Weight Distribution and Transmission Cooler for 2011 Honda Odyssey Towing 3500-lb Trailer

Question:

Hello, Great website by the way. Considering to buy an old Ski Nautique that weighs between 3,000 and 3,500 lbs with a no brakes single axle trailer. Want to tow it with a 2011 Honda Odyssey with a 3,500 towing max. It has a hitch with a sticker that says 350 tounge weight max, 3,500 tow max. No trans oil cooler. Found someone you answered with a similar setup but duel axle with brakes that towed okay but spun front tires getting out of ramp. You recommend a weight distribution system. This is how I found your site. I browsed your products specific to 2011 Odyssey. Believe I may need to get same thing, and a trans oil cooler, and maybe some rear suspension upgrade. What do you recommend?

asked by: Joe T

Expert Reply:

When towing a trailer that weighs more than half the weight of the tow vehicle a weight distribution/sway control (WD/SC) hitch system can help keep the tow vehicle level to maintain proper braking and steering performance and also reduce the effects of trailer sway from passing trucks and wind blasts. In order to use one of these systems your hitch must be a 2-inch size and specifically be rated for use with WD/SC systems; the safety sticker on the hitch will indicate if it is rated for this application. Since the 2011 Odyssey has a curb weight of 4337 to 4560-lbs towing a trailer that weighs 3000 to 3500-lbs means a system is indeed called for.

You can use tongue weight scale # e99044 to measure the loaded boat trailer's actual tongue weight (TW). It is important to choose a WD/SC system that is tuned for your actual TW. You also need to add to the measured TW the weight of any cargo in the Odyssey that sits behind the rear axle, such as a generator or loaded cooler. This cargo weight appears just like trailer TW to the WD/SC system so it must be accounted for. You want your total TW to fall in the middle of the operating range for the system you use. For example, if your total TW were to be 500-lbs then a system like the Equal-i-zer # EQ37060ET would be good since it works over a range of 200- to 600-lbs. If your trailer is a pole tongue type you will need a pole tongue adapter like # EQ95-01-5950. Feel free to tell me a bit about the trailer design or you can send along a photo.

If you select an appropriate system and install it properly you should not need any suspension kit to keep the Odyssey from sagging in the rear; that is one of the benefits of using a WD/SC system.

A transmission cooler is a good way to reduce thermal stress on your transmission from towing the trailer's weight. Derale cooler # D13503 will provide high-efficiency supplemental cooling of your transmission fluid. You can refer to the linked videos to see installation in a 2011 Odyssey.

Several helpful articles are linked for you.