# Towing With Honda Ridgeline



## jpoutbacker

I recently purchased a new 06 Ridgeline by Honda. A fantastic midsized truck. After contacting American Honda and getting corrections to the owner's manual, I decided we would buy a used 2003 Outback 21rs. After seeing the forums here I have my doubts now that any long distance or hilly towing may be too much given the weight of the outback.
My truck is rated at 5000lbs and with 4 passengers, still 4600. Now the 21rs is supposed to be 3990lbs. dry with no options. According to some outbackers, the options put it at 4330lbs dry. I know some of the outbackers say 80% of the tow capacity is the highest you should go.
Anyone with suggestions? Should I shop for a lighter trailer? The comparison tests put the Ridgeline against an F150 V8 and it does great. i comes with all the towing coolers for oil and trans. It also has independent suspension and the factory does not recommend sway bars with the hitch, just a load leveling hitch.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. i am scheduled to pick up the "slightly used " trailer on May 3rd or 4th/ It is located seven hours away from me.
Also, the seller is not going below $14k. Says they only used about three times and it still smells new. Is this a good deal?
We really love the Outback line, but we need to be safe. I will not immediately trade this new truck. I love it too much so far.
Help!

jpoutbacker


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## stapless

sounds like you are really pushing the limits of what your TV can handle







. an f-150 is rated for more like 7500-8000 pounds towing capacity. the differences can be due to engine, frame, suspension, and a number of other variables, so the manufacturers comparison to an f-150 may not be completely accurate. A rule of thumb that some people have used is that you can expect to add about 1000 pounds to the 'dry weight' of your trailer for gear, passengers, water, propane, etc. that can be kept to a minimum, but still pushes you well over the recommended limits. I would consider a much lighter trailer for that TV or a bigger TV. your truck may pull it, but it will really take it's toll on that vehicle, and worse yet, put you and your family and others on the road at a significant risk. as to your second question, sounds like a fair price. www.nadaguides.com has some info on resale values. trailers tend to hold value fairly well. you could probably buy new for another $2000, but if you are sure the trailer is in 'like new' condition, the discount can be worth it. just my $0.02. welcome to the forum!!


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## MJRey

The Ridgeline is a fine truck but I think the 21RS will be too much for it to handle. As noted above you can expect to carry about 700-1000 pounds of stuff for camping. It won't be much fun if you have to make sure the trailer and truck are empty of everything just to pull the trailer. I also don't understand the factory recommendation against using sway bars because of the independent rear suspension. My Ford Expedition has independent rear suspension and has no similar restriction. Personally I wouldn't even consider towing something like the 21RS with a mid-sized vehicle like the Ridgeline without using some form of sway control. In my opinion you should look for a trailer with a GVWR of no more than 4000 lbs (the 21RS is about 5500lbs). That would allow you to load the trailer and truck without exceding the Ridgeline's tow rating. There are some really nice popups around and if you're out West I know where you can get a really nice used one







.


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## hatcityhosehauler

What engine does it have, what rearend gearing. What was the setup of the ford they compared it too? Most true 1/2 trucks, (GM 1500's/Dodge 1500's/Ford 150's) have a tow rating of between 6500 and 7500 lbs, with variances depending on how the truck is powered (engine size), and driven (4x4 vs 4x2, and rear end gearing).

To recommend not to use a sway control is bad business if you ask me. Is there a trailer length restriction in the owners manual? How about a frontal area restriction?

What is the wheelbase of the Ridgeline. This also comes into play on the suitablility as a TV. You should have a vehicle with a wb of 110" with a trailer of 20' overall length. For every foot over 20 in trailer length, you should have an additional 4" in wb. As you get into the longer wb vehicles, like suburbans, excursions, and 8' bed pickups, and heavier duty TV's (read that as 250/2500 series and up).

Not knowing much about the Ridgeline, I would suspect that the 21RS is too much trailer for it. You will be unsatisfied with the power performance, and quite possibly frightened by the handling. These of course are only speculations.

As far as paying $14K for a 2 year old, closer to 3 yo trailer, I wouldn't do it my self. Even if it was never used. Like previously stated by someone else, you could get a new one for maybe $2K more, and then you will have a factory warranty on both the trailer, and all the appliances.

Good luck with your search.

Tim


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## Highlander96

jpoutbacker,

Check out this website......

http://www.rvtowingtips.com

It has great spreadsheets with weight calculators.  You can take the rating right off of the door sticker and plug it into the spreadsheet. It also has a horsepower calculator, which allows you to calculate headwinds, road grade, etc. to see how much HP you need.









I would be a little leary of pulling a 21RS with that truck. When we bought our 21RS, we were going to tow with the DW's Explorer which is rated to 5600 after going to the weigh station. Not enough TV......JMHO...... We were in the mountains of Western MD this weekend and as we hit the first 6% grade we both decided that if we tried to tow with her Explorer, we would have killed it.









Just my $.02

Tim


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## CamperAndy

Honda makes great cars and I am sure the Ridgeline is a very good truck but it may not be up to the job you are asking it.

I am one of those 80% of tow capacity people and I am also a Honda person (I own 3, 82 Prelude, 94 Civic and 03 Pilot) but I would not want to tow a trailer over 4000 with the Ridgeline.

The trailer you are looking at is closer to 3 model years old so the 2k discount is not really that much. Look at new and get the warranty.

Let us know what you decide and happy camping. BTW if you do get the trailer we will not flame you for so let us know how it tows.


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## jfred20

Hi,

My husband and I just put a deposit on a 21RS and they matched LakeShore RV's price of $15,899. We paid extra for the hitch. So, $14,000 doesn't seem like that great of a deal. JMHO. We went through the same thing with TV's. I have a V8 4-Runner and of course the dealer said it would be fine for a 25RSS but after checking out this website we decided there was no way. My husband ended up getting a Z71 Tahoe and we decided to get the smaller trailer. He's not used to towing so I didn't want it to be overwhelming. Plus, I want to travel around with it and I figured the smaller one would be easier to start with.

Good luck,
Jennifer


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## dpollock

I have '03 21RS and tow it everwhere. In the tow years that we have owned it, we have put on over 15k miles up and down the east coasty and two extended trips out west







. With that said, I absolutely disagree with the dealers comments about not using a sway control especially on this trailer.

If you look at the tongue weight, ~350#, the unit is nealy balanced. What the means is that any forces that act on the side of the vehicle, front or rear of the axles, will cause the unit to sway faily easily. It can sway like a top at times. On an early trip, the sway control unit failed rendering it unusable. Unfortunately, we were in the middle of Wyoming when it occured with nearly two thousand miles to return home. After that, the pressure wave caused by every truck that passed, would cause significant sway from the hitch. That required two hands firmly griped on the steering wheel at all times. It became very stressful to manage. With a new sway control installed, no issue at all. Also, we almost always carry gear loaded into the 'bike' storage area and carry water in the tank to help increase the tongue force. (might be a problem if you're near limit).

The other thing about your TV, I am also an 80% advocate. When we selected our TV, an '03 TrailBlazer EXT, we opted for a V8. That gave us a 7000# capacity. As I said, we travel out west almost every summer. If you plan to do so, just remember Vail Pass along I-70 just west of Denver, ~11k feet high. As I recall, for every 1k feet of elevation, engine performance drops ~4%. Our temperature gauge only rose aboout 15 degrees with the A/C on. I think that if you were to try these kinds of climbs with a Ridgeline, we would find you at the rest area on top with the hood up and smoke rising from the engine bay along side the other TVs' that were mismatched; many were there.

Realistically, I do not think you should exceed an UVW of the trailer in excess of 3000#. When we pack our unit with clothing, fill the 'fridge, groceries in the pantry, all the stuff two kids can bring (bikes, scooters, toys), trailering stuff and your 21RS will likely top out somewhere near 5000# like mine (mental estimate, not actual weight). Stuff always ends up weighing more than we thing, so be conservative.

You definitely will need more tow vehicle; a Honda won't cut it. Sorry.


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## jpoutbacker

Hey all,

Thanks for all your input about the Ridgeline towing a 21rs. It turns out that the 03 I thought I was buying was really an 04!! That made the price much more attractive. The individual I purchased it from really thought he had an 03, when after looking at the paperwork, found it was an 04 model. He still wanted the same price so I bought it. He included a television, all sorts of accessories, pots and pans, load leveling hitch, sway bar, wheel chocks, unused septic hoses, and much more. He really only used the TT about 4 times. It still has the new smell in it and I cannot tell the difference between it and the new 05's.
I know some of you said to spend the extra 2k and get new. We tried that and the dealers here in Florida would not go below 20k "out the door" for the new ones here. Spending 14k on one a year old seemed quite logical to me, given he already had the tow set up parts included.
About the Ridgeline, yes, I live in FL and had to go just north of Atlanta to get this TT, I brought it back with the Ridgeline and it was uneventful. Seemed to tow beautifully. I watched my temps closely and did not even have a brake controller installed yet and seriously have no complaints. I realize we probably won't go the mountains with this set up. I figure, if we stay south of Birmingham where everything is relatively flat, we'll be fine.
The Ridgeline's suspension is fantastic, the 255 horses seemed adequate, and the brakes performed flawlessly. Now, if we decide to go to the mountains or out west, yes, we will have to upgrade our TV. We have taken it 3 hours from home once already, and had a great time!
I know many of you think I'm nuts, this is the first time I have owned a TT and towed for any distance. I am normally extra cautious with my cars and used to be a service technician, hooking up cars to rv's all the time. I will try to keep you updated with my successes or failures with this combination.
Again, thank you for your input.
You seem to be a great group of people, another reason we had to have the Outback! Nothing compares!

jpoutbacker


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## CamperAndy

Good luck and enjoy. Keep an eye on the transmission fluid and watch it for color change. Towing at your limits is tough on the transmission most of all.


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## Reverie

Safe and sane will serve you fine. I would not tow it again unless I had the brake module installed. Since you are close on your limits and you have a lot of horsepower I would say your transmission and short overall wheelbase would be the things to watch. For the transmission just don't tow it in Overdrive and I think you are in a 1/1. Without brake control the short wheelbase could be a problem.

Have fun with your trailer and welcome aboard.

Reverie


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## jpoutbacker

Reverie said:


> Safe and sane will serve you fine. I would not tow it again unless I had the brake module installed. Since you are close on your limits and you have a lot of horsepower I would say your transmission and short overall wheelbase would be the things to watch. For the transmission just don't tow it in Overdrive and I think you are in a 1/1. Without brake control the short wheelbase could be a problem.
> 
> Have fun with your trailer and welcome aboard.
> 
> Reverie
> [snapback]36429[/snapback]​


Thanks, Reverie
By the way, the wheelbase is 122 inches. More than several of the large SUV's I've checked. I installed the brake controller yesterday, just have to go through the adjustment steps.

jpoutbacker


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## jpoutbacker

CamperAndy said:


> Good luck and enjoy. Keep an eye on the transmission fluid and watch it for color change. Towing at your limits is tough on the transmission most of all.
> [snapback]36426[/snapback]​


Checked it after both trips and it seems fine at this point. I will probably service it twice as much as recommended if not a little more.

jpoutbacker


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## Forgiven_One

I thought I would chime in here as I manage a Honda car dealership. I checked all service bulletins available for the 06 Ridgeline and see nothing stating that you cannot use a sway control bar on it. The only thing stated both in the dealer tech training and PDI is that the vehicle is rated to tow up to 5000lbs and if towing it's max weight, it should not be parked on an incline. I will have our shop foreman call Honda techline tomorrow and see if they have any new info. I'll post an update for you if I find anything new.

BTW, enjoy your new TT, I signed all my paperwork this weekend and will pick up my new 28BHS on Friday, just in time for Memorial Day







.


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## jpoutbacker

Forgiven_One said:


> I thought I would chime in here as I manage a Honda car dealership. I checked all service bulletins available for the 06 Ridgeline and see nothing stating that you cannot use a sway control bar on it. The only thing stated both in the dealer tech training and PDI is that the vehicle is rated to tow up to 5000lbs and if towing it's max weight, it should not be parked on an incline. I will have our shop foreman call Honda techline tomorrow and see if they have any new info. I'll post an update for you if I find anything new.
> 
> BTW, enjoy your new TT, I signed all my paperwork this weekend and will pick up my new 28BHS on Friday, just in time for Memorial Day
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> .
> [snapback]36464[/snapback]​


The thing about the sway bar came from American Honda and a forum they have. The customer service clerk there faxed me a sheet stating the corrections to page 209 in the owner's manual addressing tow weights and a few other topics appeared with it. I have used anyway and it seems to do the job.
The folks at my local Honda dealership were not very knowledgeable about the Ridgeline. I suppose that is because it is so new.
Congrats on your new Outback!

jpoutbacker


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## hyewalt34

When I bought my 21RS, I had a Toyota Tacoma TRD. It was rated to pull 6000 lbs. Just to be sure, I added the TRD transmission cooler and the special fan clutch. I think that truck is comparable to the Honda. Even though the Tacoma was within the specs for the 21RS, it was just too freaky pulling it. You felt every little push, pull and sway from the trailer. After 6 mouths of pulling it around California, I bit the bullet and bought a new truck. With the F150, I've been all over Oregon and California and it has been a compleatly different experience. I wouldn't reccomend anything less.

Walter


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