Here is my MDX set up to tow my boat. It tows the boat with ease...really a surprise as I was expecting it to be sluggish. It pulls the boat as good as my truck does...really amazing what Acura has done. I think it has the capacity to
tow a bigger boat than this one. It is also a very safe feeling taking the boat out of the lake on the trailer...no slippage at all.
The FUN begins when you hook up the boat...then the FUN really accelerates once the boat is in the lake.
and the trailer weighs 950 for a total of 3950 lbs. I was impressed the way the MDX easily handled the boat. The boat actually has more horsepower than the MDX. However, I wish I had the MDX motor hooked up to the stern drive instead of the 5.7 liter V8 engine.
We are also looking to get a boat which weighs 3000lbs, however with the trailer (~1000lbs) as you mention we also added gas and accessories and water weight which we think would bring us close to the 4500lb limit. We are concerned about stressing the MDX. We would only be towing the boat short distances (5-15 miles) from the house to the launches. Can you share some more of your experiences to reassure us? We don't want to have to consider another SUV!! Would a reasonable tradeoff be to consider getting a less-meaty trailer since we wouldn't be towing that far? Any other suggestions on cutting back weight? We wouldn't have to fill the tank full each trip out.
JACKIE, I tow this boat and trailer to a large lake near Augusta, Georgia. The
roads are hilly and the MDX handles this load very easily. I am still surprised at how easy the MDX tows this boat. The boat is 20' 6" in length and holds 39 gallons of gas. Last month I loaded the boat down with coolers, food, skis, and other items for a 7 day stay at the lake. I know I had to have been over the 4500 lb limit. HOWEVER, the MDX came through flawlessly. Apparently, Acura publishes the limit at 4500 lbs but the MDX can handle that and more. I think 5500 should have been the limit.
If you want to reduce the towing weight do not get a tandem axle on your trailer, if the boat does not require one. I got the tandem as it tows easier and looks better than a single axle, not to mention the electric brakes on a tandem axle.
Why don't you pick out your boat and give the MDX a test tow with it?
Oh yeah, I tow my boat approx. 25 miles to the lake.
Only bad thing that has happened to me about the MDX is my wife wants to dump her DTS on me as she LOVES the MDX. I plan on trading in the Caddy on a 02 or 03...bet I get crushed trading in the DTS.
Again, my MDX handles the boat and trailer with ease. If possible, do give the MDX a test towing wit the boat you have in mind...the dealer should not mind.
Good news! I just purchase my MDX primarily so I could tow my new boat which I pick up next week.
I had brought this up in a previous thread, but did you have to use a 4 pin or 5 pin plug? My MDX towing package came with the 4 pin, but my boat dealer said I'll need a 5 pin due to the brakes on the trailer.
Our boat dealer said 4 pole would work just fine for our trailer/boat- yours is probably for the reverse light (the 5th pole) most braking systems on smaller trailers use the hitch to tell it when to stop. The hitch is a 2 part system when it senses the trailer sliding forward it has brake fluid in the middle which pushes back on the brakes as it compresses.
Thanks for the advice on the etrailer.com I ordered the adapter, wired the additional plug to the back up light (which took less than 5 minutes) and I was all set to go. Cost $10.00 opposed to the $75.00 U-haul wanted to charge me to put in a new plug.
Had no problems towing the boat, over 200 miles.
I'll post a pic soon......
I now have a boat but no tow package. So obviously I am itching to get one. I thought a couple of hundred bucks at the local reseller would do it, but then started hearing and getting concerned about cooling. I'll probably tow the 3700 lb. 21'8" Marada 60-75 miles at most.
Does anyone recommend whether to get the transmisison and power steering cooling with the tow package. I was debating getting the tow package at the dealership because of fears that it needed such. However the huge differences in hitch prices have me reconsidering when the dealer wants almost $1200!
