My current tow vehicle is a Honda Odyssey Van all set up with a WD Hitch, transmission/power steering cooler, Prodigy electric brakes, etc. If we purchase the Honda Pilot, to make it a tow vehicle for our Rockwood pop-up, would we have another WD hitch installed on the Pilot and bypass Honda's hitch/tow package?
Tina
We three, plus our 70 lb. yellow lab/golden retriever cross
2006 Rockwood Premier 2516G
Honda Odyssey with tranny/oil coolers
Prodigy Brake Controller
Eaz-Lift Weight Distribution Hitch (550 sway bars & friction control bar)
Reese Receiver
You still want the tow package on the Pilot if you are planning on towing it. The tow package is usually the transmission cooler, hitch reciever, plug wiring and sometimes a larger alternator/battery. It may be factory equipped with it or can be installed aftermarket. Most important is to have the transmission cooler and you can have the brake controller removed from the van and installed in the Pilot. The rest you can do without.
WD hitches are not vehicle specific, you can use them on various vehicles, but it will need to be readjusted accordingly.
I'm editing my original response as I do recall that it is not recommended to use one on the Pilot due to the design, however I have seen it done. Guy had a brand new pilot, family of 5 (with teenagers) and a large dog packed into it, all while hooked up to a new 27'TT! I questioned him about it while at the filling station. He just shrugged and said "it was still under warranty".
* This post was
edited 05/26/12 08:32pm by camp-n-family *
'07 Toyota Tundra Crewmax Limited
'06 Forest River Flagstaff 26BH(sold)
'13 Keystone Bullet Premier 31BHPR
Hitched by Hensley, Viewed by McKesh
Check the Honda Pilot's manual very carefully- I don't know about new models, but a friend has a 2005 and due to its unibody construction, WD hitch system is NOT recommended by manufacturer.
Could lead to warranty issues down the road...
" Not every mind that wanders is lost. " With apologies toJ.R.R. Tolkien
^^^^Yes, do double check on this. I don't know that a Pilot is a good tow vehicle, because of this. And DON'T believe what the dealer tells you off the top of their head. Make them double-check.
If you want a similar size vehicle that is OK for towing, check a Toyota Highlander. It should be OK with your pup. But you will need the tow package, to include the items listed above.
2006 Toyota Sienna
Single empty-nester in Middle TN
tinacap wrote: My current tow vehicle is a Honda Odyssey Van all set up with a WD Hitch, transmission/power steering cooler, Prodigy electric brakes, etc. If we purchase the Honda Pilot, to make it a tow vehicle for our Rockwood pop-up, would we have another WD hitch installed on the Pilot and bypass Honda's hitch/tow package?
I dug a little deeper- I think the answer to your question is "no"- if the Pilot you're looking at is the 4wd model, the hitch supplied is MORE THAN sufficient for your needs. (Your Pup's about 3,000 lbs fully loaded according to this PDF)
Honda's calling their setup an "integrated hitch", which says to me that they've already designed some kind of weight distribution into the vehicle.
See details at "Integrated hitch", about halfway down the "Exterior features" section at this 2012 Pilot Specs page.
Point is, the (4WD) Pilot comes all set up for a rig your size, so no need to bother with anything but a drawbar!
tinacap wrote: My current tow vehicle is a Honda Odyssey Van all set up with a WD Hitch, transmission/power steering cooler, Prodigy electric brakes, etc. If we purchase the Honda Pilot, to make it a tow vehicle for our Rockwood pop-up, would we have another WD hitch installed on the Pilot and bypass Honda's hitch/tow package?
I dug a little deeper- I think the answer to your question is "no"- if the Pilot you're looking at is the 4wd model, the hitch supplied is MORE THAN sufficient for your needs. (Your Pup's about 3,000 lbs fully loaded according to this PDF)
Honda's calling their setup an "integrated hitch", which says to me that they've already designed some kind of weight distribution into the vehicle.
we are looking only at 2WD Pilots. How does that change your opinion?
See details at "Integrated hitch", about halfway down the "Exterior features" section at this 2012 Pilot Specs page.
Point is, the (4WD) Pilot comes all set up for a rig your size, so no need to bother with anything but a drawbar!
tinacap wrote: We would purchase the Honda Pilot 2WD v6. Does that change anything in your reply? Thank you.
You can't tow more than 2,000 pounds with the 2WD Pilot, and no modification will raise that limit. (see specs I posted earlier)
Your trailer weighs several hundred pounds more than that bone dry, and a thousand pounds more if at its fully loaded weight limit.
Yes, we would modify the Pilot much like we had to modify our Odyssey and did not go with Honda's tow package. We would do the same with this Pilot 2WD. Just wanted to get confirmation that it can be done with the Pilot 2WD too. Thanks.
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