Another Towing Question

Hello all, new to the forum. My wife inherited a 2009 2.7L 4 cyl automatic withh72000 miles on it when her uncle died 2 months ago. We are camper shopping and found one we like, a 2014 Sportsmen 16 BHT. The truck which has no towing capabilities will be retrofitted with a dual cam sway control with the installation of the hitch, of course all the wiring, brake control etc along with a B&M brake controller.

Now the camper specs: Dry axle weight of 1970#, and GVWR of 2800# and length of 17 feet 2 inches. The truck, as you probably know, has a towing capacity of 3500#

Any opinions on this setup in terms of the truck's handling/performance. I am not currently planning on going too far from home yet (until I get more comfortable towing as I have never towed anything before) . I am not too concerned with gas mileage or even top speed as i will really be taking my time. But I also don't want to be doing 35 mph on the highway. I also don't want to put to much work load on the truck and cause damage.

I don't want to go thru with the purchase and all the truck work if this set up may be overdoing it.

Thanks in advance, I know there are lots of questions about this type of thing but wanted to give it a try with my circummstance.

Mike

 

2800 lbs is a lot for the 2.7l. I used to tow with my 2004 2.7l and even though my snowmobile trailer was about 2200 lbs it was about at the limit of what I considered comfortable. But in a pinch or short distances it's not horrible. You won't be doing 35mph on the highway but your foot may be slammed to the floor on the uphills.

 

Travel trailer not really, a small popup camper about 1500 lb is more realistic.

 

Ignore those guys who both own V6's and have no idea what they're talking about.

While I'm not advocating that you do it, I not-quite-regularly move loads approaching 10,000 pounds with my 4-cyl. While no speed daemon, it does the work without protest.
Mine is a 4x4, which means it has bigger wheels and brakes than a "5-lug", making it more suitable for bigger loads -- prerunner is the same way as a 4x4. I don't know if yours is a 4x4 or prerunner (4x4 without the 4x4) or 5-lug, but even the 5-lug is MORE than capable of pulling loads that are at its printed limit.

As far as "working" the truck too hard goes... don't even sweat it. You can work these trucks as hard as you like and they'll beg you for more.

So questions;
How many wheel nuts are on each wheel? Is it 5 or 6?
Is the transmission AUTOMATIC or MANUAL?
Does it have 4x4?

 

I owned a 2004 Tacoma SR5 with the 2.7 liter I4 and drove and towed with it for a quarter million miles before I sold it, so I think I'm pretty qualified to talk about it's capabilities realistically. I snowmobile more miles than most people drive in a year and tow one of my two snowmobile trailers thousands upon thousands of miles a season- sometimes thousands upon thousands of miles in a SINGLE MONTH. When it's not snowing I fish approximately 20-30 hours a week and tow one of my 3 boats ranging from 1500lbs to 4200lbs.

Just wanted to put that there so the OP can decide on his own which of the posters above is qualified to answer.

 

And that is NOT the same engine. No VVT, means peaky power curve that has to be wound out to make it go anywhere.

So like I said, OP... don't listen to these guys who have no idea what they're talking about.

 

I think the OP knows which guy to listen to and which to ignore...

 

And thus, it is time for you to leave before you make even more of a fool of yourself.

 

LOL, yep, foolishly playing with a troll who knows nothing about actually towing. Such is life.

 

Well, thanks to all of you so far. I didn't mean to spark such a spirited debate. It sounds like both of you at least think it can be done. Jethro marginally and tgear with no problem. I sincerely thank both of you. To answer tgear's questions it is an automatic, rear wheel drive, no 4X4, 5 lug. Now, I just have to learn to tow........

 

I owned a 1st gen 2.7 and now a 2015 2.7. I regularly tow a 6x10 Pace Cargo Sport trailer. Loaded with my telescope and camping gear it comes in at 2200 to 2300lbs. I find it tows much better with the new Tacoma. That said, with the frontal area of the trailer, it is all I would want to tow. I am quote comfortable with it the way it is. Any heavier, or larger surface area, and I wouldn't bother.

 

Right, ok since its a 5-lug automatic, I'd aim to not go too significantly over the towing limit (personally, I'd definitely try to keep it *WELL* under 5000# for a driver with a lot of trailer experience). It has higher gearing and smaller brakes than the 4x4/prerunner/6-lug configuration. But I wouldn't hesitate for a second to do what you are aiming to do with it, it will not have a problem with it. Just don't think that even a short stint of tripple the limit stamp is reasonable with it.

Now the thing that is going to be MOST working against you on that trailer, is going to be aerodynamics. NOT WEIGHT. And this would hit you *just* as bad if you had a 6-cyl. The simplest solution to bad aerodynamics, is just to drive a bit slower with it. Pace yourself at a sensible speed, don't be in a hurry, and don't freak out when some dipsh** with a BMW starts doing stupid crap behind you (i.e., weaving, honking, headlight blinking). The road is for everybody, not just him, and nobody has any right to complain about somebody moving at a *sensible* speed, even if it is UNDER the limit.

I do have one suggestion; unless you are *dead set* on that specific trailer, you might consider expanding your search parameters to pop-up campers. There are some really nice ones with hard walls that snap into place when the roof is raised. Popup campers will be MUCH easier and more fun to tow since they won't create nearly as much drag and have a lower center of gravity (better balance).

 

Do not ever tow over the rated GVWR of your truck, no matter what. It has nothing to do with the capabilities of the vehicle. If you are involved in an accident, even if it is of no fault of your own, if you are towing over your GVWR you risk nullification of your liability coverage. Not to mention violating Federal Law.

 

Go away.

 

Yeah, go away because I want to help the OP and you only want to give terrible, incorrect and illegal advice. Thank you for that.

 

Too bad you seem unable to read. Or is it unwilling?

 

I read just fine thank you.

 

I own the same truck, 2.7 auto, 2x, 5 lug. I tow a small boat maybe 2000 lbs. Our trucks are rated at 3500 and I won't tow over and then I wouldn't tow far or fast.
Yes you can tow short distances at 3500 and over but it's a risk I won't take.
My experience is much closer to jethro's, tgear reads like a tool and good luck if you follow his advise.
Quite frankly stopping power leaves a LOT to be desired.

 

Another who can't read. Where did I say to go over?
All I said is that *I* go over and that it shouldn't be attempted without *extensive experience*. Clearly OP is neither *ME*, nor extensively experienced.

My recommendation to OP was not to worry about anything UP TO the label.

It also goes without saying, since you bring up stopping power, that you should be using trailer brakes once the trailer load is heavy enough to require it (look in your owner's manual and local laws).

So screw you for being illiterate.

 

12 Tacoma 4x4, 2.7 auto with LCE header and tow 20' fishing boat on a tandem axle trailer. Weight is around 4,000 lbs and it tows at highway speeds no issue. With the auto I did install a OEM tranny cooler.