2006 Honda Ridgeline Towing Capacities

The 2006 Honda Ridgeline is definitely a smaller truck, especially when we compare it to some of the larger trucks out there today, but they actually had a quite surprising towing capacity attached to them.

I read through all the information that was listed in the owner's manuals and the brochure and compiled it in this article for those of you out there that want to know how much your '06 Ridgeline can pull.

Be sure you read through your owner's manual to get familiar with your vehicle and that you adhere to all of Honda's recommendations when it comes to towing or anything else regarding your truck.

2006 Ridgeline Overview


Overall Towing Capacity:

The overall towing capacity for the 2006 Honda ridgelines range from 4,500-5,000 lbs. and was dependent upon how many people you had in the vehicle.


Engine Options: There was only one engine option available for these model-year trucks, and this was a 3.5 L (V6) engine. It always makes the charts easier to read when there are fewer variables involved, like engine options.


Trim Levels: There were three different trim levels available for these trucks, but all three trim levels seemed to have the same maximum trailer weight ratings that were listed in the chart. All three models also seemed to have the tow package equipped as a standard feature.

Assumed Weight: I was not able to find anything that stated any type of assumed weight, which usually pertains to the driver, but since Honda laid out their maximum trailer weight ratings according to the number of people in the vehicle, this is not really necessary, as all the information is already there in the chart.

The Chart:

The tow chart for the 2006 Honda Ridgelines broke down the maximum trailer weight capacities according to the number of passengers that were in the vehicle, which is what Honda typically does for most of their vehicles, and I find it to be quite helpful and wonder why most other manufacturers do not lay out their charts this way.

The chart also includes the maximum tongue weight rating that corresponds to the number of people in the vehicle, as well as the maximum trailer weight rating. The tongue load is basically the added weight that the trailer put on your vehicle, via the hitch.

2006 Honda Ridgeline Towing Chart

Tongue Weight Rating:

I already mentioned that the tongue weight ratings were laid out in the chart that I have posted above, but I was also able to find a little snippet in the owner's manual that talks about the recommended tongue load ratings for standard trailers and boat trailers.

If you look at the screenshot I took below, you can see that for standard trailers the recommended tongue weight rating is anywhere between 5-15% of the total trailer weight and for boat trailers it is 10-15% of the total weight of the trailer.

Ridgeline Tongue Weight Ratings

Trailer Brakes:

Trailer brakes were also mentioned in the owner's manual and Honda requires trailer brakes for your trailer if it weighs 1,000 lbs. or more, which is standard for most of Honda's vehicles. Typically, most manufacturers require trailer brakes if your trailer weighs 2000 lbs. and up, but Honda set this limit at 1,000 lbs. instead.

You will want to check your local laws to see if they have different requirements than what Honda recommends, or if their recommended trailer weight is even lower than that 1,000 pound rating, regarding trailer brakes.

Honda Trailer Brake Requirements

Trim Levels:

There were three different trim levels offered for the '06 Ridgelines and these were: the RT, RTS and RTL models. I was not able to find anything definitive in the owner's manual or the brochure that talks about the trim level of your vehicle in relationship to the maximum trailer weight rating, but from what I read, I assume that all three trim levels have the capacities listed in the chart.

GVWR, GCWR and GAWR Figures:

All of the gross vehicle weight rating specifications, along with the gross combined weight rating and gross axle weight ratings were specified in the owner's manual, which I took a screenshot of and posted below.

The gross vehicle weight rating for the 2006 Ridgelines was stated at a maximum 6,050 lbs., while the gross axle weight rating was set at 3,105 lbs. for the front axle and 3,245 lbs. for the rear axle. The gross combined weight rating was set at 10,088 lbs., which accounts for the maximum weight that you can have in your vehicle and your trailer combined and is usually a number you do not want to exceed for your overall weight.

2006 Ridgeline GCWR, GVWR and GAWR

The Tow Prep Package & What's Included...

I was also able to find what's included in the tow package that seems to come standard with all three trim levels. Other than the 5-speed automatic transmission, you also get a heavy-duty radiator it has dual fans, a power steering cooler and an automatic transmission fluid cooler as well.

The image I have posted below was from the brochure and it is the best image I could get. Out of all of the brochures I looked at, they all seemed to have a resolution issue which made them fuzzy and hard to read, but you still get the information you need from it, so I went ahead and posted it anyway.

2006 Ridgeline Tow Package Equipment

Other Notes I Found:

I continue to looking through the owner's manual for any additional information and was able to find a couple of different tidbits that I think are worth mentioning. The first screenshot you see below talks about how you will need to decrease the gross combined weight rating 2% for every 1000 feet of elevation that you go up, as the stated maximum trailer weight rating and gross combined weight ratings are stated at sea level.

The second screenshot I took talks about how Honda recommends using premium fuel in certain circumstances, like when traveling in higher altitude areas, when the temperature is hot out or when planning to travel up steeper grades. This is unique and I have never seen this in any other vehicle manufacturer's brochures or owner's manuals, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

Ridgeline Elevation Adjustment
2006 Ridgeline Premium Fuel Recommendation

Helpful Links:

The two main sources that I used to gather information for this article came from the Ridgelines owner's manual and the brochure, like I mentioned many times in this article before. I wanted to include two quick links to these resources for those of you out there that want to do a little bit more in-depth research yourselves.

The owner's manual comes directly from Honda's website and I looked for the brochure on Honda's website but was not able to find it, so I used a third party source they posted a copy of the brochure that matches the original provided by the manufacturer in 2006.

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