Joined
·
450 Posts
Picked up a dump trailer to get some fresh gravel for the driveway this weekend. I was really looking forward to see how this truck handled a heavy load.
I have a PRO4X diesel with about 2k miles on it now. The first 500 or so miles it felt sluggish - like something was holding it back. Now I don't know if Cummins/Nissan did this intentionally to reduce power for a break in period or what, but I can tell you that the last 1000 miles it has been a night and day driving experience from when it was new. The delay in acceleration from a dead stop (what I had thought might have been turbo lag) is practically gone. The shifts are much firmer and quicker, and I am constantly seeing the traction light coming on when pulling out into traffic. I even had the traction light come on during a 1-2 shift under heavy throttle racing up and on ramp. But anyways onto the towing.
With my last Titan the heaviest load I towed was approx. 8500lbs (car trailer with Lincoln Navigator on it). That truck had the power to do the job well, but the trailer really was working the truck on the interstate. So I went to the gravel pit in my new Titan with this experience being the benchmark.
I pulled onto the scales with the dump trailer for my pre-load weight and was amazed to see that empty with the trailer I weighed in @ 12,400 lbs. Now before I disclose what my post load weight was let me just say that I am not a gravel weight expert and just told them to fill the trailer up. The pit was 40 mins. away from my house and I didn't want to make multiple trips. When I got back on the scales I felt like a might have made a mistake. My post load weight came in @ 26,000 lbs. on the nose. Knowing that my rated tow rating was approx. 11k lbs. I was kind of second guessing my decision to have them just fill it up. If I assume the truck weighs around 8500lbs with me, my wife, and kid in it that puts my load weight @ 17,500 and I had a 40 min drive home.
To be 100% honest the truck definitely new that weight was back there, and I can tell it was really working getting going from a dead stop, but at no time did I feel like I was abusing the truck or that I was asking it to do something it wasn't comfortable doing. On the interstate with the cruise set @ 65 it held speed easily (This is Indiana after all). The chassis seemed comfortable with that weight as well. The truck tracked good on the road and really felt stable as semi's would pass. The single most important thing I felt was the confidence I had in breaking. Granted the trailer had breaks and the trailer brake controller was dialed in good, but the truck stopped incredibly well. For that 40 min. drive I had an indicated MPG of 10.5. I feel like that is respectable for the weight.
Now before all the negative Nancy's want to chime in about how that is so much more than what the truck is rated for and blah blah blah let me just say I am well aware of this. I didn't set out to over load it, but my ignorance on gravel weight got the better of me and in spite of that the truck, I feel, was up to the task at hand. Thought I would share my experience.
I have a PRO4X diesel with about 2k miles on it now. The first 500 or so miles it felt sluggish - like something was holding it back. Now I don't know if Cummins/Nissan did this intentionally to reduce power for a break in period or what, but I can tell you that the last 1000 miles it has been a night and day driving experience from when it was new. The delay in acceleration from a dead stop (what I had thought might have been turbo lag) is practically gone. The shifts are much firmer and quicker, and I am constantly seeing the traction light coming on when pulling out into traffic. I even had the traction light come on during a 1-2 shift under heavy throttle racing up and on ramp. But anyways onto the towing.
With my last Titan the heaviest load I towed was approx. 8500lbs (car trailer with Lincoln Navigator on it). That truck had the power to do the job well, but the trailer really was working the truck on the interstate. So I went to the gravel pit in my new Titan with this experience being the benchmark.
I pulled onto the scales with the dump trailer for my pre-load weight and was amazed to see that empty with the trailer I weighed in @ 12,400 lbs. Now before I disclose what my post load weight was let me just say that I am not a gravel weight expert and just told them to fill the trailer up. The pit was 40 mins. away from my house and I didn't want to make multiple trips. When I got back on the scales I felt like a might have made a mistake. My post load weight came in @ 26,000 lbs. on the nose. Knowing that my rated tow rating was approx. 11k lbs. I was kind of second guessing my decision to have them just fill it up. If I assume the truck weighs around 8500lbs with me, my wife, and kid in it that puts my load weight @ 17,500 and I had a 40 min drive home.
To be 100% honest the truck definitely new that weight was back there, and I can tell it was really working getting going from a dead stop, but at no time did I feel like I was abusing the truck or that I was asking it to do something it wasn't comfortable doing. On the interstate with the cruise set @ 65 it held speed easily (This is Indiana after all). The chassis seemed comfortable with that weight as well. The truck tracked good on the road and really felt stable as semi's would pass. The single most important thing I felt was the confidence I had in breaking. Granted the trailer had breaks and the trailer brake controller was dialed in good, but the truck stopped incredibly well. For that 40 min. drive I had an indicated MPG of 10.5. I feel like that is respectable for the weight.
Now before all the negative Nancy's want to chime in about how that is so much more than what the truck is rated for and blah blah blah let me just say I am well aware of this. I didn't set out to over load it, but my ignorance on gravel weight got the better of me and in spite of that the truck, I feel, was up to the task at hand. Thought I would share my experience.
