Towing a Jay Feather 19H with a 2009 Nissan Pathfinder SE

[Ryan01463]

Any worries here? Most towing will be 2 hour trips from northern Massachusetts to the White Mountain Region in New Hampshire. Not a ton of large up hill roads, mostly long inclines and 90% of the travel will be highway. Weight Distribution Hitch and Sway bars needed?

Ive seen this exact vehicle towing much larger campers on the highways and parked at camprgrounds.

Any insight is greatly appreciated.

Trailer Specs

Unloaded vehicle weight (lbs.) 3615
Hitch weight (lbs.) 440
Gross vehicle weight (lbs.) 4950
Cargo carrying capacity (lbs.) 1335

Vehicle Specs

MAXIMUM TOWING CAPACITY** 6000 lbs.
MAXIMUM PAYLOAD** 1564 lbs.
GROSS WEIGHT 6000 lbs.
CURB WEIGHT 4446 lbs.

[handye9]

Ryan01463 wrote:
Mine is a V6 model and came equppied with the Tow Package with a 2" Receiver.

Sticker on the trailer hitch says 6000lb Tow Capacity and 600lb Tongue weight.

I'm looking at WD Hitches and adding the airlift 1000 to the rear springs to keep the rear from any possible sagging.

Just a note:

When you hang the tongue weight on your hitch, it takes weight off (like a see saw) from your front axle.

If the front axle is too light, it can cause sway issues, due to subconscious hand movements and winds pushing on the tow vehicle.

The purpose of weight distributing hitch, is to restore weight to your front axle.

Airbags will lift the rear of the vehicle and make it look level, but, they will not restore any weight lost from the front end. They can be used with WD hitch and may improve your ride. Just know they are not helping with how the trailer weight is affecting your axles, and should not be used in place of the WD hitch.

[Ductape]

Suggest you do a search and consider whether the source really knows this vehicle or not.

Airlift- no. WD- yes.

[Ryan01463]

handye9 wrote:


Maybe, maybe not.

These max capacities are manufacturer advertised numbers. They only apply to properly equipped versions of Pathfinders. All others will have max tow capacity of 5000 lbs.

If your vehicle did not come with factory tow package, it's not in the group with 6000 lb tow capacity. There may be some modifications needed, to get it there.

Look for a tire / loading sticker on your drivers door jamb. It should show a max occupant / cargo (payload) weight. That number is your Pathfinder's capacity to carry aftermarket accessories, people, cargo, weight distributing hitch (if needed), and trailer tongue weight, combined.

As you add accessories, people, and cargo, your max available payload and max towing capacity are going down, pound for pound. Example: Put 200 lbs of luggage on the roof rack, and 500 lbs of people and stuff inside the vehicle, it's max towing capacity is 700 lbs less.

The need for a weight distributing hitch is based on trailer weight. If loaded (key word = loaded, not UVW) trailer weight is less than 5000 lbs, WD hitch is not required. Though it may be desired when loaded weight is close to 5000. WD hitch will add approximately 100 lbs to your tow vehicle cargo (takes away from payload and tow capacity) weight.

The hitch receiver must be class III / IV with 2" receiver to have more than 5000 lb capacity.

Average trailer load (dealer options, battery, propane, camping gear, dishes, bedding, water, groceries, etc) is approximately 800 - 1000 lbs.

Average tongue weight is about 12.5 percent of loaded trailer weight.

Mine is a V6 model and came equppied with the Tow Package with a 2" Receiver.

Sticker on the trailer hitch says 6000lb Tow Capacity and 600lb Tongue weight.

I'm looking at WD Hitches and adding the airlift 1000 to the rear springs to keep the rear from any possible sagging.

[handye9]

Ryan01463 wrote:
Any worries here?

MAXIMUM TOWING CAPACITY** 6000 lbs.
MAXIMUM PAYLOAD** 1564 lbs.
GROSS WEIGHT 6000 lbs.
CURB WEIGHT 4446 lbs.

Maybe, maybe not.

These max capacities are manufacturer advertised numbers. They only apply to properly equipped versions of Pathfinders. All others will have max tow capacity of 5000 lbs.

If your vehicle did not come with factory tow package, it's not in the group with 6000 lb tow capacity. There may be some modifications needed, to get it there.

Look for a tire / loading sticker on your drivers door jamb. It should show a max occupant / cargo (payload) weight. That number is your Pathfinder's capacity to carry aftermarket accessories, people, cargo, weight distributing hitch (if needed), and trailer tongue weight, combined.

As you add accessories, people, and cargo, your max available payload and max towing capacity are going down, pound for pound. Example: Put 200 lbs of luggage on the roof rack, and 500 lbs of people and stuff inside the vehicle, it's max towing capacity is 700 lbs less.

The need for a weight distributing hitch is based on trailer weight. If loaded (key word = loaded, not UVW) trailer weight is less than 5000 lbs, WD hitch is not required. Though it may be desired when loaded weight is close to 5000. WD hitch will add approximately 100 lbs to your tow vehicle cargo (takes away from payload and tow capacity) weight.

The hitch receiver must be class III / IV with 2" receiver to have more than 5000 lb capacity.

Average trailer load (dealer options, battery, propane, camping gear, dishes, bedding, water, groceries, etc) is approximately 800 - 1000 lbs.

Average tongue weight is about 12.5 percent of loaded trailer weight.


Here's a link to another thread about towing with a Pathfinder. It may shed some light on your questions.

[SoundGuy]

You haven't said but I'm guessing this is a V6? If so, especially if so, I wouldn't do it, particularly if you're planning to carry passengers at the same time. JMO, but if any combination would benefit from the use of a properly sized and adjusted weight distribution this sure would be it considering your PF's short wheelbase. Rather than add further repetition to the subject you might want to read through this similar discussion.