We are heading into our 2nd summer without an RV. For sanity's sake we need to get back into camping. Our tow vehicle with be our number one car than my wife will be driving most of the time. She refuses to go to a half ton pickup but is warming up to the Honda Ridgeline. My question is "Does anyone pull a travel trailer with the Ridgeline and if so any comments good or bad." We anticipate around 21+ travel trailer not a pop-up. Greatly appreciate any feedback thank you.

The Ridgeline is a 1st class vehicle...but it is impractical (for me, anyway)seeing it has only a 4 foot bed. What can you do with that? As far as towing, go to a dealer. Look at an owners' manual. A F-150 with a decent engine and towing package (if there is one, anymore) can usually pull 4000 pounds with no problems. And...it has a 6 foot bed....8 foot, special order, so I'm told. I'm kinda out of touch with these new(er) pickups...my last F-150 was a 1996, 5.8 with a 7000 pound towing package. What a great truck. Totaled after a wreck by the insurance company. But no matter, now....I have a motorhome...and pull a Ford Ranger. Things change. g'luck! ((Once your wife gets used to a vehicle like the F-150, she will love it. Ask me how I know))

I have towed 2000# with a late model Ridgeline. Being that its not a full framed vehicle I have no idea how it will hold up under the towing stress over time. When you max out a soft suspension vehicle, you might lose the ability to control it when you are forced to push it during an emergency maneuver. I would see how large its fuel tank is and calculate expected gas mileage while tow a TT opposed to a boat. Do the math and see if its worth it to you to have to stop more often to refuel. I knew (felt) that 2000# trailer behind me and I was towing it by myself. I would say, once you add additional payload such as people and load up some stuff inside the bed, you are going feel it even more. Be careful not to overload the rear axle and tires. I would go as small and as light as possible. Taking it on short weekend trips might work. Crossing the country will be another adventure.verify more up to date info on the Ridgeline forums........ http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/18516880/print/true.cfm

Ridgeline Owners ClubThere's some pictures on their forum.

ERW1209 wrote:Our tow vehicle with be our number one car than my wife will be driving most of the time. She refuses to go to a half ton pickup but is warming up to the Honda Ridgeline. My question is "Does anyone pull a travel trailer with the Ridgeline and if so any comments good or bad." We anticipate around 21+ travel trailer not a pop-up. Greatly appreciate any feedback thank you.The Ridgeline is totally inadequate for towing any 21'+ travel trailer. Remember, it's not just about weight but also the significant effect wind resistance any full height trailer will have at highway speeds. :E If you're set on a Ridgeline stick with a low profile popup, otherwise you need a much more significant vehicle to tow any full height travel trailer. FWIW, I currently tow a 19' Coachmen Freedom Express 192RBS typically weighing ~ 4500 lbs loaded and ready to camp with a 5.3L V8 1/2 ton Avalanche and I sure wouldn't tow this trailer with anything less.You need to revise your plans, period.

My Jeep WJ is rated for 6500 lb towing 1000lb payload. the newer WK is rated for 7200 with 1200 capacity. both are signifigantly better than the ridgeline and more comfortable both towing and not towing and can be had affordably. check them out.they have a lot of comfort features and still fit in the garage. not as good as a tuck but the next best thing.

Honda Ridgeline | Good Sam Community

bill-e
Explorer
Apr 12, 2016
atreis wrote:
bill-e wrote:
Cant use a weight distribution hitch.

Not true, 2009 onward.

I don't know that, here's an excerpt from the 2014 Ridgeline manual, page 295.

As I stated above, I believe it's mostly based on the fact that the Ridgeline is Front Wheel Drive.

I'm pretty sure these same words were in my 2006 manual.

Weight Distributing Hitch
A weight distributing hitch is not
recommended for use with your
vehicle, as an improperly adjusted
weight distributing hitch may
reduce handling, stability,
and braking performance.
atreis
Explorer
Apr 12, 2016
bill-e wrote:
Cant use a weight distribution hitch.

Not true, 2009 onward - not sure about prior to that. The owner's manual says it's not recommended because you might set it up incorrectly. FWIW, the issue is that one could overload the front axle if not careful. The front axle in the '09-'15 model years can only handle a full payload plus another 2-300 lbs of additional weight. I don't know about the '16. So, weigh the tongue, and move a proportional amount of the spring compression to the front, not to exceed a couple hundred lbs worth, get weighed when fully loaded (front and rear axles separately) and make sure it's still under.

Yes, you also have to have the tranny cooler to get the 5K tow rating. It came standard with the 4wd versions for some model years.

If used within it's limits (just like my Sienna) the 2009 and later model years have proven to be very capable, reliable, and comfortable tow vehicle. There are forums specifically for the Pilot and Ridgeline (and Odyssey, which has the same limitations as my Sienna) where one can talk to many people that have towed for many years and miles with them.
Community Alumni
Apr 12, 2016
atreis wrote:

The '16 Pilot is rated to tow 3,500 if it's a 2WD model and 5,000 if it's a 4WD model. 7,000 seems a bit high for even Honda's strong 6 banger. Wonder if they're introducing a turbo or something...

It's still 3,500 lbs on the AWD models unless you have the optional tranny cooler installed.
Community Alumni
Apr 12, 2016
RinconVTR wrote:

You have incorrectly posted the 2016 Honda Pilot max tow rating.

The 2016 Honda Pilot max tow rating was bumped to 5,000lbs from 4,500.

The Ridgeline will not be less than 5,000lbs, but I have yet to find anything from Honda stating it will be higher. It should be, and there is speculation it will be...but nothing direct from Honda yet.

You are correct. Forgot the rating gets bumped up on the AWD models when you add the transmission cooler.
IDoMyOwnStunts
Explorer
Apr 12, 2016
Why not consider a midsize like the Colorado/Canyon twins as alternatives to the Ridgeline? The V-6 and the diesel will tow 7000 lbs, depending upon payload of course, and they are available now. I'd at least give them a test drive if I were looking.
bill-e
Explorer
Apr 12, 2016
More Ridgeline towing info. Very light tongue weight, I think around 600lbs. Cant use a weight distribution hitch. The Ridgeline isn't really 4wd, it's FWD with the rear kicking in when slippage is sensed so without a weight distribution hitch and a lot of sag you can take too much weight off the front drive wheels. Also, IIRC, the front end was within 200lbs of it's weight rating so even if you decided to use the weight distribution hitch (which Honda recommends against), you would likely shift too much weight to the front.
bill-e
Explorer
Apr 12, 2016
Towed my 19' Shamrock weighing in at about 4500lbs plus 2 adults and gear in the cab and bed. 8-9 mpg. I thought it towed pretty well though lacked power up steep hills. We never went further than about 3.5 hours.

Traded it in for a Ram 1500 Ecodiesel, As an every day car the Ram is way more comfortable than the Ridgeline and mileage while towing my 7000lb camper is 14-16mpg

I loved the features of my Honda, had thay come out with a V8 version and more towing I might have gone that way but I'm completely happy with my Ram 1500 Ecodiesel
atreis
Explorer
Apr 11, 2016
proxim2020 wrote:
The new truck should be out this year and according to Honda will have a max tow capacity of 7,000 lbs. The truck is supposed to share the platform, engine, and trans from the current Pilot which has a towing capacity of only 3,500 lbs. So it will be interesting to see how they'll get to 7,000 lbs.

The '16 Pilot is rated to tow 3,500 if it's a 2WD model and 5,000 if it's a 4WD model. 7,000 seems a bit high for even Honda's strong 6 banger. Wonder if they're introducing a turbo or something...
sunshdw
Explorer
Apr 11, 2016
As long as you keep in mind that its just a V6 and take your time it does just fine. When I'd tow up grades, I shifted back a couple gears and crept up at a steady 45mph with out issues.

Even when I went over the limit and took my time it did fine!
RinconVTR
Explorer
Apr 11, 2016
proxim2020 wrote:

That's to be expected since they ended production all the way back in early 2014. The new truck should be out this year and according to Honda will have a max tow capacity of 7,000 lbs. The truck is supposed to share the platform, engine, and trans from the current Pilot which has a towing capacity of only 3,500 lbs. So it will be interesting to see how they'll get to 7,000 lbs.

You have incorrectly posted the 2016 Honda Pilot max tow rating.

The 2016 Honda Pilot max tow rating was bumped to 5,000lbs from 4,500.

The Ridgeline will not be less than 5,000lbs, but I have yet to find anything from Honda stating it will be higher. It should be, and there is speculation it will be...but nothing direct from Honda yet.