How Much Cargo Can Be Carried While Towing a Rockwood 2509S with a 2013 Nissan Armada

Question:

Hello, We are looking at towing a Rockwood 2509S trailer with a 2013 Nissan Armada. The trailer has a dry weight of 5300lbs, a tongue weight of 707 lbs and about 1500 lbs of gear capacity. We plan to use a weight distribution hitch. The Armada can tow 9,000 lbs in 4WD, but Im wondering your thoughts on payload for that vehicle if we have 4 people 2 adults about 350lbs combined and 2 kids about 160obs combined in the vehicle and towing a close to loaded trailer. Is this sufficient?

asked by: Tyler

Expert Reply:

There are two figures you must abide by in regards to payload. The first is the vehicle load capacity which is simply the combined weight of all occupants and cargo. There will be a figure with the max vehicle load capacity most likely in the driver door jamb. There is actually a very detailed write up on this in your owner's manual, page 9-15.

The other payload figure you must be aware of is your gross combined weight rating (GCWR) which is simply the weight of the loaded trailer (with all cargo) and the weight of the loaded vehicle (with all cargo and passengers). The GCWR of your 2013 Nissan Armada is 15,100 lbs. Please note you should not tow in 4WD, the 9,000 lb towing capacity of your vehicle is for models with 4WD but that does not mean you have to tow in 4WD to achieve this figure.

For a weight distribution system, the Equal-i-zer Weight Distribution System part # EQ37100ET is largely considered to be the best on the market and it will be a perfect match for your Rockwood 2509S. This system or one like it will also be required for your setup due to the weight of the trailer according to the owner's manual.

expert reply by: Conner L