Increase towing capacity?
 

2017 nissan titan SL 4wd crew cab with tow package.
Rated for 9400 pounds towing capacity.
Skid steer and trailer are about 10k pounds.
Only need to tow 30 miles round trip maybe once a month.
I did it once and it pulled and stopped just fine.
But I am worried about long term issues.
Engine should be fine as the XD with the same engine has more tow capacity.
This was supposed to be my forever truck so don't really want to get a 3/4 ton.
So...
Don't worry about it?
Buy a 3/4 ton.
Upgrade brakes, suspension, ???

If you want to be legal, buy a bigger truck or smaller skid-steer. If it were me I would probably just drive it on reasonably flat ground with high situational awareness. Adding high temp brake fluid and fleet service brake pads would add some peace of mind though still not meet legal towing limits.

Any hills?

My father in law routinely overloaded his 1/2 ton Chevy work truck for about 300,000 miles, original clutch.

Only time he ever had trouble was woth a not even close to overloaded Uhaul truck. DPS officer was surprised nobody died, cargo box crushed the cab, tire blew out. Buddy pushed the other guy out and jumped, bumps and bruises Uhaul drove another truck out to load the stuff that did not break.

Cop looked it over, red tagged it and told them to put 6 new tires on it before they moved the truck or someone was going to jail

Don't worry about it.

However, if something happens you're SOL. Your insurance company will do its due diligence to absolve itself of any responsibility to pay. The other guy's insurance company will do everything it can to make you pay.

So, don't worry about it. What could go wrong?

load distributing hitch system?

Do you have trailer brakes?

Make sure tires, shocks and brakes are in good shape.

Drive no faster than 55 and keep the closest vehicle in front of you a dozen truck/trailer lengths between you.

If thats not enough, upgrade to a bigger truck.

And watch out the transmission temperature

Find out the laws in your state about what constitutes legal towing capacity before you listen to any out of state advise.

Where I live, legal towing capacity is determined by 2 things: axle weight and the registered towing capacity (you pay yearly registration based on this number you get to choose).

The idea is that every axle (beyond a certain weight 2000 lbs?) has brakes that x can stop that axle’s rated weight. What this means is that I can tow 16000 lbs legally with my 1/2 ton provided I registered my truck with a 22000 lb capacity (6000 truck + 16000 loaded trailer) and none of the axles (or tires) exceeds their rated weight.

Since I run farm plates, my 1/2 ton is considered a commercial vehicle and I have to run across the scales if loaded with farm stuff.

Does the tow package on that truck include a transmission cooler ? And does that truck have a tow/haul transmission setting ? Those two items will help the transmission live . A weight distribution hitch will help the rear suspension carry the load . What is the ply rating of your tires ? I would go with 10 ply for some safety margin .

Does the trailer have brakes ? This is a must in my opinion. Towing safely is an accumulation of many things but the most important is stopping the rig safely in a panic situation . Any time the trailer/cargo weighs more than the tow vehicle there is potential for bad things to happen . Watching your speed and keeping distance ahead of you to traffic goes a long way to have a safe trip .

Your planned trip is short so I would say you will be OK. You will know after a few trips if you're comfortable with your setup . You certainly are at the limit and Tennessee is not a flat state . Be safe .

Buy a 2500. Sleep at night.

Yeah ... foolish folks don't live long on Rocky Top ... and you are NOT one of those ;)

But you know your routes and circumstances, etc. We've all bent the rules ... and broke them....

Be safe BK...

Is this for work or for personal use? For work I don't take the chance of getting ticketed. For personal and work, you'll expose yourself to additional liability if there were to be an accident. I like having the right tool for the job. Having said that.... I pulled skid loaders all over the place behind a Ford F150. Bent the frame and had to upgrade. Don't try to beef up a smaller truck to make it do what a larger truck will do. It doesn't end well.

I was in a similar spot and generally followed this advice. High load rating and high quality tires on both the truck and trailer, aired to full psi when towing. Lots of people cheap out on trailer tires, buy brand name trailer specific tires with an appropriate load rating and highway speed rating. If you have surge brakes, upgrade to an electric over hydraulic brake controller. Full electronic control of the brakes is huge when towing a heavy and long trailer. Otherwise drive carefully and you’ll be fine considering the limited distance.

I was in a similar situation several years ago with a boat trailer, I was just under the max tow rating but towing it about 5 hours each way through narrow, winding mountain roads. I had a 2013 F150 with the max tow package and an Ecoboost with tow tune and full bolts ons, the truck had more than enough power but there was always the sense of the cart pushing the horse. I pulled without issue for several years and then upgraded to an F250 diesel, which was life changing.

My next door neighbor used a Nissan HD for several years for his tree company towing a heavy trailer. Broke the frame twice before he switched to a Ford F250. I'd get another truck.

yeah usually towing is limited by transmission temps. install a cooler.

As usual some great advice here.
Never thought about the lawyers was just concerned about truck longevity.
Not worth the risk.
Found a 97 F250 diesel with 150k miles.
Perfect beater truck.
Going to look at it this week.

KC, yup! Good old rocky Top. Where we get our corn from a jar.

So you are going 15 miles, the truck rests, then 15 miles back? Unless there are some hellatious hills I'd just make sure all the brakes and tires are in tip-top shape and drive it.

Is the tow rating and GVWR actually higher on a 1997 F250? Modern 1/2 tons are in many cases more capable than old 3/4 tons. For what you tow I tend to side with WD, it’s really not that far.

It’s not the capacity it’s the 1-800-LAWSUIT if - god forbid - there’s an accident.

A 97 F250 - according to google - has a max tow of 10k.

Tight but still kosher vs the 9400 in the Nissan.
Or more pertinent- no excuse for the insurer to deny coverage.

Yep

Have you been to the scales with your setup? How are you on payload? When I traded my XD for an F150 I upgraded my weight distribution system and moved tongue weight off of my travel trailer to help it handle the load. The new truck weighs 2,000 less. I'm well under the max tow but right at my payload capacity. It handles it fine, but with a trailer any bigger, I'd be looking at an F250. I recently hauled the trailer a short distance to dump the tanks without the weight distribution system hooked up. It makes a huge difference.

Do they pass inspection? Maybe they have some advice? Could be as simple as airbags.
You are so close.

I think I am good.
Just noticed operating weight includes bucket AND operator.
I added in 500 for the bucket, so taking out bucket and operator the loaded trailer is actually under 9400 #s.
Not actual, but googled weight.
Also found out the larger XD brakes are a direct bolt on to my titan.
I'm close enough that I'm gonna roll with it.
See what I did there? :D

Your main issue is payload capacity which is often overlooked. There is no way to increase tow capacity.

I used to pull two Bobcat 763's at the same time behind a F150. That's 10,600 plus the trailer. I might have been a little over weight. Did that several times from Findlay OH back to Delphos which was about an hour drive. Your truck will handle the load. Hell! My dad pulled a backhoe with Volkswagen diesel pickup once. It's mind over matter. If you don't mind, it don't matter. :D

Whatever you do, don't put 5000 lb airbags under a 1/2 ton truck. It doesn't end well for the frame. Not that I'd do something stupid like that... but I might know someone who did.

I'm not worried about tongue weight.
Going to put skid backwards and at rear of trailer.
It will actually provide lift. :D

I always drive mine on because the back end of a skid steer is the heaviest. A tilt deck trailer makes loading easy. Once the deck drops, you've got just about the right amount of tongue weight on the tow vehicle. On ramp trailers I learned to look at the "feet" on the ramps that contact the ground before I loaded the machine and then after the machine was on the trailer. Easy way to gauge how balanced you have the trailer.

Excellent post Nick.
I did the same...
Pull forward until I can swing the ramps back up.
My trailer is only 14x7 so not much wiggle room.

Yeah not much room there! I've put my Wacker Neuson ST31 in the back of my 14x7 dump trailer. With the bucket on I have a tough time getting far enough ahead to put much tongue weight on the truck. Probably going to sell the 14 and get a 16' dump trailer.