Page 1 of 1

Towing questions

Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 9:42 am
by NVSteve
I have yet to tow anything with the Pathfinder, but most likely will need to do so next month. Most likely one of those 4x8 enclosed Uhaul trailers.

The questions I have:

What is our hitch rated at?
I'm assuming the electrical connections are not there, so anyone know of a cheap wiring kit that will work?

Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 10:51 am
by disallow
The hitch is labelled, and states 600lbs tongue weight, 6000lbs towing capacity.

There is a provision for the 4 pin harness from the factory. Very simple to upgrade to 7 pin. I didn't do it myself, went to a reputable trailer shop and they had me in and out in an hour, $150 including the trailer brake controller.

I'm pretty sure they did not use the nissan parts, Nissan does offer harnesses for this which plug in to existing connectors.

t

Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 2:07 pm
by NVSteve
Thanks for the info. I obviously don't tow often-maybe once every 8 years or so, but that has always been in a vehicle already set up for towing.

What's the difference between a 4 and 7 pin connector? I'm guessing the 4 pin covers the two trailer taillights. The trailer I'd be towing won't have more than 600lbs of who-knows-what stuffed inside it, and there won't be any trailer brakes involved.

My only concern stems from the last time I pulled a UHaul trailer. I seem to remember a max speed, which will really suck if it is still as slow as I remember it being. I'll have to do some snooping on their site.

Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 3:42 pm
by CPLTECH
The 7 pin is only for electric brakes. U-Haul puts hydraulic surge brakes on their heavier trailers that activate during a stop.

Be sure to load the front of the trailer with the heavier items first, otherwise the trailer will become unstable at even moderate highway speeds.

Not sure why they made a business decision to implement a 45MPH max limit. Doubt anybody follows that.

Have a good trip…