I'm freaking out about a trailer I bought!!! Thoughts/comfort on towing please lol

Lots of bad information here. OP, please check out the towing forum. There is a good 'towing bible' sticky and a 'show us what you tow' sticky that will be helpful for you.

 

Sorry I misread. Thought he was adding 4,000lbs to a 1500lbs trailer.


My point, its all personal comfort level. I would NOT use a Tacoma for regular heavy towing. Nothing wrong with that.

Driving cross country at 55mph with a tiny ass tank getting 7mpgs. You wanna do that, have at it.

My Tacoma is my personal DD (not sure what the OPs is). I’d rather have a seperate tow vehicle for that kind of use.

 

You guys are all awesome, I really appreciate all of your responses, I have towed and driven a lot but always well under the rated limits as I was in a Ford Powerstroke or even my old F-250 which has an inline 300 (tows like a diesel).

To clear up a few things:

Trailer has brakes on both axles.
I have a Hopkins Agility proportional brake controller.
I have the Torque app on my Android head unit which I think monitors trans temps.
The pictures I posted was just me coming home with it after buying the thing. I was using my three way hitch that I keep in the truck in the even somebody rear ends me so I wouldn't normally drive like that.
I won't be towing with much in the truck, I did add the bumper and the bed cover and there will be two people in it but not much else.
Normally when I travel I just do mellow days of 300 miles, maybe if I'm really dying to get someplace 400 but certainly not daily. My last two trips averaged out to 200 miles per day one trip and 85 miles a day the other.
The total weight of the trailer should come in around 4,500 pounds.

Last thing, what about the price on this, $4,000 seem fair? I noticed that @Simon's Mom seems to be sporting a Stealth trailer as well and a very of you mentioned having aluminum trailers.

 

I have been following this thread with some bemusement as in the early/mid-80s my father had a 35 ft Dutchmen (IIRC) travel trailer that weighed over 5500 lbs. dry. He hauled it from Cape Cod to Ocala FL each year for 4 or 5 years, and from Ocala to California/Washington State and back at least twice in that time.

His tow vehicle was a 1976 Mercury Marquis wagon with a 460 in³ V8 and a 3-speed C4 automatic tranny, engine/tranny coolers, equalizer hitch and e-brakes of course--it was itself some 5200+ lbs with the big motor. I drove the rig more than once, and though not my cup of tea (when traveling I'm more a motels and restaurants sort) it was as I remember a capable setup, and a not uncommon tow vehicle/trailer combo for the day.

In late '84 or so he replaced the Marquis with a full-size Wagoneer that had a 401 in³ V8 AMC bought from GM. It proved to be somewhat troublesome as compared to the Marquis; but AMC did that to just about the entire line of Jeeps...

 

@TucsonAZ, at 4,500 lbs you're fine weight wise and it sounds like you have all the other concerns addressed. As for the price, seems like a good deal if it's in decent condition.

 

When was the last time your transmission fluid was changed, if ever? If it's been awhile I'd certainly change it before doing any long trip towing, at least then you'd have clean fresh fluid you know is doing its job protecting the transmission. Same goes for the rear differential oil.

 

I paid $3200 this summer for my 2018 6x12 single axle with interior finished, some extras and recessed D rings from Scotts Recreation in Turner, Maine. It was supposed to be a 2017 but they made a mistake & honored the price. Stand up. Check out their website https://www.scottsrecreation.com/ I think your price is great seeing how you have upgraded wheels and Stealth is top of line. Mine is actually made by Mission. The factory is close to Scott's. No one can touch their prices locally where I live. It was worth driving 3.5 hours plus I got to see how it handled in the White Mountains (ok not the rockies but still not flat ) I hope this helps.

 

"...so the Tacoma felt small to me".

The Tacoma is a small truck.

 

I'm curious what you're planning to put in your trailer to add 3000 pounds!

As somebody said, regular trailer tires (ST) are rated for 65mph max and there are also no states with towing speed limits higher than that. If you stick to that you'll be just fine.

 

280-560 - Batteries (either a 5,750 watt battery bank or 11,500 watt)
150 - Chest freezer (58 pounds) with food
100 - Beds with frame and all bedding
350 - All water needs, pump, water heater, tank
300 - Propane tank, stove, sink, heater, shower, faucets, toaster oven, crock pot, and generator
350 - Roof rack and solar panels (x4), charge controller, charger converter
41 - AC Unit
200 - Inverters, camera, television, misc boxes, fuses, connections, counter top and so on
250 - Clothing and all personal items

2,021 pounds total or 2,301 with the larger battery bank.

I'm also figuring I'm going to add an easy 1,000 pounds in wood, flooring, personal items, tools, electric scooter, computer, and things like that. So I'm thinking I should stay under 5,000 pounds but unsure of by how much.

I'm also fairly certain you are incorrect about the max speed for towing, maybe you're confusing it with commercial vehicles or something. I've blown through many States at 80mph while towing even with cops right next to me. I do agree 60-65 is far more wise and will be what I end up doing as I'm getting old and got all day with no place to be anyway.

 

It seems like you've put a lot of thought into this. So, you're going to live off the grid in a 7'X14' trailer with no windows? Personally I would go stir crazy when it's pouring down rain and you have the generator running, the heater on, you're in a tiny metal box, and you can't see outside.

 

Keep in mind there's a HUGE difference between living in and living out of something. But yeah, windows cause a lot of issues I don't really need when I have skylights and a 7x7 porch that folds down on the nice days. Also, I'll have 1.3kw of solar on the roof and 5,000 plus watts of available power so I can do pretty much anything I need with that, the generator isn't a priority, I may skip it as it's only there for backup. The trailer is complete and total independence and freedom, no matter how busy or crowded an area, no matter if my truck breaks down, it allows me to go where I want and not stress about hotel prices or not having a place to sleep. Also, it allows me to drive away from rain, cold snaps, heat waves and so on.

It isn't for everybody, in fact it's actually well out of my comfort zone too but when you spend a couple months on the road the world makes a lot more sense! I keep remembering how that feels when I get scared or question what I'm doing. If it makes you feel any better, I'll have four cameras on the roof so I can see if somebody is creeping around me and a computer as well as wifi and so on for the boring days.

 

Do you have a build page yet? Or are you going to make one? I am interested in seeing how you will have everything set up.

 

I will set it up over at cheaprvliving and link it here but I'm not planning on having it done (or functional I should say) and being on the road till July 1st of this year.

 

Nice review of the new Goodyear trailer tires and tire life
http://tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=40&t=69596&p=1220557&hilit=tires#p1220557

You might check out the cargo trailer conversion threads, lot of good ideas
http://tnttt.com/viewforum.php?f=42

We've spent a month on the road in our TD but at a lot less weight - 1200 pounds. Only maxed the transmission temp once on a twisting climb from 2000 to 6900 feet. I'd get a scan gauge to monitor it.

 

The Tacoma is and always will feel like a small truck, especially when towing something that size. So long as you are in no rush and don't mind taking things slow and steady it'll take you where you want to go.

Anecdotally, this past summer we towed a 3,200 lb dry weight 20' travel trailer all over CO. It was my first time towing anything that size and was an uncomfortable experience. The Tacoma just doesn't have the power to muscle up the mountain passes any faster than 25 mph (being 10K+ feet above sea level and the corresponding power reduction doesn't help either), it would just sit there and chug away. Coming down the back side I found myself playing the game of downshifting and moderating brake usage, 1st gear kept things nice and tidy around 30 mph whereas 2nd gear was taking me a bit over 50 mph which was nerve wracking to pilot through the sharp twists and narrow roads in CO. Clearly we made it, but you'll quickly realize it's a much different experience than towing with a full size or diesel.

Replacing the OEM transmission cooler is a MUST. I was monitoring trans temps and cranking up the mountain passes I saw the temps touch 240, way hotter than I was comfortable with, but at some point you've gone too far to turn back. I have a Derale 5206 in my parts pile that I'll be adding shortly and doing a transmission fluid flush at the same time. Same goes for the diff fluid, that'll need some love sooner rather than later when towing under heavy loads.

We ended up selling the travel trailer and bought a 6x12 cargo trailer. It tips the scales at 1,300 lbs empty and I'm watching weight and hoping to add no more than 800 lbs building it up. A pretty lofty goal but I'm hoping the reduced size and lighter weight will make towing it a bit more of an enjoyable experience. Luckily out intent is to live out of it; plop it in an area, detach and explore for a while before moving along. That in itself should reduce some of the mental fatigue associated with lugging it around.

 

Yeah, you certainly have to be smart with things, make sure you're set up properly and well maintained. I spun a bearing on a trip and it welded to the spindle, lesson learned as I could have prevented that one easily. I guess I'll see how it goes this year and adjust accordingly if I'm not happy with it.

I would love to see your build progress and let me know if you need any ideas. 800 pounds is enough for a nice build if you're not adding solar and tons of things, my batteries and panels alone on this build will be the bulk of my weight at 500 pounds.

 

Also, hopefully this will make some feel better, I picked this up today for $150 and it's about as good as a weight distributing hitch is going to get.

 

my thoughts, as you have asked, is it will be too much weight. you're already trying to talk yourself into the fact that its not too much weight, it is. Your mpg's, they wont get better. Your truck, it wont get more powerful or heavier (without mods). It is what it is. how toyota came up with 6,500 lbs is beyond me. If there was a sticker that said realistic happy towing weight, it would probably max out at 3,500 loaded. even thats a stretch if traveling through mountains. Yes, people are going to bash and say they tow 5,000 lbs all the time. go for it. should have stayed with full size.

 

I have half a million miles (literally, not figuratively) towing with Tacomas. Simply put, they are less than ideal for towing anything of any real weight or size. I recently moved into a half ton full size and can't believe I resisted so long. My trailer is similar in size to yours, I tow sleds in the winter and 4 wheelers in the summer, trailer is not heavy, 2999lbs loaded. Mine is a Mission 7x12+5' V-nose and with the Tacoma the mileage was atrocious. It's also got the extra height option which really screws the mileage- it's like a sail back there. With the new truck I get 11-13mpg towing 70-75mph. And if there is weather like snow or rain, the Tacoma was downright scary. Not anymore.


And you know what the kicker is? I get better mileage even when I'm not towing than my Taco(s) did. I'm not here to shit talk Tacomas, they are fantastic vehicles, the best I have ever owned really. But no matter what anyone says on this forum, these trucks are not in any way a good choice for a regular tow vehicle.