Just curious about Honda Ridgeline and w/d hitch

[FastEddieB]

As some of you know, we picked up a few acres on an airstrip in Lenoir City, TN.

We needed a basic truck to leave parked there so we'd have wheels when we flew in. We wanted 4 doors and 4WD/AWD and were looking to spend less than $8,000 or so.

We ended up with a 2006 Honda Ridgeline with 180,000 miles that we closed on today, making us a 2-Honda family:



In any case, it has a towing capacity of 5,000 lbs and a 7-pin connector. We have no need to tow with it, planning to continue using our Flex for that. But its nice to know that we could in  a pinch.

I was curious about this, from the Owner's Manual:

A weight distributing hitch is not recommended for use with your vehicle, as an improperly adjusted weight distributing hitch may reduce handling, stability, and braking performance.

Is that a real concern, or more just CYA on Honda's part? I think the Ridgeline and Pilot share a lot of DNA, and I wonder if the Pilot has the same caution.

Again, just curious.

[charliem]

Eddie,

Good going on the Ridgeline. We have a 2010 Pilot and really like it. We towed an RPOD with it but upgraded to a Tacoma when the Camplite came along. The Hondas are a bit light for the CLs. I have the same disclaimer in my book and, IMO, it's pure CYA from Honda, but the Hondas are unibody construction so some caution is indicated. There's been lots of discussion on this. Some folks took it as an absolute prohibition but careful reading reveals it's really CYA. That said we all know they are absolutely correct in that an incorrectly adjusted WDH can be much worse than no WDH. My advice to potential owners continues to be: read the manual, understand the manual, and go through the setup yourself. Enjoy your Hondas, the CL, and remember to wag the wings when you fly over NW Florida. We'll be moving back to CO soon so you're running out of time  .

[mojospeople]

VW has almost the same wording in the owner's manual yet I see on the Touareg forum and elsewhere many owners asking the same question with some using WD and others opting not. And most of them are towing much heavier campers than I plan to. I plan to use WD with the VW. Additionally I plan to know our weights. Already been to the scales twice and will be doing it again as we work to get the right balance with our new set up. I'm currently asking around to see if anyone I know has or knows someone who has a tongue scale for me to borrow.

[tinkeringtechie]

I think that warning is pretty standard for unibody vehicles where the manufacturer didn't bother to specifically design/test for weight distribution hitches. If they were truly honest it would be more like "use weight distribution hitches at your own risk". Will it work? Probably...

[Merlin]

VW has almost the same wording in the owner's manual yet I see on the Touareg forum and elsewhere many owners asking the same question with some using WD and others opting not. And most of them are towing much heavier campers than I plan to. I plan to use WD with the VW. Additionally I plan to know our weights. Already been to the scales twice and will be doing it again as we work to get the right balance with our new set up. I'm currently asking around to see if anyone I know has or knows someone who has a tongue scale for me to borrow.

Don't know if this helps, but if you'll pay shipping both ways (MI-IL-MI), you can borrow my new Sherline. I've been thinking about making it available as a loaner for forum members anyway. I need it back for the final set up in my spring fit-out next month, but right now it's just sitting on my workbench.

[Merlin]

Eddie,

Good going on the Ridgeline. We have a 2010 Pilot and really like it. We towed an RPOD with it but upgraded to a Tacoma when the Camplite came along. The Hondas are a bit light for the CLs. I have the same disclaimer in my book and, IMO, it's pure CYA from Honda, but the Hondas are unibody construction so some caution is indicated. There's been lots of discussion on this. Some folks took it as an absolute prohibition but careful reading reveals it's really CYA. That said we all know they are absolutely correct in that an incorrectly adjusted WDH can be much worse than no WDH. My advice to potential owners continues to be: read the manual, understand the manual, and go through the setup yourself. Enjoy your Hondas, the CL, and remember to wag the wings when you fly over NW Florida. We'll be moving back to CO soon so you're running out of time  .

What's the occasion for the move?

[FastEddieB]

What's the occasion for the move?

Not a move.

We love our little piece of heaven here in the N GA mountains.

But...

First we thought how nice it would be to have a hangar home on a landing strip close to our kids and grandkids* in Knoxville. Fly in, visit the kids, do some shopping and fly back home.

Second, at some point age might get the better of us and being closer to the kids could be a real benefit. We also feel hospitals are much better up there.

Third, land just west of Knoxville is not getting any cheaper, so it may not be a bad place to park some money.

And that's where we stand right now. Everything subject to change, of course!


*Third grandbaby - and first granddaughter -  arrived just today!

Meet Teagan:

[charliem]

The occasion is to get out of Florida and back to Colorado. Snow, mountains, no hurricanes, no humidity, no fire ants, no mold, etc. 25 years ago we moved from CO to FL for a job and we felt trapped. We lived in CO for 20 yrs and always wanted to go back. The kids were all born there.  So when I retired it became possible to leave. My daughter, born in CO, her Brit husband, and the grandkids live near Tampa and they want to move to CO too. It's all coming together now. Their house is on the market, our house is sold, and we just bought one in CO. One sticker in the CO house hunt was finding a place that we could keep the camper with us. Seems like all those communities on 1/4 to 1/3 acres wont tolerate anything out of the ordinary. So we found a place on 2.6 acres with good neighbors. Can't wait to move. Stay tuned..................

[gzelna]

I can speak to the 2020 RTL-E truck's towing a bit, however its I believe quite a bit different than yours, 280HP motor with a 9 speed tranny now. In the AWD config, they claim 5,000 lbs. I personally would not do it, a 3300 lb trailer is plenty (if not a bit over) for it at 65mph. Brakes and handles fine (even before I'd installed the brake controller). Mileage went from 24+ at 80 mph to about 11.4 at 65 mph, running most of the time in 7th gear (selectable in manual paddle-shift mode) turning about 2300 RPM. NO WD hitch, just the standard one it came with.

[GrampaKilt]

The occasion is to get out of Florida and back to Colorado. Snow, mountains, no hurricanes, no humidity, no fire ants, no mold, etc.

Congratulations, I sense a deep satisfaction with the decision. Three years ago we did the same except the Canadian version, moving after 30 yrs from 2 seasons-winter and poor sledding weather-to 4 equal seasons and the best small town in BC, if not the country. Best wishes on the move and next 'act' of life. GK

[dlb53151]

Gzelna - what trailer are you towing with the Ridgeline?  I am pulling a 2016 TBS with my 2019 RTL-E.


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