Safely towing a 27ft tt with nissan frontier crew cab

[sunovertone]

Hello! I would really like to purchase a r vision 23rbs trail light travel trailer. It has a 23 ft box and 27 ft from bumper to bumper. I have a 2010 nissan crew cab 6 cylinder frontier. It can tow 6100 pounds. I think the pay load is 1116 or so. The wheel base is 126. I know I can tow 24 ft with my wheel base, but, I would like to know if I can tow safely 27 ft. I do not think weight is an issue, the trailer only weighs 4000 dry. I really like my truck and really want this trailer, but just need to know if is ok combo!

[Bucky_Badger]

lawrosa wrote:
I think youll be fine... You have a little more truck them me and look what I pull.

Most important is the trans cooler. I fit the biggest one I could behind the grill.

If you have that tiny one that came with the truck replace it.

Otherwise your trans will not last long at all.


5500 tow rating...4100 trailer dry... WD hitch..

Truck only is 4900 GVWR with 2700 lb axles...

Now sway at all with double axle.

You should resize the pic so people don't have to scroll side to side to read the posts

[gmw_photos]

dlos wrote:
gmw, you bring up an interesting point, all vehicles have their limits. It also sounds like you have experience towing things. I do believe the manual trans helped your situation.

One thing not mentioned here by the OP, or you, is how many people and how much gear was going in the Frontier cab and bed. Even at 4000lbs, the tongue weight is going to start chewing heavily into the Frontier's payload which is not all that much.

If the OP is planning to pull more than 4000lbs and has wife, 1-2 kids, full tank of fuel - payload is maxxed or exceeded. That is unless mods have been made to the truck.

The Frontier is strong, it'll pull more than its recommended weight. I love mine, just wouldn't put myself on the road with a big box and a full or over weight load in the truck.

I'm not suggesting the OP get a new truck, just a camper that better matches the abilities of the truck and maybe leaves some room for the truck to perform better and have some reserves in power and brakes.

dlso,
Those are all fair and valid points. I have driven ( empty ) a couple of Frontier's with automatic trans, but I have not towed with the automatic version. The auto, being just five speeds ( my manual is six ) has the ratios probably spread a little wider, and worse, the auto trans trucks are geared taller ( lower numerically ) with a 3:32 if memory serves me correct. The manual trans trucks come with 3:69 gears, so are more suited to towing. However, in the real world, what it likely means is places where I am in third, the auto trans truck would be in second, so they still should work.

One myth that is often perpetuated is that the gas engines "are working hard" when they are spinning let's say 3000 to 4500 rpm. That is simply incorrect. That is not hurting them at all, especially these VQ series Nissan engines. This basic engine design is used in many of their car lines, including the Z series sports cars, and the engine is designed for reliable high RPM operation.
From a standpoint of internal stresses (block, crank and rods ), it's actually pretty much impossible with stock tuning to "work this engine too hard", as long as you don't overrev them. This basic engine can be reliably built to 400hp and can safely spin 6500rpm.

We could get into piston speeds, piston mass, and rpm and then start comparing the stresses in the Frontier engine vs the powerstroke diesel....but I suspect most would find that not only off topic but also boring as all get out !

Suffice to say your advice to the OP to consider a trailer well within the limits of the truck ( any truck ) is good advice. And for sure, we all want to take a few things along with us when we go camping, so payload has to be watched.

An enjoyable trip is certainly more likely if we choose a good match of truck to trailer, and equally important is correct rigging with a good WD hitch with effective sway control. And lastly, most important is good driving skills while pulling.

Safe towing to all....see you all in the campground, 'cuz after all....that is what it's all about.

[dlos]

gmw, you bring up an interesting point, all vehicles have their limits. It also sounds like you have experience towing things. I do believe the manual trans helped your situation.

One thing not mentioned here by the OP, or you, is how many people and how much gear was going in the Frontier cab and bed. Even at 4000lbs, the tongue weight is going to start chewing heavily into the Frontier's payload which is not all that much.

If the OP is planning to pull more than 4000lbs and has wife, 1-2 kids, full tank of fuel - payload is maxxed or exceeded. That is unless mods have been made to the truck.

The Frontier is strong, it'll pull more than its recommended weight. I love mine, just wouldn't put myself on the road with a big box and a full or over weight load in the truck.

I'm not suggesting the OP get a new truck, just a camper that better matches the abilities of the truck and maybe leaves some room for the truck to perform better and have some reserves in power and brakes.

[gmw_photos]

I will say that I find it "interesting" that a few people have mentioned they feel the Frontier is inadequate as for power and brakes. That is counter to my experience, pulling my 4000 pound funfinder. I have towed from sea level ( gulf coast, TX ) to over over 13,000 feet ( Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico ) and never, not one single time have I felt under powered or under braked. Part of this may be that my Frontier is a manual transmission though. I recently came down a steep, tight twisty mountain road in Colorado with the FF behind, and the Frontier, in second gear all the way down was able to hold my speed to 35 mph, which was the correct speed for this downhill run, without having to use the brakes, except once to scrub the speed down to about 20 for a really tight hairpin.
I have climbed greater than 6% grades in the mountains in third gear, never having to use more than 3500 to 3700 rpm, and maintaining reasonable speed the whole way up.
Not really sure what folks are expecting ?

Here is a comparo too: any of these trucks can sometimes hit their limits. Last night, up a local grade in the dually F350 with powerstroke turbo diesel. I was in third gear ( 5R110 automatic trans ), foot to the floor, around 28 pounds of boost....to hold 58 mph. That's all she wrote....that's what it would do. Had the 35 gooseneck hooked on with four horses in it, and five people in the cab. My point ? That all of these tow vehicles have limits, and just because you have to bump into those limits occasionally, does not mean that truck is a bad choice for the job.

Having said all that, I do agree that towing a 6000 pound travel trailer with my Frontier would not be a good match. But it tows the 4000 pound FF with ease. Probably 98% of the time, I am below 3000 rpm and able to maintain whatever highway speed I want to ( usually 55 to 60 mph )

....as always, all y'alls mileage may vary.

[dlos]

I have a 2010 Frontier Pro-4x. I also have a KZ Spree 240BHS LX and a Nissan Armada I tow that with. I would NOT pull a Travel Trailer weighing over 3500lbs ready to camp, gear and all with the Fronty. All that's been mentioned here from tongue weight to wheelbase are reasons why. One reason I did not see mentioned here was brakes.

I also have a 21 foot boat on a dual axle trailer. Boat and trailer together weigh in about 3500lbs. Fronty pulls it ok but on hills it gets less than ideal, going up and at times coming down. I do NOT consider the brakes on the frontiers to be over done. They are just "ok".

Pulling a boat and an RV are not comparable, there's little to no issue with anything passing you by with a boat, not true with a boxy RV.

Ask yourself this....How concerned with the ultimate safety of my family am I when towing the RV? The guy I bought my camper from pulled it with a Tacoma, reason he sold it was he couldn't afford a bigger truck adn he needed one badly.

Good luck, be safe!

[gmw_photos]

sunovertone wrote:
Thanks for all the advice! As much as I love the r vision trailer I decided to go with a smaller trailer. I really like the Springfield 202. It has a decent floor plan and is around 4000 lb.

Curious, I just did a search for a Springfield and did not get any hits.
Are you by chance referring to a Springdale 202QBWE ?

[sunovertone]

Thanks for all the advice! As much as I love the r vision trailer I decided to go with a smaller trailer. I really like the Springfield 202. It has a decent floor plan and is around 4000 lb.

[Highway_4x4]

You're setting yourself up for a real bad day down the road. JMHO.

[Keeblertex]

I have a 2010 V6 Frontier. Love the truck. I used to tow my popup with various midsized SUVs and then the Frontier. No problem. I then upgraded my TT to a 26bh, no slide. It's about 5300lbs on the road. I use a WD hitch with sway control. But, it's just plain stressful. I can hold 55-60 mph on the flats but any kind of grade zaps me down. Heaven forbid I have an on ramp with a hill. Then, any semi's that pass you shake you pretty good. My stepdad tells me he had similar issues pulling his airstream with his avalanche. But, I gotta believe that with the larger engine and wheelbase that it's got to be better. I'm currently in the market for a full sized truck with a minimum towing capacity of 8000lbs or greater. I hope this helps.

[goducks10]

NO. You will hate every minute towing that TT. You'll be maxed out not only on the truck but the TT as well. The TT only has 1260lbs of payload. And that's before you add propane and batteries. You will be maxed out on the axles and tires with that TT. IMO look for something lighter with more payload ability.
You truck will be working it's butt off to climb any mtn passes. I towed a 22' OAL 4050 TT with an 06 V6 AT Frontier. Handling was decent but the power just wasn't there. Moved up to an 08 F150 5.4 and it was perfect. MPG went from 8.5 to 10.5.

[boosTT]

It will tow it, but not well. I towed a 19' (23' actual) 3300 lbs dry TT with a ranger 4.0L. It does tow, but it was not easy driving. The truck is not heavy enough and the slightest winds from passing semis will enduce mild sway. Not really a fun way to start a vacation.

You could get by for a year or two for short trips. You WILL upgrade your truck if you buy this trailer though. It might be the first trip, it could be 3 years later when the transmission goes. The truck is just too small. Not enough payload, weight and the V6 is borderline powerful enough with the wind resistance.

I've been there and done that.

[gmw_photos]

sunovertone wrote:
Hello! I would really like to purchase a r vision 23rbs trail light travel trailer. It has a 23 ft box and 27 ft from bumper to bumper. I have a 2010 nissan crew cab 6 cylinder frontier. It can tow 6100 pounds. I think the pay load is 1116 or so. The wheel base is 126. I know I can tow 24 ft with my wheel base, but, I would like to know if I can tow safely 27 ft. I do not think weight is an issue, the trailer only weighs 4000 dry. I really like my truck and really want this trailer, but just need to know if is ok combo!

The first question you need to ask yourself is, "do I want to stay within manufacturer stated limits, or am I one who believes those limits are just a suggestion" ??

If you are willing to go over the rear axle limit of the truck, then this can probably be rigged to pull ok, if you have reasonable expectations about how fast you can pull, etc. The key will be careful setup of a good weight distributing hitch and sway control and of course a good brake controller.
But....and this is caveat.... you will almost certainly be over the rear axle rating.
I pull a funfinder that is just under 4000 pounds with my '06 Frontier ( V6, crewcab, 6 speed manual ) and it pulls excellent. I also sometimes pull my horse trailer, which is about 4500 loaded, also pulls well. However, with these trailers I am getting very close to the trucks axle limits, so I would not want to pull more weight than these trailers.

Having said that, I was in Colorado a few weeks ago, and had a conversation with a fellow from Denver that was pulling a 5000 pound camper with a Honda Ridgeline, and he claimed it pulled very well, even at high altitude. I would not have guessed it would be a good combo, but maybe ? I'm sure he was over the trucks stated limits though, so take that for what it's worth.

Also, for what it's worth, regarding a Nissan Titan, as much as I like the looks of the truck, and Nissan in general, I probably would not recco one as a tow vehicle for a heavier trailer. There are other options in that class that are likely better suited ( as in, "all the other manufacturers", which would be Ford, Chevy, Ram and Toyota ).

EDIT: I just looked at the trailer website. They are claiming a dry weight of almost 4300, so in the real world, figure it's going to weigh around 5300 ready to camp. That will be a tongue weight of around 690 pounds when set up correctly.
And don't fall for people telling you put weight behind the trailer axles to lighten the tongue weight. Bad idea that can lead to an unstable and unsafe towing experience.

[fla-gypsy]

IMO it is less than adequate due to lack of payload, short wheebase, lack of stabilizing mass of the small truck and drag from the trailer frontal area

[Francesca_Knowl]

As always, weakest link governs all:

Tongue weight is your main limiter in this case, and that will be governed partly by your axle limits but mainly by your truck payload. Only your specific determination of the optimum number in that department will answer your question.