Conversation Between Aldothegeek and DaGrinch
Showing Profile Comments 1 to 4 of 4
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Congrats on the Armada. Mine's a 2012, also. The one thing I really like about the factory tow package, besides all the stuff you mentioned, is the transmission temp gauge right in the cluster. You might want to get an aftermarket gauge to monitor the temp.
One little trick I found out - if you have to back-up uphill, even a slight incline with the trailer, lock it down in 4Lo. Otherwise, your tranny will really heat up. First couple of times I backed the trailer in my driveway, the gauge really shot up to the hot end. I would have to stop a couple of times, put the tranny in neutral and cool it down. I read on the Armada Forum about using 4Lo and haven't had any issues since.
Camping season is coming to a close soon. We have a weekend scheduled next weekend, Sept 24th-27th, and then again October 8th-11th. After that, it's time to winterize and call it a year. Hope you're enjoying the Grey Wolf. Take care!
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Thanks for the info, DaGrinch. We just bought a used 2012 Armada over the weekend. We also recently bought our first travel trailer, a 2016 Cherokee Grey Wolf 26BH. The weights are about 4500lbs dry and 7000lbs gross. I pulled it home 150 miles with our old 99 Dodge Durango. It struggled up hills but I was able to keep it over 65 on flat, straight roads. I'm sure the Armada will do much better. Our Armada does not have the tow package and is only rated to tow 6500lbs, but we bought it anyway because it was a really good deal. The only difference between the ones with or without the towing package is the hitch, 7-pin wiring harness, and the transmission cooler. I had the Nissan dealership where we bought it verify this before I would close the deal. I can install all of these myself for about $250.
Thanks again!
Aldothegeek
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LOVE the Armada! Mine has the tow package on it and claims to be able to tow up to around either 9200# or 9500#. Right now, I figure I'm at about 6500# loaded. Dry weight for my camper is 5400#. I can travel at 65mph with no problems. In fact, I was telling the wife yesterday I have to watch the speed - it wants to creep to 70!
We had a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee pulling a Rockwood Roo 23SS. It was pretty much white knuckle most of the time and that's what I figured towing was all about and 60 mph was a struggle. But, once we got the Armada, the wife has noticed I'm more relaxed while driving.
Now, I will say, the gas mileage sucks. 9mpg is about the best I do. However, I live in Western MD where we have a some mountains. Of course, not like the Rockies, but the Appalachians can be a pain. Get out in some flatland, I would think 12-13 would be attainable.
Anything else, just ask! Glad to help!
Larry
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I was reading a comment you made to someone's question and I noticed that you have a 2012 Nissan Armada that you use to pull a decent-sized trailer. We are seriously considering buying an Armada to use as our tow vehicle. How is it working for you?
