Nissan Titan Towing Capactiy

[txrv]

Hi everyone. We started looking for a Travel Trailer. I have been reading here trying to learn but thought I would post the direct trailer /truck and see if they are compatible.

Our pickup is a 2005 Nissan Titan 4 Door with around 150k miles.

We found someone selling a 2006 Keystone Springdale 30 foot travel trailer.

He said the model is 307.

I am looking up that model/year trailer and can't find the specs on it. Thinking its around 6-7k pounds looking at similar sizes but can't find the matchup. ,

Thats using nada spec lookup here:

http://www.nadaguides.com/RVs/2006/Keystone-RV

I have not seen it in person but was thinking to make the trip out there. Before I do , is this something we can pull?

I think the truck came with a trailer wiring harness for the trailer brakes , is that something that needs to be installed?

Also the hitch is factory on it. I have pulled other various utility/landscape trailers but nothing like this.

I know the payload is important but I'm not quite sure how that is figured. For the cargo, it would be a couple of people and 3x 65 pound dogs. We would probably put some stuff in the bed too, water, cooler, etc

Thank you for the great information on this site, it is appreciated.

Also if I am off on this travel trailer, can you guys give me an idea of what i can safely be looking at for pulling?

[jerem0621]

APT wrote:
Prodigy brake controllerProdigy P2 $125 Shipped Prime 2-day or extra $4 for next day.

Equal-i-zer hitchEqual-i-zer 4-pt WDH with integrated sway control.

Statistically the % of owners of the $2000+ WDH are more satisfied than the $500 WDH who are more satisfied than the $300 hitch. I see no reason not to at least get the $500-ish WDH at the relative cost over the basic WDH with friction sway control.

Note: Moderator edit to fix links to products.

I'm would bet that statistically based on sales volume as the measure of customer satisfaction that the numbers skew towards the standard WD hitch.

In most campgrounds I go to I see sway bars and regular WD hitches on 7-8 out of 10 TT parked. The others have an integrated sway and WD design. Most of those tend to be the E2 by fast way or the one by reese that's basically the same.

Most people on RV.net seem to prefer the DC or the Equal-I-zer...the majority of TT haulers are not on RV.net. My experience with a properly set up standard WD hitch and two sway bars vs reese dual cam proved to me that from my seat...there is little to no difference. Everything being properly set up.

I'm all for safety...but all friction hitches are about the same in effectiveness.

Blue Ox sway pro and the Hensley twins are exceptions and are a significant step up from the friction hitches.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

[txrv]

Thanks for all the info guys ,appreciate it

[APT]

Prodigy brake controllerProdigy P2 $125 Shipped Prime 2-day or extra $4 for next day.

Equal-i-zer hitchEqual-i-zer 4-pt WDH with integrated sway control.

Statistically the % of owners of the $2000+ WDH are more satisfied than the $500 WDH who are more satisfied than the $300 hitch. I see no reason not to at least get the $500-ish WDH at the relative cost over the basic WDH with friction sway control.

Note: Moderator edit to fix links to products.

[jerem0621]

Go to camping world and buy the prodigy, they should also have the correct pigtail adaptor to connect to your titan. It should be plug and play.

If you have an O'rileys Auto Parts close by they have a brand of brake controllers by a company called Hayes, they sell a brake controller called a Genesis...it's very similar to the Prodigy. O'rileys should also have the pigtail adaptor you need.

There is a cheaper proportional controller called the Energize III...it's pretty good and the controls are easy to use.

I would steer you away from the time based controller but they are 10000 times safer than no trailer brakes.

Do not tow this trailer without brakes. It's just not worth it.

As far as WD is concerned many on here will help you spend 500-600 on a hitch. The standard WD hitch by Eaz-Lift or Pro Series are fine and you can be safely towing for about three hundred bucks.

Remember for trailers over 24 ish ft you need two friction sway control bars.

Thanks and good luck!

Jeremiah

[txrv]

Ok looks like I def need a brake controller just have to find a store that' carries the prodigy ....

Now lastly the weigh distribution hitch ....

[txrv]

Has big tow looks to be class 4 on it so good there. Started looking on titan talk to see setups.

Now , looks like I need to get a P2 prodigy brake controller as many say its good

and from what it sounds like, I need to get the weight distribution hitch.

Now my next question, I do not have either of these two items, are they needed? Say we do buy it tomorrow, can we drive home? It is about an hour away.

Recommendations and input are appreciated, thanks

[txrv]

colochoclab wrote:
Titan owner here.

I also think that this trailer may be a bit too much for your truck. The Titan is an excellent platform, but with limitations. Payload is the big killer on the Titan, especially in the crew cab configuration. (I assume your Titan has the Big-Tow package. Tow mirrors, trans temp gauge, etc. It IS pre-wired for a controller.)
"Dry" weight (if known) is unrealistic measure. When it comes down to it, the trailer must be weighed. Anything else is speculation. Hopefully the previous owner did this sometime, but it sounds like he hasn't. Case-in-point, my 2006 Jayco 29FBS had a "dry" weight of 6725. Once loaded for the road, it scaled at 8000. (Gross is 8750 btw)
In my opinion, I would not tow anything much heavier than 8000 with the Titan. Can it be done? Sure, but the driving experience may be less than pleasant. Don't expect too much with mileage, my tow mileage is between 8-10 mpg depending if it's mountains or flats. The engine noise someone mentioned is not that big of a deal, 3-4000 rpm under load is no sweat for the VK engine. 5K+ is a different story. Noisy.

Feel free to PM me with questions!

Ok and to add, I believe it has the big tow package on it, it case the tow mirrors, tow mode switch, trans temp gauge. I also have what looks like the harness for the electric brake jumper. Is that something I should get connected at the dealer or somewhere else?

[RedGATitan]

As a former Titan owner I can tell you the Springdale is a better choice. You will be a lot more comfortable towing with that weight. We had a 28 foot Dutchmen that the Titan handled great and had the same or similar weights as the Springdale. You have a capable truck that will perform well in flat to moderately hilly terrain. Mine was not the Big tow but handled the mountains of north Georgia well. I don't think I would try the higher steeper grades of the upper Apalachins or the Rockies, but have seen some Titan owners that have. I would still have the Titan if it would have had the payload for a fifth wheel.
It was a great truck

[txrv]

Ok guys, I was starting to think the same thing. Its hard to find info on the tongue weights as well.

So back to this, instead going to scale it down slightly and look at a 2008 springdale model 266. It looks like this trailer is 28 feet long and looks to be around 6105 on the manufacturer spec going from here

http://www.keystonerv.com/media/32494/SG08_Brochure.pdf

and then this resource showing 5950

http://www.keystonerv.com/previous-years?brand=Springdale&year=2006

Being that it looks about 1,000 pounds lighter (assuming most of this comes from being a few shorter and one slide as opposed to two.

Do you guys think that is going to be an ok setup? Great to see a couple of titan owners but before I send a private message want to put it out here so others can learn too,

Ran a vin decoder on another site, but doesn't show towing info.

I think its the stock hitch, checked for markings on it but could not find any marks. Bought from the dealer new. Any of you titan guys know about the hitch?

Also still need to research more but do I need a weight distribution hitch?

Going to try and spend a little time on titan talk but going to look at this tomorrow and might be so any reassurance will be good but will be poking around titan talk tomorrow and would be great to find the tow package on it , if it has it.

Thanks for all of the responses greatly appreciated!

[colochoclab]

Titan owner here.

I also think that this trailer may be a bit too much for your truck. The Titan is an excellent platform, but with limitations. Payload is the big killer on the Titan, especially in the crew cab configuration. (I assume your Titan has the Big-Tow package. Tow mirrors, trans temp gauge, etc. It IS pre-wired for a controller.)
"Dry" weight (if known) is unrealistic measure. When it comes down to it, the trailer must be weighed. Anything else is speculation. Hopefully the previous owner did this sometime, but it sounds like he hasn't. Case-in-point, my 2006 Jayco 29FBS had a "dry" weight of 6725. Once loaded for the road, it scaled at 8000. (Gross is 8750 btw)
In my opinion, I would not tow anything much heavier than 8000 with the Titan. Can it be done? Sure, but the driving experience may be less than pleasant. Don't expect too much with mileage, my tow mileage is between 8-10 mpg depending if it's mountains or flats. The engine noise someone mentioned is not that big of a deal, 3-4000 rpm under load is no sweat for the VK engine. 5K+ is a different story. Noisy.

Feel free to PM me with questions!

[mkirsch]

I would advise that you pass on this trailer also.

Keeping the GVWR of the trailer at or below the truck's "tow rating" is a good rule of thumb, but having towed with Titan/Tundra/F150/1500 class pickups for many years, I believe 7000lbs maximum is a good number for best driving comfort.

When you go much past 7000lbs, and that's LOADED, you run into payload issues with the truck for sure, which makes the ride a little mushy. On top of that even though you have that big powerful V8, it will spend more of its time roaring at 3000-4000 RPMs than you will want to listen to.

Keep in mind that empty weight is NOT what you will be towing, except on the trip home from the seller's. Depending on your camping habits you will have 1000-2000lbs more in the camper along with 300-700lbs extra in the truck.

[kvangil]

txrv wrote:
FYI guy says trailer sticker says 7200 empty and gross is 9800.

I've owned Nissans all my driving-aged life, and currently tow with a Pathfinder myself. When picking a trailer, I'd suggest keeping the Gross weight under that of your vehicle's tow rating. The Titan is rated at around 9500-lbs, so the 9800lbs gross weight of that trailer would put you over. If you pack light, this combo may still be doable, but you will likely not like the experience. I'd suggest looking at possibly a lighter trailer. Best of luck whatever you decide.

[bretm151]

You can find the 2006 Springdale information at:

http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2014/08/01/deal-with-h-p-paves-new-future-for-old-software/?mod=yahoo_hs

There is no 307 model. For 2007, there is a 309 model whose weights look close to what you posted...

https://web.archive.org/web/20070217150120/http://www.keystone-springdale.com/?page=specs

Bret

[BarneyS]

txrv wrote:
Snip...
Is there by chance a market section on this forum that I am overlooking for members to buy /sell?

Hi, and WELCOME to the forums.
Sorry, but advertising to buy or sell on our forums is prohibited. We used to have a section for that purpose but it became overrun by commercial advertisers and required too much time moderating so it was discontinued.
Barney