more information is available...

Thanks
Hi:Jfocallag... I sure hope a Frontier can tow a 5.0 tandem...as I'm planning on it!!! I believe IMHO with a tandem axle for balance and a few extra pounds it should do ok. Alf
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Old 12-27-2013, 12:22 PM   #17
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Originally Posted by Jfocallag View Post
I know that Escape has not posted any specs regarding the new 5.0 tandem. Do you think a Frontier will be able to tow it or will it need a V8?
I think the challenge with a mid-size truck such as the Frontier (or Tacoma) is in handling the pin (hitch) weight in combination with the weight of passengers and cargo in the truck. Total combination weight rating doesn't seem to be the issue, so more engine is not required and would not help; if the Frontier is not enough, a bigger engine is not the answer, but the bigger truck would likely also have a bigger engine. A V8 is certainly not required; a V6 (EcoBoost) Ford F150 has the power and combined weight rating to pull two Escape 5.0's.

By the way, if a Frontier is not enough to handle the pin weight, then "full size" North American "half ton" pickup (Ram 1500, Chev/GMC 1500, Ford F-150) may not be enough either, based on the experience of people using those trucks to pull the heavier conventional moulded fiberglass travel trailers.

Quote:
Originally Posted by escape artist View Post
I believe IMHO with a tandem axle for balance and a few extra pounds it should do ok.
The position of the axle(s) determines the weight on the hitch, not the number of axles. Perhaps the basis of this expectation of a different balance is that a tandem-axle trailer is more stable so it can be set up with a lower hitch weight (pin weight in this case) and still be stable? The theory makes sense, but I have not seen any indication that Escape is doing this.
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Old 12-27-2013, 01:07 PM   #18
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Hi: Jfocallag... I'm not sure the exact dynamics of the new 5.0 Tandem. Did the trailer stretch towards the rear or did the axles move towards the front? I do know the door went forwards.
Pin weight of a fifth wheel should be in the 15-25% of total trailer weight. Last time I weighed our 5.0 the axle weight was 2860#s and the pin wt. was 780#s= 3640 total. Moving some things off the front bed to the rear dinette changed that. There was still allowance for my wife and I.
I just might have to go on that New Years resolution diet with the Escape Hatch II. Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie
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Old 12-27-2013, 01:29 PM   #19
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... I'm not sure the exact dynamics of the new 5.0 Tandem. Did the trailer stretch towards the rear or did the axles move towards the front? I do know the door went forwards.
Since the new 5.0 is derived from the 21 Foot (not the 17 Foot like the original 5.0) plus a nose adapted from the original 5.0, it might be easier to guess the weight distribution by adding to the 21'... but it would be a wild guess either way.

If you want to judge from photos, use the midpoint between the wheels or hubs as the axle position.

Quote:
Originally Posted by escape artist View Post
Pin weight of a fifth wheel should be in the 15-25% of total trailer weight.
While that's typical practice, I don't know of any physical reason why this should be the "right" proportion. Fifth-wheel semi-trailers have about half of their load on the fifth wheel, but the trailer shoukd be stable with less than 10% on the hitch if the mass isn't excessively distributed toward the ends.

If Reace wants to keep this model usable by owners of mid-size trucks such as the Frontier, it will need a lower (than Alf's 21%) fraction of its weight on the pin. I think the wide forward body which forces the hitch away from the cab risks making it unusable with the shorter boxes, even if it has no more pin weight than the original 5.0.
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Old 12-27-2013, 03:31 PM   #20
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I am just at the beginning of my research so I am not yet fully educated on what it takes to tow a 5th wheel. I saw a 5.0 at the spring NOG this year and it became an option for when I want to upgrade from my teardrop. One of the things that appealed to me was that it could be towed by a frontier of similar size vehicle.

I like the looks of the the new 5.0 but am now concerned that it may have gotten too big for my comfort. I am hoping to get a look at Donna's sometime this summer.

Forgive my questions, I just like to dream. I am still far from the point of buying.
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