I hope you don’t mind, but I see there are folks here offering in depth answers to TV questions. I have never towed anything serious before and want to make sure I am not getting into trouble. I bought a new Honda Ridgeline pickup and now I plan to buy a 3124KS or 3326 King to pull behind it. I want to be able to handle mountains, but only on occasion, so slow would be OK, I guess. Maybe someone can give me an idea just how slow it would be!
My biggest question is …generally, am I going to be OK, or do I need to go with a smaller trailer?
Here is some data on my truck:
3.5 L V6; 255hp at 5750 rpm; 252 lb.–ft. at 4500 rpm; 5 spd auto; gear ratios - 1st = 2.693, 2nd = 1.566, 3rd =1.023, 4th = 0.729, 5th = 0.531; Final Drive = 4.533; 6050 lb. = GVWR; 10,085 lb. = GCWR; 5000 lb. = Towing Capacity; 1550 lb. = Total Payload Capacity; 122” = wheelbase; track = 67”; curb weight = 4500 (58%F/42%R).
I measure about 50 inches from center of rear axle to where I expect hitch ball to be when I install the hitch.
I don’t know if it makes any difference, but it also has front wheel drive/ Variable Torque Management 4WD, locking rear differential, P245/65 R17 105S tires, very good ABS disk brakes (12.6 Front/13.1 Rear), and Vehicle Stability Assist.
Oh, one more thought. I would probably typically have 600 to 900 lbs of stuff in the pickup including driver, passenger, ice chest, food for the road, bikes, kayaks, etc. Once in a while I may have up to 5 people in the pickup, but that would be rare, and I probably wouldn't have as many toys then.
I ordered a Tekonsha Prodigy brake controller. Beyond the basic question of if my truck can handle the larger TM’s, I am wondering if I will need a sway control device and/or WDH?
I will really appreciate your assistance. I didn’t read every thread here because I assume not too many folks have pulled a TM with a Ridgeline yet. If the answers to my questions are already posted, just send me a link to the right place to look. Thanks!
Jim