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Old 04-14-2009, 05:26 PM   #11
Alvega007
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I have a Pilot and I pull a 3023 TM with no problem.
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Old 04-15-2009, 07:55 PM   #12
rumbleweed
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You mention sleeping four. Unless two of the four are small children or your dogs the 2720SL will not work. The fold down sofa is about the size if a twin bed. I also agree with those who would discourage your towing it with a Honda Pilot. I am not putting down TM but I do not believe you will be happy with the setup (2720SL towed by a Pilot) you propose.
Bob
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Old 04-15-2009, 09:17 PM   #13
Al-n-Sue
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There are a number of owners on the forum who tow with a Ridgeline. I've heard that the new Pilot's have the same engine as the Ridgeline. If that is the case, you should be able to tow with no problem. And it will depend on where you tow - flat lands or mountains.
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Old 04-15-2009, 11:03 PM   #14
mkiley
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We have a 2005 Honda Pilot with the Honda tow package and we have traveled about 4,000 miles with our 2720. Bottom line, we are pleased with the performance of the Pilot as a tow vehicle.

I'm far from a physics professor, but here is what I concluded based on our real-world experiance:

1. Tongue weight: it seems that a weight distribution hitch addresses the issue, in that it distributes the weight of the trailer across all four TV wheels, and in doing so properly maintains the tongue weight ratio.

2. Horsepower: We live in Denver and I think Vail Pass is about as steep and high as any freeway in the US. When towing the TM we go much slower than cars up Vail Pass, and can go faster than semi trucks. This is with two adults, two children, a dog, and sufficient food, water, clothes, propane, etc. We have to watch the engine temperature on steep climbs since sometimes the temperature has started to rise. The fix is just to slow down.

3. Braking: The electric brakes on the trailer, combined with the Pilot brakes and intelligent use of the transmission seems to work just fine, even on steep mountain freeways.

4. Gas Mileage: The Pilot gets about 19 MPG doing typical family driving without the TM, and gets about 12MPG when towing. We still saved a bundle on our last trip to CA from CO versus flying the family, renting a car, staying in hotels, etc. The decreased mileage is acceptable to us, especially since we really like traveling in our Pilot.

5. Wear and Tear: Maybe we are shortening the engine life or the transmission or the chasis. Only time will tell. On the other hand, it's a Honda. If the Pilot only makes it 250k miles instead of 300k miles, it's still worth it.
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Old 04-16-2009, 08:51 AM   #15
Pittsbrat
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mkiley View Post
We have a 2005 Honda Pilot with the Honda tow package and we have traveled about 4,000 miles with our 2720. Bottom line, we are pleased with the performance of the Pilot as a tow vehicle.

I'm far from a physics professor, but here is what I concluded based on our real-world experiance:

1. Tongue weight: it seems that a weight distribution hitch addresses the issue, in that it distributes the weight of the trailer across all four TV wheels, and in doing so properly maintains the tongue weight ratio.

2. Horsepower: We live in Denver and I think Vail Pass is about as steep and high as any freeway in the US. When towing the TM we go much slower than cars up Vail Pass, and can go faster than semi trucks. This is with two adults, two children, a dog, and sufficient food, water, clothes, propane, etc. We have to watch the engine temperature on steep climbs since sometimes the temperature has started to rise. The fix is just to slow down.

3. Braking: The electric brakes on the trailer, combined with the Pilot brakes and intelligent use of the transmission seems to work just fine, even on steep mountain freeways.

4. Gas Mileage: The Pilot gets about 19 MPG doing typical family driving without the TM, and gets about 12MPG when towing. We still saved a bundle on our last trip to CA from CO versus flying the family, renting a car, staying in hotels, etc. The decreased mileage is acceptable to us, especially since we really like traveling in our Pilot.

5. Wear and Tear: Maybe we are shortening the engine life or the transmission or the chasis. Only time will tell. On the other hand, it's a Honda. If the Pilot only makes it 250k miles instead of 300k miles, it's still worth it.
Thanks. My Pilot is a 2004 with 100K miles on it. We routinely tow our 4500-pound boat/trailer from our home in Jacksonville to our vacation house in Sarasota. With that kind of load, I keep the speed under 65 mph and get about 10 mpg. It's not ideal, but it works. I've not had any unsual maintenance at all. I'm not afraid of towing a 2720 with it at all.

Our typical trips would be around the southeast. No altitude or hills to speak of, except possibly the foothills of the appalachians on very rare occasions.
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Old 04-16-2009, 10:33 AM   #16
PopBeavers
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Besides paying attention to the engine temperature, I suggest you also watch the transmission temperature, assuming it is an automatic.

Allowing the transmission to frequently shift between gears (hunting) will contribute to transmission heat. Just down shift to select a better gear when climbing.

If you do not have a transmission temperature gauge, it may be possible to add one. Sometimes it is nothing more than buying the OBD adapter and plugging it in to a laptop computer and let your navigator keep an eye on it.
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Old 04-17-2009, 08:15 AM   #17
mkiley
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PopBeavers makes a great point about transmission temperature. The Honda tow package has a transmission cooler, and Honda recommends staying in 3rd gear to minimize the shifting.

Once we were towing the TM near Estes Park, CO in slow 5-10MPH, uphill traffic for about 30 minutes. The Transmission Temperature light came on and I pulled over to let it cool and after about 10 minutes the light went out. I guess the transmission cooler works best if there is significant airflow.
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Old 04-17-2009, 08:51 AM   #18
ThePair
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Quote:
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I guess the transmission cooler works best if there is significant airflow.
Someone figured out (I forget who or where I read this) that the dreak-even point (at least for their vehicle) was around 40 MPH. Above this, the engine cooler reduced the heat more than the engine produced (up to a point, naturally), while below this, the opposite was true, which seems to be what you've experienced.

The question being answered on that other thread was "If I'm worried about my engine starting to overheat, when does it make sense to pull over vs. drive so the airflow cools the engine?" or something along those lines. Seems like the implications of his statement were if he could drive in the 40-50 MPH range, then he would, otherwise he'd pull off and let the engine cool. At least, that's what I took away from the discussion.

Perhaps someone else recalls what I'm trying to say and can correct me if I've gotten it wrong.

Marc
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Old 04-17-2009, 09:36 AM   #19
RogerR
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Default Transmission overheating

My mechanic recommended pulling over, putting it into park with the Air off and let it idle. You may also open the hood which may help airflow.

The really important thing is the transmission fluid may be damaged if you went over temp. I would have it changed immediately. Fluid costs a lot less than a tranny rebuild!

On my Jeep Liberty diesel they recommend turning off overdrive if there are frequent downshifts as that puts a lot of heat and strain on the transmission. You may have the same problems in extended stop and go traffic.
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Old 04-22-2009, 04:15 PM   #20
ng2951
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One other issue is service. Some TM dealers are very slow to service TMs that they did not sell. TM has little influence over the dealers. That is something to consider and maybe a visit to your local TM outlet may dispell any problems you might have.

The biggest negative of the TM is that you have to set them up and close them. Its not a huge problem but it can be very tiring if you are moving every day.

One of the things that will help in this regard, is to organize your interior. Put evrything in a place, inventory your consumables, and it will be much less of a problem.

The plus side is the efficiency of towing. We have a 3326 and can get almost 15 MPG if we slow down to 60 on level road. Also, once you get up to the 3023, you get more storage under the bed. That makes it far easier to stow a genset, clothes, etc.

The recirculating toilet despite people's complaints, really saves on water consumption. Some of the newer chemicals have made them much easier to use. The thing you have to remember is to pull the dump handle before closing the TM (when going to the dump station).

These trailers are really very nice and tough to beat until you get to a 5th wheel or something. But if Cap & Trade become the law of the land, TMs will be one of the more popular trailers on the road.
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