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Ridgeline Towing

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Printed Date: 28 Mar 2024 at 7:37pm
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Topic: Ridgeline Towing
Posted By: John D
Subject: Ridgeline Towing
Date Posted: 27 Jan 2022 at 9:29am
Any Honda Ridgeline owners towing a 195 or similar size R POD?



Replies:
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 27 Jan 2022 at 5:53pm
The 195 is about a 4800 lb trailer loaded. Way too much for a Ridgeline. I'm sure if you look around the internet eventually you'll find someone who says they do it and it's fine, but really it's not. It will not be either safe or legal.

You need a more capable tow vehicle for that trailer. If you want to tow with a Ridgeline get something like the size of a 180 tops. Pack.
it and the truck carefully and you will be ok.

-------------
1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold


Posted By: Tars Tarkas
Date Posted: 27 Jan 2022 at 10:16pm
Safe is more nuanced than legal.  The towing capacity of the Ridgeline is 5000 lbs.  If the loaded 195 is 4800 lbs. you'd be legal but cutting it close.  A lot of people feel like you need about 20% more towing capacity than you're going to tow, so for a 4800 lb trailer you'd want a towing capacity of 6000 lbs.  There's definitely a safety factor there, but also a lot of towing comfort along with less wear and tear on your engine. drive train, suspension, etc.  All this is more important for longer tows and any kind of mountainous terrain.

TT


-------------
2010 176
FJ Cruiser


Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 28 Jan 2022 at 6:29am
There are more weight specs than just trailer weight that you have to stay within to be legal or safe:

Each axle
Tongue
Gross combined vehicle weight

These specs should be on your driver door sticker except tongue weight is probably in your manual.

GCVW is almost certainly going to be out of spec if you tow a 4800 lb trailer, because you will have hundreds of lbs of people and gear in the Ridgeline. No manufacturer rates their vehicles to tow a max trailer and at the same time load the tow vehicle heavily. It's one or the other.

Also your tongue weight rating is most likely 500 lbs. A 195 will have more weight than that on the tongue with batteries, propane, water, and supplies on board.

My Highlander has the same tongue and towing ratings are the Ridgeline does. I could tow my 179 (much lighter than the 195) fine as long as I had one passenger and minimal gear in the tow vehicle and was careful how I packed the 179.


I would never consider towing a 195 with that vehicle, it's not even clo remotely capable of doing that job. TNeither is the Ridgeline. If you really need that much trailer then you'll need to upgrade your tow vehicle. But people tend to buy larger trailers than they really need so reconsider getting a smaller rpod of other brand.

-------------
1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold


Posted By: Dirt Sifter
Date Posted: 28 Jan 2022 at 9:59pm
I read and resect offgrid. That said, I do not have a Ridgeline, but want to add the weights I took from ODOT scales on two different occasions with my Tacoma and 195. Loaded for trip with a couple rifles, ammo, flat of fresh water and all tanks empty, one battery and one stock propane tank (full). The trailer weighed 3800 and 3850; the tongue weight figured 450 and 400. Our previous 179 came in at 3200 lbs and had a lot less front sail so caused less drag. I don't know if these figures will help you, but for me the Tacoma does just fine, not great like the Tundra, but I have little concern about going out by myself. The DW likes comfort, so it's the bigger TV for her. With the Taco strong headwinds are a concern on western freeway's higher speeds. Hope this helps. Be safe and have fun.


-------------
Greg n Deb 2020 195 HRE
'07 Tundra 5.7L., '17 Tacoma 3.5L. Both with tow packages
1 Puggle, 1 Chihuahua support staff


Posted By: Tars Tarkas
Date Posted: 28 Jan 2022 at 10:46pm
Yeah, I don't know.  I pretty much agree with Offgrid that a Ridgeline is not a great match for a 195, but I have a difficult time with his absolute attitude about it.  With some reasonable care the combo can be made to work.  Given a choice a bigger truck or a lighter trailer would make it easier for things to work within safe limits and could greatly add to comfort and peace of mind going down the road.  From everything I see the Ridgeline/195 combo will work but may involve some compromises (like not hauling every last piece of gear you might want and/or taking a good bit longer going over a mountain pass.  But again, if one has a choice, assuming you have the Ridgeline, look at some smaller trailers.

TT


-------------
2010 176
FJ Cruiser


Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 29 Jan 2022 at 3:37am
The reason for my confidence that the Ridgeline is too light for a big 195 is my experience with my Highlander/179 combo.

It's not a matter of taking everything with you, to come out in a safe range I had to be very selective in what I took along. In the Highlander were two people only, a light ladder for clearing the slide, a Honda 2k, a propane cylinder, the smallest Clam tent, a ground sheet, two folding chairs, a small ice chest, my tool bag, and a weight distribution hitch. In the trailer were a week's supplies, lightweight cooking gear, full fresh water tank, a 2.5 gallon drinking water jug, two 6V GC2 batteries, one propane cylinder, a water hose, spare tire, leveling jack handle, wdh tensioning tool, a small Coleman gas grill, sewer hose, and minimal clothing, shoes, hiking boots, and towels.

I don't think we had one thing extra that we could really do without and reasonably enjoy the camping experience. No big grills, extra tables and chairs, big dogs, multiple changes of clothes, rdome, floor jack, gasoline container, movie collection, hair dryer, coffee pot, solar kit, on and on.

With that load I was right at my 500 lb max tongue weight, within 100 lbs of the max trailer and trailer axle weight, and within 10% of rear TV axle load and GVWR. That was as close as I wanted to ever get for safety, many here would feel that was too close.

Now, you might argue that you won't fill the FWT or carry an extra battery or generator because you never boondock, and that is perhaps reasonable, although I would suggest that everyone ought to retain the option to camp without water and electric hookups sometimes, you really limit your camping alternatives if you take away that option.

But even assuming you give that up, you would only save 250+80+40+50=430 lbs by leaving all my boondocking stuff (water, 2nd battery, 2nd propane cyl, Genny) at home. A 195 weighs about 900 lbs more than a 179 so that doesn't even come close to compensating for the bigger trailer.

So, bottom line is, in the real world of towing, not the imaginary on paper world where you magically don't have any people or stuff while on the road yet all those people and that stuff suddenly appears at your campsite when you get there, a Ridgeline or Highlander sized vehicle won't cut it for a big rpod.

This is why I strongly recommend fully loading, populating, and fueling a rig, then weighing it, rather than attempting to add up by guesswork what you have in there. You will be surprised how heavy it all is the first time you do it. I was.

Heres the other thing I've learned from 40 plus years professional engineering work in the solar field where all sorts of crazy ideas abound. When someone asks a question like the OP's original one, they fall into one of two categories. Obviously, they wouldn't ask the question in the first place if their TV of choice was an F250. They already know that what they want to do is questionable at best. So they are either

(1) trying to reasonably understand if what they want to do will work or

(2) have already decided to do what they're suggesting and just want someone to reaffirm their decision so they feel better about it.

The former are open to accept real data, analysis, and experience, the latter are not, but might just possibly be dissuaded from killing themselves by a clear negative response. Either way, if the proposed action is wrong or dangerous it does no one any favors to equivocate, the first category won't be able to effectively use that input to come to a conclusion and the second won't listen anyway. Just my opinion on the best way to handle this type of question.










-------------
1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold


Posted By: Dirt Sifter
Date Posted: 29 Jan 2022 at 7:13am
Yeah, but. I've seen all sorts of configurations of Rpods and TV's in parks, in outback camping areas (not the real rugged ones that rip off the low hanging tank drains), and on the road. It depends on the type of camping, how far away from home, and what the user's purpose is. There are camping areas 10 to 50 miles from my home that are used by local people with too big RV's for their too small TV's all the time without incident. I believe being autocratic in making their decision for them is not helpful, but giving them the insight from our experience can be very helpful. FWIW, I am not a woke, warm and fuzzy person, just one who has missed out on opportunities because I have listened to ultra conservative information and has had enlightening experiences by not listening to good information for my situation. Until we know the whole picture, the info we give should be balanced and helpful as that from offgrid most usually is, even for the hard headed.


-------------
Greg n Deb 2020 195 HRE
'07 Tundra 5.7L., '17 Tacoma 3.5L. Both with tow packages
1 Puggle, 1 Chihuahua support staff


Posted By: Rpod-Couple
Date Posted: 29 Jan 2022 at 8:16am
Hi John - I notice you live in Florida. A flat state with lots of camping options. What are your plans for the distances you plan to travel? For instance you staying east of the Rockies and no boon docking? That can have a big impact on your decision. 

I tow a R-pod 171 with a Mazda CX-9 rated 3500 lbs. It’s just my wife and I. We never boon dock, have 350 lbs on the tongue, use a WDH, and travel light light - under 3200 lbs total in the trailer and less than 400 lbs in my vehicle (wife, me and stuff.)  I bought a Sherline hitch scale which is cheap insurance to manage safe loading of the trailer and hitch weight. I make sure my electric trailer breaks are always in good working order. I have no problems towing this trailer and I inspect everything carefully before heading out. Frontal area which increases wind resistance is THE biggest load on your engine/transmission so keeping your speed down to preserve the life of your engine and transmission. Not all of us can afford to buy a $50K F150 after buying our $25K R-pod.

If you plan to boon dock, carry a family of four football players, Great Dane, four bikes, full water tank, a generator, a rolling tool chest, etc. then go bigger on your tow vehicle. Knowing your weights and knowing you vehicle limits are what matters.

Good luck on your decision - wish you safe travels!


-------------
Steve & Elaine
2021 R-pod
2023 VW Atlas Cross Sport


Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 29 Jan 2022 at 11:23am
Look up "appeal to ridicule". lf you want to have a reasoned fact based discussion then great. If you want to just do what you feel like and use ridicule to justify it then you'll have a hard time finding folks who want to bother.

I wouldn't buy a $50 or 60k truck either. There are of course other options. Buy a used SUV or pickup if you must have a large trailer, or buy a lighter trailer that is reasonable to tow with your existing vehicle. You'll save money, fuel, stress, and be safe for yourself and others you share the road with.

If youve never driven in high crosswinds you might not realize that those conditions place just as significant, if not more significant, demands in a tow vehicle as does mountain driving. Florida can have plengy of wind. And horsepower/frontal area is the least consideration, simply slowing down 10 mph from 70 to 60 cuts wind drag by about 40%.

As for carrying water and a generator, if you can't do that you are eliminating most state, national park, and forest service campgrounds from your options. That is your choice of course, but why?

Big trailers with lots of storage will run heavier than smaller trailers with minimal storage, people with bigger trailers end up carrying more stuff. comparing a 171 to a 195 is apples and oranges. Even comparing a 179 to a 195 is a stretch.

I like dRidgelines and they are very similar to Highlanders in capacity. They're just not the right tool for that particular job.   





-------------
1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold


Posted By: Tars Tarkas
Date Posted: 29 Jan 2022 at 1:05pm
Not sure why but all this just makes me want to go out an buy a Honda Ridgeline, an RPod 195 trailer, and a telescoping ladder.  Maybe I'm suicidal.



-------------
2010 176
FJ Cruiser


Posted By: lostagain
Date Posted: 29 Jan 2022 at 2:59pm
Could it be that you're just a bit cantankerous in your dotage?  Wink

-------------
Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney
Sonoma 167RB
Our Pod 172
2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost


Posted By: Dirt Sifter
Date Posted: 29 Jan 2022 at 3:34pm
Originally posted by Tars Tarkas

Not sure why but all this just makes me want to go out an buy a Honda Ridgeline, an RPod 195 trailer, and a telescoping ladder.  Maybe I'm suicidal.


LOL  Thumbs Up


-------------
Greg n Deb 2020 195 HRE
'07 Tundra 5.7L., '17 Tacoma 3.5L. Both with tow packages
1 Puggle, 1 Chihuahua support staff


Posted By: Tars Tarkas
Date Posted: 29 Jan 2022 at 3:49pm
Originally posted by lostagain

Could it be that you're just a bit cantankerous in your dotage?  Wink

I am a lot closer to my dotage than I used to be but insults help.  Actually, I have never cared for people making statements like only they know best, especially when there is obviously (plenty) of room for other valid opinions. 

Note that the OP asked for guidance from other Ridgeline owners.  He's gotten none, including from me.  The most opinionated advice he's gotten is from someone who bases his response on his experience as a solar engineer and as the owner of another vehicle.

I stated earlier that at the bottom line I agree with Offgrid. By the numbers, the Ridgeline is not a great choice for towing a 195.  In the long run that combo is likely to make the owner unhappy.  Is it doable?  Yes, with care and some caveats perhaps.  Assuming the OP has a Ridgeline already and doesn't want to swap it out for a bigger truck or SUV, I think a smaller, lighter trailer would certainly be a better choice.

The difference is between recommending against the Ridgeline and stating that it won't work.

TT


-------------
2010 176
FJ Cruiser


Posted By: lostagain
Date Posted: 29 Jan 2022 at 6:15pm
Tars, lighten up, you're going to drive up your blood pressure.  I was only trying to pull your leg in my post, which is why I put the "wink" emoji after it, so that no one would take it literally.

I think the OP was looking for someone who has actual experience towing a 195 with a Ridgeline and I suspect no one on this board has it.  Assuming the good faith of our fellow board members wanting to be helpful, it looks to me like many, including you, were suggesting that we should not tow stuff beyond the capacity of the TV and trailer's capacity and safety margin, all in an effort to be helpful.  Some may be more blunt while others more circumspect, but everyone did his/her best.  So it's all good.  Be happy.


-------------
Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney
Sonoma 167RB
Our Pod 172
2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost


Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 30 Jan 2022 at 4:29am
TT, why would you say I base my response on being a solar engineer? I base my response on an engineering analysis of my Highlander/179 combo and my personal experience driving that rig. The Highlander and Ridgeline have very similar capabilities. The 179 is much lighter and smaller that the 195. I considered my rig to be acceptable but not optimum because I needed to carefully monitor weight, a heavier tow vehicle would have been better.

The analysis portion is a simple problem in statics that any 1st year engineering student should be able to solve. Heck, it's done for you in the towing calculator, all you need to do is plug in some numbers.

The only thing I am using my professional background for here is to avoid being fuzzy in my response, because as I explained I have learned that doesn't do anyone any favors. Folks are either looking for clear input or have already decided to do whatever it is and looking for justification to make them feel better about it.

Either way, it goes without saying it's a personal choice, folks can ovbiouy do what they want, there are no towing police out there going to stop you. Well I guess maybe there are in extreme circumstances, if you were towing a 35 ft triple axle trailer with a compact SUV the state police would probably pull you over. Whether you look at that as the officer doing his or her job or as unreasonable governmental interference is up to you. So feel free to ignore my posts, it's ok with me.

If my response makes you or anyone want to buy a 195 and a Ridgeline just to show something can be done, that's also up to you. But it wouldn't be convincing, any more than not falling off a cheap ladder or any other anecdotal report is convincing. Safety is a game of statistics, by selecting the right ladder or the right tow vehicle we are trying to take the accident rate down from one in 1,000 to 1 in 100,000 or similar math. You would need thousands of cases to demonstrate that kind of difference. Lacking that, we must fall back on analysis and experience in similar circumstances, resulting in the establishment of appropriate safety factors, which is what I did.

-------------
1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold


Posted By: Dirt Sifter
Date Posted: 30 Jan 2022 at 8:03am
And on a lighter note, we all understand that knowing the equipment we're talking about is important; thank goodness the 195 comes with its own ladder attached. Smile


-------------
Greg n Deb 2020 195 HRE
'07 Tundra 5.7L., '17 Tacoma 3.5L. Both with tow packages
1 Puggle, 1 Chihuahua support staff


Posted By: mjlrpod
Date Posted: 30 Jan 2022 at 9:23am
Originally posted by Dirt Sifter

; thank goodness the 195 comes with its own ladder attached. Smile

And every time I start climbing up my 195 ladder, I think to my self, "This ladder is the same quality as everything else forest river put in / on this camper, I hope I make it" 


-------------
2017.5 Rp-172
2020 R-pod 195
2015 Frontier sv 4.0L 6cyl
I'll be rpodding


Posted By: mjlrpod
Date Posted: 30 Jan 2022 at 9:33am
Btw I completely agree with the "relativity" argument when it comes to tow vehicles. If you intend to pull a camper to a place, maybe an hour or two away from the house, a couple times a year, the "what works" numbers are much different than if you are towing very often, to destinations 8 or more hours away. It might not be a comfortable towing experience when your almost maxed out, but it will work if your careful. I don't buy snap on tools for every nut I need to tighten, sometimes I buy the cheap import that isnt rated to last a lifetime, and it works. 

-------------
2017.5 Rp-172
2020 R-pod 195
2015 Frontier sv 4.0L 6cyl
I'll be rpodding


Posted By: John D
Date Posted: 30 Jan 2022 at 10:48am
Thanks for your reply.  We do not intend to tour the U.S.  We plan to travel light and I have weighed the trailer and we come up to less than 4,100 lbs while we are rated for 5,000 lbs.  We have installed a WD hitch, brake controller, cameras, etc.  


Posted By: Tars Tarkas
Date Posted: 30 Jan 2022 at 2:29pm
You might want to add an auxiliary transmission cooler if you don't have one already and, I don't know how the gears work on the Ridgeline, but if it's a 5-speed, for example,you pretty definitely want to to tow in 4th all the time, except when you need to gear down lower.  And you will need to gear down sometimes.  Running in 5th, or Drive, can cook your transmission fluid pretty easily.  My truck only has an idiot light for transmission fluid temp so I added a ScanGuage II that shows actual temps.  It has been very enlightening and helpful.

TT

TT


-------------
2010 176
FJ Cruiser


Posted By: lostagain
Date Posted: 30 Jan 2022 at 3:36pm
The weight issue is not a function of how close to home to tow, but what conditions you encounter while towing.  A trip only 10 minutes from home can become a nightmare if you encounter very strong cross-winds while driving at highway speeds.  Whether it happens to you in FL or in NM, doesn't make any difference.  The most important thing to keep in mind is not how far you travel, but whether you are within the margin of safety for the limits of your TV and trailer.  If you plan on towing only on flat terrain, then mountin climbing will not be an issue, but high winds can occur in many places, so be aware of the weather where you'll tow and be prepared to wait if needed.  

You don't need a Kenworth Montañero to tow a 195, but you also don't need to do it with a Toyota Prius.  If you're thinking of buying a Ridgline to tow a 195, there are a lot of other choices that may be more satisfactory in the long run.  If you already have the Ridgeline, then picking a trailer that is within the capacity of the Ridgeline (including a margin of error) will be equally satisfactory.  Good luck and safe travels.


-------------
Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney
Sonoma 167RB
Our Pod 172
2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost



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