Nissan Armada Tow
I have a Nissan Armada....we bought the truck because of its ability to tow 9100Lbs. My wife as her Eyes set on a few Jayco trailers the range in weight from 7700Lbs to 8400Lbs. I have my eye on a Key...
Forum Discussion
Determining which vehicle to purchase by its "towing" rating is a common mistake with those who have never towed a travel trailer before. The tow rating is a manufacture's figure based upon pulling a trailer with NO tongue weight, ie: a flat bed with wheels at each corner. An Armada has a wonderful and powerful engine and it will pull that flat bed trailer with 9100 lbs on it easily.
Unfortunately, towing a travel trailer is a totally different animal as it is designed to have its wheels close to the center but a little behind causing the trailer to have additional weight on the front. This weight is typically about 12% to 15% of the trailer's total weight and is commonly referred to as "tongue weight".
Most all 1/2 ton (not all) and even some 3/4 ton vehicles (that include pickups and SUVs) don't have much payload capability as they really aren't designed to haul a bunch of weight. The mfg's try (and in your case, succeeded) to convince the public that they indeed can haul a bunch of weight (9100 lbs) but never do they mention exactly what 9100 lb object they used to determine the tow rating. Each mfg uses its own figures for this rate and are probably very different from each other. I believe only Toyota uses Government figures.
Most 1/2 tons are limited by their payload capacity, RAWR, and GVWR....which will be maxed out when pulling a travel trailer long before they reach their advertised tow rating.
As previously mentioned, get your Armada weighed and subtract that weight from the posted GVWR. That will be your "actual" payload capacity. The total of anything and everything you put in or on the SUV will have to be less than the actual payload rating. Again as previously mentioned, towing at maximum ratings is not fun. It's not good for the vehicle, it's not good for the driver.
I agree with others...look for a much lighter trailer. None of those you listed are a good choice.
Good luck, and I hope this helps.
Ron
Unfortunately, towing a travel trailer is a totally different animal as it is designed to have its wheels close to the center but a little behind causing the trailer to have additional weight on the front. This weight is typically about 12% to 15% of the trailer's total weight and is commonly referred to as "tongue weight".
Most all 1/2 ton (not all) and even some 3/4 ton vehicles (that include pickups and SUVs) don't have much payload capability as they really aren't designed to haul a bunch of weight. The mfg's try (and in your case, succeeded) to convince the public that they indeed can haul a bunch of weight (9100 lbs) but never do they mention exactly what 9100 lb object they used to determine the tow rating. Each mfg uses its own figures for this rate and are probably very different from each other. I believe only Toyota uses Government figures.
Most 1/2 tons are limited by their payload capacity, RAWR, and GVWR....which will be maxed out when pulling a travel trailer long before they reach their advertised tow rating.
As previously mentioned, get your Armada weighed and subtract that weight from the posted GVWR. That will be your "actual" payload capacity. The total of anything and everything you put in or on the SUV will have to be less than the actual payload rating. Again as previously mentioned, towing at maximum ratings is not fun. It's not good for the vehicle, it's not good for the driver.
I agree with others...look for a much lighter trailer. None of those you listed are a good choice.
Good luck, and I hope this helps.
Ron
