Car Idiot has Towing concerns (whimpers like school kid)

Hello Folks,

Great forum, I am really glad I found it!

Okay, so here's my thing. I have profound respect for car people...alas, its not my cup of tea (Im a blacksmith and furniture maker). So I could use some friendly guidance with a towing issue. I read this thread but it raised many questions in my mind.
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/towing/4031-tacoma-towing-bible.html


I drive a 99 Tacoma, V6 (with the short extended cab)

Right now I have a burly steel cap on the back that I custom made. Its a few hundred pounds. But Im notincing the rear of the truck is sagging....I suspect not from the cap but from previous hauls (lots of wood, cement etc)

My goal:

I am hoping to build an old fashioned post and beam (timber frame house) so I need to haul pretty long tree trunks.

So Im hoping to buy a 14-17 foot trailer.


-----------------------
The first questions are whether or not I can tow circa 5000 lbs.

The second question is....what do I do, look for, buy, keep in mind, etc.

Third question is....holy crap I have analysis paralysis. All this technical car stuff is freaking me out !!!!


Can someone help me with a checklist of things I need to "look under the hood for" in order to even determine if I can haul that much weight/trailer?


oh, if anyone needs metal working tips/advice, please let me know. I also build historical armour so sheet metal body work is pretty much up my alley.

Thanks
Drew

 

How many logs at a time? you will want to factor in the total weight of everything. Whats the distance? The terrain?

Might want to look into an AAL(add a leaf) to compensate for that sagging.

I would definitely get a tandem axle trailer with trailer brakes, this well help distribute the load a little better and help you stop w/ the brakes. Whats your budget on a trailer? an all aluminum trailer is going to cost quite a bit more than the equivalent steel trailer and will help you tow a little bit more for your limited payload.

 

Probably one tree 2-3 foot diameter trunk at a time. Doubtful any longer than 14 feet, hence a trailer of simlar length.

I looked under my truck. Max gross haul weight for the hitch is 5000lbs.

As for the engine, is it a question of liter size? Ie, what should I look for to determine the hauling guts of this truck other than knowing its a v6 ?

Can 'after market' brakes be installed on a trailer?

 

if you are gonna be hauling heavier loads quite often I would look into the air lift assist for the rear of your truck. I know firestone makes a kit, they are adjustable so with however much weight you add you can add more or less air in the system to level out your truck.

 

What about these http://www.truckspring.com/timbren_285.html

 

all good suggestions what kind of trailer are you looking at buying i have found with a couple of mods boat trailers are great for hauling logs

 

Good idea. Never thought about that. Plus it would be a lot lighter since there is less metal.

 

maverick491 Try PM maverick491