2013 Taco PreRunner DCLB towing my toy

So back when i was looking for pictures of 2nd Gen Tacos towing, i couldn't find many pictures, if any that were towing trailers. Anyways just posting a couple of pics in case it helps anyone decide on what trailer to get.

I have a 12 foot v-nosed enclosed trailer that i use to haul my dirt bike and street track bike around. The trailer is rated for 3500 lbs. The trailer itself is about 900 lbs so leaves plenty of space for my bikes and gear. I drove my truck with the trailer today for the first time and taking the toll road at 80 mph i did notice the truck go from the usual 2500 RPM to 3000 RPM with the trailer attached. My gas mileage seemed to have gone down the drain (i'm guessing I got only 15ish mpg) with the trailer in tow at that speed but i didn't calculate exactly.

The truck itself didn't feel like it struggled per se but you could definitely hear the engine was a little louder, i got used to the noise after a few minutes. The terrain had some minor hills, but mostly flat (Texas roads). I couldn't really feel the weight of the trailer behind the truck as if it couldn't tow properly.

Anyways overall i'm happy that i can pull my bikes around but i wish the gas mileage didn't suck so bad. I'll have some more updates as i tow more in the upcoming weeks.

My truck is the 2013 Double Cab Longbed TSS PreRunner with the 4.0 V6 engine. Sorry for the 'vintage' pics but my phone settings were sucky when i snapped these pictures. Oh also worth mentioning, i didn't notice any sag on the truck once the trailer was hooked.

 

some updates...

Yesterday i again took my truck and trailer to the same track that i frequent on weekends. I had to fill up on gas before getting on the toll road so i filled up close to home. I used premium (93 vs 87 that i used last week). Aside from that my load was the same. The weather was about 20 degrees cooler this week due to a cold front that rolled in but aside from that conditions didn't really change. It's possible that it was way more windy last weekend vs this weekend but nothing that i recall for sure.

I noticed this time around i was around 2500 RPM most of the way there with exception of some small inclines which pushed the motor to 3000 RPM in order to maintain speed but only during the uphill climb. My gas tank didn't drop as much (as can be expected with the difference in RPM).

Anyways just an observation that i made. As i continue to tow i'll try to make notes of anything that changes in terms of RPM, mpg, conditions, etc. Overall this is just more for my curiosity of how this Taco will perform when pulling my toys around. Hope this is helpful to some of you.

 

I experienced the same rpm changed recently while towing. It appears to be the transmission switching from lockup to torque converter mode.

What bothers me is there is a towing package but not a towing mode for the transmission, or am I missing something

 

I towed my trailer in D instead of 4 like some people were suggesting. This past weekend the RPMs seemed more normal to me so its possible that it was just the right conditions for pulling my trailer.

I'm going to experiment a little more with the octane grades to see if thats what 'helped' this last time around.

 

I would be concerned with heat build up with the transmission not being locked up for extended periods of time. Probably nothing to be concerned about, older transmissions didn't have locking torque converters and they did fine. I've heard you shouldn't tow heavy loads in overdrive with a Tacoma, but I think the gas mileage would be horrible only running in 4th at 80mph, the transmission would probably stay in lockup the whole time though.

I think putting it in 4 instead of D is the "towing mode" according to the manual.

 

It's possible i have the incorrect information but this is off the toyota website. I'm not seeing any indication that 4 is recommended vs D but i'll keep looking since its something i'll be doing almost every weekend.

Here are the links i found which go into detail on the 2013 models

http://www.toyota.com/t3Portal/document/om/OM35A10U/pdf/sec_2-5.pdf

http://www.toyota.com/owners/web/pa....portlet.action=processRequest#Owners-Manuals

If anyone finds anything that has the correct gear to use please send it my way. I'll check my owners manual tomorrow to see whats on there.

 

nice! what kinda bike man? use to race some. would like to get back into it.


rpms jumping like that maybe do to the auto over drive. sometimes when towing it will “hunt” around and go in and out of over drive.

I tow a 7’ x12’ open trailer with a rhino and 350cc rancher on it and i usually just put it in 4th but i’m also dealing with like 4 or 5% grade hills. with rhino atv and trailer i’m pulling about 3k, and ya mpg dose go down a bit.

also the only reason people will keep it in 4th, is to keep it from going in and out of over driver. other than that no real reason to do so. i have ran in 4th towing at 75 and am running about 3500rpms.

 

ok, there's quite a bit of discussion out there on what gear to use but i think i may stick to the D mode, unless i find more convincing data haha. This past weekend my RPMs were much lower (2500 vs 3000) and i didnt really hear the engine shifting around gears, except for the uphills that i went over but thats almost in every car if you try to maintain the speed.

i have a 2013 ktm 150sx (2 stroke) and a 2008 cbr1000rr for track use.

 

Yeah i think for the towing you doing and being pretty flat D is fine.

oh nice. i raced and still have my ’08 CRF150R all stock 4 stroke. only thing i did was number plates. i do just have a white blank front now, i posted it for sail last year, but keep getting really low balled. found a newer track may go play around at some this summer.

 

I'm not sure I can ever sell any of my bikes, they're way too fun. Thinking of getting a third one that I can actually ride on the street.

If you're selling yours there's a few forums that are dirt bike specific that you might try. Possibly get better offers since its mostly riders. Hate those low ballers...

 

ya. i just don’t get to go ride ever really. get a super moto. like a WR450 or something. thats kinda what i want for street. plus i think i’d feel safe on it over like an R6 since i’m so use to dirt bikes, and WHEN i crash less stuff on it to break. I think i’d like to take it on the tail of the dragon more than a R6 as well. lights more nimble, and mostly for my first street legal bike i think it would be good to be as comfortable as i can and know the handling the best i can.


may look into that.

 

Im not much for the super moto bike, i feel more comfortable on liter bikes (specifically the CBR) or im thinking a Super Duke 1290R.

 

That wedge face trailer is a bonus. I just went yesterday from Nevada back to Colorado. 700 miles in 12 1/2 hours with this Kodiak 166E which is a slant face travel trailer, 3150 dry weight, maybe 3500 yesterday, plus my tools and other gear in the bed.

One thing I noticed that I haven't before (note that I have the manual, not auto), is trying to hold 75mph on I-15 and I-70 the gas mileage was 8 MPG.

There's a stretch from Salina, UT to Green River, UT of 125 miles, I tried to hold 75mph on that stretch and I had to keep it floored for the whole thing. Third gear, 4th gear, 5th gear didn't matter, I had to keep it floored to hold 75mph. 8 mpg.

I fueled up in Green River, UT, then there's a stretch of 125 miles into Grand Junction, CO on I-70. Instead of trying to do 75mph, I kicked it down to 65-70mph and went from floored to half-throttle in all the gears.

Fuel mileage went up to 14 mpg. Interesting how that 5-10 mph makes such a difference. I have to figure it's all about wind resistance. The terrain was much the same, some flats, some climbs, some downhills.

Wind resistance near as I can figure goes up exponentially as speed increases. All I know is there was a huge difference going from 65-70 to 75mph.

And the truck handled well hauling that trailer with just a straight hitch, dumped the Equalizer WDH a couple months ago, that thing was useless.

Climbing and descending Vail Pass and Eisenhower Pass on those shitty winter roads in Colorado, rutted, grooved, potholed, competing with 18-wheelers and knucklehead skiers trying to get back into Denver fast, the truck/trailer did very well.

I had to drop it down into 2nd gear to hold 50 mph on the steepest grades and the motor was screaming at 4700-5000 rpm but that was only for short stretches.

Anyway, that's my review . . . . .

 

@Monkeyface.... 8 MPG? ouch!!

I am guessing with the trailer im getting more around 15 mpg (guesstimating). Ive had my Taco for 3 months and so far im happy with everything except the towing part. May have to consider upgrading to an F150 if i have any more struggles or if i have to more (weight wise). If only the gas mileage was better....

 

Well, keep in mind the trailer I'm hauling is that wedge faced thing that hangs out a foot on either side of the truck and four feet over the shell on the truck. Lot's of wind resistance there. The trailer really dwarfs the truck when you look at it hooked up.

What surprised me was how hard it was to hold 75mph, but sustaining 65-70 was half-throttle compared to floored to sustain 75mph. You wouldn't think that 5-10 mph would make such a difference but it does with this particular trailer.

There's some complicated formula to calculate wind drag, I can't figure it out but I'm sure the faster you go the drag goes up exponentially, it's not linear.

Overall, moderate speeds, moderate hauling, it's not bad. I'd sure like to have a better hauler but then you run into the size of the truck is too big for some offroading (in my case). There's some roads I go on no way a F150 even gets through. Too wide.