Towing with 3rd Gen

I am still a prospective buyer. Next couple of months is my timeline and I am really starting to look now. The largest load I will ever pull will be my Casita trailer which weighs in 2500 lbs dry, so maybe I will maybe tow 3,000 lbs at the very most. I live in on the Wyoming/Colorado border so towing it to the mountains is where it'll be stressed the most.
The guys from TFL Truck are pretty accessible via YouTube comments and I asked Andre Smirnov how he think a 3rd gen would tow my camper across the Ike Gauntlet (which I drive over a couple of times a year) and he said it should be just fine. But like I said, 3,000 lbs + a couple of passengers + bikes is probably the heaviest duty a Tacoma of mine will see.

 

We have been looking into goin up there to see what the trails are like, its a couple of hours from us. We normally go to Taylor County Boondox when they are open. But have been looking at Durhamtown for a while now, as a weekend trip rather than a day trip. Hard to believe the park is that big tho, a whole day there and didnt see all of it.

 

I towed 3,000+ lbs from Denver to San Francisco via I-70 and my engine wasn't "screaming". If I stepped on the gas it would rev, but my cruising RPM's were nowhere near screaming, and I was going 55-75mph.

 

You've been calling yourself a 'prospective buyer' and asking the same question over and over for months!

 

Yep. This will be my first brand new vehicle. Not going to jump into something I don't like as I plan to keep my vehicle a minimum of 10 years. Lots of new mid-size offerings coming to the market soon as well.
Also, very few TW user tow reviews in so far.

 

I'm just saying that you've asked the same question over and over and keep getting the same answers!

 

lol @Sbpark callin'em like you see'em.

Man that is a good distance driving with that weight. At this point have you had any issues with your Tacoma, or things that concern you about the engine or trans that this one has in it?

So far I love mine, but then again I have had it for less than a week now.

 

Not really same answers. A few people have told me about their experiences towing light loads like snowmobiles, bikes etc. Nothing really in the way of towing a camper like mine for significant distances in the rockies. I am also curious how the manual tows similar loads. Still no real reviews on that either.

 

So far no real issues. I towed that load when there were just over 600 miles o the truck. Owner's Manual says you can tow once you reach 500 miles, and to keep it under 50mph until you reach 1,000 miles. I now have about 5,000 miles on the truck. I swore that my transmission was sort of downshifting hard form 2nd to first recently, but that problem is no longer apparent. I mentioned it when i took he truck n for it's 5k service, the dealer 'investigated' my concern and said everything was fine. I also have a 7yr/100k warranty so I'm not worried at all. I've also not experienced all the other issues that others are experiencing so far like the wind noise, wobbly hood, etc. I have a TRD Sport 4x4 and am very happy with it so far.

 

I've actually replied more than once to your concerns towing a trailer full of crap over the mountains. Just saying.

 

I'll be towing a 24' travel trailer ~5,000 lbs in a few weeks with a 4x4 Limited. I'll post the results when I get back.

 

I will be towing a 16' food trailer which should come in less than 5k pounds. I have installed the Timbren SES system to eliminate sagging in the back and will be using a weight distribution hitch. I'm not towing very far, 30 miles max at a time at relatively low speeds (less than 55 mph)and pretty flat too. I will report back with my findings.

 

You should also include the terrain and distance you're towing over. It's a lot different towing a load like that for 1,000+ miles at altitude and up and down mountain passes compared to an across town trip at sea level on flat ground!

 

Well thank you for your responses. You should add your tow review to the 3rd gen tow thread. =) https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/gen-3-towing-thread.413026/

 

What do you anticipate your tongue weight to be?

 

I reported my experience ad nauseum on this forum. No need to rehash it yet again.

 

About 650 lbs. I will be using a WD hitch and already have a P3 brake controller.

I will be towing in what's call the Texas Hill Country in central Texas. Not the rockies, but there will be enough ups and downs to give me an idea of how it handles grades each way. I'm renting this trailer to see how the taco does before buying one about this size.

 

Fair enough. Thanks anyway for letting me know how it towed. I do appreciate it.

 

Thank you for the quick reply! I am really hoping my set up will have a similar tongue weight but I'm thinking more like 700lbs. I also installed a p3. Do you have anything to eliminate rear end sag? Timbren/air bag?

 

If I post here then I will put a link in the other thread back here or vice-versa.