Frontier towing Casita

[ShelbyM]

Originally Posted by whoot

Payload weight of me (200), generator (50), shell (200), skybox (50), would be 500lbs. The tongue weight would be 450? That's 950 of my 1200 payload used, and I haven't even gotten to my tools. It seems like my payload might be the limiting factor.

Your sticker payload is exclusive of driver weight or at least some part. Probably someone here knows how much. Another point is that you may be able to travel with more stuff in the trailer where the weight will be shared between the wheels and tongue. Therefore only a part of the weight will count against your payload.

[steve dunham]

The payload limit as shown on the vehicle sticker is based on the vehicle as equipped when it left the factory and with a full tank of fuel
The weight of the driver , passengers , added equipment / options and all cargo are subtracted from the stated payload
The driver does NOT get a free ride

The average weight of an adult male in the USA is a little over 200 lbs
The average weight of an adult female in USA is 160 lbs
The 150 lb driver / passenger weight allowance is not based in fact but that’s the standard that the auto industry chooses to use for some unknown reason .

[Jon in AZ]

Payload is a crude tool to evaluate the loading of a vehicle. It makes no distinction between a 150# passenger in the front seat and an additional 150# of tongue weight cantilevered behind the rear bumper. Where you place weight is just as important as how much weight you carry.

If you really want a stable, well-balanced, safe handling rig without undue stress on specific chassis components, you have to look at axle weights.

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

Payload is a crude tool to evaluate the loading of a vehicle. It makes no distinction between a 150# passenger in the front seat and an additional 150# of tongue weight cantilevered behind the rear bumper. Where you place weight is just as important as how much weight you carry.

If you really want a stable, well-balanced, safe handling rig without undue stress on specific chassis components, you have to look at axle weights. (Individual wheel weights would be even better, but that requires special equipment.).

A very valid point and often overlooked

[ShelbyM]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

The payload limit as shown on the vehicle sticker is based on the vehicle as equipped when it left the factory and with a full tank of fuel
The weight of the driver , passengers , added equipment / options and all cargo are subtracted from the stated payload
The driver does NOT get a free ride

The average weight of an adult male in the USA is a little over 200 lbs
The average weight of an adult female in USA is 160 lbs
The 150 lb driver / passenger weight allowance is not based in fact but that’s the standard that the auto industry chooses to use for some unknown reason .

Thanks for clarifying. I guess I was lumping payload in with the J2807 tow standard that allows for 150# driver (and other stuff.) Hopefully OP isn't as much of a porker as I am!

[ssatkinson]

We towed a 2004 Casita 17’ SD with our 2 WD 2010 Frontier for several years. Our payload is only 1200 lbs, but we managed to pare down what we need to load to stay within those limits and some to spare. We also carried minimal gear in the Casita, making sure as much as possible had multiple uses. We set a limit for ourselves of 250-300 lbs in the camper for long trips and weighed it all. No generator but a 100w solar panel. We used a sway bar. Did not travel with water in tanks to hold down weight, but carried a gallon separately while on the road. There are two of us and a 90 lb dog. We were able to tow anywhere we needed, although Teton Pass and Big Thompson Canyon were slow. Since then we have moved to an Escape trailer. Still pulling with the Frontier, but will eventually go with a larger truck for more payload. Just be judicious about what you take, how you load, payload, and tongue weight. As someone else mentioned, take it to a scale and get an accurate reading. No need to upgrade your TV unless you plan to take a lot of weight. We were happy with the Frontier and Casita combo.

[New Orleans John]

Originally Posted by ssatkinson

No need to upgrade your TV unless you plan to take a lot of weight. We were happy with the Frontier and Casita combo.

We have been towing with a 2014 Frontier and it took us all over Colorado without any problems. 4l-V6-261 HP. The best addition was a WDH, since last year. It does redistribute the weight where it is needed, as seen on our calculations. Better handling, better ride, as seen now, on even wear of front tires.

[whoot]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

Payload is a crude tool to evaluate the loading of a vehicle. It makes no distinction between a 150# passenger in the front seat and an additional 150# of tongue weight cantilevered behind the rear bumper. Where you place weight is just as important as how much weight you carry.

If you really want a stable, well-balanced, safe handling rig without undue stress on specific chassis components, you have to look at axle weights.

I try to move some of the heavier wrenches and tools to the floor mat area of the front passenger seat, in an attempt to get some of the weight off the rear axle. Hopefully that helps. I'll have to find a place that measures the weight on each axle.

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by whoot

I try to move some of the heavier wrenches and tools to the floor mat area of the front passenger seat, in an attempt to get some of the weight off the rear axle. Hopefully that helps. I'll have to find a place that measures the weight on each axle.

Yes the axle-by-axle weighing at a truck stop is a good plan. I assume you’re settled somewhere for now. No hurry. Obviously you’ve been towing with this set-up for a while and the sky hasn’t fallen. Next time you pack up and move your rig, plan on a weigh stop. Truck stops are everywhere.

If you’re comfortably within specs, then you can stop worrying, maybe think about airbags if you feel the sag is causing issues with your headlights.. If you’re marginal or overweight on the rear axle, then you can start thinking about getting a weight distributing hitch. Both are modest cost solutions that don’t involve a new truck. That’s the good news!

[Gattopuin64]

I have towed both a 13-ft and 16-ft Scamp Standard /w FB with a Nissan Frontier v6 with out a problem. Suggest you have electric breakes on TT. Have logged over 90,000 mile in 10 years much of it at 60 plus MPH

[Jann Todd]

Originally Posted by whoot

A guy at a campground was telling me my truck might be too small to tow my Casita, and now I am paranoid about it. My truck is a 2014 Nissan Frontier CrewCab 4x4 V6 with (I think) a 6100 lb tow-capacity. I thought it was 6500, but I guess CrewCabs tow less. My Casita is a 2015 Spirit Deluxe 17 that weights 3500. I have a 200lb truck shell, so 6100 - (3500 + 200) = 2400 lbs till I hit the limit.

Me, generator, and Yakima skybox, probably weight 300 lbs, leaving 2100. Assuming I want to be 1k under the limit, that leaves 1100 lbs of stuff I can carry.

I have no idea how much all my truck/rv related tools weigh, probably a lot. Jacks, stands, wrenches, etc. 16 gal of water would be 130 lbs. Another person said I should be using a WD hitch. Another said air-bags. Another said extra leaf-springs. A WD hitch would be another 100 lbs.

I guess I will have to get it all ready, and decide if I need a bigger tow-vehicle. As I've been moving around (infrequently), I've been towing the Casita empty, and getting all the other junk on a 2nd trip, so I haven't been towing with everything together. I really don't want to have to upgrade my truck.

We have a 2007 17ft Casita with 14 inch tires and a full bath, so it is one of the heavier ones. We have used a Chev Blazer with a V-6 and a Chev Trailblazer with a 4.3 Straight 6. They were both marginal. Everywhere you go you'll go up a steep hill at some point. We use a sway bar which really does help with sway a lot. We went to a 350 V-8 and 5.0 V-8's. The extra power was awesome. We've towed over the mountains of Colorado since we live in them as well as back to Georgia through TN. Some of the steepest roads we've driven on was going into Chattanooga. A lighter weight vehicle just doesn't do the job and leave you comfortable. The more you go the more you seem to haul.

[jerrybob]

Will the Frontier tow it....yes. Will you go slow up the big hills....yes. Is the Frontier ideal....no. I am a "bigger is better guy"......a larger tow vehicle is much more comfortable and....in my opinion...safer. The decision comes down to personal preference. I sold my 2003 Chevy 2500 HD last year and bought a new Ram 1500 Quad Cab with a 5.7 Hemi and 3.92 rear.....it's a 4x4 as well with a tow package. It's a dream to pull our Casita with. The Chevy pulled it well also but....the gas mileage was terrible. The new truck with a 8 speed tranny.....gets 20-21 mpg not towing and 15 to 18 towing depending on terrain. Our truck works well for us and our two dogs......regardless of your tow vehicle....just be safe and smart out there.

[ldsharp]

I tow a 17' SD with a 2010 Frontier 4L (King cab, 2 wheel drive, 6' bed) with no problems. I do however always use a weight distribution hitch. I drove a few hundred miles to purchase a different 17' Casita and in preparation installed Sumo Springs on the Frontier knowing I wouldn't want to mess with installing a WD setup if I bought the Casita. Long story short... I didn't buy the other Casita but did try towing our SD using the "new" sumo springs without the WD and decided within a few miles that the WD definitely makes for more comfortable towing and undoubtedly safer. So now I use the WD setup and the sumo springs are there for the really rough roads.

[Geronimo John]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

Our 2013 ....
I will admit from my experience that pushing anything to it’s absolute limit has never worked well or to my advantage

+++++++++++++

Once again I am in lock step with Steve. Pushing the limit of your TV/Trailer combo is risky business. If you are just flat land towing 20 miles to a camp ground then the risk is low so press on.

However if you are going long distances, especially fast out west across deserts or in mountains, the consequences could be very high. Not at all worth the risk.

I personally do not pull a rig that is more than 80% of the rated capacity for flat land towing. For mountains I believe that no more than 60% of the max ratings is the ideal. Doing so has saved my bacon more than once.

Concerning Anderson Weight Distribution Hitches, I have had wonderful experience with their equipment, and their customer service has been second to none.

Great move posting your questions to this wonderful RVLIFE Community. You will always get our heart felt advice from experienced members. As each driver's experience varies, so do their recommendations and thoughts. This is of great benefit to new members such as yourself. So, read and understand each post carefully.

Welcome and good luck!

[whoot]

Originally Posted by ldsharp

I tow a 17' SD with a 2010 Frontier 4L (King cab, 2 wheel drive, 6' bed) with no problems. I do however always use a weight distribution hitch. I drove a few hundred miles to purchase a different 17' Casita and in preparation installed Sumo Springs on the Frontier knowing I wouldn't want to mess with installing a WD setup if I bought the Casita. Long story short... I didn't buy the other Casita but did try towing our SD using the "new" sumo springs without the WD and decided within a few miles that the WD definitely makes for more comfortable towing and undoubtedly safer. So now I use the WD setup and the sumo springs are there for the really rough roads.

I will plan on getting a WD hitch. I still don't get how they work exactly, but I've only heard good things about them.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by whoot

I will plan on getting a WD hitch. I still don't get how they work exactly, but I've only heard good things about them.

It’s a good plan.

I pulled 16’ Scamp with a 2014 Frontier V6 ProX 4x4 for a couple of years. First year try as I might in moving things around in the trailer and adjusting hitch height to get the solid tow in all towing condition I was used to, particularly freeway driving in windy conditions I couldn’t do it. I added a Weight Distribution Hitch which did help with the trucks rear squat, which was causing that not so solid feeling, due to weight coming off the front wheels of the truck. The WDH did help in getting the set up a lot more solid in windy conditions and when big trucks passed. But as others have suggested you will know you are pulling a trailer, particularly on hills! And Nissan Frontier has never won any awards for fuel economy so you can expect to see your gas gage drop fairly fast!

I bought a bigger trailer that weighs in fully loaded 5400lbs and while I know the Frontier was not going to cut it as a tow vehicle I had to get the trailer home before the new truck I ordered arrived. Towing that trailer home almost empty over 2 days of highway driving I got 21-22 mpg on the highway! Fast forward same trailer fully loaded with a Ford F-150 Eco boost, average 15 mpg on the highway sometimes better if I keep my foot off the gas, which is hard to do as I forget about the trailer is behind as the truck has no issues pulling it, The Nissan averaged 16 mpg just driving around town with no trailer.

[Geronimo John]

Originally Posted by whoot

I will plan on getting a WD hitch. I still don't get how they work exactly, but I've only heard good things about them.

Whoot:

There are several different types or designs of WDH. But they in concept all do the same thing.

In effect the trailer side of the WDH creates a torque upon the truck side of the hitch. That torque pushes the front suspension of the truck down (By
adding weight to the front axle) and pulls the back of the truck up (By taking weight off the back of the truck).

The net result of these movements is that the tongue weight is better distributed to the front and rear suspensions. This improves both braking and handling.

The amount of weight transferred is controlled by how the WDH is set up. All of them have different approaches. As such, when the system is installed, your truck and trailer should be fully loaded. If you are new to the concept, it is not something that you should be doing. Rather let the shop you purchase it from do this for you.

I do recommend not spending a lot of money guessing what changes you want to do on your TV until you tow your trailer with the WDH. Doing so will likely result in less costs and better results as you learn more about how the team of your TV and Trailer work.

Good luck,

[Villen]

Originally Posted by Alf S.

Hi: whoot... Here's a pic of the "Little engine that could" and did!!!
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

Spoken like a true Nissan man! You just gotta know how to use the tool you have!

People don't realize a 4.0 Nissan makes 260hp. Is 9.7:1 compression so Premium would do you good. If you want bigger, the Titan will do very nicely, thank you.

[patrick crawford]

Spoken like a true Nissan man! You just gotta know how to use the tool you have!

and here's another. i dragged my casita around with a 2010 frontier for 10 years. with a half dozen or so long trips to the west coast and several to nova scotia from sc. not to mention quite a few shorter trips. the mighty nissan never missed a beat. i traded that truck with 230k miles last december. what did i replace it with? a 2019 frontier (this one has 4 real doors and an 8' bed). i figure this one will last me until the kids take my keys away....

p@

[Jon in AZ]

Four-door long bed is hard to find. Good job! Don’t think it’s 8’, though. Thinking about 6’, versus 4-1/2’ for the short bed, maybe? I had a first generation Frontier king cab long bed, and it was just long enough to sleep in.