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Who's towing RV's with their Armada??

257K views 414 replies 69 participants last post by  Titaniumarm 
#1 ·
I probably should have asked this before I traded in my F250 on the Armada, but I feel pretty confident I am within the acceptable levels on the Armada and the Camper. My Dry weight on the camper is 6700lbs so I should be golden. Who else is using their Armada as a Tow Vehicle for an RV? What weights are you looking at? How's it pull?

Interested to hear from anyone with a Travel Trailer who can give some insight?
 
#318 ·
Just found the technical discussions. Good to know there is a whole subforum to towing!

We tow a pretty large TT with our 04 LE. It's a 2013 Prime Time Avenger 3150BH. 7100lbs I believe unloaded. With the TT, my family (3 kids, 2 adults) the Armada does a decent job towing it. My air suspension is inop so I added firestone airbags which help a little. Rear end still sags a lot.

We've towed it from our house in PA to Acadia National Park in Maine, Williamsburg VA, Western VA, Eastern Shore of MD, and Ohiopyle in western PA. As I said it does a decent job, not great but decent. I only get about 7mpg so having to stop every 200 miles for fuel sucks, especially with such a long setup as some gas stations can be a bit tough to get in/out of. Also on long gradual includes I have to downshift and keep the RPM's higher as the trans gauge will climb very fast.

We did have an issue with the brakes almost failing while we were going through some of the mountains around Ohiopyle. I had to stop and let the truck sit for an hour or so to get the brakes cooled, that was a bit scarey.

I was planning on selling the Armada last year as I bought an excursion diesel to replace it with but I could not sell the Armada as everyone was offering me pennies for it. Simply NO comparison to towing between the Armada and Excursion. Armada is good, but the EX was simply amazing. You literally didn't know the huge camper was back there. Easy to do 75mph on the highways and I'd get about 13-14mpg towing and 22-23mpg highway without towing. But I did have to do a LOT of work to the Excursion's 6.0L diesel to get it reliable while in the 2+ years I've had the Armada I've changed the fluids and put on a new exhaust. Armada is just so darn reliable so I sold the Excursion on Craigslist, which it sold in less than a day for my full asking price and I'm still driving the Armada. Upgrading the suspension in the next few weeks and maybe a brake upgrade for this coming camping season.
 
#319 · (Edited)
On brakes and tranny getting hot. First, try manually downshifting for hill descent and starting out slow to begin with. I have a similarly setup TT, 7600lbs unloaded. Never had an issue with brakes getting hot even when I had a bunk trailer brake controller.

Second, on tranny getting hot. That too, slow down and downshift manually. You can pull pretty much any "hill" in 2nd gear W/O the tranny getting hot. The key is to keep the TC locked up.

I tow out here in the west and I've been up and over some pretty respectable hills and all have gone well. Take your time and don't push it to hard is all.
 
#326 · (Edited)
AirLift are not rated that high so I ran them at the max allowed 40-psi which was worthless.... Honestly, yesterday in my final divorce trial my now ex-wife is requesting the court to force me sell both the Armada and the Travel Trailer and we are currently waiting for the final decision ruling... I'm pretty much pissed about her extreme selfishness because this is due to the fact that she simply does not want to get a job to support herself. I will rebute a sale of the Armada if it's decided because I do need a 1/2-ton capable vehicle but I may end up selling the TT regardless quite simply because I may never use it again myself.
 
#323 · (Edited)
Loaded about 90% of our stuff and took it to go get weighed. Figured it could handle the 17 mile trip to the scale (judging from some of the other posts).
What is weird is that I am pretty sure I loadd about 800-1000 lbs in the trailer and i was afraid I would have to upgrade my TV. but the scale did not show those figures. I wish I would have done a couple things different. I wish I would have weighed the trailer before I started to fill it. AND when at the scale they weigh the truck and trailer at the same time then give 2 different axle readings. I don't like this because it's hard to judge the tongue weight. I wish while I was there I would have weighed my truck separate. This I could have deducted from my total weight. Matter of fact, I'll go weigh the truck now. (Sorry for all the bouncing around), but you can see how I'm learning along the way.
 

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#324 ·
When you did your weights, did you have your family (or, whoever will likely be in the vehicle when you tow the trailer) in the truck? How full was your gas tank? You're getting pretty close to your GCWR limit.

Keith
 
#327 ·
I'm sorry to hear about you and your wife parting ways. That's never a good thing.

On those Airlift airbags, I got my first set, back in the early 90's for my 4 Runner. I was pleased with thier performance. I bought an auto leveling kit from airlift and with the compressor and sensor purchase the bags were lifetime warrentied for my 99 Chevy Venture. I know for a fact that those bags took more than 35 - 40 psi. with some of my kids high school friends, you know.., football players. Four of em was push'n 900 lbs. easily. I bought the kit for that reason. Anyway, that's what gives me the confidence to run upwards of 70 psi. I saw the thread where the guy's compressor failed to shut off when he hooked directly to his onboard compressor, that was bad. For me, so far so good. I did have one "POP" on me last year on my way to WA in Redding. Took me 15 minutes to change it. I think it got hot from the exhaust from the looks of it. Since then, "no loss of air."

I think you'll be okay to go higher, it will make a difference, check it out and see.
 
#329 · (Edited)
Two years ago I installed Firestone W237604100 air bags in my 2011 Armada SV. The literature shows suggested air pressures up to 90 psi for various vehicles.

I have a tongue weight of approx 900# with the spring bars tensioned and run my air bags at 60 psi. This not only results in a level ride on the Armada, but also greatly dampens suspension excursions when crossing bridges and other "swoops" in the road.

I had my bags professionally installed by an off-road suspension shop and the tech said that twisting the bags to insert them between the coil springs, as shown on the installation instructions, is a cause of premature bag failure. I ran the air lines separately to individual schrader valves, since the "Y" connector has reportedly been problematic, and between tows I keep 20 psi in the bags.

There are some pics of how the tech ran my air lines at the bottom of post 236

Thus far, I've had no problems.
 
#331 ·
I don't even have bags on my Armada, as it was a stripped down rental model - but with a proper equalizer setup, and good weight management in the trailer, you can keep the weight distribution relatively even, and not actually need them. The biggest thing that affects me right now is that my fresh water is about 8 feet forward of the trailer axles, and the black and grey are 10 feet aft of the axles. This means if we're boondocking, so that we have to haul a full water tank in, we've got a lot more weight in the front going in, and then that weight is shifted to the rear coming out, so tongue weight is inconsistent (transferring my full fresh water tank to the grey and black tanks will cause a drop of tongue weight by almost 200# on my trailer, without adding or removing any actual weight).
 
#332 ·
The biggest thing that affects me right now is that my fresh water is about 8 feet forward of the trailer axles, and the black and grey are 10 feet aft of the axles. This means if we're boondocking, so that we have to haul a full water tank in, we've got a lot more weight in the front going in, and then that weight is shifted to the rear coming out, so tongue weight is inconsistent (transferring my full fresh water tank to the grey and black tanks will cause a drop of tongue weight by almost 200# on my trailer, without adding or removing any actual weight).
I have exactly the same situation with my trailer. My solution has been to find places close to where I'm planning to boondock to fill up with water, and dump the tanks when it is time to come home. I'm typically able to find both within about 20 to 25 miles, usually closer, so that I'm not towing long distances, or at high speeds, with either of the tanks full.
 
#333 ·
Looks like all of the experts are in this thread. Keith has helped me a little in my short time here, hoping he can help me some more.

As I've already said in my noobie threads, I'm probably going to buy a Sunset Trail S270BH and start camping. The guys on the Crossroads forum make it sound like you need a HD truck to pull this thing. I want to verify I can tow this trailer and not be over the vehicle's weight limits. May have to look at a different trailer if it's determined to be a stupid buy. The Armada is definitely staying for a long time! lol

The trailer has a certified dry weight just under 5600#

The sticker on my Mada says GVWR 7299#

Tongue weight is around 650#.Looks like all of the experts are in this thread. Keith has helped me a little in my short time here, hoping he can help me some more.

As I've already said in my noobie threads, I'm probably going to buy a Sunset Trail S270BH and start camping. The guys on the Crossroads forum make it sound like you need a HD truck to pull this thing. I want to verify I can tow this trailer and not be over the vehicle's weight limits. May have to look at a different trailer if it's determined to be a stupid buy. The Armada is definitely staying for a long time! lol

The trailer has a certified dry weight just under 5600#

The sticker on my Mada says GVWR 7299#

Tongue weight is around 650#.


How much do two LP tanks and battery add to weight?





How much do two LP tanks and battery add to weight?
 
#335 ·
How much do two LP tanks and battery add to weight?
A battery weighs about 40 lbs. Propane weighs a bit more than 4 lbs per gallon. The weight of the empty propane tank is already calculated in your dry weights.

PM me your email address, I'll send you a weight calculator in Excel that I've used as a guide.

Keith
 
#334 · (Edited)
Looks like all of the experts are in this thread. Keith has helped me a little in my short time here, hoping he can help me some more.

As I've already said in my noobie threads, I'm probably going to buy a Sunset Trail S270BH and start camping. The guys on the Crossroads forum make it sound like you need a HD truck to pull this thing. I want to verify I can tow this trailer and not be over the vehicle's weight limits. May have to look at a different trailer if it's determined to be a stupid buy. The Armada is definitely staying for a long time! lol

The trailer has a certified dry weight just under 5600#. Tongue weight is around 650#.

The sticker on my Mada says GVWR 7299#
The following will be in the Mada: Me (180lb) wife (120#), kid1 (50#), kid2 (25#), dog (45#) and misc stuff (50#). Full tank of gas.

TT will have two LP tanks, battery, and some water (half full if dry camping). And of course the normal crap, food, drinks, bikes, fishing gear, etc. I'll probably remove the TV and outside refrigerator, won't need it.

How does this add up to tongue weight and GVWR? Will I be able to stay under the max numbers? Looking for help to calculate my weight and limits without hitting up a scale (will do if I buy it).

I see others in this thread are towing heavier TT and reporting positive results. How is stopping? I know Keith is familiar with Colorado. The Ute Pass between Woodland Park and Colorado Springs has a steep grade. Will the Mada make it down? Will I be able to go 30mph up it?

Of course I'll have a 4 point Equalizer WDR/AS hitch and trailer brake controller.

Will the Mada pull this TT?
 
#340 · (Edited)
Will the Mada pull this TT?
I tow a similar weight trailer with 1,000# hitch weight (without the spring bars tensioned). Short answer - Yes, the Mada will handle it. But the devil's in the details.

First the good news: Nissan doesn't list an "empty" weight; they call it "curb" weight and it includes the driver and all fluids. The fluids include a full gas tank, but they don't specify the weight of the driver - you should be fine.

All of your various limits are in your manual, including your axle limits. There are also tire and wheel limits, but they're above the axle limit, so you're OK if you respect those.

As already discussed, best to tow with empty trailer tanks - especially if any are forward of the axles.

Be very careful of how much "stuff" you put behind the second seat in the Mada. Fully loaded ice chests add up quickly.

Best to load everything up and drive it onto a CAT scale at a truck stop. There's no app that will tell you what you actually weigh - they're just generic guidelines.

Oh, and also as discussed in this thread, don't lug your engine waiting for it to downshift. Use tow mode and anticipate the need to keep the revs up. Manually downshift rather than waiting for the torque converter. It will keep the tranny temps down. Doing so on deceleration (within reason - watch your revs) will also help front brake pad wear.
 
#336 ·
Thanks, sending PM.

FYI, just bought the Prodigy P3 brake controller. Probably going to buy the Equalizer hitch as well. Should I buy online for under $500 and install myself? Or pay $800 at dealer and they install it on new trailer? I know nothing about hitches but want to learn.
 
#337 ·
I installed and adjusted my hitch myself, took a little while to get it set up perfectly (a lot of adjustments), but once you get it done, you never have to mess with it again. When you buy it, make sure to order the trailer hitch ball as well, and ask them to put the ball on the receiver and torque it down. That is the only part of the installation that requires any special equipment (I think the nut is 1 3/4", and I know I didn't have a socket that big, plus it needs to be on their real tight!!

Keith
 
#338 ·
I'll let them install it and set it up. Will be nice to have them show me the workings of it. I beat them up on price a lot and made a few people unhappy, so I'll let them get this sale.
 
#339 ·
Just make sure they know this system, it works a bit different than some of the others, so if they don't have the experience, they can just install it, and not correctly adjust it. The bottom line is, when correctly adjusted, the front of the tow vehicle should sag an equal amount to the rear of the tow vehicle, before the self leveling system kicks in and adjusts. If they are relying on the rear leveling system in the truck to fix the sag in the rear, the weight distribution isn't set up correctly. This has to be done right, or you're not using the system correctly. There are quite a number of adjustment, including the height of the L-bracket, the angle of the receiver (adjusted with washers), and the height of the receiver itself. The Equal-i-zer website walks you through the correct order to do the adjustments, and also gives ideas on what to adjust to make it correct.

Good luck, and continue asking questions.

Keith
 
#341 ·
Thanks!

I'm feeling better about it. Not in a hurry and will take my time. I'm going to keep my eyes open for an older turbo diesel truck. Might be able to get one for $10K that won't strand us? Always wanted a truck and it could take the wear/tear off the Mada.
 
#342 ·
Well, properly set up and operated, there shouldn't be any incremental wear due to towing your trailer. The extra mileage is a personal decision.

My 2011 SV (base model with tow package) Mada came with Continental tires and I just replaced them at 43,000 miles with a lot of towing, so the tire wear due to towing was negligible. I've also changed my transmission fluid at half the recommended interval, greatly reinforced my hitch (previous posts in this thread), and added air bags in the rear coil springs.
 
#343 ·
Awesome.

I'd love to have a beater truck. One to take stuff to the dump, haul furniture, tow the trailer, etc. Looks like a 2004 Ram 2500 4x4 5.7 quad cab can be had for around $10K with 160k miles. If I got a truck that has been maintained and won't kill me in repairs, I'd probably jump on it. With the 4.10 gears, they can tow almost 11k. The problem is I'll no doubt be spending money to maintain/repair them or end up broken down on the side of the road.

I'm going to see how the Mada pulls this camper and decide after. I signed the paperwork yesterday and trailer gets delivered Friday. Should get a delivery next Thursday, dealer is booked until then. Gotta love 144 month loan! lol That's like $12K in interest over the loan if you don't pay it sooner ($20K@5%). Geez.
 
#344 ·
Well, the Mada isn't going to tow. I am getting a 2011 F-250 Super Crew 4wd 6.2 for $8,300. Has 190k miles but was maintained by a fleet every 5k miles. Drove fine and everything works. Body is in good shape, nothing major. Has all of the options in XLT that I need. Needs an alignment and probably some suspension goodies. I'll put $500 into it to make it road worthy. Doesn't even need that but the steering wheel was a tad off center.

Pics: http://denver.craigslist.org/cto/5034729929.html
 
#345 ·
Good luck with the F250, there work horses. A set of Injectors will cost 4 grand. I Have put over 800,000 miles on the F450 and F550 series trucks with my work rigs. Had 1 Dodge 5500 and Now in a new 2014 F550 6.7L They haul 18,460 lbs almost 24/7.
 
#346 ·
Yeah, went with the 6.2L for cost reasons. Have no need for a diesel either. This will be a 3rd car, dump run, pulling TT truck beater.

Going to get some taller tires/black wheels, black fender flares and a tune.

It will eventually look similar to this:

 
#347 ·
I have a 2012 Platinum 4X4 and I tow a 2014 Coachman 292BHDS with a lot of success. The TT is ~ 6,400lbs dry and ~ 8,200 - 8,400 loaded up. The last time I took it on the CAT scales we were at 14,250 lbs or 94% of the CVWR (15,100 lbs). I have towed it through the hill parts of Missouri, all over Illinois and Wisconsin and I have had NO issues whatsoever. I have the Reese Equalizer 4 Point Sway Control System and it works well. It made a hell of a lot of noise until I greased the ends of the sway bars that slide into the hitch. Once that was complete, it was silent.
 

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#348 ·
Nice looking setup.
 
#349 ·
I can only pass on my experience. I had an Airstream 25' with gross of 7000 and tongue of about 750 for 2 years. The Armada was awesome. I towed it on a 2000 mile trip from MO to WA state thru some high altitudes and mountains up to 8000 feet. On the flat the Armada cruises at about 65 to 67 and 2200 rpm in 4th. Any slower and the torque drops so it has a tendency to down shift even on small grades. At 65 it will pull small grades in 4th. On a moderate grade I let it drop to 55 and drop into third until I pull the hill. I just returned from a 2000 mi round trip to Yellowstone and grand Teton at altitudes up to 8500 feet. The worst was the Teton pass at 8500 feet and a 10% grade!! The Armada handled it although with this grade I was in 3rd and sometimes 2nd and down to 35-40 mph. But the engine and transmission temp never rose a bit through all kinds of terrain. I have about 5300 miles with the Armada and the 25 footer.

I just upgraded to a 28' Airstream with gross of 7600 and tongue of 950. The Armada tongue limit is 900 so I am over by 50. However, as I am well under the max gross, I will load heavy items in the trailer from mid ships back and lighter items from mid ship forwarded to offset the 50 lbs plus I am over the tongue weight. As a pilot I know center of gravity is important so am used to managing weight distribution. I have only been on a few short trips so far, but I cannot tell a significant difference between the feel of the 25 and 28 when towing.

Hope this gives you some useful info and good luck! Enjoy your TT - we definitely do!
 
#350 ·
I just upgraded to a 28' Airstream with gross of 7600 and tongue of 950. The Armada tongue limit is 900 so I am over by 50. However, as I am well under the max gross, I will load heavy items in the trailer from mid ships back and lighter items from mid ship forwarded to offset the 50 lbs plus I am over the tongue weight. As a pilot I know center of gravity is important so am used to managing weight distribution. I have only been on a few short trips so far, but I cannot tell a significant difference between the feel of the 25 and 28 when towing.
I have a very similar setup. Behind my QX56 I tow a Rockwood Signature Ultralite (the wife calls it the Mobile Marriott), which loaded is about 8000 lbs and a tounge of 950 lbs. With some careful weight management I get the tounge down to 925 lbs (I don't want it too light on the tounge). I have Firetone airbags to assist in the rear. With regard to power, the QX56 has no issues towing, even when starting up a hill from a dead stop at the bottom. My only concern is braking, and I set the brake controller fairly aggressive (Prodigy P3) when at highway speeds or in hills. With careful driving I've never had any incidents where I felt out of control (had one incident where I had to hard-brake on a rainy bridge due to an ID-10-T error by the guy in front of me, but I maintained control due to the distance I keep).
 
#351 ·
I'm not towing an RV but had a towing question and didn't want to start a new thread. I'm looking at buying a Nissan titan and towing it back with my armada platinum. by the weights found on the internet, I found that the titan is around 5200 lbs, the tow trailer is around 2210 lbs. that makes the total weight towed around 7600 give or take some weight. does this sound like it ok to tow this titan for 1000 miles? thanks in advance for any help.
 
#353 ·
Long way to tow. I might investigate flying in and driving the Titan back if it's driveable. However, you should be fine towing if you're careful and aware.. Many folks are towing travel trailers this weight and more. I tow an Airstream TT with my 2011 Armada and it weighs about the same as what you're considering.

Sorry if most of this is elementary to you, but you didn't say how much general towing experience you have.

A few suggestions in no particular order... Your tongue weight will most likely be your limiting factor. Try to stay within the Nissan 910# (or whatever is stated for your model) limit on the factory hitch. You can easily do so by positioning the Titan on the trailer, but you need to have 10% to 15% of the total trailer weight on the hitch in order to reduce trailer sway.

Sway can roll your entire rig over. 15% of 7,600 will put you over 910#. About 12% is the most you can go. A tongue weight scale makes it easy, but if you don't have (or can't borrow) one, you'll have to estimate it and use trial & error. If your trailer doesn't have an anti-sway hitch or weight distribution spring bars, you need to use real caution. Go very slow at first and try steering from side to side at low speed to get a feel for how much the tail wants to wag the dog.

You can download the Nissan Towing Guide for your vehicle at this link: https://owners.nissanusa.com/nowners/navigation/manualsGuide

You might also slide under the Armada and check the hitch attach bolts for snugness.

Especially if you don't have any weight distribution on the trailer hitch, be careful how much "junk" (ice chests, parts, etc.) you load behind the second seat of the Armada. It can really add up fast.

I would recommend that you inflate the tires on the Armada (especially the rears) close to their max cold inflation pressure - as stamped on the tire sidewall. (Mine are the 18" tires and I run them at 44psi-R / 42psi-F when towing). This will help to reduce heat buildup from sidewall flex. I also have airbags in the rear coils that I run at 60psi. Since you have the Platinum model, the air suspension should handle it.

The main thing is to go slow. If this is just a plain flatbed with nothing but a ball coupler, I wouldn't go over 50 MPH. At the first sign of sway, don't fight it with the steering wheel. Hold the wheel steady, take your foot off the gas, don't hit the car brakes, and use your brake controller to actuate the trailer brakes only.

I use tow mode, no cruise control, and rarely use "D" (overdrive) - unless it's downhill. I use 4th most of the time in order to keep the revs roughly between about 1,500 - 2,000. I also try to anticipate downshifts going up hills and do so manually rather than waiting for the torque converter to do it for me. The tranny is programmed for fuel economy rather than efficiency and will lug the engine down well below 1,500. Going down steep grades I slow way down and lock the tranny in whatever gear it needs to keep the speed from building up in order to avoid burning out the brakes. I also manually downshift on most stops in order to save the front brake pads, but be careful not to do it at too fast a speed or the engine revs will startle you. I've got 47k miles on the Armada and my front brake pads/rotors are still fine.

Have fun :)
 
#354 ·
Towing 9000# TT

I drive tractor trailer for a living. So towing for me is no big deal.

Now I have a 2010 Armada with the tow package. I use a good weight distribution hitch and a good sway control. I have towed my trailer in the mountains in East Tennessee when it was 100 degrees out. The Armada tows this trailer just fine. The only thing that I have found is that the transmission tends to heat up. Should the heat start to build in the transmission all you have to do is down shift and run the motor RPM up some. Anytime I have been towing and did this I have had no issues.

As for the exact weights I am not sure. I am sure though that I am at the max if not over the max by some. I will be taking a trip from TN to CT in just a couple of weeks. I will get back on here and tell you how the Armada did. The trip is 900 miles each way. The one thing that I have done is made sure all fluids are changed and they are all top quality. Of course I have a good break controller as well.

When I take my trip I will be stopping and scaling the rig with it fully loaded just to see where I am.

When towing you need to keep in mind the conditions you are towing in. But if you are in crosswinds the trailer sway can pull you off the road if you are not careful.

The Trailer is a Heartland Trail Runner 29FQBS
 

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