New Trailer/Towing Report

[Ridgeline 4MX]

Wow - drove to Ohio and back to Maryland in 24 hours to pick up our new Keystone Hobbi toyhauler. The Ridgeline towed solidly, but we can definitely feel the trailer back there. It's 4375 dry, and they fully loaded all of the fluids, which we won't do when we haul bikes. We need to go weigh the whole thing and work out load balance issues. We're a little worried that we're very close to the 5000 lb. limit, but we went over some major mountains and never had any problem with the engine heating up or dropping to less than 55 mph. Gas mileage blew, at 9 mpg, but we expected that from reading up on towing issues in this forum.

Also, we got a Prodigy brake controller - installed instantly (we have the Honda hitch installed) and worked well once we figured out how to get it set up properly.

Anybody have any suggestions of things to look out for or do for the truck when we're towing this sort of load?

Thanks!

[5S Dude]

Good morning Ridgeline 4MX, Sounds like you’ve already done your homework. Those toyhaulers are so awesome! Post some photos when you have a chance.

We decided on our Trail Cruiser C191 which weighs about 3600 ready to camp and carry two small trail bikes in the bed. We fill the two bike tanks and don’t carry additional fuel and have only carried 10 to 15 gallons of water for short weekends out in the desert. Our Setup works out great and she tows as smooth as silk. We too have installed the Prodigy brake controller and get a little better than half the mpg we do when were not towing. The only real suggestion is the two items I’m working on....the side mirror extensions and a rear view camera for the trailer. Happy Camping!!

[jhedges]

I just can't believe the gas mileage drops off that much with pulling a trailer. That's crazy. I'm getting ready to do a trip and pull a pop up and I'm not thrilled with getting that kind of gas mileage. wow

[ToyTruck]

Pop ups should get much better mpg. My Ram 1500 dropped to 10 when I towed an 18' trailer. Now I have a 17' Hi-Lo and can't wait to see how the RL does on our fall trip to the beach. Ram got 12-13 mpg towing that with a V8, so I'll bet the RL will do that well or better.

[Ridgeline 4MX]

JHedges - I think you'll do much better with your popup. Keep in mind that we were probably hauling in the neighborhood of 4,600 lbs, on a trek that was anything but flat. Western Maryland and Pennsylvania are nothing but mountain ridge after mountain ridge. I would anticipate that on a more flat haul we would get more like 11 to 12 mpg. You should do better than that.

Another question for everyone, though... we noticed that there is just the slightest dip down at the back of the RL and front of the trailer. I *thought* I read somewhere that airbags are not recommended for these vehicles. Anyone know if we need to address that dip and, if so, how to do it without voiding our warranty?

Thanks!

[arteegee]

Go for premium fuel when towing.

[Webwader]

Arteegee is correct. I get approx. 2 mpg better mileage towing my 3,500 pop up with premium which more than offsets the additional costs. Honda recommends it for towing in excess of 3,500 lb.

[gonzo's rt]

"It's 4375 dry..."

Adding the bikes or ATV's alone, will certainly put your truck over the 5,000 limit designed by Honda. In addition, you will need to add stuff to the trailer making it weight even more. That is a heavy trailer...

[RedLdr1]

Originally Posted by Ridgeline 4MX

Another question for everyone, though... we noticed that there is just the slightest dip down at the back of the RL and front of the trailer. I *thought* I read somewhere that airbags are not recommended for these vehicles. Anyone know if we need to address that dip and, if so, how to do it without voiding our warranty? Thanks!

A weight distributing hitch, abbreviated as "wdh", should resolve the "dip". Note: Because of Honda's recommendation not to use one in the Owners Manual (See Page 216 for 2007) there has been a lot of threads in this forum on their usage. Do a forum search and you can read hours worth of debate and then make an informed decision on adding one...

As far as other suggestions...

Installing a full size spare tire, instead of the temp spare, is recommended by Honda... I bought a steel wheel off e-Bay to keep the costs down...

If you do not already have sway control it is also recommended by Honda.

I also have "universal strap on" mirrors that hook under the door and in the window channel so I can see better than with the stock mirrors... Not a particularly elegant solution but it beats not being able to see and is a fairly cheap solution I haved moved from "truck to truck" over the years...


Hope this helps...

[Webwader]

Another question for everyone, though... we noticed that there is just the slightest dip down at the back of the RL and front of the trailer. I *thought* I read somewhere that airbags are not recommended for these vehicles. Anyone know if we need to address that dip and, if so, how to do it without voiding our warranty?

First you should know how much that "dip" is. With the trailer disconnected and the RL on level ground, measure from the ground to a point on the drawbar, like the bottom of the ball nut. Now connect the trailer (loaded) and measure the same distance again. The first measurement minus the second will tell you the amount of "dip". We can give you better advice if we know the amount.