[xrdad]

Didn't take a pic.. regret it now.

Purchased, then disassembled and hauled in 2 loads, a 12x12 oak kitchen. All the cabinets and cupboards, the countertop, sink, faucets, and pantry.

Like ridgeMATT, I'm amazed by what I end up hauling with this truck!

 

[speedlever]

I recently had a queen pillowtop and boxspring in my RL. (pic taken after my securing straps were removed!)

 

[JoeDuc]

Bikes and the occasional tiny car.

 

[Seht]

For the sake of the Google search that this might come up in...

This is my 2014 Honda Ridgeline hauling a Piaggio MP3 400ie.

It fit. Barely. That little metal plate in the back saved it though, my tailgate looked pretty unhappy until it went in and we put the kick stand out (shifting the weight back to the box). It was my first time hauling anything significant in the Ridgeline and I could barely even tell it was back there (except it's evil reflection from my brake light). 13.5L /100km.

 

[Iatros]

My recent tow venture from El Paso TX to Tacoma WA (approx 1800 mi) I in no way set any land speed records, matter of fact, i had cruise set at 70 pretty much the whole way. Was slightly disappointed with it's up hill power considering i wasn't towing THAT much (8200 lb including the truck though oddly shaped). But i averaged about 11 mpg for the trip. Got the trailer stuck in the mud in Utah and blew out a tire just before crossing one of the bridges out here... Hell of a trip lol

 

[McChizzle]

My recent tow venture from El Paso TX to Tacoma WA (approx 1800 mi) I in no way set any land speed records, matter of fact, i had cruise set at 70 pretty much the whole way. Was slightly disappointed with it's up hill power considering i wasn't towing THAT much (8200 lb including the truck though oddly shaped). But i averaged about 11 mpg for the trip. Got the trailer stuck in the mud in Utah and blew out a tire just before crossing one of the bridges out here... Hell of a trip lol

11 MPG is about average for towing heavy loads (around 4k lbs and above) with the RL.

It's good you carried a spare tire for your trailer; I know many people with trailers that don't carry a spare. It's hard to tell from the photo, but the trailer tires do look small and lightweight. Do you know the speed rating of your trailer tires? Most light-duty trailer tires are speed rated at 62 to 65 MPH and if you exceed that speed for extended periods they can fail prematurely.

It also looks like there are no trailer brakes. If true, how did your RL perform at stopping your rig on this trip? I'm curries because the RL's stopping performance when loaded is not great and I've personnaly had problems in this area.

 

[Iatros]

11 MPG is about average for towing heavy loads (around 4k lbs and above) with the RL.

It's good you carried a spare tire for your trailer; I know many people with trailers that don't carry a spare. It's hard to tell from the photo, but the trailer tires do look small and lightweight. Do you know the speed rating of your trailer tires? Most light-duty trailer tires are speed rated at 62 to 65 MPH and if you exceed that speed for extended periods they can fail prematurely.

It also looks like there are no trailer brakes. If true, how did your RL perform at stopping your rig on this trip? I'm curries because the RL's stopping performance when loaded is not great and I've personnaly had problems in this area.

Yeah I kinda figured the mpg would be lower. It was more luck then anything that I had the spare, I just kept the older tires I replaced as a just in case, and well, that happened haha. That trailer definitely isn't meant to do what I did with it, so I'm not very upset that the tire blew, we'll just say the process getting here was VERY arduous and that was just the icing on the cake since it blew < 10 min to my destination. You're right, I do not have trailer brakes on it, it's really just kind of an in town type jobber. I didn't really end up in a situation where I needed to brake abruptly so I couldn't really speak about that. I always tried to give myself more than enough stopping distance. As far as coming down the mountains, I just used the D3 button as sort of like an engine break descending the big hills so as to not burn up my brakes and that seemed to work out pretty well for me.

 

[McChizzle]

... As far as coming down the mountains, I just used the D3 button as sort of like an engine break descending the big hills so as to not burn up my brakes and that seemed to work out pretty well for me.

That's what it was designed to do. I'm glad to hear that D3 worked as advertised. Sounds like quite a trip.

 

[John32070]

My 4 x 7 utility trailer has tires like that but I upgraded from 4.12 to 5.10 dia tires (even the spare) and it does fine. Went roughly 2000 miles to Utah and back with my ATV on it doing 70mph a majority of the time (any more than that it starts tail-whipping) and didn't have any issues, though I did repack the wheel bearings before making the trip. I know it's small but out west of Denver on some of those steeper grades I wondered if trailer brakes would be a consideration, but the truck handled it fine. Never even thought of using D3 when doing that, nice to know now LOL.

 

[jcridgeline]

8800# of skid steer and trailer, skid steer is 6300# and the trailer is 2500#. 2006 RTL with 205,000 miles. Yes I know it's beyond it's rating, I don't normally tow this heavy with the Honda, but there was no other way around it this time and yes it did just fine, even up some pretty steep grades. The trailer has sufficient brakes.

 

[Dnick]

It seemed like I was hearing a Tim Taylor grunt session when I was reading that. Yeah Baby.....

So how far did you tow that load anyway???

 

[jcridgeline]

It seemed like I was hearing a Tim Taylor grunt session when I was reading that. Yeah Baby.....

So how far did you tow that load anyway???

73 mile round trip, I was very surprised how well the Honda behaved being that overloaded. Like I said I know it was way overloaded, but being very cautious and leaving lots of room for emergency stops it actually did just as good as my dad's 1/2 ton Chevy, other than the power. I don't see myself ever having to pull that again with the Honda but if there's no other choice I know it will do it with little complaining.

 

[dopes6070]

1700lbs of bamboo flooring. This skid has approximately 1000sqft on it. The balance was picked up on another trip. Truck handled it flawlessly not a squeak or anything out of the ordinary. The guy at the store was impressed when he dropped the pallet in with his forklift and said that's the max weight he puts in anything that's not a super duty. He asked how the drive was when I got back an hour later. He was even more imressed when I showed him the trunk, that he had no idea about (and that it still worked) also the side swinging tailgate. :grin:

Honda needs better marketing and has for a long time!

 

[Dnick]

73 mile round trip, I was very surprised how well the Honda behaved being that overloaded. Like I said I know it was way overloaded, but being very cautious and leaving lots of room for emergency stops it actually did just as good as my dad's 1/2 ton Chevy, other than the power. I don't see myself ever having to pull that again with the Honda but if there's no other choice I know it will do it with little complaining.

Honestly, most of the loads being applied have to do with how fast your speed changes (faster OR slower), presuming you're on good paved roads (watch out for those dips!). As long as you have time & space enough to "take it easy", you aren't exposing your truck to as much load as if you were within specs & pushing it hard.
Just something to consider.

However; stopping distance, bumps in the road, & emergency maneuvers ..... those aren't things you really want to "test" in traffic. Caution in abundance seems to have worked out pretty well for you in this case.

 

[Ridge2012]

What a great truck for Landlords!

See my slideshow here. Turn up the volume and sing along!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-9M0FzGxDQ

I use my 2012 Ridgeline to manage my rental properties. I'm amazed at how often I haul stuff.

The ability to handle 4X8 sheets is huge to me.

The inbed trunk is awesome. I never take my tools out the truck at the end of the day. No need for those big silver bedboxes which cut into the bed size.

I don't go offroad but I like that it handles flooded streets, dirt roads, and mud.

All my properties are in the city. The short bed makes it easy to drive and park. If necessary I stack my payload high or stick it out the back. Who cares that you can't shut the tailgate with a piece of drywall in the bed? I don't.

I can hit max payload with tile, sod, bags of cement. Very rarely. When I do I just make two trips. Otherwise, everything else is a joke for the Ridgeline.

I use the Ridgeline to keep projects moving. My contractor needs more tile and mortar? No problem, I make the run and he keeps working.

My Ridgeline is owned by my LLC. I take depreciation and deduct expenses.

The Ridgeline is the perfect size. Big full size trucks are not for me. Smaller trucks that can't handle 4X8 sheets just don't do the job.

Is my Ridgeline a "work truck"? Well, it keeps my rent checks coming and the tenants make my truck payment so that "works" for me!

What I haul (basically, everything to do with the inside and outside of a house):


1. Lots of tile, 1 box to over one thousand pounds
2. Drywall 4X8 sheets
3. Hardibacker 3X5 sheets
4. Cabinets
5. Wood flooring
6. Countertops
7. Sinks
8. Bathtubs
9. Paint
10. Ladders
11. Tools
12. Furniture
13. Doors
14. Baseboard and trim
15. Water Heaters, new and old
16. AC compressors and parts
17. Stoves
18. Refrigerators
19. Lumber
20. 4X8 Plywood
21. 4X8 OSB sheets
22. Luggage
23. Fishing equipment
24. Bulk shopping
25. Packs of insulation
26. AC Ducts
27. Garbage disposals
28. Dishwashers
29. Bags of Grout, Mortar, caulk, cement
30. Branches, leaves, grass clippings
31. Dead Trees
32. Construction debris
33. Ceiling fans, light fixtures
34. Vanities
35. Washer and Dryers
36. Mulch
37. Potting soil, fill dirt, topsoil
38. Sod
39. Attic door ladders
40. Trash and Junk - many trips
41. Portable air conditioners
42. Toilets
43. Plants
44. Planters
45. Pavers
46. Small equipment - tillers, lawnmowers, weedeaters, brush hogs.
47. Shovels, rakes, wheelbarrows, pole saws, chainsaws
48. Water pump
49. Pressure washers
50. Cleaning supplies - brooms, mops, etc.
51. River rock
52. PVC pipes, catch basins for drains
53. Demolition hammers
54. Floor stripper
55. Portable fans
56. Blowers and shop vacs
57. Mountain bikes
58. Kayaks
59. Fencing
60. Gravel

Great Truck!

 

[speedlever]

Great post Ridge2012. Your video, while a bit long, is very well done too!

 

[Ridge2012]

Thanks.......and that was my short version!

 

[vpik01]

20 ~65lb concrete blocks, I've got a couple hundred more to move... a windfall from a friend in landscaping. Now I just need to move them 90 miles from my home to my off-grid campsite, that's ~89 miles road and ~1 mile of rutted woods jeep trail. I went a bit conservative as this was the first time I really loaded up the ridge. The back end sagged quite a bit but it still got the job done. I was nervous offroad that I'd lost some clearance but just went nice and slow and never heard any scrapes. Good thing because I'll need to repeat this activity quite a few times over the next couple months!

Unloading at my campsite, I used a 4x4' sheet of plywood as an added bed protector and to use as a 'slide' to make it easy to load and unload the last row of stones.

And unloaded, headed home. Good trip all around!

 

[Carsmak]

Just a suggestion, from bringing home some rock for landscaping. You may want to consider a small trailer, keep the RL with less than 20 in the bed and max out the small trailer. The rock supplier didn't want to put a a 1/2 scoop, in either my RL or my buddy's F-150, said he's had too many issues with even a 1/2 scoop, a full scoop is 1 ton, with less than a 3/4 T truck, but a small utility trailer said he had no problems with many times in the past.

Just another option

 

[vpik01]

I like the idea except for the off-road portion... any experience with a trailer off-road? I've got one particular 90deg turn into a steep grade with a meandering rut that I worry about in particular.

Also I'd need a trailer hitch on my particular RL.

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