Show us what you tow.

got a new camper over the holidays, this involved a 3800 mile marathon in our Tacoma.


2015 Escape 21.

its 21' hitch to bumper, the box is 7' wide, and 17' long. dry weight is 3200 lbs, full tank of water+propane is 3800 lbs, GWR 4600 lbs. We towed it from Dallas to Santa Cruz over 3 days, all kinda head winds, empty roads going 75, up steep mountains in 3rd going 50, heavy traffic with crosswinds and massive truck traffic going 65-70, etcetc. estimated weight: 4000 lbs (full water tank at start, and some food and clothes and blankets). no anti-sway bar, no WDH, and it was OK. My taco has real bilsteins (not TRD stock), and airbags (set to 30 psi but after I get a drop hitch sorted, I want to try 40 psi). it was a /bit/ pitchy on really nasty roads, especially at low speed, but was fine underweight, and I couldn't make it sway if I tried.

gas mileage since Friday morning ranged from 9.6 MPG to 12.9MPG. mostly was around 11 mpg. I have a 6-speed, not a slush-box, and my taco only has 32000---err---36000 miles on it, hahahaha.

 

5:50am yesterday morning, somewhere in Arizona on I40:

 

"Does this angle make my ass look fat?"

 

I love these live updates lol

 

I think the Andersen WDH system is a joke. They show no rating for the sway torque that is given from their special ball. You will not be able to use your weight ball. They also show no other way but counting threads to adjust the tension on the chains. Seems like an expensive joke to me

 

That's some fast towing! I bet the shape makes it cut through the wind like a dream. I'd kill for that low drag.

You spoke of 50mph on third. Are you monitoring your transmission temps?

 

stick shift. what temps? ;-p

 

Relocation trip, Yosemite to Zion, starts now! (Yes, it’s 1130 at night. I love night driving!)

 

@ferg79 I see you all the time. I live in murphy

 

Hello to LeftCoastnerd if you would not mind sharing could you provide details on brand and info on your choice for airbags.

 

For anyone looking at doing a tactical trailer/RTT build, there are some to choose from on here:

http://www.govplanet.com/jsp/s/auction.ips?msg=25511&kwtag=auctioncarousel

Auction opens on January 10th, I believe.

 

heh my kid has an M989A1, but you wouldn't want to try and pull it with a Tacoma :-O he pulls it with a 5 ton 6x6. REALLY hard to back up with a pintle hitch trailer thats hitch-steered... like, virtually impossible.

re: those military generators, the bigass 60KVA ones like this
https://photos.app.goo.gl/p9CaFrSV8miOFw8O2
are monster loud smokers, really annoying.

the 30kVA compact 'quiet tactical generators' are awesome, like this, sitting on the m989a1...
https://photos.app.goo.gl/2gcxsVR6cQu4RETq1

 

Both vehicles are loaded to the brim with shit. Moved back home to Oregon from Texas.

 

I agree as far as sway control, but I'm no pro. I suppose the more tongue weight the more sway control you get with Anderson. It was rated high along with Equalizer, Fastway and a few from Husky. I'm not going to drill in the frame, especially if I'm going to use it only once every few years. So, I think one of these four will work in regards to sway control. Appreciate the feedback!

 

My current project...family firewood trailer I pulled out of the weeds when I noticed...
...this.

 

What happens when you tow a huge, empty trailer? Things gonna get pushed by the wind and tongue is going to be light. Then no sway control

 

firestone riderite, whatever PN kit they offer for gen2 tacomas. right now, I'm using my 12V compressor to manually inflate them, but the pressure is really touchy to get right due to the small volume, so am considering the automatic system.

 

Do I need sway control with an empty trailer? My trailer will weigh approximately 2k lbs empty. Definitely want to be safe.

 

I use a small bicycle pump like you clip to the bike frame. Gives me about 1psi per pump.

 

tendancy to sway has to do with the ratio of tongue weight to trailer total weight, its profile in the wind, and your tow vehicle. I've pulled 3500-4500 lb trailers in a wide range of conditions with my tacoma and never felt a hint of sway. prior to installing airbags on my truck, however, it did have a tendency to 'porpoise' or pitch up and down.