So far for a 5K boat - its the Ridgeline.
Ill take it over the bigger "more capable" truck every time for this weight. I have direct experience with
Titan
Tundra
Frontier
Ecoboost 3.5 (355 and 373)
Ram 1/2 ton
Chevy 1500
Chevy 2500
2002 * chevy 1500 suburban w 5.3
Ford F250
* update 93 F150 lightning W 7500 rating (lol)
There are a few reasons for this.
#1 It offers the best ride under tow - by a lot.
The independent suspension swallows up the expansion joints bumps and chuckholes especially the ultra crappy right hand lane you are forced to tow in the majority of the time If you are lucky you can spend some time in a better lane but there is no towing in the left lane in Cali.
The solid rear axle trucks and the the twin I beam front trucks will hammer your teeth out in the right lane.
The solid axle trailer pounding around amplifies the bangs further.
The ridgeline softens this effect by damping both vehicle impacts better.
#2 Its drivetrain is not only efficient and capable - its silky smooth at sustained high RPM while being relatively quiet.
The bigger half ton are a pain to listen to after an hour of straight climbing leaving Lake Havasu on the 40 freeway - to be fair the turbo trucks are pretty quiet like the eco, the NA trucks like the ridge have to rev to make the power some like the ram downright noisy. The chevy 5.3 trucks will flood the cabin with a high RPM howl that makes it hard to talk to each other much less actually talk to someone on a speakerphone.
The Ridge stayed ay 3800 RPM in 4th about 70 MPH for almost an hour on the climb from Lake Havasu city.
#3 Level 2 automation SIGNIFICANTLY reduces driver workload while towing all the while layering in that extra little bit of safety.
Towing through continuous slanted desert 2 lane blacktop requires continuous force input under these conditions you'd be surprised how much effort you put into holding a wheel. LKA simply takes some of that load off your arm(s)
When you reduce noise vibration, harshness and workload the combo adds up to a meaningful differences in a long haul stressful situation.
After a 300 mile tow with a 5K boat I arrive markedly fresher and less tired than in any other truck I've owned ridden in or driven under identical conditions.
I've been towing jet skis and boats to and from LA to Lake Havasu since the 90's and went from merely owning two boats to owning a boat manufacturing company so I do this more than just about anyone but other boat company owners.
Nice work Honda.
picts-
The tow rig with my own 21ft boat a 21 Ft tunnel that weighs about 2200lb with about a 1500 pound trailer. Has 725 horse Big block in in that makes 800+ Ft lb. The engine is fresh so Im just playing with it, but suffice it to say its a brutal war machine capable of laying waste to nations
Another shot with the larger blue boat for this trip we call this the "shop boat" this boats about 22.8 feet long but a lot taller and bigger and weighs about 4850 W trailer and a bit over 5K loaded with fuel. Has a mild 375 HP big block in it and goes just under 70 with 5 people. This is the boat I took the trip with.
Couple mileage inflection points.
Ehrenberg top Parker Az - I towed a section of almost completely flat road at 65 MPH and got 17.3 on the face - even losing a bit to error thats quite impressive also considering the 99 degree air in that location was reducing power. way better than the typical 50% of standard mileage.
Speed 65 - 10 over on a two lane blacktop. This is heavily patrolled.
Corona to Ehrenberg- The 1/3 trip in the mileage was superb lots of hills and brutal heat - I saw 110 for a bit in the big hills. Speed 69-70 15.4 on the face is several MPG better than all the half tons.
Corona - Lake Havasu on the 10- back to Corona on the 40
The full loop mileage 13.8 on face is still impressive bested only by the tiny diesels.
This is about 2-3 MPG better than all the half tons can manage on the same loop.
The Ridgeline is a terrific truck and I couldn't be happier with its towing performance.
It's doing exactly what I bought it for and working better than I'd hoped.
Uncle Dave
Ill take it over the bigger "more capable" truck every time for this weight. I have direct experience with
Titan
Tundra
Frontier
Ecoboost 3.5 (355 and 373)
Ram 1/2 ton
Chevy 1500
Chevy 2500
2002 * chevy 1500 suburban w 5.3
Ford F250
* update 93 F150 lightning W 7500 rating (lol)
There are a few reasons for this.
#1 It offers the best ride under tow - by a lot.
The independent suspension swallows up the expansion joints bumps and chuckholes especially the ultra crappy right hand lane you are forced to tow in the majority of the time If you are lucky you can spend some time in a better lane but there is no towing in the left lane in Cali.
The solid rear axle trucks and the the twin I beam front trucks will hammer your teeth out in the right lane.
The solid axle trailer pounding around amplifies the bangs further.
The ridgeline softens this effect by damping both vehicle impacts better.
#2 Its drivetrain is not only efficient and capable - its silky smooth at sustained high RPM while being relatively quiet.
The bigger half ton are a pain to listen to after an hour of straight climbing leaving Lake Havasu on the 40 freeway - to be fair the turbo trucks are pretty quiet like the eco, the NA trucks like the ridge have to rev to make the power some like the ram downright noisy. The chevy 5.3 trucks will flood the cabin with a high RPM howl that makes it hard to talk to each other much less actually talk to someone on a speakerphone.
The Ridge stayed ay 3800 RPM in 4th about 70 MPH for almost an hour on the climb from Lake Havasu city.
#3 Level 2 automation SIGNIFICANTLY reduces driver workload while towing all the while layering in that extra little bit of safety.
Towing through continuous slanted desert 2 lane blacktop requires continuous force input under these conditions you'd be surprised how much effort you put into holding a wheel. LKA simply takes some of that load off your arm(s)
When you reduce noise vibration, harshness and workload the combo adds up to a meaningful differences in a long haul stressful situation.
After a 300 mile tow with a 5K boat I arrive markedly fresher and less tired than in any other truck I've owned ridden in or driven under identical conditions.
I've been towing jet skis and boats to and from LA to Lake Havasu since the 90's and went from merely owning two boats to owning a boat manufacturing company so I do this more than just about anyone but other boat company owners.
Nice work Honda.
picts-
The tow rig with my own 21ft boat a 21 Ft tunnel that weighs about 2200lb with about a 1500 pound trailer. Has 725 horse Big block in in that makes 800+ Ft lb. The engine is fresh so Im just playing with it, but suffice it to say its a brutal war machine capable of laying waste to nations
Another shot with the larger blue boat for this trip we call this the "shop boat" this boats about 22.8 feet long but a lot taller and bigger and weighs about 4850 W trailer and a bit over 5K loaded with fuel. Has a mild 375 HP big block in it and goes just under 70 with 5 people. This is the boat I took the trip with.
Couple mileage inflection points.
Ehrenberg top Parker Az - I towed a section of almost completely flat road at 65 MPH and got 17.3 on the face - even losing a bit to error thats quite impressive also considering the 99 degree air in that location was reducing power. way better than the typical 50% of standard mileage.
Speed 65 - 10 over on a two lane blacktop. This is heavily patrolled.
Corona to Ehrenberg- The 1/3 trip in the mileage was superb lots of hills and brutal heat - I saw 110 for a bit in the big hills. Speed 69-70 15.4 on the face is several MPG better than all the half tons.
Corona - Lake Havasu on the 10- back to Corona on the 40
The full loop mileage 13.8 on face is still impressive bested only by the tiny diesels.
This is about 2-3 MPG better than all the half tons can manage on the same loop.
The Ridgeline is a terrific truck and I couldn't be happier with its towing performance.
It's doing exactly what I bought it for and working better than I'd hoped.
Uncle Dave
