I am moving on monday and have reserved a 12'x6' enclosed uhaul trailer to move my bedroom set and a few other things. I will be pulling it 750 miles(about a 10 hour drive), and was curious if any of you have pulled a big item before?

Luckily, I have the Rancho RS9000XL rear shocks and they are adjustable. So I will be setting them to firm.

I figure I have about 75,000 miles towing my 2000-pound boat trailer with '95 and '01 Pathfinders. No problem.
I towed a '68 Firebird on a really heavy rental trailer about 30 miles with my '87 PF (3500 pound capacity). Not fun.

The key question is: how much does the loaded trailer weight? IIRC, a 2004 PF has a 5000 pound tow capacity, check your
owner's manual.

How much stuff will be in your truck? That will reduce tow capacity.

Watch the tongue weight. It should be 5-10% of the loaded trailer weight. If it's too low, the trailer will sway, if it's too
high you are bottoming the rear suspensions on the truck, and likely locking the front brakes when you try to stop quickly.

A trailer that size probably has surge brakes, right?

Never forget that your truck is now a lot longer. Don't change lanes a lot. Use those side mirrors. Watch the temp
gauge.

750 miles likely means more than one state. Research state trailer speed limits, they vary (California is 55 max, AZ is whatever's posted (75 MPH on rural freeways)).

750 miles in 10 hours is 75 MPH average. NO WAY.

Your right, no way with the trailer. And it's 650 miles. That's my bad. Ha ha. From Saraland, Alabama to Jupiter, Florida.
I figure that I'll be around 55-60 MPH max. With stops for gas and just driving slow I'm planning on it being an 11-12 hour drive.
I have driven boats and trailers plenty, and I appreciate the driving advice... However,i am just more curious about the Pathy handling the load for that long.

I've read suggestions to turn overdrive off when towing; this is likely not a bad idea when driving around in the city for more engine braking, but on the highway when you'll be at relatively high speeds for an extended period of time, I see no harm in leaving overdrive on as there will be less strain on the drivetrain this way. Leaving overdrive off on the highway will just waste more gas, IMO. Please correct me if I'm wrong!

I'd probably grease the driveshafts before leaving on the trip just to ensure they're lubricated well, and of course check all of the other fluids.

I don't have any first-hand experience with towing and the only things my Pathfinder has towed are small U-Haul trailers and a jetski, and my brother was driving both times.

Its a beast I know, but fully loaded it weighs around 1250lbs...plus im running 35's with stock gears lol

I pull my parents boat and trailer every year a few times 450miles and it weighs 2800lbs

No problems or swaying at all, braking on the highway hard is a bit scary though you can feel the extra weight

Go easy. Go slow. Try to balance the trailer with whatever you put inside (less of a issue with a tandem axle). Maybe do a trans fluid change if you haven't done so in a while. You will figure out what gear to be in on the highway (OD off or on) depending on how heavy the trailer is.

I forget what our trucks run at RPM wise around 60mph. As mentioned. It is almost better to run at a higher RPM and burn more gas then run in top gear and burn up the trans.

I pulled a VW Syncro Bus on a Uhaul trailer behind a 96 Suburban about 300 miles on the highway going 55mph and I definitely need OD to be off since it revs so low in top gear. You get the picture. Good luck.

hmqx4 wrote:I forget what our trucks run at RPM wise around 60mph.

Our engines run around 2100RPM at 60 MPH.

I have an '01 PF with a manual transmission. I tow my boat (2000ish pounds with trailer) in fourth gear. Now, California
has a 55 MPH limit with the trailer on, and I don't get enough revs to make the engine happy. If it were Arizona (no
trailer limit, 75 MPH on rural freeways), I'd probably be in fifth.

Chuckh

I pulled over to hit the head, and realized I almost lost my king size. Lol. I'm one third of the way and it's pulling great.
The trailer and patchy are both jammed with my things from top to bottom and side to side.

Lookin good! Drive safe.

Did you ever make it to Florida, Finkle?

You bet. It was a pretty easy pull. Luckily the weather was cool all day. I stayed between 55-60 mph until I got through Orlando, then the road was flat and I was able to go 65-68mph. All together with stops for gas, restroom and food it took me about 12 hours for 650 miles. I averaged 10 miles per gallon on fuel. Luckily I get to take it off of my taxes.

most I've ever pulled is a small trailer with two 400-500lb bikes havent needed anything more

I pulled a sailboat a hundred miles or so @ about 3500 lbs. No trouble at all though I was very careful since there were no trailer brakes.