| Posted: Sep 22 2007 at 3:12pm | IP Logged
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Took my new popup camper, a Fleetwood E-2, camping for the first time last weekend in the GW National Forest. The E-2 has a gross weight of 4600 lbs and the Frontier can tow up to 6100, so I'm about 3/4 of the limit.
Since I didn't have anything heavy on the front deck, it was not close to this limit.
My concern was my tongue weight. The Frontier's limit is 600 lbs. The trailer's tongue weight, empty is 400 lbs. Add the battery and two propane tanks, and I'm at about 540. Even though the camper tolds 46 gallons of water, Fleetwood factory told me not to be too concerned since it is over the axle. stamble();
I would not recommend towing a heavier trailer with a 05
Nissan Frontier 4x4 or similar vehicle. I would not try to tow an E2 with a vehicle
having a lower towing rating. I could feel the presence of the popup (sort of a tension)
except at cruising speeds of 65-70 mph on the Interstate. At all speeds, I could feel the impact on the
suspension system as the bumps was more noticeable. Fortunately, I have the off-road suspension.
I would use our Nissan Armada with a towing
capacity of about 9000 lbs., if I were driving a much longer distance. Need to get a brake controller installed in
it first.
The weight distribution system seemed to work fine. I did
drive off-road without it since this is at speeds 10 mph or less. Otherwise,
the arms would not be hitting the bumps and humps. I had to remove the wheel since it was
hitting everything. I asked Fleetwood why they used the straight design vs. one that could swing to the side. The reason was that only the straight design could support the weight.
I was not pleased with the extended hitch attachment that connects
with the E2 tongue. It is an adjustable model and is currently using the setting
best suited for the Frontier which means the lower part of it is about 4 or 5
inches off the ground. It hits every bump and hump, but given its construction,
I think it can take it. Even without it
installed, the trailer hitch occasionally hits in some places. I have had to have the electrical connection
replaced once, and I’m now more careful.
In summary, the Frontier has plenty of power to pull the E-2, even up steep hills.
The issues I'm concerned about are the stress on the suspension and possibly the transmission as I do not have a cooler. I realize the long term solution is to use the Armada instead of the Frontier, but adding the brake controller is a budget issue with the family CFO. Also, once I set up the E-2, I use the Frontier
on some moderately challenging 4x4 trails which the Armada could not handle.
Reese2
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Nissan Frontier Forums : Frontier Towing / Hauling
Topic: Towing E-2 with 05 Frontier NISMO
I don't know how much help my advice will be except that I would definitely get an aftermarket tranny cooler if you plan to tow a lot and perhaps oil cooler. 
