Questions on towing vehicle / TM model years

[Denny_A]

Here's further info, upon which I will expand following the quote below.

Link to an Acura blurb on the MDX Chassis for 2005:

http://www.hondanews.com/CatID3028?m...53457&mime=asc


Here's the interesting quote, at the very end of the article:

TOWING

The ability to haul pop-up campers, medium-sized boats, and recreational vehicle trailers is high on the priority list for many SUV owners. To understand this aspect of the MDX's makeup, MDX engineers polled focus groups and studied survey results that tapped 200,000 households. Their findings offered the insights needed to properly outfit the MDX to surpass the towing expectations of most customers. Engineers learned that roughly one third of the six-cylinder-powered-SUV owners expect to tow something at one time or another. In addition, 18-percent tow more than four times per year. Approximately 10 percent of the miles accumulated on six-cylinder SUVs are with a trailer in tow.

Another notable discovery was that many customers aren't particularly knowledgeable about towing technicalities. Terms like "gross axle weight" may be germane to the engineering process but such language can leave average customers in a state of bewilderment. This realization convinced engineers that customers' interests are best served by load ratings that are both realistic and easy to comprehend. Ultimately, the engineers concluded that a casual or weekend towing capability was most appropriate for MDX. Customer feedback helped set the towing limit at 4500 pounds for boats and 3500 pounds for other types of trailers. A heavier load is acceptable with boats because their pointed bow shapes impose less aerodynamic drag on the towing vehicle than a slab-faced, square-cornered trailer.

Industry practice is to boast a high maximum tow rating, even though some sacrifice of passengers and cargo may be necessary to suitably accommodate such a trailer load - in some cases limiting the vehicle to one passenger to accommodate the maximum specified towing capacity. The Acura MDX's 3500/4500-pound rating is calculated to include up to four passengers and their cargo.

To help ensure that customers will be able to move a maximum-rated load up a grade from rest (such as pulling a loaded boat trailer up a launch ramp), engineers sought out the most challenging entry roads and launch ramps in the country. Through testing, they verified that MDX proficiently handles the 17-degree (31-percent) grades on mountain roads approaching Lake Cumberland in southern Kentucky and the strenuous combination of 15-degree (27-percent) grades and 5280-foot elevation at Lake Tahoe. At sea level, MDX can move a 4500-pound boat and four passengers up an 18-degree (32-percent) slope. A note in the MDX owner's manual suggests reducing gross combined weight two-percent for every 1000 feet of elevation.

In support of safe towing, MDX's tow hitch and other hardware needed for the job are factory engineered for dealer installation. The dealer-installed trailer hitch is a Class III receiver-type design that bolts on with no drilling, cutting, or bumper-cover modifications. An external transmission cooler and a separate power-steering fluid cooler is also included along with a harness to provide electrical power to trailer lights plugs into a connector provided at the rear of the vehicle.

The exact same logic is used for the Honda Pilot, the MDX being the luxury version of a Pilot methinks. I went through this logic when considering a Pilot as a tow vehicle. Not having seen nor heard the magic words "slab-faced, square-cornered trailer", I rejected the Pilot.

Obviously, the TM's are NOT the trailers the MDX engineers had in mind. It is also clear they intended to "dumb down" the towing limits so as not to confuse the normal, less inquisitive owners. Going out on a sturdy limb here, I think a 4090 lb MGW 2720 will be no problem if employing a proper receiver, such as the one in my earlier post, and a suitable WDH.

Caveat Emptor

Denny_A