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Old 08-18-2020, 03:17 PM   #21
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Thank you. Lots of food for thought.
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Old 08-18-2020, 03:17 PM   #22
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Thank you.
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Old 08-18-2020, 03:47 PM   #23
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gbaglo View Post
As I am shopping for a 2020 Highlander XLE, I looked up the manual, which says that a WDH is required when towing more than 5,000 lbs.


The max tow rating for the vehicle is 5,000 lbs.
Well then, you are all set. LOL
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Old 08-18-2020, 06:21 PM   #24
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Originally Posted by Hollybee View Post
Pull our E21C w the Frontier and the Reese WDH w detachable sway bars..works fine and should work finer when we move up to the bigger Titan TV next month. Honestly I never even know the e21 is back there w the WDH until we hit a long uphill grade..the naturally aspirated v6 Frontier just does not have the power to haul it easily. I like the size of the Frontier Crew Cab truck w long bed, but Nissan missed a bet by not offring their sturdy 4L V6 w a turbo. If she had 50 more HP on tap w a 'boost' I'd keep her. I know the 395 HP on the Titan will be overkill, but so what.
Thanks for your post. I was looking at a frontier as a new tow vehicle and have now crossed it from the list.
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Old 08-18-2020, 07:39 PM   #25
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Originally Posted by cityofdestiny View Post
Thanks for your post. I was looking at a frontier as a new tow vehicle and have now crossed it from the list.
For 2020, the Frontier has a different engine and transmission; in an amusing coincidence, it has 49 more horsepower than before. Not buying a new vehicle based on the specifications of a previous version doesn't make a lot of sense... although of course if you are looking at a used Frontier (or a 2019 still in stock) the previous engine would be relevant.
Sample media coverage: 2020 Nissan Frontier Gets New Engine, Same Looks
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Old 08-18-2020, 07:46 PM   #26
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Hey Ron- would you recommend your old Ranger with 49 more HP to tow your 21 vs. your F150? Bet Alf wishes he ditched his Frontier sooner for his RAM diesel. C'mon Man!
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Old 08-18-2020, 10:25 PM   #27
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Originally Posted by ktnjosh View Post
We are purchasing a 19. We will start off towing with our Acura MDX which has a 5000lb towing capacity within our state (no mountains) and will eventually get a small truck. Which hitch option should we choose?
does your MDX have a 2" receiver (square opening in or under the rear bumper) ? and does it have a 7 blade RV connector next to that receiver, or a 4 pin trailer lights-only connector, or what?

if it doesn't have the receiver, (or its a 1.5") you'll need to install a 2" receiver.

if it doesn't have the 7-blade, you'll need to add some wiring and stuff for one, plus you'll need to add a brake controller. if it does have a 4-pin, then that reduces the amount of stuff you need to add, those 4 pins go straight across to 4 of the 7 (although you'll probably want a beefier ground wire). if it doesn't have the 4 pin, you'll need to wire in a trailer light converter module. for the 7 blade, you'll also need a fused heavy gauge power wire running from the main power bus under the hood through a isolation relay, and a medium-heavy gauge brake wire running from near the dashboard. at the dashboard, you'll need to tap into the brake pedal switch and switched power (possibly from the above power wire), and wire these to the brake controller connector, too.


once you have the 2" class III/IV reciever, you need a 'stinger' or 'tow bar' or 'ball carrier' (different names for the same thing) with the proper step up or down for a 2" ball. I'd start with a simple ball setup, and if you find the vehicle is 'pitchy' going over bumps and dips with the trailer, upgrade to a WDH, ditto if you find the vehicle steering feels 'light' when the trailer is on it, and the rear end is sagging quite a bit while the front end is floating higher than normal.
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Old 08-19-2020, 05:55 PM   #28
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Originally Posted by Rossue View Post
Hey Ron- would you recommend your old Ranger with 49 more HP to tow your 21 vs. your F150?
The only reservation which Hollybee expressed regarding actually towing a 21' (larger than the subject 19') with a Frontier was a lack of power, and he suggested that 50 HP more would be suitable. The current Frontier is not a 1998-2012 Ranger.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rossue View Post
Bet Alf wishes he ditched his Frontier sooner for his RAM diesel.
Alf's Frontier had inadequate payload (and possibly inadequate power, wheelbase, suspension...) for his 5.0TA fifth-wheel, but this is about towing a much smaller and lighter 19' conventional trailer and payload is not an issue.
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Old 08-26-2020, 11:22 AM   #29
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Hensley Cub

Quote:
Originally Posted by ktnjosh View Post
We are purchasing a 19. We will start off towing with our Acura MDX which has a 5000lb towing capacity within our state (no mountains) and will eventually get a small truck. Which hitch option should we choose?
For any tow vehicle you might use, we can highly recommend the Hensley Cub, which is what we use for our 19' and Infiniti QX80.



We've used Hensley hitches since 2003. The Cub is what our daughter's family is putting on their new 21NE. We use our QX80 and Hensley hitch to tow our 30' Airstream Classic.

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Old 08-26-2020, 11:35 AM   #30
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Hi,

I have one for sale in the classified for sale section and then click on the RV parts and Camping tab and you will find the brilliant Andersen 3380 Anti sway and levelling hitch which may be of interest. As we found when researching many Escape owners use them and they always feature in the top 5 hitches out there. dead easy to hitch up not tools needed, no greasy residues, quiet and do the job well. We bought it for use our recently sold E21 and it has only experienced one short trip from Chiiliwack to Osoyoos and back to Comox so about 500 miles. We have sadly had to sell up due to illness so please take a look.
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Old 08-26-2020, 12:02 PM   #31
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My husband and I had an Escape 19 which we loved. We towed our trailer with a 2012 Acura MDX, with the ability to tow 5000 pounds. Unfortunately, we had to have our transmission redone. Even though Escape Trailers claims the tow vehicle minimum is 5000 pounds, we found that not to be true. The transmission expert explained that the amount of wind resistance creates a lot of drag, on the vehicle. If we had known that, we certaily would have gotten a vehicle meant to tow more.
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Old 08-26-2020, 12:37 PM   #32
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We tow a fully loaded 17B (full water and gear) with our 2017 Honda Pilot (very similar to MDX) with a cheap weight-distributing hitch and it does just fine. Went to Yellowstone over July 4th which was about 2,500 miles of towing with numerous steep climbs. Averaged 16 mpg. We probably have 10,000 miles towing with that setup.

I definitely would not consider towing without the weight-distributing hitch. You will get very light steering and poor directional control in general.

Adding a proportional brake controller is not that hard, but you will likely have to pay Honda to install the transmission cooler and wiring harness which cost us something like $800. Without the transmission cooler the trailering capacity was only 3,500 lbs. Not sure if the MDX is the same but it's likely. Ours has the 6-speed transmission which is also a factor in how robust the combination may be. We've had no issues at all with it.

Re-using the weight distributing hitch with a truck will depend on the adjustability of the hitch. Ours will not drop far enough to handle the additional height of the hitch receiver on the truck, even with a lifted 17B. It's likely you won't need it for the truck anyway.

Yes, our truck tows it a lot better even without the weight distributing hitch, but in my opinion it's not worth getting a truck just for that purpose. Try the MDX + WDH and see how it goes.
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Old 08-26-2020, 03:24 PM   #33
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Definitely get a weight distribution hitch. I was even pulling my 17b with a one ton diesel and a weight distribution hitch was a big improvement. eliminates porpiseing and sway. I currently have an Equalizer and it works well but is a little noisy when maneuvering in tight quarters at low speeds.
(sounds like I hit something)
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Old 08-26-2020, 03:46 PM   #34
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Holly View Post
My husband and I had an Escape 19 which we loved. We towed our trailer with a 2012 Acura MDX, with the ability to tow 5000 pounds. Unfortunately, we had to have our transmission redone. Even though Escape Trailers claims the tow vehicle minimum is 5000 pounds, we found that not to be true. The transmission expert explained that the amount of wind resistance creates a lot of drag, on the vehicle. If we had known that, we certaily would have gotten a vehicle meant to tow more.
Yep- Big difference between towing a boat to the lake or a trailer to the dump vs. an 8' high x 7' wide travel trailer pushing a lot of air. I would not buy any used Mid-size SUV or Crossover with a hitch showing signs of towing anything. Am looking for a used Outback at present.
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Old 08-26-2020, 03:52 PM   #35
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The Anderson Weight Distribution System was installed in Chillawack, BC. Do not buy a hitch for your car or truck. The Anderson Anti-sway Weight Distribution System made it easy to tow the Escape 19.
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Old 08-27-2020, 10:31 AM   #36
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Hitch Weight

I drive a VW Touareg, which can tow 7,712 lb but it has a max hitch weight of 616 lb. A weight distribution hitch is not allowed by the manufacturer. I understand this is because of the force that would be applied to the hitch when turning. The hitch mounting bolts could tear away from the unibody over time. Supposedly, when driving in a straight this is not a problem. But, more importantly in your situation you must check the hitch weight being applied to the hitch. Trailer brochures do not typically include the weight of two propane tanks and a battery. Also, there is the weight of the sway control bar and any items put into the forward storage compartment of the trailer. I have been caught out on the hitch weight issue and even had a Winnebago dealer refuse to sell me a 2108 DS, because the hitch weight would be to high.
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Old 08-27-2020, 01:04 PM   #37
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Also important to check the rear axle load. With my Land Rover, which is rated for like 7700 lbs towing but has a tongue limit of only 550 (using OEM hitch), I found that even at 550 (which was easily hit with my 21C) I had overloaded the rear axle specification by about 300 lbs. This is with 2 small kids in the rear seat but not much in terms of cargo in the truck.

Land Rover also does not recommend the use of a WDH, which I understood to be related to the trailer sway control and air suspension control. However, with no WDH I am running 4400 on the rear axle and 2800 on the front, and the front does feel a little loose when going into tighter corners. I'm thinking of moving to a Rhino hitch (Class IV, rated to 800 lbs) and a WDH although it is not a cheap change. But I feel the axle loading is a bigger concern than the LR4's computer sway control.

It's interesting that European SUVs have such low tongue ratings and feel that is reasonable at the lower speeds they typically tow at.
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Old 08-27-2020, 09:11 PM   #38
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When I bought my 2008 Lexus GX470 (in 2015, I'm the 2nd owner) I was pleasantly surprised to note that the vehicle is rated for more hitch weight than the usual 10% of tow rating. It's 6500 lbs towing, and 950 lbs hitch weight if WD is used.
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Old 08-27-2020, 10:00 PM   #39
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Originally Posted by Mike G View Post
When I bought my 2008 Lexus GX470 (in 2015, I'm the 2nd owner) I was pleasantly surprised to note that the vehicle is rated for more hitch weight than the usual 10% of tow rating. It's 6500 lbs towing, and 950 lbs hitch weight if WD is used.
That's like our Sienna: the hitch weight is rated for 10% of the rated trailer weight with a weight-carrying hitch and 15% of the rated trailer weight with a weight-distributing hitch, corresponding to Toyota's suggested tongue weights.
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Old 08-28-2020, 08:26 AM   #40
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One more vote for the Andersen hitch. I would get it again. Friends of ours came to buy an Andersen for their Lance trailer without knowing we had one and they really like it too.
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