| tak2 |
I tow a 17' Boston Whaler Montauk, it's a fairly small boat and my MDX tows it well!!
My rear end does sag a little lower with the extra weight, but it's not that big of a problem now. I'm a little worried if I tow my boat fully loaded with camping gear and have 4 or 5 people inside.
I used to have a GMC Yukon and added an Air lift bag to correct this same problem. They work great for temporary loads and doesn't effect the ride comfort. Unfortunately, Air lift doesn't make one for the MDX.
Any recommendations to correct this problem without effecting the ride without my boat?
Thanks!!! |
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| tak2 |
I found a link on this on the accessory section. Sorry for not doing my search first!!
Looks like a Honda Oddessy or Pilot air lift may work. I'll check into this in more detail.
Dave |
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| G. COLTON |
Knowing the amount of weight that I put in the back of my MDX, I cannot imagine why yours is sagging with what you describe. I recently carried 17 boxes of tile weighing over 50 pounds each. Had some sag but not much.
G |
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| shootist |
Tak2- Look in your owners manual under towing. If your MDX sags more than 1 1/2 inches when you hook up your trailer, then your tongue weight exceeds the maximum rating.
You should also check the manual for maximum vehicle weight when towing. You can't fill the vehicle with people and gear, and still tow the maximum weight. |
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| hondacuraworld |
| Load some gear in the back of the boat to lighten the tongue. But, not so much that the boat will sway. It takes some experimenting, but you can strike a balance. |
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| tak2 |
Thanks for the all the info!! I will try and calculate the weight and check how much it will sag. I'll also put the heavy stuff in the back of the boat too. Great ideas.
My boat isn't that heavy and with two or three people in the car, I doubt if it drops more that 1 inch. I think I will be within the specs even with four people with camping gear...I hope. I'll annoy people with my headlights glaring in the eyes!
The air lift load leveler costs around $80 without the air compressor attachment. You just fill up the bags inside the shocks with air when needed. It does sound like a hassle installling them so I may just not worry about it.
FYI, I found a link of a air lift install by searching in the accessory page.
Dave |
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| Squishy |
| No no, don't put the heavy stuff in the back of your boat. What he meant was to distribute your weight around the boat. If you put all the weight in the back, your rear end will be very 'squirrely' on the highway, and could cause you to jack-knife or roll over. I've seen this many times with U-Hauls that were improperly loaded. You want most of your weight forward of the trailer axle(s), but if that puts you over the tongue weight, move things back until your sag is reasonable. |
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| G. COLTON |
Since you seen to be in doubt about the trailer tongue weight the best thing is to get a measure of it. Get a bathroom scale and put the tongue of the trainer on a 4x4 or even a 2x4 and then let this rest on the bathroom scale. Try to get in the middle of the scale.
Read the results. You will have to be careful with this configuration as it will not be real stable.
I am guessing that with your size boat/trailer that you should have about 135 to 150 lbs. tongue weight. Rearrange your moveable items in the boat until you see about this reading on the bathroom scales. After that try to have the same approximate distribution.
NEVER, NEVER get close to zero tongue weight. Always try to have somewhere around 7% to 8% of the combined trailerable load as tongue weight.
G |
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| 1Sonterra |
| I just towed my two waverunners for the first time yesterday with our 2002 MDX and I noticed the exact same problem. I was also surprised at the rear end sag with my waverunners weight very well proportioned on the trailer. I was wondering about a solution. Anyone apply the air solution or change out suspension? |
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| Warzau |
Hell even doing a Costco run makes my MDX sag. I always wanted a solution our member perk installed some air bladders. But I was thinking of stiffer springs.
But here is the thread re the Air Bladder |
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| Squishy |
| Progressively wound springs should help, if they're available for the MDX. The low initial spring rate will still absorb bumps in the road, but once it passes a certain threshold, the spring rate increases and reduces/prevents further sag. |
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| Warzau |
quote:
Originally posted by Squishy
Progressively wound springs should help, if they're available for the MDX. The low initial spring rate will still absorb bumps in the road, but once it passes a certain threshold, the spring rate increases and reduces/prevents further sag.
But there is the rub, does anyone make them? |
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| f1hondafan |
| I installed a set of the Pilot/ Odyssey air bags on our MDX to correct the rear sag. They worked great when towing our boat and improved the ride around town as well. Well worth the trouble to install. |
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| 1Sonterra |
| Did you install yourself? What was the total $ ? Sounds like a good solution. |
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| f1hondafan |
I can't remember the cost of the kit. I believe it was around $70 + a Craftsman bi metal hole drill set.
Since the circumfrence of the MDX spring is not as large as the Odyssey I ended up drilling an elongated hole to properly seat the air bag nipple. The whole job took 2-3 hours and was a little more difficult than the set I put on the Odyssey. The majority of time spent was filing the hole to properly seat the nipple, but after two years I've experience no problems with the apllicationis designeded for the Odyssey. |
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