does anyone have one on their max? just curious.

 

hellz no!!!

 

I was thinking about it for a jetski, but I can't do that to my maxi....

 

You can get it from the dealer as an accessory and Valley has a bolt on receiver too. I would not hesitate to put a hitch on my Maxima. My AE had one on it and I used it all the time. Careful backing into the trailer though, it gars up the bumper pretty bad. I pulled a 20' ski boat with the AE, and I have a 5 x 8 enclosed utility trailer that I take to Home Depot and stuff.

What's an RE edition?

 

In case the decision is made to mount a trailer hitch, don't go 'cheap'; get a good one that is designed to mount firmly to the 6th gen Maxima chassi/frame. Get one with at least a 1000 weight capacity, more if convenient. Don't forget to attach the two safety side chains when towing.

Don't try to tow a loaded (or empty) trailer with a tongue weight of more than 100 pounds, or with a total trailer and cargo weight of over 1000 pounds with the 6th gen Maxima.

Don't even tow 1000 pounds regularly in hilly country. Hills have a great effect on trailer towing, considerably increasing the stresses involved. The tranny on the Maxima (or most similar vehicles) was not designed for heavy trailer towing on a frequent basis.

If, however, the total trailer and cargo weight is under 500 pounds, a reasonable and cautious person should have no difficulty towing it most anywhere with the Maxima, even on a frequent basis.


edit - And if one is driving down the highway towing a trailer, and the car begins to sort of shift slightly from side to side, and a glance in the mirror shows the trailer wobbling from side to side, get a tight grip on the wheel, ease off the throttle, and keep your face away from the airbag, as you may soon be headed for the ditch.

I have often seen trailers wobbling badly from side to side, with the driver seemingly oblivious. Over the decades, I have also see some of these wobbling trailers overturn, and I have actually seen a few come apart and self-destruct. Taller, top-heavy trailers (short house trailers, tall campers, tall U-Hauls, etc) are especially prone to serious wobbling.

When towing, take a look back every so often. If the trailer is wobbling, there is a problem.

Also remember that, when towing with the Maxima, the relatively small type of trailer you would normally tow does not have brakes, so all the braking is done by the car tires, not the trailer tires. That means you have a longer stopping distance, and less flexibility in maneuvering. A fairly sharp turn while in full braking can lead to a jacknife situation. I have been in that situation both as a passenger in a pickup towing a U-Haul trailer, and as a passenger in the tractor of a semi. Neither was the least bit of fun. I had to be cut out of the tractor.

If towing at night (or in dim situations), the trailer must have lights, including brake lights. Some states also require turn signals on the trailer. Trailers also require license tags.

 

I wouldn't consider doing it. after reading ^^^^ not even a chance. so why are you considering it? I'd rather borrow or rent if the job didn't fit in what I had.

 

I have had one on my last three Maximas, I used Draw-Tite brand you can hardly see it. I have towed my motorcycle to South Dakota and Daytona twice with no issues, bike and trailer about 1100lbs.

 

Follow the recommendations in your owner's manual and you should be golden. IIRC the manual that came with my AE said not to pull a trailer with your Maxima. The 2k4 manual clearly states it is okay. You can buy a nice receiver hitch at your Nissan dealer and they will install it for you too.
Lightonthehill's advice applies no matter what your tow vehicle/trailer combo.

 

I've been toying with the idea of buying a trailer hitch too. I want to get a small trailer to tow loads of kayaks back and forth from town to the cottage. I teach sea kayaking and to get 3-4 boats out there is a PITA. Not sure I'm ready to commit to the expense tho. It would be nice to not have to mount the roof rack and tie down straps each time I want to carry boats.

 

Most people have more than one car....buy a truck to do the job

 

lol Hmm truck $30,000.+gas+insurance+repairs......Trailer, hitch, and custom boat rack $1200....which is the best value for the money? Soooo hard to decide.

 

you put like it's so obvious. (I know it is) he probably had a beater truck in mind. but the cost will still be higher. The 6th has plenty of power to do it, like bluemaxx stated. basically, just drive accordingly. i just wouldn't want to tow anything.

 

i want to get a new toy but i need to be able to launch or tow it. just curious if anyone had done it.

 

Ive seen a focus with a hole cut in the bumper about 3" from the bottom to allow a hitch to pop through. I wonder if you'd need to do that to the maxima too...some cars were made with that never taken into consideration. I ve never seen a 6th gen with one.

 

Seems some here are seriously thinking about pulling a trailer with a 6th gen. Those that do may need to get a hitch designed for the '06, because of the large rear bumper. I would not like to see anyone cutting through the rear bumper. That immediately tells everyone you are running a 'jury-rigged' (and possibly less-safe) setup. Not cool.

Also, although 32 or 33 psi rides rather nicely on the 6th gen, I feel that may not be the best pressure for trailer towing. If towing, I would begin with 35 or so psi front and rear, and, if the tongue weight is over thirty or so pounds, I would add a pound of air to each rear tire for every ten pounds of additional tongue weight (above thirty or so; doesn't have to be exact).

Extra pressure in the rear tires helps the tires maintain a normal profile and run cooler (important on hot summer days) with the extra weight at the rear, and also reduces the tendency of the trailer to wobble.

The most important point: if you are pulling a trailer and still driving the car like a Maxima, you will run into trouble at some point. Pulling a trailer is a totally different ball game than driving a Maxima. Drive it as if you are driving a semi (extra cautious, leaving extra distances, looking well ahead, etc), and you will be fine.

 

A trailer with ideal weight distribution will have a minimum tongue weight of about 10 percent of the gross weight and maximum of 15 percent, providing it does not violate the rating of the hitch.

 

Deus, what kind of wheels are those and do you know what they weigh?

 

Good luck man. I woulden't do it. I loaded my car with material and hated the way it stopped. Note I have a stone stock MAX. Maybe with a few Gs woth of mods it might do the job to my liking and I would only to as heavy as a motorcycle. Kinda usless for me. I'd get a 500.00 beater and save the life of my max.

 

I decided...

 

Me too...

 

Good choice guys!

 

I like to bike so I had one installed for my bike rack. I had trouble finding one at first since the car was so new (Spring 04), but finally located one through HiddenHitch for about $225 installed. (hiddenhitch.com). It is virtually invisible. I found out that Canadian Nissan dealers have a factory hitch available, but had trouble getting them to ship it. Also, at that time the factory hitch did not meet US standards which is why it wasn't available in the US. That may have changed by now.

 

glad you found one. but the Max was available Spring of 03. I bought mine Spring of 04, a whole year after they hit the lots.

 

I bought my car in October 03 but didn't look for a hitch until the following spring. Many of the manufacturers didn't have anything yet as they didn't have much demand for a hitch for the 04 Max. I did find some that were butt-ugly, required some cutting, etc., but I wanted to keep the appearance clean. The hidden hitch fit the bill. Besides the bike rack, I've towed a trailer with it a couple of times with no problems. That's basically all I needed it for. I do have a pic which I'll post when my membership updates...

 

I'd buy a used pick-up before I would install a hitch! But, to each his own........

 

DDDDDAAAAAMMMMMNNNNNN!!! is that your sig? there are limits on those you know.......

look here: http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=378729

 

Hmmm....$200 hitch - or - $500 beater truck, place to store it, insurance, wife's complaints....

 

Cheap skate.....I didn't mean for you to misunderstand what I was saying... I just think a tow hitch on any of our Maximas would be ugly...just an opinion....

 

Thank you......

 

Thank you.....

 

Thank you......

 

Thank you.

 

Take a deep breath, Close your mouth, hold your nose and try to breath out real hard and fast. Once your ***** pop back out you'll be able to ignor your wifes complaints...

DON'T BE PU$$Y WHIPPED , WHIP THE PU$$Y...

 

ditto......

 

Think of it as a mod...settin' a trend....when was the last time you saw a gen6 pullin' a uhaul? I have a truck...I like to take the Max on bike trips... As far as being whipped...I am what I eat....

 

Here's a pic of my hidden hitch if you're interested. The cover slides off then you insert the receiver/bike rack, etc., into the hitch. Replace the cover when you're done and the hitch is practically unnoticable. The hitch frame is not exposed at all and is a very clean installation.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/pulpda...Jg9SDBzw2hlYUc

 

What can you tow for 1,000lbs? A jet ski and trailer, is about it. Most passenger cars I see with hitch tows more than recommended because they "can". First to go are brakes then tranny (auto), clutch then tranny (stick), then your chassis makes music in your ears. Luxo vehicles like BMW's and Mercedes, with their big engines, do not recommend any towing. That's why utility vehicles were created.

Have fun towing.

 

Question: Who you gonna please with that little thing?

Answer: ME.

Heck, we even drive our cars in the snow here in the midwest...

 

RHMax - We frequently tow a trailer with our little Ranger pickup, and usually we are carring either the smallest of our riding mowers, which is around 500 pounds, or a few dozen bales of pine straw, again under 500 pounds, or fertilizer or lime or fence posts or drain pipes or any of dozens of things typically used on a farm, and all of which are well under the 1000 pound Maxima towing limit and could easily be towed by either of our Maximas, should we bother to put on a trailer hitch.

When we move to our low-maintenance retirement home, we will probably get rid of the truck and the 5th gen Maxima and put a trailer hitch on our 6th gen.

 

Lightonthehill. My parents put a hitch on their 02 V-6 Accord Coupe for "occasional" use, since their Camry wagon's tranny went out on them, twice. They use it for home improvement, etc, like you wrote. They continued to test the max capacity, until the transmission gave out on them, again. Now they bought a Honda Odyssey. You mentioned 500lbs of cargo, how heavy is the trailer on top of that weight.

If anyone choose to put a hitch on their car, please do so.