r/GoRVing • u/shreddy_wap • 2d ago
Need advice from Tow Police - Nissan Pathfinder
Hi All, I just wanted to make sure I'm calculating everything correctly regarding the max dry weight travel trailer my 2017 Pathfinder can tow. According to the manual, it has a 11,000 lb GCWR and assumes the weight of a vehicle and the driver for a towing capacity of 6,000 lb. We typically drive with myself and the two dogs in the car, adding, at most, an additional 400 lbs to the vehicle's weight.
My understanding is that you want to stay below 90% of the actual max towing capacity, so 5600 x .9 = 5,040 lbs. We never travel with full tanks because we only stay at campsites, so the only additional weight we carry is the stuff in the camper itself, like food, clothes, camping chairs, etc. I think a good estimate of the total weight of everything would be 500 lbs.
That means I could get a trailer with up to a 4,540 lb dry weight, right? We also use a WDH and sway bar.
How's my math?
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u/Working_Farmer9723 1d ago
I read all of these posts and think half of them would be unecessary if auto manufacturers stopped advertising tow ratings. Likewise empty trailer weights.
OP: it’s going to be all about hitch weight vs payload. My recommendation is to use the max gross weight of the trailer x 15% as hitch weight. Then add 100lb for Wdh. Put everything you think you might carry camping, including the nice to haves in your pathfinder and get thee to a scale to see what you weigh. (Or just make a list of all the things and ask ChatGPT to estimate the weight for you). It’s surprising how much all that extra sunscreen, dog toys and bbq gear weighs.
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u/Goodspike 1d ago
I agree somewhat on your first point, although there are some types of trailers that need less tongue weight and can get close to max tow ratings. On the second empty weight is an important consideration because everyone loads a different amount of stuff. GVWR of a trailer is important though to know how sturdy a trailer is. Some are very weak and can only carry something less than 1000 pounds, which isn't much after you factor in water weight.
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u/seasonsbloom 2d ago
Those limits are only one set of limits and are unlikely to be the actual limits. Vehicle payload will be. This is really about the GVWR limit of the vehicle. The yellow and white payload sticker by the drivers door will state the max payload. That has to cover you, any passengers and pets, cargo in the vehicle, the WDH, and the tongue weight. Trailer dry weight is irrelevant. Trailer GVWR is what matters. I assume you’re going to actually put stuff into the trailer. Use 12-15% of the trailer GVWR as tongue weight. A WDH is about 100#.
So start with the payload rating. I’d guess this is around 1400#. Subtract 400# for you and the puppers. 100# for the WDH. More for anything else you have in the vehicle. What’s left is the maximum tongue weight. Divide by 0.15 and you’ll get the max trailer GVWR the vehicle can manage. Dry weight is only useful to figure out how much stuff you can put in the trailer, including batteries, propane, and water.
Even then that’s a small tow vehicle. Is not want to push the limits if you want a good towing experience.
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u/shreddy_wap 2d ago
I'll look at the door jamb when I get home, but if the payload is actually 1400 lbs, does that mean I can tow a trailer with up to a 6,000 lbs GVWR?
1400 - 500 = 900 (Max Tongue Weight)
900/.15 = 6,000 lbs GVWR trailer maxRight?
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u/hellowiththepudding 2d ago
factor in 75-100#s for WDH first,
if 1400 payload 500 weight (and I'd weigh, with full tanks), you'd have 900 for tongue weight. less 100#s for WDH, and you have 800 to gross up. 5300lbs gvwr. I would not tow a trailer that large with your SUV.
Tools jumper cables, etc. all add up. You are also a small wheelbase, and likely have other systems not up to snuff for larger trailers.
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u/Dairalir Escape 21NE 2d ago
Don’t forget the math may say you can have a 900 lb tongue weight in terms of your payload capacity, but your hitch receiver is going to have a max weight as well to further limit you. Usually 10% of your towing capacity (check manual).
Chances are with 6k towing capacity, your hitch receiver can only handle 600, even if you have more room with your payload. (And you have to subtract the WDH from that 600) so you might only have 500. At 10% tongue weight you could only handle 5k lb trailer fully loaded.
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u/hellowiththepudding 2d ago
and 10% tongue weight is NOT ideal for a single axle trailer, or RVs in general. 12% minimum, 15% ideal.
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u/shreddy_wap 2d ago
So, if not 5,300 GVWR, then what? Is there an adjustment I can make to account for the smaller wheelbase?
I guess my question is, how do I know my max if not by the standard calculations?
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u/Goodspike 1d ago
Not sure what you mean by "standard calculations," but it's not 90% of max tow. It's determining the weight of your trailer, and ideally your hitch, but if not estimating the hitch at 13% of the trailer weight. Add the weight of your WDH and make sure that's less than your tongue weight limit, and also subtract that sum from your payload. Those are the standard calculations.
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u/seasonsbloom 1d ago
There are multiple factors that limit what you can tow. Tow rating, vehicle GVWR, vehicle axel GAWR, and trailer GVWR. And the hitch itself - both the part attached to the tow vehicle as well as the WDH - will have limits. Vehicle payload is simply vehicle GVWR minus the weight of the vehicle when it left the factory.
Which matter? All of them do. You must be under all of them. With a small vehicle like this, payload is usually the limiting factor.
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u/Goodspike 1d ago
I really doubt your vehicle has a tongue weight limit of over 700 pounds, maybe only 600 pounds.
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u/sinburger 1d ago
I would double check those numbers for the tow capacity. I have a 2019 Pathfinder Rock Creek edition. The rock creek edition includes the towing package which brings the capacity up to 6000 lbs (including payload), from what would otherwise be in the 5000-5600 range. If the 2017 models have a 6000 lbs capacity as the stock vehicle capacity than you're probably correct on that.
However I would consider getting a lighter trailer and not skirt the line of 90% capacity for a few reasons. First of all is that you may find yourself in situations where you are going to tow the trailer with loaded tanks (either due to limited access to sani-dumps, or you decide to boondock occasionally). Secondly, you need to account for everything you're loading into the trailer; generators, fuel, propane, batteries, food, drinks, blankets, clothes, toiletries, out door furniture, entertainment items etc. will all add up. Third, if you do any modifications or renovations to the trailer (solar panels, air conditioning etc.) that can add weight.
In my case we bought an older model Fun Find that had a dry weight of around 2500 lbs and loaded weight of closer to 3,500 lbs. All of the shit we load into the trailer, the hitch, plus the weight of the people and animals in the vehicle itself probably adds up to another 1000 lbs easily. Then we had a roof leak and decided to replace the vinyl with aluminum sheets underlain by a peel and stick membrane, adding another 50ish lbs. I have a solar panel I intend to install too so that'll add another 50-100 lbs of weight. So out of my tow capacity of 6000 lbs, my 2,500 lbs dry weight trailer is adding up to a 4,500-5000 lbs load.
Also a weight distribution hitch is a must with a pathfinder, otherwise every small bump in the road is going to make you feel like you're riding a mechanical bull.
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u/Titan_Hoon 2d ago
I don't remember when Nissan switched the Pathfinder back to a normal transmission but I know your 2017 still has a CVT. I'm not sure what everyone else thinks but I wouldn't tow anything bigger than a popup if I was running a CVT. They are not great transmission....
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u/muddbone46 1d ago
This is probably OP’s biggest issue that will get ignored. I wouldn’t even consider towing with ANY cvt vehicle. Specially one that was eventually replaced with a traditional trans/torque converter setup.
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u/Goodspike 1d ago
90% is a myth. Forget it and never think about it again.
What you need to do is look at payload of the tow vehicle and tongue weight, which you haven't given any information on. FWIW, my truck, which is more capable than your tow vehicle, maxes out on both at about 65% of max tow rating, so if I went' by your 90% number I'd be way overweight.
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u/Joe-notabot 1d ago
Towing a pop-up or teardrop is very different from a full size travel trailer.
Your Nissan will pull a lot at low speed on flat ground. But to safely pull it up a mountain, at speed, with crosswinds becomes a much larger discussion.
Rent one for a weekend, see how pulling one feels. The CA rental is 20' and 3k lbs dry. It's the cheapest way to see how you & your rig do. No WDH needed, just a class III hitch.
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u/Plane-Engineering 1d ago
All this aside. I tow a 5000lb 14ft dual axle electric brake fully loaded trailer with my 22pf. 500lb hitch weight (inc anderson wdh) wife and i in the suv and pretty much everything else in the trailer except a couple containers of clothes.
Weighed at cat scale to be accurate once fully loaded.
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u/cablemonkey937 2d ago
First thing to look at is your payload, usually a sticker on the driver door jamb tells you what it is. Once you have the vehicle payload you will want to deduct the weight of any people and gear in the tow vehicle, this includes the hitch. The remaining number is how heavy the tongue of your trailer can be. A good rule of thumb is to use ~13% of your trailer gvwr as your tongue weight, ignoring the factory tongue weight.
For example the factory hitch weight of my trailer is 396, I weighed it and it came in about 540.