Putting towing package on Tacoma without one....?

Guys I have an 03 Tacoma TRD 4wheel drive, no tow package, I want to tow a trailer aluminum tandem axle torsion suspension. I am planning on installing tow package , hitch 5000lb brake controller wiring harness yada yada... at u-haul $460 all installed. Plus a tranny cooler from rock auto.

Question: should I be fine dong this?

Anyone done it?

 

Yeah. How much does your trailer weight? I thinking the towing capacity on the 1st gen v6 is something like 5,000 pounds.

You even have the brake controller and auto trans cooler. You're all set. Some people don't even bother with trailer brakes when towing but you're smart in installing one.

 

Curb weight is gong to be about 1400lbs.

 

Curb weight is gong to be about 1400lbs. GVWR on trailer is 7000#.

Not sure how to interpret what in the book below...do they mean because because it's not originally equipped with a tow package that even if I install one I can't tow more than 3500#s?

 

You will be perfectly fine with the mods that you plan.

I have an 01 - V6 auto with the towing package, but no trailer brake controller (yet). I tell you what, towing a little 5x8' enclosed u-haul with about 600-700 pounds in it was all I would ever want to tow and try-to-stop without trailer brakes!! You really have to be about your wits and plan your stops!
I will be adding a brake controller to mine ASAP.

 

3,500 Pound Weight Limit for the 2.4l/2.7l Inline 4 engines. 6,000 Pound Weight Limit for the v6. At least that's what my 1998 manual says.

All the tow package was is the 4 pin trailer wiring, the tow hitch, a transmission cooler, and a differently pitched radiator fan to pull more air in. You should be fine with a 1,500 pound Trailer. I've seen people tow almost 6,500+ pounds with these trucks (I mean, it'll work but the truck won't like it)

The v6 will obviously tow more than 3,500 without the tow package, Toyota just has to conform to safety standard so they say that's the limit.

 

Just keep in mind that most smaller trailers don't have brakes anyway so just adding the controller won't do any good.

 

Yup been there, most important is to have a brake controller and of course the trailer has brakes and possibly I got a set of add a leaf springs because I had a lot of weight on the tongue.
This is what mine looks like with probably 200 or 300 pounds tongue weight loaded and weight with trailer is probably 2500-3000 pounds here

 

Oh, of course! Guess I shoulda stated that ;-) The brake controller you install in your truck ONLY WORKS if you have brakes on the trailer that you want to control!

 

Yes this trailer has all four wheels with electric brakes, the install at uhaul comes with 4 pin so they need to add a 7 pin adapter...this is there price quote and parts. I think it's a good price based on the fact I spoke too two different garages and one quoted about a $1000 and the other closer to $800 .

The tranny cooler will cost me about $200 installed.

 

FYI, The tow package fan clutch is painted green (the hub area) and you might want to replace the stock fan clutch
with the optional tow package fan clutch,

 

Mine is orange because it doesn't have tow package...

 

Well I'm sure that will work but if your running the trailer in hot weather or up big hills I would swap it out, I have a green one, never had a heating issue
I think they are 125.00 or so and easy to do

 

Read through here if u want
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/no-tow-prep-pkg-no-trans-cooler.507230/

 

Yes the book states that if it is green your truck is already equipped with a tow package..

 

It's not that hard to put on the tow hitch yourself. Takes like 10 minutes - $75 is a lot for just tow hitch labor.

 

Just remember, the four to 7 way adapter will adapt the light wiring but not the trailer brake wiring. You still have no trailer brakes.

 

^ this, unless they plan on doing the wiring for you.

I would honestly do everything yourself and save money. you will also know more about the truck when you're done and if anything goes wrong you can troubleshoot easier.

plus those prices are kind of high for the hitch (you can get one for less than $120 online) and U-Haul uses cheaper crap that's resold.

I wired my own 7-pin plug, not hard to do when you have a diagram to follow.



also I'm pretty sure the "tow package" on 1st Gens never included a trans cooler anyway or larger alternator, just the dedicated 4-wire (rand from inside the cab) and hitch. They figured you weren't going to be hauling anything but fishing boats

 

It’s really not that hard to do the wiring yourself. You can get the harness thet plugs into your tail lights (plug and playj, and then just run a wire from the battery to the back for the brakes and power. I have brake controller, and the hardest part was mounting where I wanted to mount it (in place of the ash tray).

Also, a tranny cooler it extremely important to get if you have an auto tranny. Also super easy to install.

 

This has been discussed before, and iirc, the conclusion is that a bona fide tow package for a 1st gen is a unicorn. They are rumored to exist, but Ive never seen one. You were lucky to get one with a hitch.

That said, it would still be cheaper to i stall yourself, than have the $1000 “tow package” option from the factory.