Tow Vehicle/Pickup truck HELP

[dru1974]

Ihave the same ride as saskyrider....but am wondering how people can feel safe with such a small tow vehicle. Yes like a Honda ridge line...crazy

[skiyaker]

man no doubt that's why I'm in the market for one of these!

[Ian Brantford]

Ihave the same ride as saskyrider....but am wondering how people can feel safe with such a small tow vehicle. Yes like a Honda ridge line...crazy

I can answer that.

Firstly, I read up on the Ridgeline's design. What I found contradicted my assumptions about how a truck had to be built (i.e. two-piece body bolted to a frame). Older designs work well enough and can be cheaply built. They are probably still the most appropriate for very long wheelbase applications, where it's better to allow twist than to design for rigidity. I found that the Ridgeline is not strictly a unit-body design. It has both unit-body and ladder frame, welded together. This is partly why it is so friggin' heavy (4500 lbs) for its outward size. Gary Flint, the large project leader for the Ridgeline's design team, spent a couple of years doing public presentations, demo videos, meet&greets and Internet forum postings to explain the features and capacities of the truck. His style is unflinchingly that of a serious engineer without marketing hype. It is not just a Pilot SUV with an open bed; they share very few parts because so many were strengthened for the Ridgeline.

Secondly, I scoured Internet forums specifically to find owners who did a lot of towing at the Ridgeline's advertised limits. I found several who had done many thousands or tens of thousands of miles of it and were happy with it. A couple of them, mainly beginners with travel trailers rather than boats, needed WDH or sway reducers before they were satisfied. They were a small minority.

Thirdly, I did same-day tests to compare the experience of towing my XLV, between the Ridgeline (no towing package required) and a 1997 Silverado (with towing package). They were very similar, even when I dared to try to produce a "wild ride". The Ridgeline is also much more sure-footed (towing or not) on poor road surfaces.

So, that's how!

I have a counter-question: can you quantify what you mean by "such a small tow vehicle"? Furthermore, can you do it in a way that doesn't make yesteryear's full-sized truck owners appear crazy for doing the same towing as today? There has been a lot of size creep in the truck market. Some of today's mid-sized trucks are heavier than the full-sized trucks of as little as 15 years ago. I can make a chart for you if needed.

[Canuckle Head]

I tow my boat with an 05 MDX and it does a reasonable job. If I plan on traveling long distances with her I make sure the tank is empty. Although it makes the back end drop more because the tongue weight is increased with the gas tank being empty in the boat. It sure climbs waaaay better empty than full though that's for sure!