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Old 09-24-2015, 01:28 PM   #1
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Towing with Nissan Frontier?

I know a lot of you tow Escapes (including the 5.0 and 5.0TA) with the Nissan Frontier. So I know it can be done. How comfortable are they on long trips? I haven't looked at any yet (or test drove any), but I assume the seats are adequately adjustable and even folks with bad backs travel in them?

Gail does not like the seats in my '01 F150, so I know I will need a new truck (or van) to pull a larger trailer, like a 21 or 5.0.

I may have time to look at some in November.

Any comments or suggestions?

Thanks folks!

Frank
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Old 09-24-2015, 01:38 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by frank_a View Post
I know a lot of you tow Escapes (including the 5.0 and 5.0TA) with the Nissan Frontier. So I know it can be done. How comfortable are they on long trips? I haven't looked at any yet (or test drove any), but I assume the seats are adequately adjustable and even folks with bad backs travel in them?

Gail does not like the seats in my '01 F150, so I know I will need a new truck (or van) to pull a larger trailer, like a 21 or 5.0.

I may have time to look at some in November.

Any comments or suggestions?

Thanks folks!

Frank
Hi: frank_a... We tow with a 2010 Nissan Frontier 4X4 long bed crew cab. Good solid truck, nice ride too. Dealer had to locate one as it was year end... Nice discount though. Only change I made is to put trailer tow mirrors on it in expectation of the wider 5.0TA. Did the add on while in Florida for the winter. Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie
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Old 09-24-2015, 01:51 PM   #3
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Hi: frank_a... We tow with a 2010 Nissan Frontier 4X4 long bed crew cab. Good solid truck, nice ride too. Dealer had to locate one as it was year end... Nice discount though. Only change I made is to put trailer tow mirrors on it in expectation of the wider 5.0TA. Did the add on while in Florida for the winter. Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie
Excellent, thanks Alf. In other words, no need to buy a new one, a slightly used 2nd hand one should do.

Any other issues I should know about? Really, we wouldn't be buying one till we had the Escape we wanted, so I have time.

Enjoy your day sir!

Frank
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Old 09-24-2015, 02:03 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by frank_a View Post
Excellent, thanks Alf. In other words, no need to buy a new one, a slightly used 2nd hand one should do.

Any other issues I should know about? Really, we wouldn't be buying one till we had the Escape we wanted, so I have time.

Enjoy your day sir!

Frank
Hi: frank_a... Other than a used truck like mine is as rare as "Hens teeth"... sorta like a used Escape trailer!!! Some prior years had rad/tranny cooler issues ie: cross contamination but mine had the newer design. Maybe that's why the dealer keeps chasing me to trade it? Alf
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Old 09-24-2015, 02:05 PM   #5
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Our 2014 Frontier (Pro4X) does fine pulling Toto the 21. We find it very comfortable, and there's plenty of power (we drive 55). We use an Anderson hitch, and that works fine, though we get a little bit of sag when we hook up, even with the Anderson. I added helper springs and they, uh, help.

The only thing to be aware of with a Frontier is GVWR. Depending on options on the truck and what you put in it (people, pets, gear), you can push the payload limit if you're not careful. With two adults, two terriers, a tonneau cover and 450ish tongue weight, we're about maxed out. We manage it by putting only light stuff in the truck bed.

We didn't want a full-size truck, so the Fronty was the best choice for us (at the time). Rumors abound about a future Frontier design with a diesel option. That would be fun to see.
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Old 09-24-2015, 02:10 PM   #6
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Hi frank.
We have a 2010 Frontier with almost 150000 miles. We towed a 2011 5.0 for z4 years and are now towing a TA. When I trade this I will get another frontier unless someone is offering a really special deal. As Alf said, there is a wait on these unless you get a break. I waited almost four months and got one someone else had special ordered and then did not want.
Dick
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Old 09-24-2015, 02:27 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by frank_a View Post
I know a lot of you tow Escapes (including the 5.0 and 5.0TA) with the Nissan Frontier. So I know it can be done. How comfortable are they on long trips? I haven't looked at any yet (or test drove any), but I assume the seats are adequately adjustable and even folks with bad backs travel in them?

Gail does not like the seats in my '01 F150, so I know I will need a new truck (or van) to pull a larger trailer, like a 21 or 5.0.

I may have time to look at some in November.

Any comments or suggestions?

Thanks folks!

Frank
We love the truck except for the seats. A little thin in the tailbone area for us so our backs are really sore after 3 hours. I am going to get helper springs for the sag even with our Equal-izer. A friend with same truck pulling a Casita got the rubber cushions to go on the springs. Says it really helps.
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Old 09-24-2015, 02:33 PM   #8
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Frank,

My wife and I bought an 06 Frontier crew cab short bed about two months ago that we'll be using to tow our 19 (that we have not yet picked up). We bought it with 122k miles on it, and we chose a manual transmission to avoid the radiator issues Alf mentioned previously ("strawberry milkshake of death") that come with the automatics.

The truck we picked already had a hitch receiver, 7-pin wiring harness, and brake control relays / wires. I didn't even need the wire harness that came with my Tekonsha P3 brake controller, b/c it was already in the truck. I can see two screw holes near that harness (likely to mount a brake controller), which means the previous owner probably towed a trailer regularly.

We've driven the truck about 5k miles (with no trailer attached), and we absolutely love the comfort. We had to drive 200 miles round trip twice a week for two months, and we couldn't really ask for more comfort. I personally think the cloth seats are more comfortable than leather, since you don't slide around on the cloth.

The ride quality is incredible, and I recently replaced the front brake rotors and pads, oil & filter, stereo head unit, speakers, and added an extra amplifier for the front speakers, and the truck is an absolute dream to drive in. My wife loves driving it as well. We were both shocked that it's even more comfy than our previous 02 Golf TDI GLS in fantastic condition.

Side note: we were initially going to get an Armada to travel in, but that thing is just absolutely huge, and way too big for our tastes. The Frontier has the perfect amount of cab space vs bed space for taking everything we need.

We'll know more about its "towability" very soon, and we'll report back then!
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Old 09-24-2015, 02:56 PM   #9
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Grama& Grampa's toy parade!!!

Hi: frank_a... Here's a pic of our car, trailer, and truck. When hooked up the truck squats about 1" so I didn't put on air bags. The pay load is 1100 #'s and with just the two of us and not much in the box it's fine. I like my seat back tilted a little and my wife likes hers more upright. After losing 30#'s myself we have even more cargo capacity Alf
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Old 09-24-2015, 03:36 PM   #10
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Casting another vote for the Nissan Frontier.
We have a 2011 Crew Cab Pro 4x with the short bed (5 feet). It has been a comfortable vehicle to drive and ride in plus it is not so big that you have trouble in parking lots, etc.
Placing the hitch for the Escape 5.0 Classic that we bought used in 2013 was a challenge but it has worked out fine. It went a little behind the axle but the trailer seems to tow fine. We recently added in the rubber cushions under the back springs mostly as a precaution...but we haven't towed with them yet. They make no discernable difference when there is no trailer attached.
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Old 09-24-2015, 04:27 PM   #11
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Another Yea for the Frontier. I was towing with a Titan and my dealer buddy got a corporate lease turn in that was 6mos used. Made me a deal I couldn't refuse. Haven't towed the new 19 yet, but we towed a 17B and it was terrific.
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Old 09-24-2015, 04:39 PM   #12
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Casting another vote for the Nissan Frontier.
We have a 2011 Crew Cab Pro 4x with the short bed (5 feet). It has been a comfortable vehicle to drive and ride in plus it is not so big that you have trouble in parking lots, etc.
Placing the hitch for the Escape 5.0 Classic that we bought used in 2013 was a challenge but it has worked out fine. It went a little behind the axle but the trailer seems to tow fine. We recently added in the rubber cushions under the back springs mostly as a precaution...but we haven't towed with them yet. They make no discernable difference when there is no trailer attached.
Hi: FMLNM... The short bed really likes the RV5 pin extender from Popup Industries. Adds about 9" to the space between the truck and trailer. Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie
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Old 09-24-2015, 05:27 PM   #13
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Hi: FMLNM... The short bed really likes the RV5 pin extender from Popup Industries. Adds about 9" to the space between the truck and trailer. Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie
If we were dong it now we probably would look into that...as it is, using the Patriot hitch, putting it a tad behind the axle and setting it to the furthest back position seems to work well. I believe we could do a 90 degree turn but just haven't had the courage (or need) to really go that far!
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Old 09-24-2015, 06:39 PM   #14
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Hi: frank_a... Other than a used truck like mine is as rare as "Hens teeth"... sorta like a used Escape trailer!!! Some prior years had rad/tranny cooler issues ie: cross contamination but mine had the newer design. Maybe that's why the dealer keeps chasing me to trade it? Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie
We have this local Want Ad Digest Alf. It can still be bought as a thick paper edition weekly, but they joined the web years ago. Basically, this is where I look for stuff like that. Here's their Nissan trucks current listing:

Used Nissan Trucks For Sale | Want Ad Digest
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Old 09-24-2015, 07:02 PM   #15
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We have a 2011 Frontier we bought new to tow our 2012 5.0. Towing is fine, plenty of power, but you won't win any uphill races.

I personally find the lumbar support of the seats to be lacking. We have the SV model, maybe the more expensive model have better seats. I will try using my ObuForme backrest on the next long trip/
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Old 09-24-2015, 07:35 PM   #16
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I tow with a 2500 HD Silverado and would not use a small truck. The fuel mileage is usally 15 mpg and no worries about handling or breaking. Pleanty of room in the truck for extra cargo and the interior has pleanty of room and comfort.
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