Towing 5200lbs with a 06 Nissan Pathfinder
Hello all, I am currently considering purchasing a travel trailer and will be towing with my 06 Nissan Pathfinder LE 4x4. The Pathfinder has a max towing capacity of 6000lbs and a max tongue of 600lbs...
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I tow a 24' 4950lbs (gross weight) HTT with an '05 Pathfinder LE 4wd. Have had this combo for 2 years now. We mostly do local (within 200-miles) trips, but did make a 2000-mile roundtrip getaway to Mt. Rushmore. Our Pathy has 140K miles now and we plan to tow at least 1 more year with it. With our Equal-I-Zer hitch, we never experienced any sway issues, even in headwind and crosswinds of 30-mph on that Rushmore trip.
It will perform the job adequately for a trailer around 23' and 4800-lbs as you suggest. Just take it easy on the merge ramps. Note that your best towing will be in 3rd gear, with the engine churning at 3500rpms or more depending on what speed you want to maintain; in 3rd, I can maintain 65mph with cruise control on. The manual says you can just tow with OD off, but you'll definitely notice it struggling up hills if you tow in D with OD off; so keep it in 3rd. :) Also don't expect anything better than 8-9mpg's towing, so you'll have frequent fuel stops with our relatively small 21-gallon tank. The payload capacity is pretty good at 1400lbs. The biggest limiting factor is the tongue weight rating of 600lbs. Most trailers beyond 4500lbs gross will exceed that tongue rating, so I wouldn't imagine towing anything bigger than we do today.
That said, I wouldn't take this combo to the Rockies or the Grand Canyon. :)
It will perform the job adequately for a trailer around 23' and 4800-lbs as you suggest. Just take it easy on the merge ramps. Note that your best towing will be in 3rd gear, with the engine churning at 3500rpms or more depending on what speed you want to maintain; in 3rd, I can maintain 65mph with cruise control on. The manual says you can just tow with OD off, but you'll definitely notice it struggling up hills if you tow in D with OD off; so keep it in 3rd. :) Also don't expect anything better than 8-9mpg's towing, so you'll have frequent fuel stops with our relatively small 21-gallon tank. The payload capacity is pretty good at 1400lbs. The biggest limiting factor is the tongue weight rating of 600lbs. Most trailers beyond 4500lbs gross will exceed that tongue rating, so I wouldn't imagine towing anything bigger than we do today.
That said, I wouldn't take this combo to the Rockies or the Grand Canyon. :)
