Towing Over IKE

I’m glad I don’t have to deal with that kind of weather on the regular. We take our side-by-side up to TN and WV, but I think the longest steepest climb was about 6% for about 5 miles. Coming down I kept it in S4 and I really didn’t have to use the brakes much. Granted, I kept my speed reasonable to begin with.

What’s the grade on that pass up to the Eisenhower tunnel? 8%?

 

I've been over that road multiple times, granted not towing, but if you're only pulling 2000 lbs the Tacoma should be fine. Much more and you probably need a different truck.

Going up it is a good idea to manually downshift before the truck does it. Going down manually downshift too. You probably need to be on 2nd or 3rd gear in both directions.

 

I think its 6 or 7? Don't quote me. With the amount of people that travel here now days I would get a brake controller. It can turn into a parking lot real fast. Even on passes. I can't tell you how many times I've been bumper to bumper on i70 passes and it can last HOURS. Just my opinion. Stopping faster is always better.

 

Agreed. I always try to keep plenty of room between me and the car ahead. I’m always surprised at how many people will cut you off when you’re towing. Though I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised, considering how many times I’ve seen people cut off semis.

 

Co pass grade list
https://www.codot.gov/travel/maximum-grades-on-colorado-mountain-passes.html

 

If I remember correctly I thought it did pretty well in that video. I remember it only being a few seconds slower than the ranger with less brake applications. I think the two guys doing the show were very surprised at how well it did. I think the load was 6000 pounds.

 

I tow my ~22ft Winnebago up and over Eisenhower multiple times per year with my 2018 DCLB. Trailer is at 3,000 lbs dry so with Liquid, Cargo and the Shell I am easily over 3,500lbs. Got to have the brake controller, Smode and like to keep rpms higher than you might like but it does fine. Actually thinking about betting a larger trailer which will add another 1,200 pounds to the rig. Will Let you know how it goes.

 

FWIW, towing capacity is marketing horeshit. Your tongue weight and not exceeding the payload capacity is a lot more important. In most cases, you'll exceed the payload long before you exceed the tow rating.

Also, go slow. I think the OM says max speed 65 when towing. So chillax and take your time, don't exceed payload and you'll be fine.

 

Hell yea fellow Yamaha. I have a yamaha mountain max and a mountain lite for the lady (500 and 400lbs respectively) on a 500ish lbs tilt trailer (will upgrade the sled eventually hence the extra 600 lbs). My trailer estimation might be a little light, but that was the reasoning behind my numbers.
Thanks My Dude,
Anubis

 

This has not been my experience at all. While I'm not sure what bump stops are, my truck almost never down shifts even when going up modest hills and my rpm is normally between 2000 and 2500 in 4th gear. (5speed auto) That's maintaining speeds of 50 to 60 mph. Going up hills my speed drops to 50 mph but does not down shift. That's holding the pedal at a constant position. This is while towing 6000 lbs on the trailer and another 800 lbs on the tongue. My Tacoma is my compact heavy duty truck. I have two extra leaf springs per side to keep the truck from squatting and to stabilize trailer lateral movements. My tongue load has been as much as 1300 lbs and have had as much as 2200 lbs payload. I have been doing this for years and have not ad any negative affects. These trucks are built stronger than you think.

 

You’ll have no problem with that load. S4 and ECT will be your friend.

 

Well if course a second generation is going to be different than a third. Different motor different trans. I don't know what moderate hills in Ontario are but moderate hills in the Western U.S will absolutely make any Tacoma shift down and be over 3.5k+ rpm.

 

This is true. Steep hill will make it drop to 3rd gear and the revs to 3500 rpm. If I towed near the max capacity in an area that had a lot of steep hills then I would likely want a full size truck with more power and torque. In response to the comment that Tacomas were not good tow vehicles at all... that's just not true.

 

It's not only HP and torque, it's weight. You have a way better chance of surviving an accident if you have a tow vehicle heavy enough to correct a swaying load at speed, given the driver knows how to correct such instances.

 

It's not a good tow vehicle if the expecation is that it will behave the same way it does without a trailer. You know, going 85mph, turning a leisurly 2,000rpm, flying up hills and getting 18mpg.

The people who tend to complain about the Tacoma being a bad towing vehicle typically have limited to no towing experience. Towing sucks no matter what vehicle you are in, and you have to adjust your driving and speeds and behavior accordingly. (i.e. go slower, stay in the right lane, make gentle lane changes, etc).

 

The people who know what they are talking about and say Tacoma's aren't good tow vehicles stay the hell away from a Tacoma towing anytime we see them. We just shake our heads because we know they are overloaded, under powered and usually have no idea how to tow a trailer let alone back one up.

 

IDK, your being too hard on the Tacoma. It can and does tow fine. When properly setup, not exceeding expectations or load rules. For those of us that either can't afford, nor want a full size Cummins or similar it does a good job. High RPM and crappy gas mileage; Yep. Useless or dangerous; I don't think so if you play by the rules.

Now the 1990- ish Lincoln Town Car I saw at the camp ground a couple weeks ago dragging a guessing 5k trailer... now were talking ill prepared for the highway.

PS I also can back my travel trailer up

 

Do you have a source for that? Sure its no 1500, but is there some sort of empirical evidence that shows that tacomas specifically are really bad for towing when compared to other mid size trucks? I dont plan on towing over what was mentioned in the OP, I have a 3/4 cummins for that. But If the tacomas are specifically know for not towing anything on, I will have to find another mid sizer.
Thanks
Anubis

 

If you have a 3/4 why chance it? Your Cummins has almost as much torque in one cylinder than the whole 3.5 in your truck. You will be able to safely do the speed limit, not impede traffic and get better mileage all at the same time. One trip with your Tacoma towing and you'll regret not having the Cummins.

 

Well for one, my family doesn't fit it in without doubleing up in the center bench seat (single cab, long bed truck) but its also my dads truck that I grew up in (its a 97) so I don't like to take it to areas where it will get beat up, its awful in the snow, it has no creature comforts, and it doesn't fit in my cabin's garage. A mid size would do all of these things while also being a lot better for around mountain towns. A one ton trailer is pretty reasonable thing for a mid size truck to tow especially since they all hover with tow rating between 3 and 4 tons.

Just to be clear, is there a specific reason why the tacoma is particularly garbage for towing compared to other mid size trucks with a 2000# load, or are you just arguing that it feels weird/revs high.
Thanks again man,
A