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Camping trailer towing advice needed...

8K views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  49RFootballNow 
#1 ·
Driving a 2017 Nissan Armada with towing package. Looking at a 34’ camping trailer with a dry weight of 6696lbs. Really looking to find out if this is a realistic setup with proper hitch, sway bars, and leveling. Probably looking to tow at least monthly for family camping trips. Is this too much trailer?
 
#3 ·
I'm no towing expert but that seems like a long camper for a relatively short wheelbased vehicle, especially at the upper weight range. You may want read up on that combo somewhere reputable - don't necessarily trust the camper sales guy. I'm sure the Armada has the balls to pull it but it may not be that stable back there. Even then it may be fine for short monthly use, if not cross country travel.
 
#4 ·
If you had to tow that once, maybe, but I think it's too much length to tow on a regular basis.

We tow a ~7000lb travel trailer, 29' overall length, with a 2006 qx56. The trailer is a rear entry toy hauler, which means the tongue weight is stupid heavy when there are no toys in the rear to balance the see-saw. We towed it for 5500 miles last year, including the Rockies.

Towing relevant Mods include:
1) All aluminum Koyo radiator that eliminates that part of the transmission cooling system, a known failure point (cross contamination of ATF and coolant)
2) bypassed OEM transmission cooler that was integrated with the radiator, added trucool 4588 external cooler instead, installed it downstream of the OEM stand alone cooler that sits in front of the radiator
3) Full maintenance baseline with all synthetic fluids
4) Trailer brake controler (Prodigy P3)
5) Airbags (not required, but $70 for airbags to extend the life of the rear auto level shocks seemed much cheaper than wearing out those shocks faster)
6) Quality weight distrubiting / sway bar hitch (I like the Blue Ox BXW1500 HITCH, SWAYPRO, 1500 LB )
7) Tow mirrors
8) Front hitch (intended for the Titan, required trimming some plastic air dam) - Provides a place to haul our bicycles, which also helps keep weight over the front axle.

I'm extremely conscientious and considerate when I'm towing, both of the safety aspects, and of the mechanical implications of my actions (ie not overheating the transmission, etc.)

While I never have felt out of control (except maybe that one time rolling down a muddy hill with ~7 tons of truck and trailer, and street tires on the truck), there were certainly times I wished I had more wheelbase, weight, and spring rate in our suspension.

Also, don't just pay attention to your "towing capacity" -You'll generally overload the rear axle of an Armada long before you reach the 8500lb towing capacity. We keep our QX56 empty except for people, dog, and snacks, and cruise by just under the max load for the rear axle. See your door jamb sticker, check the GAWR, RR number especially. Use the catscale app at a truckstop to obtain relevant weights. Most people are surprised how fast it adds up.

Also, do some research into what changes you need to make when towing heavy besides the above. Tow/haul mode, higher tire pressures, possibly lock out upper transmission gears, watch your transmisssion temp, and probably some other things I'm forgetting.

Ultimately to tow our camper's weight with enough safety margin to make me feel warm and fuzzy (both legally and practically), I'm shopping for a 1 ton truck.
 
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