Posted: Feb 02 2008 at 3:20pm | IP Logged

Hi Everyone,

My dad and I are currently in the market for a new tow vehicle. Our current tow vehicle is a 2000 Oldsmobile Silhouette Premiere(FWD). It has 185 horsepower and 215 ft lbs of torque. The boat is a 1988 Celebrity 210V Cuddy on a Shorelander tandem axle trailer. The van andles te load fine, bt t is severely overloaded (by about 1500 pounds). It struggles uphill, but manages. It has a load leveling system that evens out the rear end, so it doesn't sag. This rig doe ky but it really isn't safe.

I think the boat weighs about 5000 pounds. It is 21 feet long with a Mercruiser 3.7LX drivetrain (4 barrel carburator) (190HP) (4 Cylinders).

Will the Frontier handle it , how about long distance? We keep the boat at our summer home in Union Pier Michigan, about 70 miles from our house in Chicago. We also would like to tow it downstate to Peoria Illinois about 180 miles from chicago.

I think I can sell him on this truck for a few reasons. He loves his '98 Maxima. The Frontier will do much better on gas mileage than something like a Titan. The king cab is big enough for my 8 year old sister, me , and my parents.

Is there a hitch available for the Frontier that can handle more than 5000 pounds since it is rated to tow 6300?

I know 4wd adds weight and brings towing capacity down, but our ramp is usually wet from other boats coming out and our van almost always slips. Once it started raining when we were coming into the harbor, and we were trying to get it up the ramp for 20 minutes. Is 4wd neccesary.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h273/franklinterrier/100_0 870.jpg

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h273/franklinterrier/100_0 857.jpg

Posted: Feb 02 2008 at 7:30pm | IP Logged

Are you looking to go with a newer frontier or older model? The 05 and up V6 models will handle it no problem. The 4.0 V6 is putting out 265 hp and 281lb-ft of torque. In my opinion If you have to deal with slippery ramps a lot then the 4x4 would not be a bad Idea. Good luck

Posted: Feb 02 2008 at 7:36pm | IP Logged

Check out what this frontier is towing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dX9nw2dBIxI

Posted: Feb 03 2008 at 1:05am | IP Logged

I am thinking of a newer one. The guys over at TrailerBoats Forum think I should get atleast a Titan. But they all drive big diesel trucks so I decided to see what the owners thought.

I know my dad is probrably thinking of a bigger boat down the line, how much larger of a boat will it tow. Maybe a 23 footer?

Posted: Feb 03 2008 at 6:47am | IP Logged

Nissan claims max towing is 6500 lbs. But I have pulled trailers that weigh close to 10,000 lbs short distances. I have a Sound and lighting company and have a 14 ft and a 24 ft tandem axel trailer. My large venue sound system weighs approximately 8,000 lbs and the trailer weighs another 2,000. You can definitely feel your are pulling the weight but the frontier handled it no problem. I also have a Titan that is strictly used for my company. It definitely handles the weight better but it kills me on gas. I think if you will not be towing daily the frontier is the better choice because of gas. The frontier is also more fun to drive in my opinion. 

Posted: Feb 03 2008 at 6:51am | IP Logged

Either way the frontier will pull a lot more than the van.

Posted: Feb 05 2008 at 12:42am | IP Logged

Drod:

We won't be working it quite that hard our boat is a 21 foot cuddy with a 3.7l I4 (180 HP). Whatever we buy will definately be 4wd. Our fwd van almost always loses traction. Traction control helps though. We usually stand out though. Our launch is either rich families with big suvs or the country guys with their K5 Blazers and F-150's. It gets embarassing with our minivan wailing for traction, the front end moving left to right with a boat that is considerably larger holding it back.

You must go through lots of props every year, using the boat to help push.

So far the Frontier is my first choice, even though I wanted my dad to get an FJ Cruiser, it can't tow quite as much, and he doesn't like it.

Posted: Feb 05 2008 at 7:57pm | IP Logged

Yeah,

Here in New Buffalo, Michigan you have families similar to mine with 18-23 ft boats with tubes on their transoms. They usually have a Fullsize Van or an SUV but you get occational minivans as well. Then you have the rich people pulling their Ski-Doo's with their expensive European Cars and trucks. Then there are the guys with slips with the really big boats. Most people in our area are people who own summerhomes nearby but live in the Chicago area.