Towing Advice!!

Looking to purchase a travel trailer for a four week trip this summer. Will be doing national parks out west so mountains will be incorporated within my trip. Just my wife my dog and myself (330lbs combined) and will try to pack light without water. I totally understand that a full-size Truck is more idea for towing. However, the other 335 days a year I commute to a city and just isn’t practical for me.

Questions!
What size trailer can I get?
Definitely want a double axle for stability and looking at Apex Nano 213RDS (3826 dry), Passport 239ML (4189 dry), Rockwood 2109S (4171)
Will these be manageable / safe? Any other suggestions?

Also what upgrades should I get? Will definitely obviously get a brake controller from other threads seems like the tekonsha P3 unless someone has another suggestion and WDH/anti sway.

Do I need / should I install sumo springs even though a WDH is being used?

Some people say tow a house and you’ll be fine others nothing more then a marshmallow. I’m fine with making my truck work, as long as I’m safe while doing it. So 55-65MPH I know will be my max.

thanks in advance!

 

Assuming a v6 with tow package, that sounds pretty reasonable.

As for extra springs...if towing very frequently yeah, a couple times a year...meh.

 

Welcome!
In my opinion, 4k dry is too heavy to tow comfortably.
Lots of varying opnions the On this nearly daily debated topic. You'll find the just cause you can, doesn't mean you should crowd, and the I pull an xyz up hill both ways crowd.

 

Check out the "towing" forum.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/forums/towing.34/

 

My camper is 3k empty and 4K max. Personally I don’t think I’d want to be much over that in the mountains. Just remember everything you put in the trailer has weight and it can add up quickly. I use the Redarc tow pro elite mainly because it mounts in a stock like fashion. I don’t have a WDH hitch but I’m planing on getting one soon for added stability.

 

WD hitch is a game changer. Won't make a taco a rocket ship but (for any rig) makes towing near max much more enjoyable.

 

^ that may be the difference between those who are scared to tow anything above 3k and those who aren’t

 

I just picked up an APEX from coleman 17ft. Double axle with a WDH, I think its 3800 dry. I have 285 and a fox lift and truck towed it great, I was definitely aware it was there but I didn't feel uncomfortable towing at all.

EDIT: I also have the Tekonsha P3 brake trailer brake as well.

 

That’s great to hear. Seems like my options are within reason then and as long as I pick light and take it easy I should be ok.

 

That thing seriously wires in like that?!

Shut up and take my money!!

 

Yep. Small control knob mounts in a switch blank and the electronic module mounts under the dash in any Orientation. I double sided tapped it to the body control module.

 

Man I dig that!

 

Since you’re looking at maximum-for-Tacoma’s weight trailers at 4000+ pounds be sure to watch your tongue weight as well as overall loaded trailer weight. Max tongue weight is 640 pounds, and remember that your max trailer weight at max payload aka the GCVW is 5600 pounds, not 6400 pounds. Trailers are rarely as light as their spec sheets suggest.

A properly set up weight distribution hitch and sway control is 100% necessary.

I haven’t towed with my new shocks and rear AAL yet but just from how much better it’s handling having 800 pounds in the bed today I would wholeheartedly suggested upgrading at least the rear shocks and adding either sumo springs if you don’t plan to lift or an AAL if you do. There so much more control with good damping and correct spring weights.

I’d strongly consider upgrading your front brake pads, Hawk LTS’s or something similar, and depending on your mileage having the brake lines flushed.

I’d also consider getting LT tires. Better control and better ride under load.

I’ve got a Reese brake controller installed in the cubby to the left of the steering wheel.



we have a Starcraft toy hauler pop up that’s around 4000 pounds and I wouldn’t want to go much heavier.

 

Where did you get 640 as the max tongue weight? AFAIK take payload -stuff in truck, then you have how much you can put on the tongue. I get max trailer weight of 6400 x 10% = 640 as a recommended tongue weight for that trailer weight, but the manual offers that 9-11% of trailer weight on the tongue as acceptable (for max that ranges from 576-704) The max towing for any truck is 6700 at 11% is 737lbs, as the structure doesn't change that would seem to be reasonable as a max tongue weight, unless I am missing something?

Also depending on the rig, the GCVW is 11260. Take the truck at 4450ish with 400 payload and call it 700 on the tongue (with a 6400lb trailer) weight puts the truck at 5550 (50lbs below max payload). now lets do a 6400lb trailer with the truck and payload. So 4450(truck) + 400(stuff in the truck) + 6400(trailer) = 11250, or 10 below the max GCVW. We don't add the tongue weight to this as it's already included in the trailer weight.

 

Ah got it. I was going at it from this angle: gross vehicle weight is 5600 pounds, and gross combined vehicle weight is 11360, putting max trailer weight at max payload (gvw) at 5760 pounds, not thinking about the tongue weight still being part of the trailer weight.

 

Yeah the tongue weight counts against the truck's payload, so you think ah count it there and you end up counting the tongue weight twice. I made the same mistake on the first towing spreadsheet I built and kept getting over GCVW even somewhat below max towing.

Given that the way the towing capacities are derived now is performance (up some grade for some time at over some speed) the GCVW is more the limit than the actual weight of the trailer, as the trucks brakes stop it, and the trailer brakes stop the trailer.