Sick feeling about a trailer I just bought

[Taneycoma]

Reading an earlier post and resulting advice about the guy with the 6,000 lb. travel trailer has me worried. I just bought a trailer with a dry weight of approx. 4700 lbs. I have an 05, double cab SR5 with an aftermarket tow package installed (by the dealer, but subbed out to a trailer shop). It has a tranny cooler and the 7-round wiring plug. But now I realize that instead of the 6500 capacity I had in my mind, do I only have 5000 because of the aftermarket (not factory) tow package?

I haven't picked up the trailer yet but have plans to do so in a couple weeks. Am I gonna have to put this trailer up for sale as soon as I get it home? Will I be able to even get it home?

Would a weight-distribution hitch help? Or am I asking for a miserable towing experience even with a WD hitch, brake controller and all that? I know when loaded up for a camping trip, we'd have at least 5800 pounds behind us.

[FoxySandChick]

What did the dealer say would be your towing capacity? I think the factory tow package has tranny and oil coolers?

Weight distribution hitch would help, but you might need to upgrade the rear suspension with something like airbags or add a leaf. Absolutely add a brake controller.
Did you buy the trailer from a dealer, they should have asked you what you would be towing it with.

But....are you absolutely sure about what your loaded weight will be?? A lot of people underestimate the weight of their cargo. I'm assuming the trailer has holding tanks and propane tanks? Water weighs 8.3lbs per gallon, propane is 4.2lbs per gallon. Weight adds up quickly when you are loading a trailer, so be very careful.

Good luck and be safe.

[Taneycoma]

Thanks, Foxy. I have a feeling I'm SOL, but I will probably test it out and see how bad it is. I appreciate your input.

[Isthatahemi]

Put a proper size transmission cooler, and definitly don't use overdrive. Use synthetic in the engine. You should be fine....Why do you anticipate problems?

[fletch aka]

Some good reading here.
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/tow...ing-bible.html

[coma09]

Weight distribution hitch, with anti-sway is a must. It will take a lot of tongue weight off your frame.
Brake controller is a must.
Truck will pull it working hard, but hills are going to be lower gears, and fuel economy will be poor. As the previous poster mentioned there's a loaded weight, and unloaded weight. With fresh water and grey water tanks full .. battery, propane, camping gear ...
I'm looking at a 19' travel trailer 3500 lbs unloaded. Had to sacrifice a bit, to make the load towable.

2500 pound boat & trailer was easy towing this summer. Brakes handled it, but were a wee bit stressed.
Hills were fine, but no overdive. Had it in 3rd a lot.

[silverback07]

well I have a 23' TT with a dry weight of 4500 lbs.. loaded its over 5k. It pulled "ok" with a stock truck (with firestone airbags, weight distro hitch, sway controller and a Prodigy brake controller). BUT its the limit I'd tow with a stock rig. I hated towing it. A big semi passes you, hang on white knuckled.

I guess it depends on the aerodynamics of the trailer you are buying. My 2007 Jayco23FB is shaped like a turd.... wait, it's not that aerodynamic. Its a brick. Crosswinds kill me, semis kill me. Even towing it with our 08 V8 4Runner, which has PLENTY of power, its not a pleasant experience. A mid-sized rig is not meant to tow a big 5000 lbs+ trailer... people have done it, I've tried it... its not worth it. IMO the aerodynamics of the trailer will play a huge part, get something slick.

[buffalo tacoma]

great thats the same trailer im getting soon jayco 23fb. Not looking forward to towing it now thanks silverback..lol.

[silverback07]

Originally Posted by buffalo tacoma

great thats the same trailer im getting soon jayco 23fb. Not looking forward to towing it now thanks silverback..lol.

Sorry man.. I'll sell you mine. FWIW, its an awesome trailer! I love the floorplan, I really like using it. I just hate getting it there.

[Taneycoma]

Thanks all for the follow-up input. But I'm happy to say it went much better than expected. The TT had the W/D hitch w/anti-sway control already on it, and like I said, I already had a tranny cooler. I got a Prodigy brake controller installed beforehand. Drove from KC to near OKC, nearly 4 hours, in pretty serious wind, so I was deeply concerned about the ride home. I don't know if the wind died down, or if it was simply a change in direction, but it was smooth sailing. From midnight to 3:45 a.m., the only guys on the road were semis, but I gotta tell you, they weren't that big a deal at all. Definitely had to stay on your toes, but things were easy to control. Now, I understand it was dry weight, although the fresh water tank was 2/3 full. But I towed it to our storage site with an additional few hundred pounds, and it almost seemed easier. Granted, I averaged only 10 mpg for the trip, but I can live with that. I will probably add a spring for safety's sake, and to cut down on the mild porpoising I experienced on uneven highway. This is primarily a camper for short trips. I may wait for a bigger truck before I take it across the Rockies, but I'm pleased with how it turned out.

[FoxySandChick]

Glad it went well and with no problems, post up some pics when you have it all hooked up.

[j4x4ar3]

Sorry a bit late to the thread but I would double check the type of hitch that was installed on the truck. A class III hitch which is what is put on by aftermarket suppliers only has a rating for 5000# max with a 500# tongue rating max. Be sure that the Class III hitch that was installed also is rated for use with a weight distribution hitch because not all of them are. The factory Toyota hitch that comes with the factory tow package is a class IV hitch and mounts in multiple places under the bed and directly to the frame. Aftermarket Class III hitches do not have as many mounting points.

As for tranny cooler and stuff doesn't matter if you have factory or aftermarket. Your biggest concern would be overloading the hitch. Just be sure to properly load your trailer and not be too heavy on the tongue (or to lite) and keep it slow. I've personally posted several times here and on RV.NET regarding my setup. 26' KZ JAG with a dry weight of 4300# and a loaded weight around 5200#. It's been a decent setup for me the past few years but as others have also posted about there are some downfalls running that close to your maximums. Don't expect to load anything in the bed of the truck because passengers and trailer tongue weight will eat up your payload capacity and push you to the limits of GVWR of the truck. You can NOT increase payload or GVWR of your truck in any way even with use of AAL's or air bags. You can only help stabilize the load you do have. My trips currently are within a couple hundred miles of home max and I'm personally looking into purchasing a Tundra or F250 to make things a bit more comfortable for longer trips. Headwinds will be a bi*ch and you'll suck gas. Carry a 5 gallon can of gas with you for longer trips. You won't regret it.

Good luck and happy camping.

PS.. went back and read your update. The bouce you experienced on your trip is due to an improperly adjusted weight distritution hitch. Load your trailer up and drop one more link in the chain then you think it needs to level things up. You'll find that with the Tacoma you need the setup to be a little stiffer than normal due to the soft rear springs. I have a roadmaster spring setup on mine which helped a lot as well. Expect that fully loaded you'll add an average of 1000# more weight to the trailer from dry... that's sorta the magic number that people use.

[WV_Tacoma]

Are you saying EVEN with the sway control the semi's are pulling your around?????

2005 V6 and I tow 5k travel trailer, 1000+ miles hauls often.........I was going to get a Equalizer or Equivalent hitch...Hoping this would solve my semi pull problem......

I like my Taco but they are not meant for heavy hauling and distance that I am doing..I work out of my Travel trailer on different locations US wide....