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Hello all, This is my first time here. And I am brand new to the concept of RV'ing, other than seeing friends do it. My wife and I have 5 kids (ages 10, 10, 10, 9, and 7) - 4 boys and 1 girl. We are considering RV'ing for the next few years to see the country. We are also in a place where we need to replace our 9 year old minivan with a new vehicle in the next year or so. Our first choice right now is the Nissan NV Passenger 3500 SL. With the 8700 lb. towing capacity, we are thinking that we can tow a pretty big RV that could sleep 7 people. I noticed that you can get an optional Class IV weight-distributing hitch with the SL 3500, and it seems like that is what we would need. Here is my questions: 1) Does the plan sound reasonable for our situation? 2) What is the maximum dry weight for an RV we should be looking at? Our plan would be to leave 7 seats in the NV passenger van and take out the rest. 3) I noticed that the NV has a tongue weight limit of 870 lbs. Some RVs distribute 12-14% of their weight onto the tongue, so for a 6,000 - 7,000 lb. RV, we could be exceeding the tongue weight. Is the 870 lb. tongue weight an absolute limit? Or is that increased by the weight-distributing class IV hitch? Would it be better to get a non-factory hitch? 4) We would like to take the RV cross-country, which definitely means some mountainous terrain along the way. What is everyone's experience towing that much weight up hills with a car full of 7 people? Will we be OK with this plan or are we not thinking about this the right way? Thanks so much for any advice you can offer. We like the looks of the NV reasonably well enough and its utility seems fantastic for our purposes. If you have experience towing a big RV, I'd love to hear your setup. Thanks, Fred

Hey, Friends!!! :) I got a 2012 NV2500 Cargo High Roof V8 SV almost two months ago, and I have been looking forward to owning a big vehicle for quite some time I am and always will be a Die hard Honda (Anything) Guy but I have owned a couple 1991 Nissan 240sx's that got all done up In a super clean, super OEM way ( it's fun to drive a 1991 and people ask if it's brand new) My last car was a Honda Fit which was the largest vehicle I have ever owned ;) The NV is going to be my do it all machine, RV, Motorcycle hauler ( 2012 Goldwing), Stuff hauler and all around a good time. I owned it for about 24hr's Before removing all the interior panels/ trim/ rubber mat on the wall's and floor to see what the bones looked like and what direction I was to be going in. I want to get the cockpit area done up first since everything is apart quite far. Any advice on what people have personally used here for insulation for sound but mainly Thermal? Primarily I am looking to make as similar to the NVP as possible. With that being said I have had some trouble trying to find second-hand Parts at reasonable prices. I would like to know if anyone has a local Salvage yard that has one in it ? or if they bought back an NV after an accident that you would be willing to sell parts off of. Here are some parts I am looking for: 2015 or 2016 NAV Unit 5.8" screen Tow Mode Switch Blue and brown relay/fuses found in fuse boxes by battery Chrome front bumper with fog lights / front parking sensor's Front parking brain box and dash switch. Seven-way harness connector Interior slider door trim panel Glove box Key cylinder and key. Slider Glass door window ( has any one installed a noncontoured Generic RV style venting window in that spot? Thanks, Everyone ! I am hoping to contribute all my Energy and idea's to this community It feels a bit sleepy on here from time to time but stick with me, and I'll stick with you guys! :)