#2422382 - 09/08/08 06:36 PM
Towing with 4 cylinders
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Moses
Campfire Regular
Registered: 06/06/04
Posts: 280
Loc: North Carolina
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I have a 2008 Nissan Ext Cab 4 cyl auto Frontier. It is rated at 3500 lbs. towing. Would I have great trouble towing a boat/motor/trailer that weighs 1800 lbs.? Add a transmission cooler?
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#2422437 - 09/08/08 06:54 PM
Re: Towing with 4 cylinders
[Re: Moses]
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tbear99
Campfire Guide
Registered: 11/29/02
Posts: 2988
Loc: UPSATE NY
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i know my cousin has a nissan pu truck and tows a 14ft boat not sure of models but adding a tranny cooler is always a plus
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DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR
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#2422554 - 09/08/08 07:40 PM
Re: Towing with 4 cylinders
[Re: tbear99]
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BigBoreFan
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Registered: 02/10/04
Posts: 235
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You should be fine, but I see you are in NC and possibly in the Mountains. If you are in western NC then you may want to look at having a trailer brake installed. The fun parts starts when you have to stop in a hurry. A light truck and a decent load = seat of the pants fun. My best friend tried to pull a 2,500 lb boat with his Nissan Frontier V6 and all was well until a car pulled out in front of us and he had to get on the brakes. It ended well, but there were a few seconds when we didn't know if the boat was going to pass the truck.
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#2422942 - 09/09/08 02:58 AM
Re: Towing with 4 cylinders
[Re: BigBoreFan]
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Moses
Campfire Regular
Registered: 06/06/04
Posts: 280
Loc: North Carolina
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I live in Rockingham which is pretty flat at 130 ft above sea level. There are a few hills but they are not very big.
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#2424336 - 09/09/08 03:53 PM
Re: Towing with 4 cylinders
[Re: Moses]
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458 Lott
Campfire Tracker
Registered: 01/29/01
Posts: 6544
Loc: Conundrum, Alaska
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Does that 1800 pounds include tackle, bait, cooler and other gear? It's a serious question as it's easy to add a couple hundred pounds of misc on a boat and end up with a much heavier load than expected. Also don't forget to factor in the weight in the truck, i.e. passengers and other gear. The best advice I've heard is figure out what the truck is rated to pull, downrate it by 80%, so now 2800 pounds and stick within that limit.
I used misc. small trailers to pull loads light and not so light with my Toyota w/ the 3 liter V-6 and there were two things I didn't like about the experience. Going up hills I didn't have as much power as I would have liked, but more importantly coming down hills I didn't have nearly the brakes.
I can deal with being under powered, but not having enough brakes can be down right dangerous.
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I'm not a gunwriter, that's 458 win. I'm just a gun-nut in Alaska.
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#2425714 - 09/10/08 08:40 AM
Re: Towing with 4 cylinders
[Re: 458 Lott]
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Rock Chuck
Campfire Guide
Registered: 01/05/06
Posts: 4700
Loc: Filer, ID
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I have a light duty 3/4 ton Chevy and a single axle utility trailer without brakes. Even with only my atv on the trailer, I can feel a very noticeable difference in stopping ability.
I'm currently building a tandem axle utility trailer with 2000# axles and 12" tires. It will have brakes on both axles. The problem is that with an unloaded trailer, the brakes will lock and slide in a panic stop, even with the controller backed way off. It's too light for the brakes to have much effect. However, when I have it loaded to it's max 2-ton gross, those brakes might be a life saver some day.
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Keep guns out of the wrong hands...a criminal in prison doesn't have a gun
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#2439315 - 09/16/08 05:56 PM
Re: Towing with 4 cylinders
[Re: Rock Chuck]
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tarheel74
Member
Registered: 04/29/06
Posts: 121
Loc: eastern NC
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2006 WITH 35000 MLS 4CYC FOR SALE 4WD 6 SPEED MANUAL RED SR5 FOR SALE FOR 14K FIRM MID OCTOBER WHEN FRIEND IS SHIPPED OVERSEAS IF
ANY INTERESTED. SATELITTTE RADIO INSTALLED AFTER MARKET
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#2442511 - 09/18/08 07:18 AM
Re: Towing with 4 cylinders
[Re: tarheel74]
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remfak
Campfire Regular
Registered: 02/18/06
Posts: 476
Loc: CO - A place called Paradise!
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I have found towing with 4 cylinders to be difficult at best. They rate those trucks at 3500 lbs. Yes, they can pull them (barely), but they do NOT do it well. That kind of weight will certainly lower the rear of your truck, getting up to speed will take forever, and what you tow will NOT be stable and secure!!!
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#2446884 - 09/20/08 11:58 AM
Re: Towing with 4 cylinders
[Re: remfak]
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ratsmacker
Campfire Regular
Registered: 07/10/05
Posts: 509
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I'm not sure I'd tow much, if anything, with the 4 cylinder Nissan. I had a 2002 Nissan, 4 cylinder, that I loaded down pretty good for a trip to South Dakota. I had trouble staying in front of semis going UPHILL, though I had no trouble out in the pastures going after PDs. It didn't have enough power, period. When I went to buy the 2007 Frontier I'm driving now, I went with the 4.0 V-6, no running out of power now, that's for sure.
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#2448482 - 09/21/08 09:47 AM
Re: Towing with 4 cylinders
[Re: ratsmacker]
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Dutch
Campfire Ranger
Registered: 01/28/02
Posts: 2108
Loc: Idaho Falls, ID USA
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I pull occasionally with a 2wd Toy 4 banger, and it's anemic uphill, though not as bad as some of these guys describe. With a ton of feed in the back, and a ton behind it, she would still go up-hill at 55 on the 7% grade. In third, but she would get there. Fuel economy is not too good, but then again, empty running back and forth between farms she gets 27 mpg. So, I go slow five or six trips per year. It's a tradeoff I'm willing to make. FWIW, Dutch.
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#2452540 - 09/23/08 07:53 AM
Re: Towing with 4 cylinders
[Re: Dutch]
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saddlesore
Campfire Guide
Registered: 06/22/01
Posts: 4179
Loc: Colorado Springs, CO, USA
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Besides stopping ability,most people miss the fact that pulling even modest loads with these light pick ups,if somethings goes amuck, your truck is going to go where the trailer goes and not vice versa
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If God wanted you to walk and carry things on your back, He would not have invented stirrups and pack saddles
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