Ok....so I have only towed a few times but I must say I am very impressed with how well the VG33 does in the 2000 Xterra towing my 3700 lbs trailer (that includes all water and options and gear). I have pulled over to Bodega Bay and just got back last weekend from towing over to Half Moon Bay via the Altimont pass on 580 and it did wonderful holding 62 mph going up at about 3700 rpm's. Ironically I had a new Titan pulling a ski boat roughly the same weight in front of me and I had no trouble keeping up.

Now had he know I was using him as a measuring stick and drafting off him all in the same beat I am sure he would have and could have dropped the hammer on me with that big V8 but hey let me live the dream a little bit. My big test will be next month when I pull to Yosemite........but I plan on avoiding priest grade on 120 and go up the slightly flatter highway 140 through Merced into the Valley. It pulls pretty good but I don't think it pulls good enough to tackle Priests grade with a chip on my shoulder.

Thanks for all the advice I got here on getting the pulling setup right the first time. I have the load equilizing hitch and bars............sway device........performance muffler and intake.......and synthetic oil in the tranny. Future upgrades planned are the mean green alternator so at 180 amps I can charge those batteries as I drive even faster.

Hope one of these days I can pull it to an NCCX camping trip.

I'm glad to hear it worked out What kind of brake controller did you end up getting?

You know don't hold me to this but I am pretty sure it was a Reese. Has worked well so far. IT was around $95.....installed was about $275 total. I got a big price break on all the installs because I had the work done at the dealership where I bought the trailer at (Toscano RV in Los Banos).

They almost didn't want to do the work on the Xterra there saying "they NEVER work on imports as tow vehicles". All they ever touch are Ford/Dodge/Chevy. I can understand that they don't see many Xterra's but I would have figured they would have had their share of Tundras and Titans.....Toscano is the biggest dealer in the central valley down I-5. Interesting.

Most tow vehicle are easy for them to do since they are usually pre-wired for towing. All I had to do for the Titan was use the factory plug in under the dash for the brake controller and I was all set. The X and my frontier needs to be all hardwired in... a lot more time consuming.

Glad to hear you're towing the trailer ok... you did it right and didn't buy a trailer bigger than you're tow vehicle can handle like I did :rolleyes:
Now lets plan a camping/ wheeling trip at cisco grove

Well the only reason I didn't was on the advise of all you here on NCCX and XOC so I thank you all for that.

How hard is the wheeling up there? What trails are we talking about? My X is still a stocker and it has to keep pulling my trailer so it has to stay that way. What campgrounds can accomodate trailers.....or do you just boon dock somewhere?

There's a few trails close by, eagle lakes which a stock X can do minus step rails. then there's fordyce which I won't be doing yet. Lots of other place's I'd like to explore like up by lake stampede area... not so much for wheelin, but for the scenery. This campground here ( cisco grove)
has full rv hookups and is located right by the middle exit road for fordyce. One mile down the road is eagle lakes. I'm thinking cruise up on a friday and setup, some wheeling saturday, then back to camp for a nice bbq, then go home on sunday...or call in sick on monday .

Wow never new that campground/RV park existed looks nice. I have done some exploring up by Lake Stampede....really liked it. Not real tough but for a stocker it had a couple interesting little spots. Your right mostly for just exploring and getting off the beaten path. You can do the trail drive up to Verdi Peak fire look out which the view from there is second to none.

Sounds like a great idea for a three day (Friday to Sunday trip).

Is there anywhere to park a trailer up by the entry to Barney Riley? I have been dying to run that trail too.

There are several spots near BRT that would be doable, but going back up the hill while everyone is chilling out by the river would be a bummer...I'd be more than willing to ride along if you got me back up the hill to my trailer--2wd Titan would probably make it down to the river okay, but I don't think it would make it out under its own power :p

Yeah your right....I see your point about chilling out by the river. This one is probably better done by getting my tent out and staying the night back in by the hot spring.

Looking forward to seting up a trip out to BRT this summer if I can find someone willing to be a trail boss and take us out? This is a stock friendly run from what I have heard? Correct?

with the exception of getting winched up at a certain spot (possibly), yes.

Oh, come on Charlie, I made it up stock, with wossy tires nodoubt But then I guess my spotter helped me alittle. I still owe you for that.
As for doing a run on BRT, I am up anytime. I love that trail and plan to do it several times before the summer ends. Let me know, and check the Calxterra board. We post alot of trips there.


Casper