Is my Nissan Frontier completely unrealistic?

[SmokeyWren]

Originally Posted by JerryinPA

... I have a 2014 Nissan Frontier King cab 4 WD 6 cylinder. It has a "towing package", whatever that means.

Receiver hitch, 7-pin trailer plug wiring, increased drivetrain cooling, maybe increased payload capacity.

The manual says that Max towing is 6,300. ... However, is there anything I can REALISTICALLY tow with the truck I have now?

Sure, but it will not be a normal travel trailer. Ignore that 6,300 number. That's based on GCWR, but GCWR is not your limiter as to max trailer weight. GVWR is your limiter. Or more specifically, payload capacity available for hitch weight is your limiter.

Payload capacity available for hitch weight = GVWR of the truck minus the wet and loaded weight of the truck ready for towing.

Here's how you determine the max trailer weight you can tow safely:

1] Load the truck with everybody and everything that will be in it when towing. People. pets, toys, tools, jacks, firewood, cast iron stew pot for making a big stew over the campfire. Everything.

2] Drive to a truck stop that has a CAT scale. Fill up with gas. Be sure all the kids are still in the truck, then weigh the truck.

3] Subtract the wet and loaded weight of the truck from the GVWR of the truck. The answer is payload capacity available for hitch weight.

4] Divide the payload capacity available for hitch weight by 0.13 (13%) and the answer is the max GVWR of any camper trailer you want to tow safely without a weight-distributing (WD) hitch and without being overloaded.

5. But if you care about the safety of your passengers, you want a WD hitch with good sway-control. Not a cheap hitch, but one with good sway control. Not "sway bars" but built-in sway control. Blue Ox SwayPro, Equal-I-Zer, or Reese Strait-Line trunnion. One of those complete with shank and ball will weigh about 100 pounds, so subtract 100 pounds from the payload capacity available for hitch weight to get payload capacity available for trailer tongue weight (TW) before you divide by 13%.

[Fanrgs]

We bought a 2011 Nissan Frontier identical to the OP's to tow a 21' 9" travel trailer with a queen bed and a sofa slide. The trailer GVWR was 4850 lbs., but more important was the 64 sq. ft. frontal area. The Nissan was rated for 6,300 lbs., but only for a 60 sq. ft. frontal area. May not sound like much difference in area, but it meant a top speed of 45 mph with the pedal to the metal when towing into a 40 mph headwind. And our Interstate top speed of 65 mph was sometimes considerably slower when going up long hills.

However, we kept the Frontier for 3 years and towed for 27,000 miles, including a 9,000-mile Alaska trip, before selling the truck and trailer. So, with a premium WD-sway control hitch, it is possible to use the Frontier as a travel trailer tow vehicle. It has real drawbacks compared to a more capable, 1/2-ton truck, but the 11.5 mpg average for the entire Alaska trip was sure a nice benefit.

[Roy-c]

#1. If you asked this question you already know that the Nissan will be maxed out or worse.
#2. Nobody has ever complained about having too much tow vehicle. Go 3/4 ton and you will not be unhappy. ( besides, you could find that you want more trailer after using this one. Stranger things have happened. )
#3. You may not believe this but some salesmen have been known to lie in order to make the sale.

[Persistent]

Lots of good advice above!

Think about what you enjoy doing. What do you plan to do?

I will add my experience to the list. I owned a folding camper for 10 years or so. (It was an early version of things like an Aliner.)

It was great for two people and a dog moving often and long distances. It allowed our very light duty tow vehicle to get great gas millage (Toyota Solara). It would set up and take down in less than 5 minutes including stabilizer, jacks, and external holding tanks. We even did winter camping in Wisconsin. It was great for traveling as opposed to "staying". We explored many gravel and unimproved roads and camp grounds.

It's biggest short coming was undersized tires and wheels. We had a few blow outs towing at 75 mph. (Back then trailer tires were rated for a maximum of 55 mph. Have no fear!) After installing bigger wheels and tires it was perfect. Now more blow outs.

Now we are retired. We are not in such a big hurry. We spend more time "staying". We have a 2015 Nissan Pathfinder AWD with factory tow package. It has a 6000 # tow rating. So it has similar towing capacity to your truck.

We tow a Kodiak Cub. The Cub has a 3400# unloaded or dry weight rating. It has a 4400 # or so gross vehicle weight. It is 20.5 feet in length. There are many good "ultra lights" with similar weights.

I don't recommend Dutchmen products due to poor construction, but after years of repairing and up-grading, it is now reliable enough for winter camping and long distance travel.

Gas millage is terrible. Travel speeds are typically 60 mph or less. We now enjoy camping in it during both winter and summer. We take our time traveling and stay for a minimum of two nights. Typically we stay for 5 nights where ever we go. It is great for our current camping life style.

I would seriously not recommend a heavier TT for our Nissan tow vehicle. Your TV is about the same as mine. It isn't so much what you can pull as it is how much you can stop. It is also how fast it is safe to go. You can pull at capacity at 50 mph. At 65 mph the same rig can become on the edge of control. A small disturbance like passing a semi or a cross wind can trigger deadly sway. A tire blow out can leave you spinning out of control.

Stopping distance and stability during a panic stop is a serious issue. A moment of inattention can cause you to rear end a car that suddenly slows in front of you. Extra following distance is a must.

On numerous occasions, cars have pulled out in front of me. The panic stop has often left me uncomfortably close to the car's bumper.

I hope you stay safe. I wish you good luck and happy trails ahead!