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re: Towing with Nissan Pathfinder
Posted on 8/17/26 at 9:05 am to Boudreauboudreaugoly
Posted on 8/17/26 at 9:05 am to Boudreauboudreaugoly
Unless you like white knuckling my rule of thumb is about 80% of the tow rating but I prefer to be understressed when I tow anything. When you start getting into towing stuff that's heavier than your tow vehicle that's when you really need the extra wheelbase and proper suspension and brakes of a full sized tow rig. Above ~4-5k is about my tipping point where I want a full sized vehicle and proper brake controller. You need that longer wheelbase to provide stability to keep the tail from wagging the dog. At 6k your tongue weight is pretty much going eat up a majority all of your payload capacity in a midsized SUV too. Weight distribution hitch does help quite a bit.
1
Posted on 8/17/26 at 9:07 am to DeoreDX
quote:
Weight distribution hitch
Does anybody make one thats suitable for boat trailers?
Posted on 8/17/26 at 9:13 am to Boudreauboudreaugoly
quote:
Right now they are towing with a 4 Runner but claim that it feels like the boat/trailer is driving the vehicle
I don't see how this gets better with a Pathfinder. That's basically a minivan with the CVT others have mentioned. I would absolutely keep the Runner over the Pathfinder.
But moving forward I would want a 1500 pickup if they are regularly towing.
quote:
I explained to her that her “toy” is 6000 pounds Dry. Once you load it down with fuel and other equipment you will be Significantly above that “rated towing capacity number”.
Towing is more than the nominal tow rating. If you go five miles once per month on flat ground in the country, a pathfinder would be fine. If you tow five miles daily across Houston traffic or up and down a mountain, that pathfinder will shred itself quickly. So not only is it 6000lbs dry, but what demands are you making of the brakes and shocks?
Posted on 8/17/26 at 9:16 am to DownshiftAndFloorIt
quote:
Does anybody make one thats suitable for boat trailers?
Posting before coffee means I didn't think it all the way through. But yeah surge brakes on boat trailers don't work well with most common WDH's. That part I don't know. I'm sure so.eonr has figured it out.
Posted on 8/17/26 at 9:18 am to DeoreDX
Man I was hoping you were on to something. I could use one for my boat. It has too much tongue weight.
Posted on 8/17/26 at 10:11 am to tadman
Saw a PF in traffic this morning and I would go heavier than a zero turn towing. Suspension and brakes looked soft like the soccer board.
Posted on 8/17/26 at 10:18 am to DownshiftAndFloorIt
Downshift, can you move your axles forward at all?
It sounds like they should just buy whatever SUV they want for daily driving and get a big old beater truck for towing. You can buy a running 1997-2003 F150 for like $4,000, or better yet, get an old F250/Expedition for a little more. Then they don't have to worry about tearing up their brand new car by towing something they shouldn't and it'll be much safer for everyone else on the road with them.
One time on I-10 around Prarieville, I saw a trailer come unhooked from a truck, cross the interstate median, go right through a gap in the safety fence and t-bone an oncoming small pickup truck. It was not pretty and was fatal. You don't want to mess around with towing.
It sounds like they should just buy whatever SUV they want for daily driving and get a big old beater truck for towing. You can buy a running 1997-2003 F150 for like $4,000, or better yet, get an old F250/Expedition for a little more. Then they don't have to worry about tearing up their brand new car by towing something they shouldn't and it'll be much safer for everyone else on the road with them.
One time on I-10 around Prarieville, I saw a trailer come unhooked from a truck, cross the interstate median, go right through a gap in the safety fence and t-bone an oncoming small pickup truck. It was not pretty and was fatal. You don't want to mess around with towing.
Posted on 8/17/26 at 10:41 am to Donkus
quote:
I'm poor and I love my '26 Pathfinder Platinum.
Thats what I have.
Best of all, no turbos.
Posted on 8/17/26 at 10:47 am to Boudreauboudreaugoly
Sometimes people have to learn the hard way
She will see that you were right
She will see that you were right
Posted on 8/17/26 at 11:10 am to X123F45
quote:
If I'm towing, my trailer brakes are set to ten. And the truck is put in tow mode. If I touch my brake pedal slightly, the truck downshifts, the trailer brakes engage.
That is NOT how you are supposed to use trailer brakes.
Posted on 8/17/26 at 11:12 am to Wilson
I've seen the same on I55 north of Jxn, MS. Lady was driving 80+ towing an empty 5x7 trailer. That trailer was bouncing behind her due to her crazy speed. About 100 yards after she passed me, the trailer came off, thankfully it stopped in the median.
Posted on 8/17/26 at 11:22 am to Wilson
I could but I dont want to. Nothing is overloaded right now but it is all close, and the truck technically isnt overloaded. It just rides shittier than I would like on our screwed up roads.
Which brings up another point. A 6,000 pound boat on a trailer is more difficult to tow than say a 6000 pound tractor on a flat deck. Boat trailers are universally heaps of shite. They flex a lot, the brakes suck, they are usually too short, etc. A 6,000 pound boat needs to be on a trailer rated for 12,000 pounds to tow worth a damn.
Which brings up another point. A 6,000 pound boat on a trailer is more difficult to tow than say a 6000 pound tractor on a flat deck. Boat trailers are universally heaps of shite. They flex a lot, the brakes suck, they are usually too short, etc. A 6,000 pound boat needs to be on a trailer rated for 12,000 pounds to tow worth a damn.
Posted on 8/17/26 at 1:09 pm to c on z
quote:
Isn’t there some talk of bringing the XTerra back?
I wish. But the world has moved on from midsize SUVs with half ton drive lines and half ton mpg.
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