CHATROOM: Towing

Nissan Rogue forum - Includes Nissan Qashqai and Nissan Dualis as well.
bobbee
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I wonder if it is the higher curb weight that limits the Rogue's tow capacity.

All the other 4 cyl/cvt transmissions seem to be at 1500 pounds
i.e. Outlander, CRV, Rav4, Mazda Cx5, etc

The 1000 is a show stopper for me, my boat weighs 1500 pounds.


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Rogue One
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bobbee wrote:I wonder if it is the higher curb weight that limits the Rogue's tow capacity.

All the other 4 cyl/cvt transmissions seem to be at 1500 pounds
i.e. Outlander, CRV, Rav4, Mazda Cx5, etc

The 1000 is a show stopper for me, my boat weighs 1500 pounds.
It's primarily limited by the CVT. The 2015 Honda CR-V now has a CVT, but is limited to a max 1500lbs towing capacity. The 2015 Toyota RAV4 has a shift-able 6-speed automatic, but is also limited to a max 1500lbs towing capacity. 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe offers a max 2000lbs towing capacity.

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ImStricken06
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you could install a tranny cooler, and that should increase it by 200lbs - 500lbs

elmo14226
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I would not tow anything more than a few hundred pounds with my Rogue. I would be afraid the the CVT would not hold up, and I don't have the extended warranty (ended with the 2011 model). I will probably sell the car before the 5 year/60,000 mile warranty is up.

My 2008 Forester is also rate at 1000 lbs, but if the trailer has brakes the rating goes up to 2400 lbs. I feel a lot more comfortable that I am not over-stressing the drive train when towing my 1000 lbs. pop-up camper behind it on a hot summer day. I rather drive a little slower and replace the brake pads sooner that replace an over-heated CVT.

I am amazed that the Pathfinder with its CVT is rated at 5000 lbs towing!

Here is an interesting article on why towing capacities are lower in the USA than in Europe - it has to do with stability, not transmissions or brakes.

http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/tow-me-down-1609112611

Google "towing capacity Europe America" for similar articles.

bobbee
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The cvt doesn't seem to be an issue as the CRV, Outlander, the other cvt equiped suvs are rated at 1500 pounds.

Seems like it shouldn't be an issue in Florida where it is all flat terrain, towing 10 miles at a time. The only slope is the boat ramp.

JB2014
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Car: 2014 Nissan Rogue SV

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I am planning to tow a small <1000 lbs trailer and will be hitting a few mountain passes this summer. I have called around to a few dealers and mine stated my 2014 Rogue SV already has a transmission cooler. Others were cluless.
Can anyone confirm the 2014 Rogue does in fact have a transmission cooler?

Also, what is your experience towing with the 2014 Rogue

Thanks

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ImStricken06
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welcome to the neighborhood lol. we have plenty threads open regarding this topic; please use the search function. to not come off as harsh, i will answer your question - but i am locking/merging your thread.

1. you dont have a true cooler- that looks like a tiny radiator. what you have a coolant/trans-fluid exchange unit.
2. towing in this car is fine, as long as you stay within the towing limits.
3. the cvt hates heat, and if you will expose it to heat(ambient temps, or through stress) expect it to act up
4. the transmission isnt the only component take into account, when setting towing limits. your engine cooling properties, transfercase, driveshaft, rear differential, braking component strength, and cvt joints also are taken into account. if you intend to tow, expect to perform more frequent services on those items; and certainly learn the signs of wear/damage to said items.
5. the reason some dealers are confused, is because some Rogue (those with paddle shifters) came with a true, cooler, that was a plate-style mini radiator that was mounted in front of the condenser, that cooled the fluid. this increased the towing capacity to 1500lbs.

if you want to upgrade your towing capacity to 1500lbs, then you will need to read on here the parts & supplies that you will need. we have a member who successfully did this install, and it wasnt so bad. i would have done it, but my rogue is the 2008, and already has the top-notch cooler. so what me and Kot1 id was installed mini radiator fans onto the external cooler. -again, use the search, and you will find great write-ups, threads, and information posted by out top-notch members.

gomezhartman
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I just purchased a 2015 Nissan Rogue All wheel drive and have a quick question. I have a boat that i keep on a lift in front of my house. Once a year I tow it 2 blocks to drop it in the water and once a year I pull it out and drive it 2 blocks (at low speeds) back to the house. The boat is fairly heavy (3000 pounds) and I know that the max towing capacity is 1500, but what do you guys think about being able to pull my boat out of the water and drive it 2 blocks? The ramp is pretty good. is it worth trying? any issues?

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gomezhartman wrote:I just purchased a 2015 Nissan Rogue All wheel drive and have a quick question. I have a boat that i keep on a lift in front of my house. Once a year I tow it 2 blocks to drop it in the water and once a year I pull it out and drive it 2 blocks (at low speeds) back to the house. The boat is fairly heavy (3000 pounds) and I know that the max towing capacity is 1500, but what do you guys think about being able to pull my boat out of the water and drive it 2 blocks? The ramp is pretty good. is it worth trying? any issues?
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gomezhartman
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I think you missed the Boat, (no pun intended) I read through the posts, I am not talking about Towing for any distance, maybe 2 blocks at the most. and only twice a year, the question is can the car pull the boat out of the water and tow it for 200 yards?

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Rogue One
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Nope, understood the question just fine. I think you missed the point that we have an on going thread on towing, and your question is about towing, ergo it doesn't need a new separate thread.

Can it tow it? Perhaps. Would I use a vehicle with a CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) rated to tow a maximum of 1500lbs to tow something twice that weight (regardless of distance), possibly damaging the transmission and voiding the warranty? No.

xtra12
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So we just purchased a 2015 Nissan Rogue and are extremely happg with it, except I was shocked to find such a low towing capacity.

I was curiouse if anyone here had advice. We do balloon decorations so what we are towing weighs practically nothing as its all air, probably 50 lbs. However we would need to put it in a 6x12 enclosed trailer. Uhaul says our car is fine but the trailer supposedly weighs 1950 lbs. The furthest we would go is 60 miles round trip and in Florida so no hills.
I'm curious what advice everyone would have. Could I safely get away with towing this? If not anything I could add to the car to help it allow to tow it? We've only had it a couple months and I would hate to have to get a different vehicle when we love this one.

phjake
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xtra12 wrote:So we just purchased a 2015 Nissan Rogue and are extremely happg with it, except I was shocked to find such a low towing capacity.

I was curiouse if anyone here had advice. We do balloon decorations so what we are towing weighs practically nothing as its all air, probably 50 lbs. However we would need to put it in a 6x12 enclosed trailer. Uhaul says our car is fine but the trailer supposedly weighs 1950 lbs. The furthest we would go is 60 miles round trip and in Florida so no hills.
I'm curious what advice everyone would have. Could I safely get away with towing this? If not anything I could add to the car to help it allow to tow it? We've only had it a couple months and I would hate to have to get a different vehicle when we love this one.
How often do you rent a trailer? I ask because if it's a couple of times a month or more, wouldn't it be cheaper in the long run, to buy a light weight trailer rather than renting it. I did a quick Google search and there are ones out there that fall within the Rogue's towing limits. If you trade in your Rogue now for another vehicle, you're going to take a big hit on trade in value because of depreciation. In fact, what you would lose on trade in value is probably enough to buy a trailer.

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Rogue One
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xtra12 wrote:So we just purchased a 2015 Nissan Rogue and are extremely happg (sic) with it, except I was shocked to find such a low towing capacity.

I was curiouse (sic) if anyone here had advice...
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daphnep
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Hi all,
I've searched the forum and can't find a good answer to this except, "Maybe". Anyone have any direct experience hauling a 5x8 Uhaul trailer with their Rogue?

I have a Class III hitch installed so that part should be fine. Inside the trailer will be some lightweight furniture (a desk, a futon, some light cabinets, and some boxes of stuff, nothing too heavy, only one box books, etc.). I am driving about 600 miles with at least one medium mountain range (over the Cascades). Planning on taking 1-5, mostly flat, taking it easy is totally fine.

I guess I'm worried about transmission, or is this a situation of "take it easy and you should be fine"? I can go 55, no prob.

Any thoughts? Thanks!

phjake
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The towing capacity of the 2015 Rogue is 1,000 pounds. Talk to the U-Haul people to find out the weight of the empty trailer, then add in the furniture to see where you're at.

daphnep
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Thank you! My guess is that it'd be a little over.

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ImStricken06
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your 2015 is the same rogue, engine/trans wise as all the rest. i owned and towed a 5x8 with a racebike and tons of gear; no problems.

-merging

daphnep
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thanks so much. We'll try to keep the weight down and I'm going to see if there is a lighter weight trailer out there. I figure if I take breaks to let it cool down fairly often it should do OK.

hawks2097
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Hi,

I was looking at the Hitch that was installed on my Nissan Rogue by the dealer. I thought it was a class 2 hitch but just found out that it is only a class 1.

I was wondering if anyone knows if its possible to switch to a class 2 as I want to be able to pull a boat and should I go to the dealership or a aftermarket place?

Thanks
Mike
Last edited by Rogue One on Sun Jul 03, 2016 6:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Merged with existing thread

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Rogue One
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hawks2097 wrote:Hi,

I was looking at the Hitch that was installed on my Nissan Rogue by the dealer. I thought it was a class 2 hitch but just found out that it is only a class 1.

I was wondering if anyone knows if its possible to switch to a class 2 as I want to be able to pull a boat and should I go to the dealership or a aftermarket place?

Thanks
Mike
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Can you put a class 2 hitch on? Yes, BUT it won't magically allow you to tow more than the vehicle was designed to tow.

What size boat? Are we talking SS Minnow or a Beavertail stealth boat?

The dealer put a class 1 hitch on because that's what the vehicle is rated for. From section 9-22 (p. 422) of the owners manual: Maximum Towing Capacity is 1,100 lb. (500 kg). The towing capacity values are calculated assuming a base vehicle with driver and any options required to achieve the rating. Additional passengers, cargo and/or optional equipment will add weight to the vehicle and reduce your vehicle’s maximum towing capacity.

R.T.
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As an owner of many small SUV/CUV's and trucks, I always find these threads interesting (just pop into a truck forum and see what I mean). The question is always how much can I really safely tow with my vehicle? There are so many factors and dynamics at work it's very hard to say.

However, if you consider your liability into the safety equation, everything changes. Theoretically, if you tow above the vehicles rated weight limit and you are involved in an accident you could be in big trouble. How big you ask, Vehicular Manslaughter in the case of a fatality? Cited for unsafe operation of a motor vehicle (or something similar). Civil court findings of contributory negligence even if not at fault. Your insurance company can refuse to cover any cost because you knew, or should have known, you were operating the vehicle improperly. Even if they cover it, your screwed on your rates for quite some time. If you don't think an insurance company will work hard to screw you, just Google: "Progressive reaches settlement with family" and read some of the articles (hint: they actively participated in the other driver's defense)

So if you take your legal and financial safety into consideration, towing above you vehicles published capacity is very unsafe (and unwise).

The bottom line: If you bought a Rogue knowing you needed a tow vehicle you probably made a poor decision. Making additional poor decisions in regard to what and how much you tow, well, that shows a pattern.

Just some thoughts.

HEK
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I have a 2014 Rogue SL and I'm looking into buying a hitch. The dealer wants over $260 just for the parts plus installation, personally I'm leaning towards a Hidden Hitch with the hardness for under $200, has anyone had a trailer hitch installed or DIY...thanks
Last edited by Rogue One on Thu Apr 27, 2017 9:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Merged threads

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Rogue One
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HEK wrote:I have a 2014 Rogue SL and I'm looking into buying a hitch. The dealer wants over $260 just for the parts plus installation, personally I'm leaning towards a Hidden Hitch with the hardness for under $200, has anyone had a trailer hitch installed or DIY...thanks
Is the a reason you didn't bother using the search feature? Because if you had, the post below would have been the first one to come up:
Red Rogue wrote:May 2016 I purchased a used 2014 Nissan Rogue SL AWD 14K miles on it. All leather, navigation etc. no sun roof.BTW the Bose sound system is very impressive ,seven speakers and a 12" sub woffer installed over the spare tire. Far more audio pwer than my previous 2008 Altima SE. The interior I think is far superior than other models i looked at. So far good gas mileage ,27 city and almost 34 highway. I added remote start( Viper model 4105V ) and a Curt trailer hitch to pull a utility trailer about 1500 lb. I installed the Curt trailer hitch and electrical and was a breeze. I added all new LED lights to trailer and therefor i use the cigarette lighter outlet in the rear to power the trailer and made it very simple not to add the A+ line directly to the SUV battery. This outlet can handle up to 10 amps (120 watts ) far below the 1/2 amp my trailer needs. Something to think about when adding a trailer that doesn't require much power. So far I love the Rogue and waiting to see how it does in snow. The only few things i don't like is the SUV to me is under powered, i wish they had a turbo or maybe a V6 option. The CVT shifting is weird, also has a sport mode which i prefer using instead of the normal or default mode. I've own previously a 2001, 2003, and a 2008 Nissan Altima and all were very nice including the CVT transmission. I've heard Nissan changed the way the transmission shifts in the Rogue to make it feel like its shifting through gears. Other than that it's very nice , spacious, some road noise but great to drive.
I'll give an update on winter driving as soon as we get some snow here in Connecticut. :inoutgay:

:mike
ALL discussions about towing are contained in this thread, for both gens of the Rogue. Topics merged.

HEK
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With all due respect Rogue One, I did search and I didn't get an answer to my question which was that if the dealers vs Hidden Hitch were comparable or I guess I should have asked if anyone has a dealer installed hitch/ or from the factory......I haven't posted on this site for months and is because we were getting rid of the Rogue but after 3 year and only 8k miles we want to keep it and add accessories, it's wifey's vehicle but she was very ill to drive it now I need to use it to haul shrubs/ leaves and grass as the town has changed it's policies on yard debris...

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Rogue One
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Right back at you. You may not have found the answer to that particular question, but that's not the only question you asked. By the way, as with most components like this (and a fair amount of the vehicle itself), the OEM hitch is not made by Nissan, but by a 3rd party subcontractor. Likewise you should not assume (as many people do) that the re-branded factory part/accessory will be better or even as good as something you can buy off the shelf (just ask any K&N fanboi).

If you're up for a DIY job, I'd get the Hidden Hitch rather than the OEM.

HEK
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Yes I will go ahead and order one, the wiring will take most of the day but the hitch itself is a no brainer, thanks

mmascari
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Has anyone installed a hitch on a 2017 with the motion activated liftgate?

The OEM directions show replacing an ECU with part 285T1 4BA1B for the Kick Motion Sensor. Searching for this part it comes up on a few parts sites, but it's not found when searching for it on the official Nissan site.

There's no indication about how it's the same or different than the ECU Sensor that's already installed, or what the part number is for the one already installed. I can't figure out what the part number even is for the one that comes with the car.

I'm wondering if it's really necessary? And what the impact to the motion activated liftgate is by adding a hitch right in it's zone. I don't see any way to turn off this feature if the hitch creates an issue. Plus, I would prefer to keep the feature, I've gotten way more used to it than I thought I would.

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Rogue One
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mmascari wrote:Has anyone installed a hitch on a 2017 with the motion activated liftgate?

The OEM directions show replacing an ECU with part 285T1 4BA1B for the Kick Motion Sensor. Searching for this part it comes up on a few parts sites, but it's not found when searching for it on the official Nissan site.

There's no indication about how it's the same or different than the ECU Sensor that's already installed, or what the part number is for the one already installed. I can't figure out what the part number even is for the one that comes with the car.

I'm wondering if it's really necessary? And what the impact to the motion activated liftgate is by adding a hitch right in it's zone. I don't see any way to turn off this feature if the hitch creates an issue. Plus, I would prefer to keep the feature, I've gotten way more used to it than I thought I would.
Go to https://www.nissanpartsdeal.com/ put in your VIN and it will give you just about every part number used in your vehicle.

mmascari
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They don't support 2017 yet.


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