06 Honda Pilot 2WD Towing 16' Scamo DLX

[Ray R]

We are relatively new to this. My wife and I are exited to pick up our 2016 Scamp 16 DLX in mid September. According to the Honda 06 Pilot manual towing capacity is 3500# with a tongue weight of 450#. The manual does not recommend a WDH. I do have the Honda towing package with power steering and transmission coolers. I had a brake controller installed and 7 prong RV plug. Is there anything else I should consider? Has anyone encountered any issues? Any advice would surely be welcome! Thanks bunches!

[sokhapkin]

You need a hitch ball mount with correct raise/drop. Scamp recommends 21" to the top of the ball, but my preference (with 2014 Scamp 16' standard) is 20" for exceptionally stable towing.

[Jon in AZ]

You must be excited!!

It sounds like you're ready to go. Weight-wise you should be fine with your Pilot as set up.

Being FWD-only, you may experience some loss of traction climbing grades on loose surfaces. I tow a 13' Scamp with a 2011 FWD Pilot, so I have occasionally run into the problem on gravel roads in campgrounds. On a couple of occasions I've had to disable the VSA system to get up a slope.

At some point you may want to consider adding a friction sway bar. If you load your Scamp properly and keep speeds reasonable for towing (60-65 max), sway shouldn't be a problem. A sway bar adds a measure of protection in an emergency avoidance maneuver.

Remember to check lug nuts, tire pressure, and hub temperature frequently during the first few hundred miles of towing.

If it were me, I'd plan a few days' shake-down time in the vicinity of Backus to test out all the systems. A leak test at a self-service car wash wouldn't be a bad idea, either, unless you have a good rain while you're there (be careful with the high pressure setting, though, and don't point directly into vents).

Best wishes in your coming adventures!

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by sokhapkin

You need a hitch ball mount with correct raise/drop. Scamp recommends 21" to the top of the ball, but my preference (with 2014 Scamp 16' standard) is 20" for exceptionally stable towing.

Remember that the rear suspension will squat a bit under the tongue weight of the trailer. My owner's manual has a chart listing the drop under different loads- you might check yours. I would expect 275-300 pounds tongue weight for your Scamp 16D. Passengers and cargo in the vehicle also affect the load.

Excerpt from the 2011 Honda Pilot Owner's Manual:

[Uplander]

A weight distribution system might help as it distributes the weight to all wheels. That might give better traction to the front wheels of your tow vehicle.
You can buy such a system at al low price ($199) at any Harbor Freight store or on line. The one they sell should handle your set up just fine.
Sway control is always a good idea.

Happy (safe) Camping !

[Wayne Collins]

Originally Posted by Ray R

We are relatively new to this. My wife and I are exited to pick up our 2016 Scamp 16 DLX in mid September. According to the Honda 06 Pilot manual towing capacity is 3500# with a tongue weight of 450#. The manual does not recommend a WDH. I do have the Honda towing package with power steering and transmission coolers. I had a brake controller installed and 7 prong RV plug. Is there anything else I should consider? Has anyone encountered any issues? Any advice would surely be welcome! Thanks bunches!

Sounds like you have a winner. Try it without the sway bar, or WDH. they add more dead weight. You want to be sure that your ball mount is short as possible; and tight in the receiver. any looseness can aggravate sway. And the farther back the ball is, the more weight transfer to affect front wheel drive traction.
Observe (measure) how much the hitch ball sags with trailer vs without. If too much, can you swap your rear shocks for load leveler shocks? Of course, you can help yourself too by not loading a lot of heavy stuff in the back of the Pilot.