Heavy towing with TRD Offroad

I tow a 3500lb camper, and a 3k lb rated 6x12 enclosed trailer pretty regularly. Both are tall, and add a ton of wind resistance. I have an MT (which I would recommend if towing regularly) which helps, but you really have to rev it to get into the torque curve. I'll second the fuel tank size being the #1 issue. Second is payload. By the time you fill up the bed with gear, the cab with people, and hook up the trailer, you're way over GVWR. If I'd have known I'd tow this much, I'd have bought a half ton.

Things I'd recommend for frequent towing:
1. brake controller
2. mirrors
3. weight distributing hitch
4. AAL for regular heavy payload

 

I tow my rpod travel trailer. It’s 3k dry. About 3500lbs loaded up. I have a WD hitch and Airbags and it tows pretty well. I try to pack as light as possible and keep most of the weight in the trailer and out of the truck. I havnt pulled the trailer since my 5.29’s were installed but I’m eager to see how it pulls now. It’ll pull 4K but it will deff spin up some rpms

 

So....in summary.....nobody thinks it's a good idea, and the overwhelming opinion is that you get a larger truck, but you don't prefer the Tundra in that space.


So what are you thinking now?

 

... the new Ram 1500s with Etorque look pretty awesome. That's where I'd put my money!

 

Not sure where all of this is coming from. My Tacoma is exclusively a work truck and it tows near the maximum regularly. Mind you I have added two more leaf springs per side to help with tongue load and to be more stable. Other than that the tacoma tows just fine and I expect it will for years to come. Also my truck has less HP than your Gen3 trucks and it doesn't struggle.

 

Hey OP, you said you won't be going with Toyota if you go full size. You need a full size for sure so get a Silverado or F150. I wouldn't try towing 5000lb with the Tacoma regularly, you will be much more comfortable in a full size.

That said, if you want a V8 that will last longer than you buy a Tundra. The new 2020's are really nice. The ecoboost Ford offers is known for taking a shit after 100k miles and I have driven a lot of Fords- after 5 years they start rattling like cans and the lack of build quality shows. Not going to happen in a Toyota, the Tundra will be a tank for 20 years. You can see what a few year old Tundra is gonig for (pretty much same price as new) vs a Chevy or Ford that depreciates like a MFer

 

Jack up the radiator cap and slide a Tundra underneath.

 

In your situation...I would go full size truck...no question.

 

ecobooost

 

I would buy Ford, RAM, or GM before a full size Toyota. There is a reason the Big 3 outsell the Tundra by more than 2:1 for the Sierra and over 8:1 for the F150. I've also driven a lot of Fords and GMs. Up until a month ago, I've only owned domestics. Not sure what rattle can Fords you've seen but they are few and far between. That statement about the Ecoboost motors is completely false.

 

I will at no point go Ford. I know people love them but I have seen troubles from every person I know with one, mostly with the radio and stuff losing all software. If I go full size it will be chevy/gmc. I usually tow a 6x12 vnose with a couple of race bikes, spares, all the like. However, sometimes I have to throw in the big Mac toolbox which I don't even want to guess the weight of that. That is where the higher number comes from. I won't be towing to often which is why I prefer to go a little smaller for the 90% of the time commuting thing. I managed to do a move in basically one trip with the 2500, trying to slim down to get to that point with a smaller vehicle.

Edit:I finally found the right weight numbers on my trailer and it is lighter than originally thought so that def helps. When I posted this I wasn't home and got numbers 700lbs heavier than it actually is.

 

The thing I really love about my Tacoma which is my DD, is the small size. It can get in and out anywhere quick. The gas mileage however won’t be much if any better daily driving than say a ram 1500 or Silverado. atleast from the numbers I’ve seen so far. But that comfortability getting in and out of places is very awesome. I’m sure it’s going to tow much better now with 5.29’s. It seemed to tow my setup with stock gears plus airbags and WD hitch quite well the few trips that I’ve done. again I was hauling probably about 3500~3700lbs plus 2 adults 2 kids.

I was very impressed what the wd hitch did in the windy coastal highway 1. I had plenty of maneuverability and steering control and felt like I was cruising along very quickly and safely. If you plan to re gear and keep it light and only use it as a TV every now and then it should work fine. But try and keep it as light as you can.

 

You're still in full size territory. We did many track days, riding home in comfort while tired and worn out is nice. I wouldn't want to white-knuckle it, that'll ruin what is supposed to be a fun trip.

 

I had a 6x12 enclosed that I would haul several bikes in, 170 rzr, always had a full tool set/box in it, etc. It probably was 5000-5500 most of the time and my Tacoma didn't have any issues at all towing it. Yes, my Tundra did way better with it, but I never hesitated towing it with the Tacoma. It was never a white knuckle ride, etc. Make sure your load is distributed correctly, add a controller, proper tires and you'll be just fine. Then for the other 90% of the time (I bet it's actually even higher than that) you aren't having to drive around a fullsize.

 

Dang, is that an L-series on the trailer? I bet that's 7k lbs easy with implements and the trailer. You do have more low end torque with a 2nd gen though. Either way, a Taco will tow up to it's towing capacity easily with the right equipment, and I expect mine to for years to come as well. I think the point here is that there are better tools for the job...all depends on how often you need it.

 

It seems like it really matters with how often you will tow that amount and if your willing to add the AAL, brake controller and a nice weight distributing hitch. As well as drive a little slower. If your only towing that much a few times a year or maybe 5-10 times during riding season then it’s probably not a huge deal.

 

Lots of mods necessary to tow heavy loads easily.
Things I’ve done to make it work for me:
Rear bumper lighting.
Replacement Tow mirrors.
Add nice Transmission cooler.
Re-gear.
Replace suspension with full Icon Stage 7
Replace rear springs with All Pro Expedition Series
Modify Rear Springs with custom leaf packs from Tampa Spring
Electric Brake Control system
Brake pad upgrade
Scan gauge
Timbren bump stops
And: weight distributing hitch system

My 2nd gen TRD OR Access Cab v6 4X4 tows great up to about 7500#. Regular loads right at 5K. I tow at least 6000 miles a year and up to 16,000 some years, since 2016.
No sway, no porpoise, stops great (electric brakes on all trailers) tracks great, no “seeking gear” crap or funky shifting or high revs.

But....my gas mileage sucks. I get between 8 and 14 when towing depending upon wind, terrain, road conditions including traffic, elevation and speed. Slower (65-70) on the flat highways I’ve gotten 14 a few times. At or above 70 flat highways usually around 12. Wind resistance and hills but not bad=10mpg.

I’ve had mostly Chevrolet, all models, some f250,s, vans and suv,s. Tacoma is the worst mileage so far. But best off road overlanding/trail truck ever.

Maybe consider the cost of mods to get your truck to do what you want and see what you can buy that’s already done at the same price?

without all my mods, I’d burn my truck to ashes or crush it rather than try to do the things I do in my truck now. It was useless to me in stock form and was dangerous to me and everyone else on the road even trying to tow a lawnmower.

I love my Tacoma but it took a lot of time and money to get it right. not trying to discourage you but.....
You can pretty much get in any stock z71 and tow what you describe ....in comfort at at least 16mpg.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-tacoma-towing-bible.4031/

Also check out Gearcruncher, transmission expert who I believe says NEVER tow in overdrive.

 

Well said!

 

I have a 2014 Sequoia that I tow a 5500 lb camper with. When I got my tacoma, I tried to tow it just to see what it would be like. It did fair but hunted for gears a lot and the MPG wasn’t much better than the sequoia. I won’t be doing that again. The 5.7 liter engine and trans on the sequoia and tundras is really smooth and reliable. I wouldn’t max out a Tacoma’s tow rating or get even near it. Just doesn’t seem made for it. Too much reliance on rpms and not torque.