What Would YOU Do?
It's a fairly long story, but I'll try to keep to the essence. Coupla years ago we decided to upgrade from a popup to a travel trailer. Realized fairly quickly we'd need to upgrade tow vehicle as w...
Forum Discussion
Me Again wrote:atreis wrote:bikendan wrote:RSD559 wrote:
Little topic branch off. Why would someone design a truck that can't handle weight distribution? When Nissan first came out with the Titan, it couldn't handle weight distribution either. it had impressive capacities, but specifically said no weight distribution. I wasn't aware that Toyota did the same thing.
Honda is the same way with their Pilots and Ridgelines.
This is incorrect of the Hondas. Only the first gen (2008 and prior) had this limitation. 2009-2015 recommend not using weight distribution as the owner might not set it up properly. It's okay if it IS setup properly, and the hitch is properly mounted for usage of weight distribution. (The issue, FWIW, is that one has to watch how much weight is moved to the front. The front axle doesn't have a huge amount of extra capacity.)
2016 onward they changed this statement to make it clearer that weight distribution is okay if it's setup properly. One still has to watch the weight moved to the front.
As for the OP, I'd replace the vehicle with a more appropriate one (even if that's just a newer 4Runner since the OP is otherwise happy with the vehicle's performance) if an appropriate aftermarket hitch isn't available.
IMO, only the OP knows if the OP is likely to purchase a larger trailer in the future. If the OP is, then moving to a larger vehicle might make sense. Otherwise it likely doesn't. (Not everyone wants a huge trailer.)
Unibodies vs body on frame?
Eh? Touareg is unibody and rated to tow almost 8000 lbs. Sorry, but no. 4WD Pilot and Ridgelines are primarily FWD (4WD only at lowish speeds - ~30mph and under), and their front axles just aren't rated for much extra weight (~300-400 lbs for the '15 Pilot) while the rear axle has quite a lot of extra capacity.
If setting up a WD hitch on a Pilot or Ridgeline (2009 onward), adjust the WD so that it replaces the weight removed by the trailer's tongue weight without adding more to the front axle. The simplest way to do this is to measure the front wheel well height without the trailer, attach the normally-loaded trailer with the WD loose, then adjust the WD to get the front wheel well height back to the same spot. The vehicle will squat a little but not too bad. (They have good suspension on the rear.)
4Runner, btw, is body on frame.