New trailer, tires too big, need adjustable hitch, towing 9mpg

One of my favorite movies of all time.

 

can't see the trailer axle/leaf springs in the photo.

It's possible a simple axle relocation would lower the trailer nicely, at $0. That might get you home easier.

If you need the ground clearance on the trailer, then raising the hitch position as others have suggested is your plan. And I'd do that before heading out again.

It's worth having a Scan Gauge to monitor those trans temps too.

While you'll do well to get double digit MPG, at least do it safely. For both you, those around you and the truck itself.

PS, I agree with others in an eventual hub change on the trailer, just to consolidate spares and parts. If in the end the wheels happen to match, so be it. But if they don't, at least they'll cross-fit.

PSS, for your tailgate.



BTDT. In a bygone era.

 

You know, I have the same trailer - Smittybilt Scout Trailer and when I picked it up at 4 Wheel Parts, I too had the RTT and awning and drove it home empty. I don't recall getting that bad of gas mileage. I was in the range of 11 to 14, depending on % of inclines. A lot of the flat roads I was able to hold 6th gear (manual transmission) with no problems and my trailer was dipping just as low. Even now when the trailer is loaded up, I can still hold 6th gear and still get around 11 to 14 MPG's.

 

She ain't gunna pull real good like dat son...

1) Car/truck tires on a trailer is kind of a no no. I know it's common with these off road trailers, but I wouldn't expect that thing to ever tow as well down the highway as a normal utility trailer of the same size/weight, for example. You are giving up some of that "towability" to have something that can hit the trails with you. 9mpg doesn't sound that far fetched to me honestly.

2) Yes the ball is just bolted on and you can flip it over, but it looks like your truck is sagging a bit with that trailer so you should probably just lift it. Then lift the trailer more, then lift the truck again.

3) Keep in mind if you are going to move the spare that you need most of the trailer's load in front of the axle otherwise that mofo will sway. I can't see the whole trailer in that pic or know what it all weighs, but that looks like a big heavy tire and it's pretty far forward. Just know there could be consequences from moving that much weight off the tongue.

 

I'd say 9mpg seems low since I get 10+ towing my TT with a dry weight of 4,500lbs at 65mph in the mountains (4,500ft and above)

 

I tend to get better mpg in the mounts 8-9K feet elevation than i do on the plains with it being windy. Going skiing i get usually 17-19 mpg. Plains i can get 10-12mpg

 

I'm glad you said that. I kept reading it in here and I thought it was odd. Does the owner's manual say anything about not towing in 5th? If so, I haven't read that part... and if it's going to hurt the truck, you'd think they'd include that. This is all I could find, and it only speaks to engine braking and charging system, not the transmission.

● To maintain engine braking efficiency and charging system perfor-
mance when using engine braking, do not use fifth gear (5-speed
manual transmission), sixth gear (6-speed manual transmission),
or do not put the transmission in D (automatic transmission).

 

Flip your hitch over and you are good too go.

 

How do you know when it is in 4th vs 4th lockup?

 

From the pic of the trailer and truck, flipping the draw bar isn't going to do much. Best bet is buying a new draw bar according to the instructions posted by Cali007

 

I think it does say "when towing put your selector in 4th" and thats just to cover their (toyota's) ass from someone who doesnt know what their truck is doing from overheating their transmission as quickly due to hunting between gears and lockup.

Trans temps will be identical in 4th lockup and 5th lockup regardless of load. Unlocked however, trans temps well go up much quicker in 5th vs 4th due to less mechanical advantage that 5th gear provides.

 

Lockup is subtle and can be missed completely or mislabeled as a shift to another gear if you dont know what you are looking at / for.


Figure out what lockup feels like first. To do so, go out to a deserted road, best with a constant hill to increase the load on the truck. Put your selector in 1st. Start moving, let her get to say 2k rpms, move the shifter to second, watch rpms drop as the trans shifts to 2nd, you are now in 2nd, let rpms rise again, then move selector to 3rd, watch rpms drop as the trans shifts to 3rd, you are now in 3rd. Again, let rpms rise then shift to 4th, watch rpms drop as the trans shifts to 4th, you are now in 4th.

Now pay close attention to rpms, once its in 4th after a bit, they will drop again, assuming load is not too great and speed is sufficient (speed will remain the same or increase) This drop in rpms while in the same gear is torque converter lockup. You can verify that you are in lockup by slowly rolling into the throttle and if rpms dont jump 200-400 rpms its locked up. You can continue to slowly roll into the throttle and it will pop out of lockup and rpms will rise, when you notice that, try shifting back down to 3rd to verify that you in fact did not downshift just simply unlocked the torque converter lockup clutch.

(the reason i have you start in 1st and move up, is so you know what a shift feels like, and you know exactly what gear you are in, FYI torque converter lockup WILL NOT occur in 1st-3rd, and only occurs in 4th and 5th above 32mph)

You can do the same procedure to feel lockup in 5th as well, and often times it might be easier to see the difference between 5th an 5th lockup due to the increased load on the motor and bigger difference in rpm change.

Once you know what you are looking for you can tell what your truck is in without even needing to look at rpms, its all feel.

 

We finally made it. Dropped to a lower speed and got 12.xx.

I think it was the winds in those plains, as someone mentioned. I guess wellw find out on the way back.

Picked up a 4" drop hitch with ball already reversed.

(For the record, I know the ball isn't welded on. Talked to my friend's dad about flipping the drop hitch and he mentioned that they are welded a certain way, integrity, etc to take weight a certain direction. Oh well)

 

If you flip the hitch, I would get one of these: https://www.amazon.com/Couple-Hitch-Aligner-Alignment-Trailer/dp/B0041T1RBW

If you don't, sooner or later you will nerf the tailgate. These things are really nice for solo towing in any case. Just remember to remove it before you tow!

 

You get a lot compliments on your trunk, eh I mean tailgate?

 

Also to tell the difference between 4th/5th gear lockup/unlock: if you have a scangauge or ultragauge, the temps of the pan and torque converter should be about the same if the converter is locked. If unlocked, the torque converter temp will rise rapidly above the pan temp.

 

4" drop hitch reversed solved the problem pretty well. Trucks suspension dropped only about an 1" maybe 1.5" in rear. I hadn't measured before with the other hitch though...

 

What was the fuel consumption like after you "fixed it?"

 

We're in Colorado for another few days so don't know. Just wanted to see how it looked before the 2k mile trek back home. We got as highhas 12.xx with it before though...

Tires say 46PSI, but 80 PSI max load cold. Should I pump the rear up to like 60 65 before we leave? I had them at 50-55 to account for cold weather (from FL to here CO).

 

That looks a lot better to me, though still slightly nose down. That could also just be the camera angle. FWIW, I crunched my fuel numbers for my road trip. Over four tanks of gas our low was 12.01 mpg and our high was 14.1 mpg. I towed in 4 almost the entire time, every time I tried D it felt like the transmission would start hunting and the truck felt very sluggish. The roads were, for the most part, not flat and it was fairly windy, though not great plains windy. 45mph is where the truck felt like it was doing best though 65 was doable, the RPMs were just a bit higher than I'm used to seeing.