towing with 4 banger

hello,
i have towed with full size trucks quite a bit in my day, i was wondering if a 4cl sr5 5 speed 4x4 can handle 4500lbs on a short trip (30-45 min. combanation city/highway) ?
i was looking to tow this kind of weight a few times a year.

thanks

 

Your clutch will hate you

 

I don't believe your GVWR is high enough to handle that kind of weight legally. It may actually be physically able to tow it, but your clutch will not last long with that kind of weight and it won't be a whole lot of fun towing a 4,500 lb trailer with a 3,700 lb truck.

 

i would of thought that with a brake controller a 4cyl could handle a 1000lbs over towing capacity once in a blue moon.
i also assumed that a trucks weight has no relation to how much it can tow, i have towed 12000+ lbs with a 6000lbs truck.
could someone please clarify.

 

It's rated to 3500 lbs, so obviously it isn't recommended that you exceed that. I would say that 4500 lbs would be quite a lot for a 4 banger to pull. On flat ground, I'm sure you could get it moving pretty easily...but if you had to start on a hill, or accelerate up a long hill, I think it would struggle.

 

I say do it, provided you don't have bigger than stock tires.

 

i see no hills on my horizon for at least a few hundread miles and i'm towing just around town. as i mentioned above this will only happen a few times a year.
being new to the forum, i would like to thank you for the speedy answers.
but if possible, if anyone else has any input it would be welcome.

 

He said 4x4, so it will have the 4.10 gears. That with a 5 speed would be enough to pull that weight. Just make sure to have a proper hitch. I would hate to see someone try to bumper pull 4500 lbs with the crappy stock bumper. I put on the V6 towing package hitch, and I can tow plenty. I may not get it going particularly fast, but I'm not towing to win races. Brakes are the same as the V6 tacomas, so you can certainly stop.

 

the truck is a 2010 sr5, 4x4, access cab, 5 speed, 4cyl, with 6 lugs.
the hitch is a 5000lbs with a 500lbs tounge
the trailer has brakes and im installing a brake controller.
as i mentioned i'm not new to towing, but i'm new to the truck.......
cheers,

 

The brake controller has nothing to do with towing capacity. Stopping the trailer in a straight line is a small piece of the puzzle. With a manual transmission, the clutch will take a beating towing that heavy of a load, not to mention what the truck's suspension will tolerate.

The truck weight speaks to how well it holds the road with a trailer and the trailer's ability to push the truck around. The heavier the tow vehicle, the better it will handle a heavier trailer.

Remember, just cause you can doesn't always mean you should. Great quote from someone else on here...

 

when speaking to people that tow on a regular basis, they seem to always mention that the braking is an equal part of the "puzzle".

again, i don't think that the truck weight has as much to do with handling trailer weight as does properly equipping the vehicle and trailer for any given load. also i would think that the "pushing" effect would be eliminated with the aforementioned trailer brakes and brake controller.

sorry, i'm new to this type of truck and i was looking for hands on experience with the vehicle when it comes to towing. i'm aware of the manufacturers limits, but it's always good to hear from people that have ventured beyond those boundaries and lived to tell about it......................

 

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/towing/27460-show-us-what-you-tow-3.html

Theres a regular cab with some heavy trailers pictured. That whole thread is full of towing reviews also if you want to scroll around. Hopefully that thread will help out.

 

thanks for the info and the link.

 

If you are towing a 4500lb trailer with a truck that is rated for 3500lb max and you get in an accident, no matter who's fault, you could be facing some serious legal problems, possibly even criminal charges if someone gets seriously hurt. People do a lot of stupid things out there way beyond your control. For an occasional tow, a couple times a year, you may be better off renting a heavier truck. Just a thought.

 

Some of the info you seek concerns braking , weight transfer braking /accelerating.

Towing 1k over with a brake box set up to properly to the load you might never have a problem on flat ground, still not worth doing heres why . My truck is the regcab at 3600 lbs , its reasonably short, crosswinds moving the trailer can make them squirrely. Another aspect is braking , more weight will transfer onto the front axle on a shorter truck than a longer one (keep in mind weight distribution hitches will lower that amount) .

My view is going up hill , its not set up cooling or clutchwise for that load , downhill the stability and braking come into question. You may get away with it and do well, but consider the accident that might happen , and how it affects others around you at freeway speed ( it probably wont happen at 30 mph straight) , you have the accident , they will investigate and find you were over weight and be blamed , and if im not mistaken your insurance has some say in denying you coverage for that.

That said , i think the 4 cyl could do it , and i'm to blame if anything happens , so i wont. In the end , i suspect a post in a year or 2 concerning either worn springs/shocks or sag, bad brakes from the stop n go in the city , or best replacement clutch for the truck. BTW,if its a trailer/boxy toy hauler ,itll cause a lot of drag at freeway speeds.

 

I'd say maybe if it was just like across town... I wouldn't take it on the highway. You'd be best off befriending a guy with a half ton or bigger

 

...what MowTaco said lol. I had a 3/4 chevy , sold it for the Tacoma. I use my dad's expedition to tow , 4x a year at best.

 

Based on my experiences towing overweight loads (very infrequently, and relatively short distances) with an F-100 I used to own (admittedly it was not set up for towing anything heavy, had low ratio rear end made for mileage rather than heavy hauling) I recommend against it, having to get moving up the smallest of inclines it really put a strain on the clutch, and the entire truck also. Truck didn't let me down, but it was obvious that it was serious abuse.

 

I hauled/towed ~3,700 lbs (total combined bed + trailer weight) with my 4-banger 4x4 5-spd over 700 miles without any problems. However, I wouldn't recommend going up to 4500 due to the manufacturer's suggested spec. The chassis can handle the load because the V6 can handle up to 6500, but you have to consider that the 4-banger's axles may not be as strong, brakes, suspension, etc. Like the other posters said, it is not only about the trailer's brakes. Also, a heavy trailer's sway could make your lighter truck unstable, that and stopping ability is one of the reasons there is a GVWR. The manufacturer has a spec for a reason.

It's your call...your truck can probably handle it, but like the others said, you run the risk of a lawsuit if you cause an accident.

 

I know the limit on a v6 is 3500lbs w/o the towing package... I can't imagine a 4-banger hauling any more than that.... I would not do it. Those ratings exist for a reason.