New Member in need of help with towing capacity

How do i determine the tongue weight?

 

My budget is around 15,000 so i will be looking at used. I dont want a teardrop trailer but i am looking for a teardrop camper( I'm not sure the exact category) The nucamp t@b is considered a teardrop i think??? The shower is a must for me because i am thinking about living in my camper for a summer and possibly longer. I want to buy a trailer meant to last because i will be using it a lot.

 

So there's a GAWR rate for the truck and the trailer right? Is the GAWR essentially the cargo capacity? sorry if these are silly questions. ive been wanting to figure this all out for a while... theres a lot of info to process and it gets confusing for me quick.

 

I will definitely need a brake controller and my manual recommends a sway bar.. thank you for your input! im learning a lot!

 

First hand knowledge here. I had a 2003 Tacoma Dbcb TRD 2wd with towing package. Yes I verified the fan clutch color. The capacity is 5000 lbs. Its in your Owners Manual. Yes, you need a brake controller. I had a 2018 T@b 320 Boondock. About 2200 lbs dry(empty). Probably 25-2600 normal load. I only had water in the tanks if headed offgrid. I towed about 5,000 miles throughout the SE US before upgrading to a 2019 Tacoma Sport. Sway control is recommended in OM. I installed it after my first 1500 mile trip. Not because I really needed it. But, for the $35 it cost me I felt it was cheap insurance against some lawyers fight had I had an accident without it. It did feel more secure when semis passed with it installed. The truck/trailer combo worked well. It worked a bit hard in the Smokey Mountains on some steeper grades. Mileage took a hit from around 21 hwy to 15mpg with trailer. The newer 3rd gen was much more comfortable overall but shifts much, much more on same routes than the first gen. Selling the 03 Dbcb was worst vehicle mistake I’ve made in my 44 years of driving. I have since sold the T@b to find a little bit bigger trailer. A Winnebago Drop. The T@b was just too small for the two of us and dog for extended trips.

 

Try this.
https://www.etrailer.com/faq-how-to-determine-trailer-tongue-weight.aspx

https://www.curtmfg.com/towing-capacity

 

I do not have a tow package in my truck my max weight is 3500.. i still need to figure out the exact weight for everything but im starting to feel like my truck might not be strong enough.. Did you make your upgrade because you were having difficulty towing?

 

thank you!!! more stuff to read.... can't wait this is all helping so much!

 

I cant find my GCWR. My card on the driver door only shows GVWR and GAWR. I googled 2003 toyota tacoma GCWR and im still not seeing it..

 

I found this in the 2003 brochure

 

Thanks!! i was slowly scrolling thru my manuel lol.. couldn't find it

 

I found this in my manual seems like its my GCWR but its different than the specs you found... so i think my weight is 7500??? My truck is v6 extended cab.

 

Yes, your manual does indicate a lower weight.
To be safe. You should follow the manual.

Here is the brochure I got the information from.
I have no idea why it differs from the manual.
http://www.russauto.com/ncinv/modelinfo/brochures/03Tacoma.pdf

 

I determine tongue weight on all my trailers with my bathroom scale. Put the scale under the ball area of tongue on a scrap 4x4 on end. Raise tongue jack thereby putting weight on tongue/scale. Tongue weight.
Btw, tongue weight of my T@b320 Boondock, empty tanks was 171 lbs.
No modifications done to my 2003 Tacoma besides adding a trans cooler. I added Wheelers 1.5 AAL to my 2019 because it dropped with trailer more than I liked once I added my ARE topper, toolbox, OEM bedmat and camping stuff.

 

For the price, you can't go wrong
https://www.ebay.com/itm/trailer-to...noseweight-gauge-rv-camper-boat-/192874481388

 

Ok so it looks like with all of my weights combined i am pretty close to my max GCWR. Here is what i came up with...

My GCWR is 7,400
Truck CAT weight 3,800
this gives me 3,600 for trailer weight and cargo...

I would like to stay within 85% of my GCWR so this would actually give me 2,490 Lbs for trailer and cargo.

the camper im looking at (T@B320 s) has a dry weight of 1,848 so that only gives me 640 lbs for everything else. So i will definitely surpass 85% GCWR and will prob be looking at somewhere around 7,200(still just a guess)..

So some of you said i would have no problem towing this weight but i am a little hesitant because my truck is so old. i have 250,000 miles on it and i wouldn't want to cause any strain or damage to my truck.. (i would rather not tow with it than have it break down).

Im planning on making these following upgrades to my truck to assist with towing. Break controller, sway bar, trailer hitch(current one is rusted) 7 pin connector, and possibly new shocks and springs... Before i spend any money on these upgrades i want to be positive that towing is a good idea for my truck...

thank you!!!

 

I’m going to be completely honest.
My answer is based on my opinion. And my opinion only, others will surely be different.

My opinion is “If you are buying a Tacoma for towing, you are buying the wrong truck”
“If you already have a Tacoma and you need to tow, it will tow. But it is less than ideal”

I’ve owned a 1999 Extended Cab w/3.4 engine.
And I currently own a 2007 Tacoma with 4.0 engine.
Both trucks had/have Automatic Transmission.
I’ve towed with both trucks many times.

The 99’ lacked the power I felt it need with anything @/above 3,000 lbs.
My current truck lacks the power I feel it needs much passed 4,000 lbs.

This being said, I do have experience with larger trucks with larger engines.
If I need to tow anything other than my utility trailer, I now use a different.
So, my opinion is biased based on a comparison.

I would say this isn’t what you want to hear.
But I will only give you my honest opinion.

I personally wouldn’t buy a travel trailer and pull it with your current truck.
Unless it was a couple times a year to a local camping spot.

Again, this is only my opinion.

 

Thank you for your honesty reply, I was hoping not everyone would say go for it.. I'm pretty torn with making a decision... If I were to buy a new truck I wouldn't be able to afford a camper for probably another 5 years. Plus I am really attached to my truck and really don't want to sell it!!

My reason for getting a camper is to live in it and not necessarily for recreational traveling. I'm hoping to find a place to stay for at least a summer if not longer... So I think for this purpose it might be ok...

 

There’s a reason I still have my truck too.

I LIKE IT.

I know how how you feel.

 

Excellent advice and a well written post.

I've towed with both Tacoma's, and share the opinion above. Anything above 4,000 lbs is going to require serious thoughts, and modifications.

We just spent about $3,000 to re-gear to 5.29 on our 2019 Tacoma, and it does help with pulling our travel trailer at 2,960 lbs. Next up will be suspension ugrades and maybe a future supercharger for the engine bay....all which could have been acheived by purchasing a Tundra in the first place.