Towing a travel trailer with a 2012 Quest

[AlTex]

Hello, this is my first post. I have a 2012 Quest and I would like to tow a travel trailer with it. The RV dealership is telling me that I will be able to tow their Viking 17 BH (dry weight 2818 lbs/ GVWR 3626 lbs) as long as I do not put too much cargo weight in the travel trailer.

Does anyone has experience towing a travel trailer with a Quest? Do you think with the Quest I will be able to tow this trailer safely? Thank you for your advice.

[AZhitman]

Welcome aboard!

A few thoughts... Keep in mind that the max towing capacity isn't the whole story - the tongue weight will be the bugaboo. Check your tongue weight (on the hitch assembly). I've seen units rated for 3500# but only a max tongue load of 350#.

The Quest has the power to do it, that's not the issue - but my concern would be for other areas, such as your tires (I'd go with a higher load-rated tire to avoid destroying them prematurely). Remember, when one end of the car goes down, the other goes up - this changes camber on both ends, which will lead to way more wear on both F and R tires. Not uncommon to see severe feathering on front tires within a few thousand miles of towing.

That trailer is at the max weight if you put ANYTHING in it. This means water, food, supplies, clothes, etc - and it adds up fast. You've got a max capacity of 3500#, and unless you plan on emptying the trailer completely, you're going to be exceeding the max.

At a minimum, I'd want to make sure you have a brake controller, a trans cooler, some sort of leveling kit (air bags), and even a sway controller. You'll want to make sure the hitch isn't super-low, or you're going to be dragging when you enter/exit driveways.

By the time you outfit it completely, you've spent a lot - and still have a rig that's going to be a rolling roadblock... The Quest isn't light - With a curb weight of 4,371 to 4,568 lbs empty, you're potentially looking at an 8k# rig going down the road.

As much as I want to encourage you to go for it, this just smells like a bad idea.

[AlTex]

Thank you AZhitman your feedback is very helpful. The max tongue weight for the Quest is 350 lbs.

I have limited knowledge about RVs and towing. You seem knowledgeable and I would like to follow-up with you on this topic. I hope you don't mind.

Could the Quest tow a lighter travel trailer like Jay Flight SLX 154 BH (dry weight 2540 lbs/GVWR 3200 lbs/dry hitch weight 305 lbs)? If you think it would be still too much for the Quest what max weights would you recommend?

Thank you

[AZhitman]

Thanks, Al - Please don't rely solely on my feedback, but likewise, I'd avoid taking the trailer salesman's word as gospel as well.

The majority of that information comes from Nissan themselves. If it's ok with you, I'm going to bring in some additional opinions, and I'll do a little more reading as well.

I tow a 18' steel car hauler (usually loaded up with a Datsun or some other 2500-lb car) with our 05 Frontier CC 4x4. I've added trailer brakes, increased the load rating on the tires, increased the effective rear spring rate, and upgraded the brakes. It's simply not worth taking chances, considering the idiocy I see from other drivers each day.

[AlTex]

I appreciate this. Thank you

[PapaSmurf2k3]

To be honest, I wouldn't tow a wet blanket with anything equipped with a CVT, but if you absolutely must, I would also strongly recommend upgraded trans cooling.

[JB'sTitanXD]

The max towing capacity on a quest is 3,500 lbs as you know. you should be fine as your within spec of the quest however its not the best setup. When you load the trailer your gonna have to keep as much weight in the back of the trailer as possible. I highly recommend using a weight distribution hitch for sure and trailer brake would be a must. As mentioned is worth it making sure you have a heavier load tire to support the added weight.


What the reason for towing with the Quest? Do you have 7 passengers?

[AlTex]

Thank you all for the feedback.

I would definitely use a weight distribution hitch and brake control. The reason for the Quest is that I own a 2012 Quest. Most the time we have 3 passengers in it. I would prefer not to have to change vehicle, if possible...

When I visit trailer dealers most are saying it's OK towing with the Quest as long as it's not above 3500 lbs. Their goal is to sell of course. One did recommend to choose something lighter like the Jay Flight SLX 154 BH (dry weight 2540 lbs/GVWR 3200 lbs/dry hitch weight 305 lbs). I wonder if this is still to heavy to tow for my Quest.

[AZhitman]

I think tongue weight is going to be your sticking point. Remember, that's completely unloaded, and what fun is going on a trip with no provisions?

Honestly, if they really want to sell you on one, they'll hook up a hitch and load 4 people in the Quest and measure the tongue weight. My guess is that the rear bumper is going to be perilously close to the ground.

I really want this to work, but I'd almost look into some additional load capacity modifications for the rear suspension.

[ImStricken06]

you can tow up to the vehicles limit. you absolutely have to be careful with the weight limits (tongue & tow weights). you also have to map out your route to make sure you wont be going through to many hills. also consider that towing weight limits are written with ONE person in the vehicle (driver) and a full tank of fuel. when you add stuff and people into the car, you can easily reach 500lbs just with that. i have towed a lot with the cvt, and it did really well. it was able to get the right gear ratio that a standard transmission wouldnt be able to make(being set gear ratios). buy a curt hitch and quality wiring harness. test the trailer lights and make sure they dont blow out your wiring harness(that happens a LOT).

[AlTex]

Pulling a TT with a Quest, maybe not a smart idea.... Thank you all for the feedback.

[Marcellus]

IMO, Pulling the trailer is not a big deal when you consider the appropriate tongue weight and are willing to accept the lower MPG, ...the real problem is usually stopping the vehicle when you need to.