Towing my own GSX

[DSMnOOb00]

You know you own a DSM when you have a favorite TOW company and their phone number is in your address book..

You know you own a DSM when you have two cars and the one that doesnt run half the time is your favorite

you know you own a DSM when you buy a truck as a 2nd vechiel just to tow your first one

Well I know far too well the pros and cons of owning a DSM (as does my girlfriend) so since I spent almost a year trying to fix my DSM I decied to get a truck to serve both as my daily driver and well as my tow truck, I bought a 2004 Nissan Frontier XE V6... now what?! i didnt think this far ahead, iv never towed anything in my life and never a AWD anything... so heres my question: What do I need, I know I need a tow hitch and some kind of wire harness but what else.

I found this website with a pretty darn good deal

Nissan Frontier Trailer Hitch - 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 Class 3 Trailer Hitches

but I dont know what options I need to get going, please help a fellow DSMer out

thanks guys!

 

[willydsm]

Class three hitch , get a car trailer with a winch attached to the front of the trailer, when you get the trailor get the proper ball for the trailer, proley 2 or 2 1/2 inch, and the proper drop hitch adapter, this is what will fit into your hitch and the ball goes on. there are two types of harneses big and little get the bigger one on your truck they make an adapter if the trailer has the smaller one ,and some big ratchet straps to tie the car down once it is on the trailer.

 

[joe sobo]

Class three hitch , get a car trailer with a winch attached to the front of the trailer, when you get the trailor get the proper ball for the trailer, proley 2 or 2 1/2 inch, and the proper drop hitch adapter, this is what will fit into your hitch and the ball goes on. there are two types of harneses big and little get the bigger one on your truck they make an adapter if the trailer has the smaller one ,and some big ratchet straps to tie the car down once it is on the trailer.

where do you get a 2 1/2 ball at? i have only seen 2", and then it goes to 2 5/16.
also, to the original poster, what willy is trying to say with the plug in, is that they sell either a flat "4" wire, which cannot be used with trailer brakes, or the better choice is the round "7" pin plug -in. with this one , you can use a car trailer that has trailer brakes. and to be clear, you are towing a good size car with a heavy trailer. the weight of the traILER and load may be 6,000 lbs., and your truck may weigh about +/- 5,000. so i do advise you to buy a trailer that has electric brakes. if you do not have the brakes, and you ever get pulled over , it is tecnially againts the law, and your auto insurance to be towing that much weight. if you get into an accident, your insurance will not cover it. even if you tell them that you pull a trailer and charge you more in your premium, the re is a weight ratio that has to be followed. i can't recall it off the top of my head, but in order to tow a car the size of a 2-door escort, you need ( by law) a 3500 truck. ( which is also known as a 1 ton truck.
your best bet is to look into you local and state laws for their towing regulations. it will save you money in the long run

 

[talondave]

One thing you will need is a bigger truck!! I dont know about what mountains you have around you, but that truck would not cut it around here..

 

[willydsm]

uhaul has a web site for renting trailers you enter your truck info and then the car info (the car you will be towing) and it will tell you if your truck is capable of towing that car. I think that info would be sufficent seeing as uhaul has to go by fed and state law.

 

[talondave]

I dont know what laws you guys are talking about, But i have a 3/4 ton silverado and i haul shit all the time.. My trailer weighs 3180lbs just by itself, and we have a bobcat skid steer that weighs 9200lbs, and i had to pull through the weigh station a few times pullin the bobcat on the highway, and nobody has ever said anything to me!!


If your over weight and pull through a weigh station, your going to get a ticket!!!