The Tacoma Towing Bible

Does anybody have a wiring diagram for the factory plug in the truck?

 

Great write up, thanks. I am considering buying a 2020 taco with the "tow package" for "lightweight" towing-call it ~4,500 lbs max, loaded, out the door (probably will be lighter than that, trying to be liberal with my estimate). Let's assume everything is set-up correctly (per this post) on the truck/trailer.

What I think might be an issue is where I live and therefore the type of roads I'd be towing on-Colorado. I don't plan to tow a lot (maybe 10 times a year, max) but when I do I will face some damn steep inclines getting from Denver to the mountains-think going from ~5,000 feet of elevation to ~10k+, every time.

I would also be using the truck as a daily driver and ideally would like to get at least 8+ years out of it. Again, let's assume all the proper maintenance and care is done over the life of the truck and everything else remains constant.

Am I going to hate hauling up (and down) big hills with this truck? Am I going to potentially put too much wear and tear on the motor/tranny and not get as much life out of this truck as I hope to?

AKA has anyone towed with these bad boys in very hilly areas? I have no doubt it would be a breeze with mostly flat stuff, but I'll hardly ever be on flat roads getting to and fro.

I didn't read all 80 some pages of reponses, my apologies if this has been addressed elsewhere.

Thanks.

 

Granted mine is an '09 so not apples to apples but generally speaking, I think 4500 -5000 lbs is about all the tacoma should be expected to handle safely with a max rating of 6500lbs. So saying lightweight towing, well lightweight is a relative term. From my experience, towing 4000 lbs up 10% grade is a struggle and that's at 100-200ft above sea level. You will definately struggle at that elevation on steep inclines. Braking should be alright with the right brake controller. Also, depending upon you profile (is it a big box your towing or something smaller but dense?) - any side wind is gonna toss you around (tail wagging the dog situation). You did not mention distance that you will be towing 10x per year. That will be a factor also.

 

Thanks. Realized I left some stuff out after I posted.

Thinking pop up for sure, and going to buy one most appropriate for not having the big V8 and set it up “the right way”. 2500-3250 lbs is probably a more realistic weight.

Distance wise, prob 50-125 miles one way, per trip.

In a nutshell I feel like it’s doable with the correct set up but I don’t wanna beat the hell out of the truck-that’s what I’m worried about, and I realize that’s also a factor of how one drives..

 

Maybe you could rent one for a weekend to get a feel for it and go from there.

 

If you pulling a pop up at 3k lbs. You'll be fine. Just manual shift and take it relatively easy. I pull our Trailmanor (3500 lbs loaded plus family of 4 and gear) up to big bear every now and then, up the 38 over 8200 ft Onyx summit. No doubt the truck is working pretty hard up the steep grades but it does it without too much fuss. The again I have a 2nd gen 4.0L ??

 

Is there a general agreement in the group at this point on the best add-on transmission oil cooler? Hayden? Getting prepped for pulling our MicroMinnieWinnie on a long trip this summer- including "the big mountains". 2015 (Gen2) Taco with towing package. I read most of this thread last fall but haven't got caught up since then. Thanks!

 

Just bought a 20ft TT. I have a 2010 with towing package. Rear Leaf TSB. Weight Distribution Hitch adjusted properly. Here is the weight:
Dry/Unloaded Weight 2920 lbs
Gross Vehicle Weight 3900 lbs

Driving it home it towed it great. I'm just wondering if there is anything I need to know towing that weight. It did feel a little bouncy in the rear end over bumps but nothing too alarming. Is there something recommended to firm that up? Also should I just keep it in 4 rather than D? Planning on doing quite a few miles this summer so just want to make sure I have it dialed in.

 

Single axle trailer or dual axle? And what's the suspension on the trailer. Trailer setup can make just as much of a difference. Second gen keep in 4, third gen press ECT.

 

Single Axle. Unsure what the suspension is on the trailer. I will have to check. Ok 4th it is.

 

Like jpereira2 said. Stay in 4. Slow and steady wins the race. Here is my set up with my 11, 4 liter. Just have the stock tow pkg. Trailer is about 3800 lbs. dry.

 

Thanks. Here she is...

 

I have an '04 tacoma double cab with the v6 and an auto transmission. When I'm towing I lock out the od but today I was wondering if I could engage the od to split the lower gears. I tried it and it wouldn't engage. Does anyone know of hack that would enable that? It sure would be sweet to be able to split 2nd and 1st

 

New guy here...

I posted asking about this over on the new member section, but figured I might get more input on this thread.

Wondering if towing a 3000lb boat before completing break in period (read in manual) is a bad idea? Only towing a few miles though, first new vehicle so don't want to do anything harmful. Looking forward to how this truck handles the trailer... coming from silverado 2500

 

Well that answers all my possible questions. Thank you.

 

I wouldn't do it. Rent a truck, or borrow a friends. Most likely it would be absolutely fine, but that's a $38k gamble. I'm a nervous nelly, tho

 

I say go for it. It's 3,000lbs, that's not much at all for these trucks. Let it warm up, take it easy on the acceleration and pre-emptively shift to the gear for the acceleration you're going to be doing. Roll into that acceleration too, shouldn't be a problem.

 

Thank you for this amazing write up! I am gearing up to prep my truck for towing a trailer with brakes, my question is has anyone found another solution to the Activator III being it is discontinued now?

So far I found the Tow Pro Elite and Tekonsha Prodigy but both are high dollar and the Tekonsha is wireless (wouldn't trust it). EDIT - Found the Curt Spectrum Trailer Brake Control - Does anyone have any experience with this system? Looks really nice!

I need to check my trucks leaf springs, if mine didn't have the recall performed is that something that can still be done? 2015 2nd Gen w/ Factory installed tow package.