Nissan Xterra towing escape 19

[John David]

We will be getting our escape 19 in April and will be towing it with a Nissan xterra. The xterra has a max tow weight of 5000 lbs and tongue weight of 500 lbs. I'm wondering if we need a weight distribution hitch or not. Anyone out there with an xterra towing a 19? What do you use and how does it work for you?

[thoer]

Does Nissan make any recommendations about WDH in the manual? That's is what I always recommend checking first.

[Brian B-P]

Just curious: which generation of Xterra is this? The first one (1999 to 2004) or the later one (2005 and later)? Anyone's experience will only really be relevant if they have the same generation, since there are substantial differences and some of them matter to towing behaviour.

[John David]

Thanx for the Q's. I'm a little embarrassed for not supplying more info. We have a 2010 xterra, that's 2nd generation. The Nissan Towing guide that year stated WD hitches recommended for frontier, and pathfinder IF you plan to tow over 5000 lb loads. So for the Xterra towing under 5000 lbs, no WD is recommended as necessary.

[escape artist]

Originally Posted by John David

Thanx for the Q's. I'm a little embarrassed for not supplying more info. We have a 2010 xterra, that's 2nd generation. The Nissan Towing guide that year stated WD hitches recommended for frontier, and pathfinder IF you plan to tow over 5000 lb loads. So for the Xterra towing under 5000 lbs, no WD is recommended as necessary.

Hi: John David... If it were me I'd try it without first...but then I'm a little Scottish too!!! Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[Dave Walter]

Your Xterra is comparable in some ways to my Toyota FJ Cruiser which also has a 5000 lb tow rating. I found that even though my FJ could tow the 19' Escape no problem, because of the relatively short wheel-base a small amount of sag on the rear due to the trailer resulted in my headlights shining in the eyes of all on-coming traffic. Thus, I added a WD hitch which eliminated the sagging and made driving a bit more comfortable. Even though your Xterra is likely a very capable trailer for the 19', it is possible that you could have similar issues with your Xterra as I had with the FJ.

[thoer]

John, from my experience with our Tacoma and 17B, a WDH greatly improved the ride. But others have towed without one and are perfectly satisfied. Like some others here, we will (someday) be towing a 21 with a new Highlander and I plan on buying a new WDH from Reace (whichever model he recommends) when we pick it up.

[Brian B-P]

Dave's reasoning makes sense to me. Fortunately, the Xterra has a longer wheelbase (reducing both load transfer to the rear axle and the tilting effect), but on the hand it probably has a bit longer rear overhang (the FJ Cruiser is exceptionally short in the back; more overhang exaggerates the these problems). Pickups have much longer wheelbase, so they're not very comparable.

I think there are enough differences between vehicles that it's worth continuing to look for someone with a 2005 or newer Xterra for their specific experience. I would also get axle loads (weights) at a scale, and measure the distance from the rear axle to the towing ball so I could do the quick calculations to see what the result will be with the trailer.

[currinh]

We have a 19 and pull it with a 2013 XTerra.

The combination works very well for us. We bought the 19 used and it came with a WDH. We've thus towed almost exclusively with the WDH. I have driven without the it, for a few miles, and it was fine. But I think with the WDH the vehicle tracks a little straighter. It's safe without but personally, if I were buying new, I'd order with a WDH.

We towed with a Tacoma before buying the XTerra. They were very similar pulling the 19.

But we need more details. What color is your XTerra? Automatic or Manual? Trim level?

Hope this helps.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by currinh

But we need more details. What color is your XTerra? Automatic or Manual?

My guess is that it is an automatic transmission, since a manual would not likely have the 5,000 pound trailer capacity.

[John David]

The xterra is the off road version with a 6 spd manual transmission. Its red. With the xterra the headlights are already situated high on the body (similar to the FJ). I think that any load on the back end will raise the lights up so that oncoming traffic will think we have high beams on. This makes me want to get the WD hitch now. On the other hand I've heard that the WD hitch gives some problems with backing up. I also believe that they are an easy add-on later if I wanted to. This makes me want to try it without and add it later if needed. So all in all I'm still unsure.

[gbaglo]

I've never experienced issues with WDH and backing.
I think there may be an issue with some sway control set-ups.

[thoer]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

I've never experienced issues with WDH and backing.
I think there may be an issue with some sway control set-ups.

Agreed - I've never had any issue with backing up with my WDH installed.

[currinh]

Red, cool. As seen ours is blue. We have the 6sp manual, but had to threaten the dealer with going to Toyota before he'd order a manual for us. They are rare, we couldn't find one anywhere in the west.

I've had no trouble backing with the WDH. Hadn't thought it could be a problem so haven't even considered it. We have a sway damper on our 1955 Shasta and I'm careful backing it. But as yet haven't run into a situation that it would have caused a problem though.

You can easily add one later. I've found the hanling improvement with a WDH to be small. Don't know about the lights. But, if you order one with the Escape they will set it up for you.

Thanks.

[Brian B-P]

Backing up is only an issue for some specific WDH designs, due to their bar-to-bracket configuration; it's not a problem for the classic unadorned two-chain system.

John, does your Xterra have a control on the dashboard to change the headlight aim up and down? It is common to have either this type of manual control or an automatic feature in vehicles with high-intensity discharge (HID) headlamps, but it is otherwise rare... and it would address the aiming issue. I don't see any reference to this sort of system in the 2013 Xterra manual (the only one I have downloaded), so I'm guessing you don't have it in your 2010.

I'm surprised that the manual transmission allows the same trailer weight - due to clutch wear concerns, manuals are usually more limited in light vehicles. The 2013 Xterra manual (and perhaps the 2010 manual is the same) provides a single set of limits applicable to all variants of the Xterra.

In the 2013 version of the Xterra manual, the section regarding WD hitches is generic (not written for the Xterra) and only suggests WD for trailers over 5000 pounds (as mentioned earlier) - which corresponds to weights too high for an Xterra to tow.

[azutco]

I have a 17B and a 2011 Xterra. For many years I towed without a WDH and found it to be fine. I found after a number of years that it didn't seem to be as "stable" to me. It's likely due to the fact that I am carrying so much more than I used to. I've had a WDH for a few months now and love it! It's a bit of a pain to hook up and take down but I find it to be worth the effort. The drive is so much smoother now, I don't feel like I'm being pushed, more stability during winds, and it really doesn't feel like I'm towing it at all. In fact I have to remind myself so that I don't take a short turn!

As for it causing more problems in backing up, I haven't found that at all. If anything, it feels like I'm parking quicker.

If I ever get a 19, I would definitely have the WDH. However, my eye is on the 5.0 and a new truck!

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by azutco

If I ever get a 19, I would definitely have the WDH. However, my eye is on the 5.0 and a new truck!

That is a crazy notion, I tell you.

Oh, and welcome to the club of those with the same inklings.