Towing 4,400lbs harmful?

my Tacoma has a max tow capacity rating of 6500 the Tacoma has the oil and teams cooler and class 3 receiver I have the v6 engine and had a electric brake controller installed...is towing a 26 ft. 4400 pound dry weight travel trailer harmful to truck? Is it safe will this destroy my truck or transmission?

 

No

 

And welcome to TW!

 

Tow in 4th and keep it at 63 mph max. Get some tow mirrors and weight distribution hitch. Happy camping.

 

No it isn't safe or no it won't destroy

 

I got the very nice weight distribution hitch with sway control it was expensive but it doesn't even drop my bed down..thanks everyone

 

Is the 4400 pounds actual by weighing it, or what the manufacturer "said"? Be careful with cargo you add, and I would suggest having it weighed fully loaded. Old rule of thumb was stay within 80% of your rating, so total 5000 pounds. Are you going to be traveling any serious hills/mountains? Trailer height will also influence how well it will tow (wind drag).

 

How far you towing, short distance would be ok, if your experienced. Long distance get a bigger truck.

 

Just short distance and 2 hours max and am trying to stay on flat road no hills the 4400 is unloaded so will probably take a second vehicle

 

OP you should be fine, granted my truck has a bit more (class 5 reciver, and a oil and extra engine cooler) i was told to keep 1,000 pounds lighter than the max (6500) so as long as you are not doing 100 mph or driving through mountains you will be perfectly fine.

 

Ok thanks someone mentioned earlier keep it around 60mph and never use od

 

Firestone RideRite air bags for the rear axle will help a lot with stability, more than just a weight distribution hitch alone can accomplish.

 

I also tow a 25'TT, weight 4400LB, I did add the Firestone Ride Rite Bags and that helps greatly, Like everyone else is saying, WD is a must, keep the total WT around 5000 - 5500LB and you will be fine, Drive safely and stay around 60MPH in 4th, I tow mine everywhere, I live in RI, and I travel to Canada, Maine, NC, NY, with no issues.

 

double check drive speed on freeways. here in California, there are some rules like speed limit is 55 ( I think) and you have to be on the slow lane. and plus other stupid CA laws

 

Anytime a vehicle has added weight to pull it wears on the transmission. So the answer is yes. The next question is how much wear and how fast? That question is impossible to answer because of variables in driving habits, outside temps, and terrain being driven over.

If you really want to do your vehicle a favor and give the transmission all the help it can get have a towing shift kit installed in the transmission and an added transmission heavy duty cooler with fan if possible and a transmission temperature gage.

The shift kit will make the shifting more positive, lower the slippage between shifts, and lesson the heat from normal shifting. The added cooler will keep the transmission in a range where it is safe and the gage will give you peace of mind so that you know you are not exceeding proper temperature. The biggest killer of an automatic is excessive heat.

Here is a chart showing temperature ranges. You should keep it at around 175 or a little lower.
http://www.txchange.com/heatchrt.htm

You are probably going to need some helper springs or some kind of system to beef up your suspension.

Also you should consider some kind of anti-sway system with that much weight.
This is just one of several on the market. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRoQ_yQZQwQ

 

I have never heard of this "shift Kit" for an automatic trans before...Curious

 

http://www.mistertransmission.com/what-are-shift-kits

 

I've towed my fathers 26ft 6000lb camper once. It was about a 1hr trip and I didn't feel comfortable at all. Towed in 4th and kept it around 60mph. I'd recommend scouting out gas stations along the way!

 

I agree with you on stopping at all gas stations...LOL. I only get about 10MPG when towing the TT...if i'm up in the mountains of Maine or NH, it's more like 8, Lucky for me my Taco is only used to tow the TT for the most part, it's not a daily driver