Can I tow it?

I'm about ready to purchase a 22' travel trailer. GVWR of the trailer is 5795 lbs. Dry weight is 4456 lbs. with a tongue weight of 428 lbs. I will be towing it with a 2020 TRD Sport 4x4 which has the trailer towing package and rated to tow 6400 lbs with a maximum tongue weight of 640 lbs. I will be using a Anderson weight distributing hitch.

I read where trailers usually weigh more than what the manufacturer says by as much as 200 lbs. so I plan to weigh the trailer empty and again with typical cargo. It's been a long time since I towed a trailer and so it's hard for me to estimate the weight of my cargo but I suspect it will be under 600 lbs. and I don't plan to have any water in my tanks when towing at least not long distances. In the cab it will be about 350 lbs. of people and maybe 200 lbs. of stuff in the bed.

What do you think?

 

Can you? Yes. Should you? In my opinion no. If you were towing the trailer a few miles to a local campground it would be fine. Trekking all over the countryside on a sight seeing tour? Nope. Tacomas pull small loads just fine however you are near max with that trailer and your gear/people. Dry weight is not the same as wet (or loaded up for camping) weight. Remember it's not what the truck is capable of pulling down the road, you have to control the trailer and stop the trailer. You are also pulling what amounts to aerodynamically a brick. It's really going to tax the truck. I own a '19 OR and one of my boats is a 16'10" aluminum deep vee that is wide and deep. In other words a large boat for it's length. Gross weight for boat, trailer, outboard, fuel, batteries, gear, etc, etc, is just under 3000#. On flat roads and windless days it's no problem. On hilly roads with a good head wind the truck is working pretty good. Will you be ok? Maybe. But I personally believe that you are asking for trouble if your intention is long trips with that trailer. Like I said earlier, short easy going trips to the local campground would be fine. Our trucks don't make great tow vehicles. Sorry.

Edit- I believe the GCWR on your truck is 11,240#. If I understand your numbers correctly you would be at 10,456#. So 784# under maximum GCWR. So Toyota says it's ok, but I personally would not do it.

 

I wouldn’t.

 

On top of what @JNG said, once you get the trailer rolling, remember you will need to stop eventually. Also, you should always plan for the worst case. What happens in the event you can't dump your water? Also, cargo weight adds up and adds strain. These are great trucks, but definitely not the best at towing. I can definitely tell I'm towing something when I have just my 16' trailer and side by side. Even on flat ground. Going down hills, hope you got good brakes!

 

I think you need a dodge with a cummins.

 

Your GVWR is 5600, and the truck weighs something in the neighborhood of 4500, which gives you 1100lbs of payload. With 428 lbs of tongue, that leaves you 672 lbs for people and cargo.

I'm gonna go with Nope, thats too close for comfort.

 

You can but a real truck will tow it a lot easier.

 

Get a Tundra, You will be much happier towing and so will your truck. Tried towing a travel trailer twice with my Tacoma. No way the truck did not like it one bit. This was a 3200 lb travel trailer dry.

 

No. I tow 2200-2500 regularly. TRD Off Road/AT. A weight half of what you're proposing; doubling i, the strain on the drive train would be way over a comfort level.

 

Thanks for the replies. About what I was expecting and I've already decided the trailer I want is to heavy. I'm looking at lighter trailers in the 2800-3400 lbs range dry. There is just my wife and I and we won't be taking much in terms of gear. The necessary tools to make emergency repairs, full propane tanks, a couple of batteries and a couple of light weight camp chairs. Very little in the way of food, dishes, etc. and empty water tanks when ever possible and when we have to we would fill the tank at the closest place to our destination.

I have to install a break controller and prefer one that is hidden with just a knob in the dash. Any suggestions? Plus I'm going to buy a Anderson weight distributing hitch. My goal is to stay under the truck's max towing capacity by at least 2000 lbs.

 

I see nothing wrong with that plan. Put the trans in s4 and turn ECT on and you should be fine. Remember both 5th and 6th are overdrive gears in the Asin automatics that Toyota is using in our trucks. Toyota says to NEVER tow in overdrive. The original trailer in your first post was in my opinion too heavy and too large for a Tacoma. There is also an issue of something called sail area on trailers. The larger the sail area, the more it is effected by wind. Both crosswinds and headwinds. None of us want to read a post from you in the future in reference to an accident involving high winds and you tipping over sideways. It DOES happen on the highways from time to time.

Edit- can't help you on that style of a brake controller.

 

I think since you are asking us this question you have your own doubts about towing this trailer with your truck. You need either a lighter trailer or a bigger truck. Technically you can tow that trailer but it will be an unpleasant experience. See what’s it’s like going up steep long grades or mountains and bicyclists are passing you (exaggerating a little) or see what fun it is with either a strong head wind or worse a cross wind. Its all bad. Buy a trailer more suited to your truck or buy a bigger badder truck suited to the trailer.

 

As much as I like my Tacoma I'm considering trading it for a Ford F-150 Supercab 4x4 3.5L V6 & 10 speed transmission with all the towing features. Towing capacity is 10,500 lbs which makes the trailer about 55% of the trucks capacity.
Gas mileage is about the same as the Tacoma and I can get one with a 36 gallon gas tank so I won't have to stop every 150 miles for gas assuming I average 10 MPG when towing. Plus it has some really cool towing features.

 

You have seen the light. As much as I like my Taco if I was going to tow 5000 lbs or so on a regular basis I’d get a different truck. Ford F-150 are great trucks and will handle your trailer much better.

 

We installed one of the Prodigy RF ( https://www.tekonsha.com/products/b...proportional/TzaIxkVx1cI5XOy!osRB508pViEKmVBf ) controllers on our car trailer and its been great. Expensive if you're only ever going to use the same vehicle, but super great if you tow with more than one. Nothing needs to be installed in the truck except to plug the remote into the cigarette lighter.

 

I agree. Tacomas are great little trucks but they are exactly that, LITTLE trucks. Need to tow trailers near max for a Taco then you should look into a larger truck. Not a dig against Tacos, its just that they are not really meant to be dedicated tow vehicles for large and or heavy trailers on a regular basis.

 

Try a Jayco Jayfeather . Sleeps 5-6 My Tacoma did not have a tow package ,I added the hitch and transmission cooler . Brake control for the trailer and PowerStop rotors and pads up front . I pull this with all my gear and firewood no problem.its one of the hybrid models . 16’ until you open both ends for sleeping then it’s around 24-25’ .

 

Realistically around 4500 lbs total weight on the trailer is about as much as a Tacoma needs to tow for all of the reasons cited above. And less is better.

When manufacturers list max tow ratings they are assuming a stock truck just as it came from the factory. With no modifications and no gear in the truck with only a 150 lb driver and driven under ideal conditions on level ground at sea level. Start adding cargo, passengers, towing up inclines and factor in that the engine loses about 3% of its power for each 1000' above sea level and you will struggle to tow that max rating.

And that applies to 1/2, and even 3/4 ton trucks too. The brochure may say a 1/2 ton can tow 10,000 lbs, but realistically it won't do it either for all the same reasons. When considering how much you can tow the most important bit of information is the payload sticker on either the drivers door, or door jamb. It does no good for the truck to be rated to PULL 10,000 lbs when the tongue weight and other weight in the truck maxes out payload with a 7000 lb trailer.

Most Tacomas are in the 1000-1200 lb range. When you get to 1/2 ton trucks payload is all over the place. Some 1/2 tons are only rated for 1100 lbs, others are rated for 2,300+. Most will fall in the 1600-1800 lb range. So you really have to be careful even if you decide to go up to a bigger truck. At least 50% of the 1/2 trucks on the road won't tow significantly more than a Tacoma so choose wisely.

 

First things first. Like all light duty trucks out there, including the Tacoma, they are weak in the rear suspension. Go to a local spring shop and have another leaf or two added per side. It will help keep things more stable. I have no qualms about putting a ton or more in the back of my truck. It handles just fine.
Second thing is a brake controller for electric trailer brakes. A TT is one of the worst things I've ever towed and the only thing that I've felt I needed a WDH for.
If your trailer is 8 ft wide then you'll need extended mirrors to see behind you. They'll also be helpful backing up.
Lastly, because these trucks are not equiped with V8s, you'll need patients. It's ok to go up a hill at 50 mph. People can pass you. 65 mph is plenty fast to be towing something that's as heavy as you.