The Tacoma Towing Bible

My apologies! I wasn't paying attention and thought I was replying to nashgood from Texas. THAT is a very interesting trailer. Make/model?

 

What kinda trailer is that?

 

Trailmanor 2720QB! https://trailmanor.com/2720-series/

 

Thank you all for the insight. Obviously we would be adding a trailer brake and read good things about weight distribution hitches to assist in leveling the load. How much difference would the WDH make in managing the larger trailer or is just the sheer surface size and light weight of the tow vehicle the bigger concern? The only time we would ever be anywhere there was not electric/water, would be me getting kicked out of the house and this became my short term home So carrying capacity would be limited to 200-400lbs at most I'd think.

 

I wouldn’t even consider towing without a WDH. It’ll help but with the small size of the Tacoma, the rear end is still going to squat without airbags

 

My personal opinion and experience. "How miserable is towing 4000-5000lbs in the tacoma (again flat roads only for us). Any fears with single axel vs double?" Towing that much can be VERY miserable. BUT is very doable, and can be pleasurable. It depends on wind and grade. I personally believe they should not be selling such large single axle trailers. It leaves NO room for living weight, ie. clothes, food, cooking utensils, toiletries, etc. You think it's 2-400 lbs. NOT even close. With a single axle and a blowout, you are screwed. With a dual axle, you still have a tire/axle (although overloaded at that point) to bring you off to the side of the road. Also the rule is 80% of capacity is max towing. So the max I can tow is 6500# with my 2008. Optimally, I should tow 5200# with that rule. That leaves wiggle room, and I'm not pushing the tow vehicle to 100%. Short bursts, sure you can pull 8000#, but I don't recommend it regularly, or at all, from a vehicle and legal standpoint. Dry weights are a joke. Depending on manufacturer, they don't include battery and propane. That's close to 100# right there. 40 ish for the battery and appx the same for a full 20lb propane tank.

 

Weight Distribution Hitch is really not optional for these two trailers. Particularly in the traffic you will likely be driving in to get across Texas.

The stuff you leave in your trailer; water hoses, a couple tools, sewer hose, dishes, pots & pans, towels, bedding, clothes for the trip, food, first aid kit, grill, various cleaners/chemicals, lawn chairs, computers, purses, toys for the little one, other stuff required for the child (car seat, stroller, etc.) a dog, soda/beer/bottled water, etc. will add up much faster than you think.

It's can be easy to have 100 pounds of "food" depending on the length of the trip. So food at 75.

And good advice from OldManTan re: single axle. S/A not *my* cup of tea. The longer the expected trips, the more I would avoid.

Note: I didn't mention fire wood. And lots of other things depending on your usage of a trailer. If you have fires you may need at least a small axe for example.

It ALL adds up very fast....but IS manageable. And is worth the effort you are taking. You family will never forget your trips.

Determine your trucks limits. Then leave yourself some margin when buying. Being inexperienced, if you plan to buy something that is at the very top of your weight limits, it's easy to get in over your head/not enjoyable/safe.

 

Thank you very much for your response. The 227 is the direction we are heading...single axle just scares us. 1-2 hour trips and no elevation changes. Any other advice you could give is greatly appreciated. Brake controller, WDH, towing gear etc. Thanks again Nash

 

This is the WDH I bought. The dealer I bought my camper from was nice enough to put it together and install it for me when I bought our camper.

https://www.etrailer.com/Weight-Distribution-Hitch/Fastway/FA94-00-1033.html

I prefer this type of WDH over the old chain style. It was always a pain getting the chains in place

This is the brake controller I and a lot of other people use. Looks like it's on sale too as of this post. It's usually ~ $160

https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Brake-Controller/Tekonsha/90195.html

 

The single axle shouldn't scare you, but you have to be aware. They are probably better for a larger tow vehicle capable of more bed/tongue weight, and less likely to be pulled around in the event of a blowout. That being said, I don't think I'd ever buy one .

I have the chain style WDH. Have helped friends hook up the bar style. As long as they work, I'm not sure of the difference. Mine works for me, and was included with our old trailer. See if you can have them throw one in with your purchase.

I have a Tekonsha P3 from my brother that was used briefly on a 2016 4-runner. The harness may be plug and play for the Taco, but not positive. Let me know if you are interested.

 

A ton of good info here in this thread! Thanks for all who have contributed.

I am looking into a 2019 Aspen Trail 1700BH. Here is a link to it so I can save you a google search. https://www.rvusa.com/rv-guide/2019-dutchmen-aspen-trail-travel-trailer-floorplan-1700bh-tr41384

It has a dry weight of 3199 lbs, 651 lbs payload, and 452 lbs hitch weight. It holds about 700 lbs of water if I have to tow with the water tanks full. I am planning to have a weight distribution hitch, not sure yet if i'll need any airbags or anything in the rear. This should fall well within the V6 Tacoma with tow package limits, correct? Trying to make sure I'm not overlooking anything before I spend the money.

 

As I stated above, below vvvv

You WILL be overweight before you pull out of the driveway. As you stated, even filling it with water puts you over weight.

 

So after a little more research the water weight is not nearly as much, I was counting all the water tanks as full (grey/black/fresh) - and ideally won't be towing with any water in it. But ~200lbs of water leaves another 400lbs or so for any gear/supplies in the camper

According to the sticker my payload is 1205 lbs.. -400 for my wife and I, -100 for our 2 dogs, - 500 for the tongue weight still leaves ~200lbs of capacity in the truck. Did I miss anything big on the trucks payload?

Please point out anything i'm overlooking - I want to make this camper work (its a good price, in town) but I also want to be safe.

 

Your going to need some sort of helper springs in the rear, even with a WD hitch. The stock leafs are pathetic by themselves. A 3 leaf AAL works great but does lift it a little if not loaded so not sure if you want that. Other than that if you have all the tanks dry when you roll you should be okay. Keep it out of D, shift as needed and drive safe. Enjoy

 

I'm going to be pulling a Ford ranger single cab frame 1250 miles later this summer with a uhaul tow dolly.

I drive a 4wd 4cyl 5spd. The frame weighs no more than 1000lbs,if that. The trailer is another 700ish. I'll be well under the tow rating for the 4cyl. Aside from that, I'll probably have about a hundred lbs of tools in a truck box if something goes wrong


I already have a 4pin connector,. I'll be buying some of the mirror extenders, And a frame mounted Hitch.

What else can you recommend? I've hauled one of these dollys before, so I know what to expect.

What did you do to make the seats more comfortable? I put 400 miles on the old taco yesterday and my butt was sore.

Thanks guys!

 

So, the wife and I are looking at travel trailers. My truck is supercharged, will have deaver expo stage 2 leafs, upgraded shocks and coilovers (not sure what I'm getting yet), stoptech cryo rotors with TRD ceramic brake pads, and has aia receiver rated to pull 7500lbs with 750 tongue weight. My goal is to keep the dry weight lower than 4200 lbs. My only concern is with trailer aerodynamics (specifically, height and effect from crosswinds). What height would you say you're uncomfortable with?

 

Update to my earlier post: took it out this weekend and it went great! Towed fine, was even really windy the way back and I never felt like I wasn't in control. Only thing that gave me a hard time was reversing on some of the backwoods areas, definitely burned up a bit of my clutch life. Not sure what the trick is there. Thanks for the help all!

Also: do not have my AAL put in yet, but did OK without it. Definitely still putting it in this week though.

 

I have a 2008 Tacoma V6 w/ tow package with air bags and I'm looking at a Jayco TT Hummingbird 17RB. A lot like the Rpod. With 90 pages to sift through I'm getting exhausted and conflicting answers. So.. Can I just buy a shank with the correct ball and tow the trailer with it safely ? Unloaded weight of 2840 and GVW of 3750. I have the trailer brake controller on order but I just don't know if I need a WD hitch?? First time towing a large for me trailer so I'm just a bit nervous.

Thanks in advance

 

If what I just read is correct that trailer has a 300 lb hitch weight. Who knows if that includes gas bottle and/or water. I suspect empty. Can you pull it without a WD hitch? Sure. Short trips, lightly/carefully loaded with no side wind will be fine. But due to the design of that particular single axle trailer, it is going to be very easy to add a LOT more weight on the hitch as most of your storage appears to be in front of the axle.

Personally, I'd just get a WD hitch. And have it installed by someone competent so that the trailer and truck are level. Do this with representative loads in the camper and truck (as much as possible/practical).

You'll be a happier and safer camper (!) over time. Have fun....

 

I have a similar combination, a tacoma v6 with tow package, towing a Jayco Hummingbird 17RB. I have a brake controller, and also have a WD hitch. It tows fine, the truck and trailer are a good match. Gas mileage in Taco isn't great, but it tows it fine.