Thinking about getting rid of my 4Runner SUV and going with a pick up . . . specifically looking at the Titan. Anyone have one . . . likes/dislikes?
RE: Anyone using a Nissan Titan for a work truck . . .
- Thread starter firefighterjake
- Start date
-
Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.
We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.
We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
- Status
mayhem
Minister of Fire
Couple guys here have Titans and like them...I've never sat my butt inside one so I can't say from personal experience.
When you say work truck, what are you doing with it?
When you say work truck, what are you doing with it?
Titan is a good truck, but it really comes down to personal preference. Any modern half-ton truck is going to do what you have in you list.
I'm not a fan of plowing with a half-ton, but if you get a light plow and aren't doing it commercially you would be OK.
I was shopping half ton trucks last year and drove and researched all the major brands. Here is my OPINION on them:
Chevy/GMC - Not a bad truck but didn't care for the ride quality / steering feel. Good price.
Dodge - I don't think the quality is as high as the others. Felt plasticy, tinny, cheap. Seats were uncomfortable for me. Small engine was a dog and the Hemi is THIRSTY.
Toyota - Great drivetrain but they cheaped out on the rest of the truck. I saw the video of it driving over washboard and the bed about flew off. Expensive.
Nissan - Liked it. Sounds like a hot rod (plus). Not the best payload/towing ratings. A little on the expensive side. Thirsty.
Ford - Least powerful according to the numbers...but didn't feel it when driving. Great ride and fit and finish. Best price.
In the end I bought the F150 and don't have any complaints. I can pull 5k with ease and haul a half cord of wood in it (not at the same time btw).
Go drive them all. Pick the one you like. As I said before, today's half tons are just as capable as a 10 year old 3/4 ton...they'll do what you need them to do.
I'm not a fan of plowing with a half-ton, but if you get a light plow and aren't doing it commercially you would be OK.
I was shopping half ton trucks last year and drove and researched all the major brands. Here is my OPINION on them:
Chevy/GMC - Not a bad truck but didn't care for the ride quality / steering feel. Good price.
Dodge - I don't think the quality is as high as the others. Felt plasticy, tinny, cheap. Seats were uncomfortable for me. Small engine was a dog and the Hemi is THIRSTY.
Toyota - Great drivetrain but they cheaped out on the rest of the truck. I saw the video of it driving over washboard and the bed about flew off. Expensive.
Nissan - Liked it. Sounds like a hot rod (plus). Not the best payload/towing ratings. A little on the expensive side. Thirsty.
Ford - Least powerful according to the numbers...but didn't feel it when driving. Great ride and fit and finish. Best price.
In the end I bought the F150 and don't have any complaints. I can pull 5k with ease and haul a half cord of wood in it (not at the same time btw).
Go drive them all. Pick the one you like. As I said before, today's half tons are just as capable as a 10 year old 3/4 ton...they'll do what you need them to do.
+87K on TheTruckChick's here
Sugest http://www.titantalk.com/ it's a great resource.
Since mine is an '04 I've got all the original problems. Not sure how many have been corrected on the one yer looking at.
In 04 they were bigger/badder assed than the Tundra. The next year Toyota upsized. The Titan is GREAT at playing 'Haul people around in snow Luxuriously'. I think you will find the cab cavernous compared to any other 4-dr 4WD available.
Few dealers. Nissan parts tend to be expensive. The original tires (Rugged Trails) are about $300 a piece :wow: There is so much rubber there (Assumes 'off-road' package with 17" instead of 'street' with 18") that you can drive it with no air in one of the back tires and barely notice.
The short bed will hold about +1/3 cord. Plenty of power, though trucks like the Tundra now have more.
Generally a good truck, but make sure you read about the typical maintenance issues! You could save yourself some money!
Jimbo
Sugest http://www.titantalk.com/ it's a great resource.
Since mine is an '04 I've got all the original problems. Not sure how many have been corrected on the one yer looking at.
In 04 they were bigger/badder assed than the Tundra. The next year Toyota upsized. The Titan is GREAT at playing 'Haul people around in snow Luxuriously'. I think you will find the cab cavernous compared to any other 4-dr 4WD available.
Few dealers. Nissan parts tend to be expensive. The original tires (Rugged Trails) are about $300 a piece :wow: There is so much rubber there (Assumes 'off-road' package with 17" instead of 'street' with 18") that you can drive it with no air in one of the back tires and barely notice.
The short bed will hold about +1/3 cord. Plenty of power, though trucks like the Tundra now have more.
Generally a good truck, but make sure you read about the typical maintenance issues! You could save yourself some money!
Jimbo
ISeeDeadBTUs said:
Ah, just the type of response I was looking for . . . thanks . . .
Incidentally, I did stumble across TitanTalk and actually registered to ask a few questions . . . very good reading there.
Lol, ytou can read of some of my 'challenges' there :roll:
One thing I noticed on re-read of your OP . . . snowplowing . . .
Paved or un-paved?
Last I knew, the only plow 'designed for the Titan' is a "homesteader" a/k/a Very Expensive Pretzel. We bought a Boss (not sure of model#) that is designed for Chev/Ford/Mopar. The mount hangs down too far for serious off-roading. But it's a real plow, and should be able to be transfered to one of the aformentioned American Trucks
If you need an engine, let me know. I have two waiting for reassignment :zip:
One thing I noticed on re-read of your OP . . . snowplowing . . .
Paved or un-paved?
Last I knew, the only plow 'designed for the Titan' is a "homesteader" a/k/a Very Expensive Pretzel. We bought a Boss (not sure of model#) that is designed for Chev/Ford/Mopar. The mount hangs down too far for serious off-roading. But it's a real plow, and should be able to be transfered to one of the aformentioned American Trucks
If you need an engine, let me know. I have two waiting for reassignment :zip:
CTburning
New Member
I worked for Nissan for 5 years and can offer a little insight. While I highly recc the Nissan Frontier, Especially the older ones with the 3.3 liter, I have a hard time reccommending the Titan. The front brake issues, rear ends blowing up because they weren't vented properly, and transmission cooler lines were just a few of the issues that come to mind. I would stay away from the 04/ and 05's as they were new to Nissan and Nissan had serious quality control issues. Renault came in 10 years ago as a bailout and Nissan put out some serious crap for a while. The axle seals leak and PITA to fix. The dealer will charge you a fortune and their is a good chance the local shop will install it wrong or misdiagnose it. Nissans are quirky and have a lot of "insider knowlege". I can't tell you the number of times people including other techs, would describe a condition and I would have to listen to a 3 minute description when I knew the problem after 10 seconds. I notice this more with Nissan than with the other makes.
The truck does pull 9600 lbs or something like that and the ride is nice. I prefer chevy trucks and even my old 95 Ram with a 318. The Ram had some big parts break (previous owner fixed them) but it was easy to work on and parts were cheap. Also they are thirsty. All the Nissan trucks before 05 were thirsty. The VQ engine was put in the Frontier in 05 and is better on gas. Don't expect to get more than 15 mpg and 13 was the average with the Titan. My 95 Ram did that as well but wouldn't tow as much. I think the Titan is more of a show truck and one that a builder would drive around in from jobsite to jobsite or to haul a boat on the weekends. I think you would be better served by a domestic truck if you plan on using it like a work truck. Just my advice.
The truck does pull 9600 lbs or something like that and the ride is nice. I prefer chevy trucks and even my old 95 Ram with a 318. The Ram had some big parts break (previous owner fixed them) but it was easy to work on and parts were cheap. Also they are thirsty. All the Nissan trucks before 05 were thirsty. The VQ engine was put in the Frontier in 05 and is better on gas. Don't expect to get more than 15 mpg and 13 was the average with the Titan. My 95 Ram did that as well but wouldn't tow as much. I think the Titan is more of a show truck and one that a builder would drive around in from jobsite to jobsite or to haul a boat on the weekends. I think you would be better served by a domestic truck if you plan on using it like a work truck. Just my advice.
CTburning
New Member
Seriously, unless the only thing you will plow is a 50' long paved driveway, I would not do a lightweight plow.
Once TheTruckChick gets home tonight I have to put the plow on and clean up a bunch of lake effect snow. Prolly too dark for pics though . . . I'll see what I can do
Once TheTruckChick gets home tonight I have to put the plow on and clean up a bunch of lake effect snow. Prolly too dark for pics though . . . I'll see what I can do
CTburning said:
What do you think of the 2008 . . . I see they changed a few things in that year with bigger brakes, larger and new axle and a few other changes . . . to be honest I'm looking at a 2007 SE and a 2008 XE. Having owned a mini-pick up when Nissan just called them "hard bodies" (pre-Frontier days) I don't mind buying or driving a stripped truck if the parts are a little more reliable . . . the XE also has 25,000 or so fewer miles and comes with a warranty since it is certified.
From what I could see I would probably do the differential modification (running a line up with a filter on it) to keep the purge system in good order and not build up any pressure to avoid expensive rear seals . . . as for it being thirsty . . . that doesn't bother me so much since my 4Runner only gets 2-3 mpg better than the Titan and is pretty gutless when it comes to towing . . . plus quite honestly this will not be a daily driver.
Thanks for the info . . . again . . . just what I was looking for . . . would love to hear what you think about the 2008 XE vs. 2007 SE though.
ISeeDeadBTUs said:
Is this for any 1/2 ton pick up . . . or just the Nissan?
Driveway is probably about 50 feet . . . unpaved . . . hard gravel.
TX-L
Burning Hunk
Check out this link:
http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/rankings/Full-Size-Pickup-Trucks/
Personally, I wouldn't take much stock in the final rating numbers for this review, as they weight the interior and exterior styling the same as reliability and safety (which are far more important to me than making a fashion statement). When I'm looking for a truck, I'll take reliability over a new "SYNC" system any day (not picking on Ford, just an example).
2 co-workers of mine have Titans, and they have each had some of the problems that were mentioned earlier in this thread. The Tundra is the only truck in this review with a score of 10 in reliability, that is what I would pursue whether it was for a work truck or not; this would be the most important factor for me.
Reliability and capability are the only things that define what a truck should be, at least for me. I drove my '94 Toyota Land Cruiser for 248,000 miles before a Dodge Minivan hit me head-on on snowy roads 2 years ago. The Cruiser was still idling afterwards; it looked like a bomb went off in the minivan. Build quality on that machine was unsurpassed, and that was demonstrated everyday with big mileage numbers building up.
I've owned both Toyota (6) and Ford (4) trucks; the Toyotas were far superior. In all fairness, I haven't owned a Ford since 1997 or so, but they were quite awful back then. Over the years I've gotten to drive service trucks at work with each of the big 3 being represented, and none have been what I would call good as far as reliability, with Dodge being the worst.
So there you go, a completely meaningless ramble on the merits of trucks. Everyone can and will draw their own conclusions from personal experience, these are just mine.
http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/rankings/Full-Size-Pickup-Trucks/
Personally, I wouldn't take much stock in the final rating numbers for this review, as they weight the interior and exterior styling the same as reliability and safety (which are far more important to me than making a fashion statement). When I'm looking for a truck, I'll take reliability over a new "SYNC" system any day (not picking on Ford, just an example).
2 co-workers of mine have Titans, and they have each had some of the problems that were mentioned earlier in this thread. The Tundra is the only truck in this review with a score of 10 in reliability, that is what I would pursue whether it was for a work truck or not; this would be the most important factor for me.
Reliability and capability are the only things that define what a truck should be, at least for me. I drove my '94 Toyota Land Cruiser for 248,000 miles before a Dodge Minivan hit me head-on on snowy roads 2 years ago. The Cruiser was still idling afterwards; it looked like a bomb went off in the minivan. Build quality on that machine was unsurpassed, and that was demonstrated everyday with big mileage numbers building up.
I've owned both Toyota (6) and Ford (4) trucks; the Toyotas were far superior. In all fairness, I haven't owned a Ford since 1997 or so, but they were quite awful back then. Over the years I've gotten to drive service trucks at work with each of the big 3 being represented, and none have been what I would call good as far as reliability, with Dodge being the worst.
So there you go, a completely meaningless ramble on the merits of trucks. Everyone can and will draw their own conclusions from personal experience, these are just mine.
thinkxingu
Minister of Fire
Funny how different people have different perceptions. I think Chevy drives the best (my brother has a Silverado), Dodge is most powerful and pretty close to most fuel efficient (the big Hemi does the shutting down cylinders thing and rates out close to 20MPG, just below the Chevy--BIL has 1500), Toyota is bulletproof, but not all that powerful or 'cool' (two friends of brothers), and Nissan is fairly solid overall, but a pig on gas (other brother and best friend own 2006/2007). No experience with the Ford other than a rental F-150 with the honkin' Tritan engine a couple years back and it was awful. Downright awful--didn't like the cold, skipped on bumps, etc.
Anyway, having owned a Frontier for 8 years and having a brother and best friend own both Frontiers and Titans, I'll say that other than the brakes (Nissan's brakes suck) and a couple known issues, they've been super solid. I'd have no problem buying either--and I shan't when I do next month. The Titan would easily do what you want to do, have plenty of space, and drive as good as the best.
S
Anyway, having owned a Frontier for 8 years and having a brother and best friend own both Frontiers and Titans, I'll say that other than the brakes (Nissan's brakes suck) and a couple known issues, they've been super solid. I'd have no problem buying either--and I shan't when I do next month. The Titan would easily do what you want to do, have plenty of space, and drive as good as the best.
S
lukem said:
mayhem
Minister of Fire
firefighterjake said:
You'll be fine with a Fisher Homesteader. 7'4" is the only size recommended for the Titan...any smaller and you won't be cutting a path wide enough for your tires to roll behind the swept area when the plow is angled. Toss a couple hundred pounds behind the back axle when plowing and it'll make a big difference.
Domestic half tons often have gotten by with using the ligher duty steel and poly plows at about 7'6"...but lately with trucks getting hevier and more makers going for comfy ride versus front payload capacity, the recommended plow size (and weight) has been shrinking for the half ton trucks...lots of crew cabs don't help as they add several hundred pounds of curb weight over the front wheels, thus reducing your payload capacity even further.
Everything else you've outlined is just fine for any half ton truck on the market. Just be sure to educate yourself on the unique issues you're likely to encounter with the Titan and you'll be in good shape I think.
I'm one of those guys that finds an online forum for anything I find interesting (how the heck else would I bere her, right?), so I'm a long standing member at plowsite.com. There's an import truck section there where I think you'll find a fair bit of info about this issue if you dig.
http://www.plowsite.com/forumdisplay.php?f=31
mayhem said:
So, you've used a 'Homesteader' to plow an unpaved road regularly?!? 'Cause this poor fireman is about to plunk down good coin (my Boss was 3.5K back in 04) and he's gonna have a busted up pretzel. Unpaved roads will make a full-weight plow hop a foot off the ground in 1st gear. How many times you recommend he do that with a 'HomeSteader'??
If I were buying new today I would check out Hiniker. They have a great attachment system and most pros around here use them on 3500's. I have no idea if they have one that will work on the Titan.
One thing about having a snow plow . . . sooner or later you will end up plowing some other driveways, even if it's just to help someone out. Word gets around. And plowing snow on unpaved roads is hell on pickups.
mayhem
Minister of Fire
He's got a 50' unpaved driveway, not an unpaed road. Have you personally used a homesteader to plow an unpaved 50' driveway regularly and ruined the plow because of that?
I plow my unpaved 400' driveway with an 8' Fisher HD blade on a 3/4 ton truck and the only time it gets even close to a foot off the ground is when I raise the lift piston. If a plow that heavy is hopping that high there is something seriously wrong wiht the surface or the operator is not using the equipment properly. I wouldn't want to drive my truck on a surface rough enough to throw a plow like that. I wouldn't recommend anyone plow a surface like that till they fixed it by filling and grading it at least reasonably smooth...its going to wreck your plow and your truck quick.
Would I put use a homesteader for my driveway with my truck? Hell no. If I had a Tundra? Sure, if all I had was a Tundra...but I'm not about to buy a Tundra because all they have to offer are light duty half ton.
I agree that you may feel inclined to help someone out too, hasn't happened to me yet, been using my plow for 5 years now...I've even offered and been turned down.
No, I don't use a homesteader plow, but they are widely used by homeowners for exactly this sort of application...small driveways and light trucks. If he doesn't act like a fool and beat the heck out of it, he'll be fine. A man local to me uses a homesteader on a 3/4 ton Subburban to plow his driveway and several people on his small route...he still has the same plow after years of use. Note that I do not advocate using a homesteader on a heavy truck like that...just pointing out an instance of known use.
My mother in law's ex had a Homesteader mounted on his older style Tundra (the old smaller one) and used it to plow a 2000' unpaved driveway successfully for several years. They sold the property when they divorced, I don't know if he kept the plow or not, but it was still 100% functional. The key, in my opinion, is to know your equipment and take care of it properly. If Fisher sells a 7'4" homesteader for a Tundra then you can be sure its going to work in the homeowner applications its was designed for...they're in the business to make money, not throw it out the window by making inadequate products and dealing with class action lawsuits.
FWIW I would not ever advocate buying a new snowplow. I'd go on the hunt for a decent used one. Few years old and they've lost half their value.
No matter what, new used or whatever, check your local area and find out what brands have dealers in your area. Don't buy a plow that you can't get parts for locally or in a timely fashion...eventually something will break on it and it WILL happen in the middle of a storm...make sure you can fix it quickly. There are links to all the major manufacturers at the top of the page I linked...each one has a plow configurator that will tell yuo exactly which plow they recommend for your specific truck...figure out what dealers are in your area and then shop for a plow.
I plow my unpaved 400' driveway with an 8' Fisher HD blade on a 3/4 ton truck and the only time it gets even close to a foot off the ground is when I raise the lift piston. If a plow that heavy is hopping that high there is something seriously wrong wiht the surface or the operator is not using the equipment properly. I wouldn't want to drive my truck on a surface rough enough to throw a plow like that. I wouldn't recommend anyone plow a surface like that till they fixed it by filling and grading it at least reasonably smooth...its going to wreck your plow and your truck quick.
Would I put use a homesteader for my driveway with my truck? Hell no. If I had a Tundra? Sure, if all I had was a Tundra...but I'm not about to buy a Tundra because all they have to offer are light duty half ton.
I agree that you may feel inclined to help someone out too, hasn't happened to me yet, been using my plow for 5 years now...I've even offered and been turned down.
No, I don't use a homesteader plow, but they are widely used by homeowners for exactly this sort of application...small driveways and light trucks. If he doesn't act like a fool and beat the heck out of it, he'll be fine. A man local to me uses a homesteader on a 3/4 ton Subburban to plow his driveway and several people on his small route...he still has the same plow after years of use. Note that I do not advocate using a homesteader on a heavy truck like that...just pointing out an instance of known use.
My mother in law's ex had a Homesteader mounted on his older style Tundra (the old smaller one) and used it to plow a 2000' unpaved driveway successfully for several years. They sold the property when they divorced, I don't know if he kept the plow or not, but it was still 100% functional. The key, in my opinion, is to know your equipment and take care of it properly. If Fisher sells a 7'4" homesteader for a Tundra then you can be sure its going to work in the homeowner applications its was designed for...they're in the business to make money, not throw it out the window by making inadequate products and dealing with class action lawsuits.
FWIW I would not ever advocate buying a new snowplow. I'd go on the hunt for a decent used one. Few years old and they've lost half their value.
No matter what, new used or whatever, check your local area and find out what brands have dealers in your area. Don't buy a plow that you can't get parts for locally or in a timely fashion...eventually something will break on it and it WILL happen in the middle of a storm...make sure you can fix it quickly. There are links to all the major manufacturers at the top of the page I linked...each one has a plow configurator that will tell yuo exactly which plow they recommend for your specific truck...figure out what dealers are in your area and then shop for a plow.
CTburning
New Member
By 2007 Nissan's quaility control had been restored. I quit working for Nissan in 09 and don't remember any problems with the 07 and up models. Little stuff but not the repeat repairs like on the first couple years of that truck. It makes sense, most models improve significantly after the first model year and get better after that for the next two to three years. My information is a couple of years old now, but nobody plowed with a Titan. One or two guys had them on their trucks and it was for only for their own driveways. Maybe they have more options now. I would check the forums and see how people are doing with the different plow setups before you make your decision.
LOL you sound like the other people that travel my road :lol: But seriously, cobles and field stone buried in a road base will surface and will bounce an HD blade that high. Yup, I need to 'do some work' on this road, but it slows peeps down.mayhem said:
mayhem said:
Without trying to be a jerk . . . . um, neither do I, nor should Jake
mayhem said:
Very true. Just wait till summer to look if you want a decent price.
mayhem
Minister of Fire
ISeeDeadBTUs said:
No jerkiness perceived...just two different opinions here.
If you don't use one, how do you know it won't hold up to plowing a 50' driveway?
The core issue I see here is that buying a Titan is limiting the available options for a snowplow. Boss, Fisher and Western list only their homeowner grade ploy plows for use on a Titan. Checked Hiniker's website and can't find a configuration matrix, but under homeowner they list only a 7' poly plow.
Not to add too much fuel to this fire . . . but a co-worker with a Tacoma and a poly plow has been using this plow to do his 100 foot driveway for the past three or four years without issue.
CTburning said:
Again, great info to know . . . I've pretty much limited my search to 2007 and up . . . thinking pretty hard on a 2008 EX . . . not a lot of options, but I'm a simple guy so a simple truck may work well for me . . . plus the fact that it has low mileage and is certified is pretty appealing. Thanks for the reply.
ironpony
Minister of Fire
I would compare it to any tool
if you know its limitations and
stay within them, it should work fine
granted using it commercially would ruin it
I would have to say if you damage it on a
driveway you did something bad
I use a 4wd kubota with a 5" grader blade to
keep 400+ feet clear and have made some oop's
and the blade is still straight, very suprisingly
if you know its limitations and
stay within them, it should work fine
granted using it commercially would ruin it
I would have to say if you damage it on a
driveway you did something bad
I use a 4wd kubota with a 5" grader blade to
keep 400+ feet clear and have made some oop's
and the blade is still straight, very suprisingly
- Status
Similar threads
