Honda owner secures Fail of the Year in February

[MinisterofDOOM]

The title's secure, too: I saw a Ridgeline towing a 5th wheel camper a couple days ago.

No pics, I humbly apologize. We were going opposite directions on the highway, there was no way I could have gotten one. But I promise you this: that image is burned into my mind for eternity.

Where do you even mount a 5th wheel hitch on a Ridgeline? The bed has an empty cavity under it, with a lid that's obstructing the spots where you'd lay the mounting rails. And even if that wasn't the case, there's no frame under the bed to anchor to. Who even MAKES a 5th wheel hitch for the damn things anyway?

The best part was that he was making a very steep descent across a canyon mouth--poor brakes. Just a mile further on, there's another steep incline taking the road back up...poor transmission.

What a dipoar. I hope the bed collapses and the trailer crushes the car before his brakes fail and take out some poor unsuspecting sap at a stop light.

[PoorManQ45]

Have you never heard of electric braking assist?

I do agree about the transmission.

[Jesda]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5_T0JFMk84[/youtube]

[Red coupe]

So fail of the year is towing a small trailer with out issue?
Intense.

[MinisterofDOOM]

So fail of the year is towing a small trailer with out issue?
Intense.

Where on earth did I ever say ANY of that?

[Bubba1]

I think Nala's failures are more impressive than a Ridgeline owner pulling a trailer well beyond its towing capacity.

[AZ89two4Tsx]

So fail of the year is towing a small trailer with out issue?
Intense.

How does a 5th wheel and "small trailer" relate? I must not understand where you're coming from.

[darens13]

http://www.jcwhitney.com/fifth-wheel-hi ... j1s21.jcwx

well obviously, we have jc whitney tryana sell 5th wheel hitches to idiot ridgeline owners.

[skydragoness]

The fact that you saw a Ridgeline towing anything is enough for me.
I've never seen one doing such a thing.

[sldewyz]

ive used a buddies ridgeline to tow a trailor with my s13 hatch shell on it...it towed fine to me

[PapaSmurf2k3]

I honestly have more faith in Miati towing things.

[MinisterofDOOM]

ive used a buddies ridgeline to tow a trailor with my s13 hatch shell on it...it towed fine to me

First off, a 240 shell weighs what...2200lb? 5th wheel camper is more like 6 or 7 thousand.
Secondly, this isn't an issue of power, it's an issue of durability. The Accord-derived IRS suspension isn't up to 2200lb, let alone 7k. Neither is the bed-with-a-trunk-under it. Real 5th wheel hitches anchor to the frames that run beneath the beds of real trucks, which is part of what makes them so useful. And the Accord-derived CAR automatic transmission is most definitely not up to that task. Nor are the accord-derived brakes. Nor are the car/CUV tires the owner was likely running.

Nothing about the Ridgeline is in any way even remotely 5th-wheel capable.

Towing with a regular ball hitch is no better...you're anchoring to the subframe, which is not tough and merely anchors to the unibody, which is less tough.

Remember, the Ridgeline, like the Pilot, is basically an Accord. Just like the Murano is basically an Altima. If you wouldn't tow it with an Accord, you shouldn't tow it with a Ridgeline. Presence of a bed does not make a vehicle a truck (see: Subaru Brat, Holden Monaro Ute). Hell, the El Camino was more tow-worthy than the Ridgeline. At least it had frame under the bed, and V8 engine options backed with tough transmissions.

[skydragoness]

I honestly have more faith in Miati towing things.

Me too!!!

A mini trailer for carrying tires is in my future Miata's future. :P

[Red coupe]

So fail of the year is towing a small trailer with out issue?
Intense.

Where on earth did I ever say ANY of that?

Man, small is relative... quit maing assumptions

(OK, so it is apparent that I know nothing of fifth wheels, or trailers in general... carry on )

Still, it worked...

[MinisterofDOOM]

Man, small is relative... quit maing assumptions

Relative to what? a Connex trailer?

Still, it worked...

Yeah, but at what cost? Hugely increased transmission wear and potentially decreased transmission life? Damage to the unibody or bed structure? It might "work" but that kind of towing WILL damage the car. That's the point. Not that the car can't move the load, but that it isn't going to survive it for long. Even with half-ton trucks, it's often recommended to disable overdrive while towing larger loads to reduce shift hunting and heat generation in the trans. Now think about how much wimpier FWD car transmissions are (not to mention the differentials on these AWD cars) and you see where I'm going here. It's just not worth the risk to the car.

[AppleBonker]

My dad has a Ridgeline (believe me, I tried to talk him out of it) and has used it to tow a small 6' trailer for moving purposes. While it handled it ok, we were certainly worried about the stress on the vehicle. I'm pretty sure we tried to limit the load to about a ton. And we spent a lot of time making sure it was balanced in the trailer so the tongue-weight wasn't absurd. Honestly, I think the vehicle is rated to tow something like near 5,000 lb (which frightens me) as long as the tongue isn't supporting more than about 600 lb.