[ground_sniper]

I'm not gonna lie, I need a truck part-time. I drive a '96 Odyssey and love her to death, but I can't tow anything with that.. I don't want a fullsize Chevy or Dodge, because reliability.

I'm looking at the first gen RL, and was wondering about towing.

I've already browsed around a lot of towing pics on the forum, and feel confident the truck would be able to tow for me, but feel it wouldn't hurt to ask!

About every 2-3 months, I take my 1980 CJ5 out to the mud hole, roughly a 30-45 Mile journey one way on a tandem-axle steel car hauler. I'd say I'm either around 5,000 or just over. Live in South Florida, so it would be all flat driving, and usually like to drive 65mph.

Would a RL be a safe and reliable ride for that? I hate the idea of getting rid of my Odyssey, because that thing is indestructible, but I'd be okay with the idea, if the RL is just as good and can tow my Jeep, lol.


Here are some pics of the setup, I don't have any numbers on the weight of it all, though

Speaking of my Odyssey, I have to represent

 

[McChizzle]

Welcome to the ROC!

It's hard to tell from your pictures, but if the trailer brakes are good, you should be fine towing that load over that terrain with a first generation Ridgeline.

 

[ground_sniper]

Lol, oh yeah. No trailer brakes. That's on the list of to dos. Especially for south Florida, everyone wants to cut in front of the truck and trailer.

 

[Wrascal]

If you decide to go that route that I suggest you slow down. Even with good trailer brakes you've easily doubled your weight with this load.

Now off subject, I almost feel bad about trading in my wifes 97 (98?) Ody at 200K, as I still see it running around town; and that's after its replacement vehicle (05 Pilot) reached its 200K life-cycle and was replaced - with another grandmother Ody (2015, now nearly one year old and 20K miles).

 

[ground_sniper]

Would that be advice in general? Or RL Specific? lol. Right now my dad and I usually take the Jeep out and use his '96 Silverado 1500 to tow with. I usually drive 55-60 on the highway with the setup, but he likes to cruise about 10mph higher. Before we make it to the highway, he's usually cussing up a storm at people who cut him off while he tries to adjust stopping distance, etc.

Wow, I just looked up the parts to put trailer brakes on...cheap enough to have no reason not to have them. $300 for the essentials to do the install.

As for the Ody, I wish I could convince my wife to sell her new car and gift her the Ody... I've put a good amount of time restoring her in and don't want to see her go. Minus the lack of towing, I find it to be like a truck to me. Take the back seats out, and you've got an AC'd bed for hauling, lol. It's only got the parts out of 4 other Odys in her now from the junkyard, lol (all cosmetic). Only thing that's failed so far is the odometer and I've abused her for about a year and a half. '96 was a good year.

 

[McChizzle]

If you're interested in towing that much with a Ridgeline, you absolutely need trailer brakes.
1: The Ridgeline is one of the worst midsize trucks for stopping distances under load.
2: Under federal law, trailers halling over 3,500 lbs are required to have trailer brakes.

 

[cccbock]

If you're interested in towing that much with a Ridgeline, you absolutely need trailer brakes.
1: The Ridgeline is one of the worst midsize trucks for stopping distances under load.
2: Under federal law, trailers halling over 3,500 lbs are required to have trailer brakes.

Absolutely!

I towed a race car trailer set-up all over the SE U.S. It weighed right at 5000. I was often well over the recommended weights. The RL will do it, but not safely without brakes. Don't forget that 5000 trailer weight gets reduced by whatever additional cargo you haul (gas cans, coolers, passengers, tools). Do not pull the pictured trailer with a RL without brakes on the trailer.