Nissan Armada Tow

eluwak wrote:

mt585633 wrote:
I have heard that 10% tongue is ok here I have done 12% that is a difference of about 140lbs for tongue weight.

No

10% *MIGHT* be ok, but that is highly unlikely. For example, my trailer is far less stable with anything less than ~14% TW. Typical is between 12-15% for a TT.

camp-n-family wrote:
You don't want to lighten the tongue to stay within your GVWR, it can lead to instability.

Something you can take into account is the fact that the WD hitch will transfer some of the tongue weight back onto the trailers axles. The amount can vary depending on set up but you could see as much as 20% transferred. At 20% of 900lbs you could see 180lbs removed from the truck. BUT, if you need to rely on this to stay within GVWR it goes to show that the TT is too much. Keep in mind your kids aren't going to get any smaller.

To expand on what is being said in the two quotes above...


Considering a 10% TW is absolutely wrong. As mentioned, this can lead to instability. The instability mentioned is a very uneasy, white knuckle experience which can also be referred to as trailer sway...TT not tracking behind the tow vehicle well. Many new RVers are told that this feeling is supposed to be what is helped out by a weight distribution hitch but very light TW problems will not be fixed by a WDH/Anti-sway...you will need to properly tongue load that trailer to get it to tow correctly. You will still need a WDH but don't be fooled into thinking a WDH will solve all TT tracking issues.

There are also cases where someone may already be at 13% TW but they still get an uneasy sway feeling...and usually, the quickest/easiest/proper way to resolve this is to continue to move heavier items forward of the trailer axles to increase the TW.

Trailer sway happens as the leverage of weight behind the trailer axles ease up on the hitch, allowing the TT to "have a mind of its own" causing the instability. This is a very general view of what is occurring but is essentially what happens. You do not want this instability feeling while towing your family around.

I have a 2012 Nissan Titan Pro 4X 4 door same drive train. Rated to tow 9100. I tow a 29 footer dry weight of 5700 I figure pushing 7000 loaded. Tows great. The Armada has an Independent rear axel and I am not 100% sure how stiff it is. My live axel and springs are a bit on the soft side. Motor wise you could tow about anything as long as you can keep gas in it. I also added an external trannie cooler.

BenK wrote:
Other 'minuses' to that 1433 payload are: 4x4, power seats/windows/locks, AC, ETC

Most SUV's end up at to over their GVWR before hooking up the trailer tongue

Best to actually weigh your TV empty and fully loaded ready to go camping, but
without the trailer hooked up

That is the only way to know where you are in reference to your ratings

Ben that statement is absolutely false. Most SUV's do not end up at or over their GVWR before even hooking up the trailer tongue. For example, look at the 2014 Durango. It has a GVWR of 7200 lbs, and when loaded up with my family and all our gear, our curb weight is 5900 lbs..plenty of payload left over.

Also..your statement about power windows, locks, etc is incorrect.

The easiest way to determine payload (regardless of the sticker) is to just load up the SUV with everything (people, gear, etc) and take it to the scales. Your true remaining payload will be your GVWR - scale weight.

I have quite a bit of experience towing with two Armada's. We had a 2006 and a 2008. The 2008 towed a 30 foot Starwood and a 30 foot WindJammer. It did wonderfully with the Starwood, and was too short of a wheelbase for the Windjammer 3065W. I pushed to GCVWR of 15,500 on more than one occasion, and was very pleased with all aspects of the towing with the Starwood. When we moved to the WindJammer, the weight was about the same, but the length was different. I felt like the Armada was too short. When I moved to a Tundra, I felt like I had the right length.

That said, I would stick to a trailer that's between 28 and 30 feet in real length. The Armada is a GREAT tow vehicle, especially with the on board leveling and a good weight distribution hitch like an Equalizer. Keep in mind that it's shorter than a pick up, and that it can wag. If you pick the right trailer then you're in. I towed with it for roughly 20K miles. Don't hesitate to contact me with any other questions.
Ct..

You don't want to lighten the tongue to stay within your GVWR, it can lead to instability.

Something you can take into account is the fact that the WD hitch will transfer some of the tongue weight back onto the trailers axles. The amount can vary depending on set up but you could see as much as 20% transferred. At 20% of 900lbs you could see 180lbs removed from the truck. BUT, if you need to rely on this to stay within GVWR it goes to show that the TT is too much. Keep in mind your kids aren't going to get any smaller.

mt585633 wrote:
I have heard that 10% tongue is ok here I have done 12% that is a difference of about 140lbs for tongue weight.

No

10% *MIGHT* be ok, but that is highly unlikely. For example, my trailer is far less stable with anything less than ~14% TW. Typical is between 12-15% for a TT.

It will not be a pleasant towing experience. It is still too much trailer for the vehicle.

This pretty much means that anything more that you load into your truck such as bikes, firewood, grill, tools, chairs, etc will bring you over gvwr. I wouldn't do it, that is just me.
I admire your for doing the research. If you decide to go this route, then make sure that you have the best WD hitch you can get. Make sure you buy it from a hitch dealer that knows how to adjust it properly. Most rv dealers dont. Final hitch adjustments need to be made when loaded ready for camping, not when you pull the trailer off of the dealer lot. The distribution dynamic changes significantly once all is loaded.
Also, your truck likely has p rated tires. This rating is not optimal for towing heavy loads and since you are at max, you may want to consider LT rated tire. A stiffer sidewall means more stable and less opt to sway. Oh yeah, watch the transmission temp, if you don't have a temp gauge then get one. Never allow trans temp to exceed 225 or so. What axles ratio do you have. If geared 3:55 or below, your transmission will likely run hot.
Good luck.

well thanks for all of the information and support from everyone. I will post one more breakdown of info. My wife and I have looked and I have taken the information given here into consideration. I found a trailer that is 6125Lbs. dry. so loaded should be about 7150Lbs.
7150* 0.12 = 858Lbs tongue weight.
My Armada with 1433max load. minus my weight 150lbs my wife 150Lbs and both of my children (my son 70Lbs & Daughter 60Lbs). I will count them as 100Lbs each. is a Total of 500Lbs passenger weight. Add 100Lbs for Wd hitch is 600Lbs. Armada total cargo is 1433-600=833Lbs left for tongue. I have heard that 10% tongue is ok here I have done 12% that is a difference of about 140lbs for tongue weight. My combined weight for truck and trailer is 15100Lbs with a gross vehicle weight of 7150 + a TT weight of 7150 = 14300. which is 800Lbs short of my combined vehicle weight max. If my math is right this should be a go. Is anyone able to double check me on this.

Thanks for all of your help.

Mike

BenK wrote:
Other 'minuses' to that 1433 payload are: 4x4, power seats/windows/locks, AC, ETC

Ben, all Armadas have AC, power windows, seats, locks. If the sticker on the door of this exact vehicle says 1433 lb payload, then the payload is 1433 lb for this exact vehicle. If the next door neighbor has an Armada with a few different accessories, their door sticker might say 1525 lb, so that is their payload. Obviously weighing the vehicle is the most accurate way to go, but it is not correct to subtract the weight of the AC compressor and the power window motors to get the correct payload for this Armada. This payload number is a sticker on the door specific to this vehicle, not a theoretical number in a sales brochure.