Trailer towing

I recently purchased a 2021 Jayco 154BH Baja travel trailer (2,800lbs. dry weight) and boy have I learned a lot about towing with my 2006 Tacoma Pre-Runner quad cab 2wd 4.0 liter v6
From what I have determined (not easy to get a correct towing weight capacity) my towing capacity for my Tacoma is 5,000lbs. I loaded 40 gals. of water in my trailer tanks, my 30lb. propane tank was full and I loaded MAYBE another 250lbs. of food, equipment and beer. Loaded the truck with myself, my spouse, a 100lb. German Shepherd and a 2nd 20lb. dog.
Not an easy haul from San Diego to Yuma, no overheating issues. Coming back from Yuma area on hwy. 8 was even tougher with the steeper grade, tranny "clunked" a couple of times when downshifting (5 speed automatic)
I'm thinking of getting a 2021 Tacoma Pre-Runner quad cab short bed with the 3.5 liter 6 speed automatic transmission. (trailer has a weight distribution hitch) Am I correct towing capacity for the 2021 Tacoma is now 6,700lbs? Any experiences to share with current Tacoma owners towing a like type trailer?

 

If you are towing with a 3rd gen I recommend the manual transmission or planning a regear to 4.88/5.29 in the AT

 

If you don't like how your 2006 tows you won't like how the 2021 tows. Tow rating on your current truck should be 6500lbs with the tow package.

 

4th gear is your friend.

 

The truck you have will tow better than a 2021 Tacoma, you may need to move up to a 1/2 ton.

Don't tow in 5th gear, use 4th gear.

Tow rating is how much weight your truck is designed to PULL. That doesn't mean you can TOW that much weight. There is a difference. The true limiting factor is your payload capacity and the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR). Those numbers are on stickers on the drivers door jamb. My 2007 DC 4X4 has a payload of 1200 lbs. Your 4X2 should be close, but probably a bit more.

Also the payload rating on that sticker may no longer be accurate. You have to account for any modifications and gear that stays in the truck. It is best to actually weigh the truck then subtract that number from GVWR. GVWR is the maximum weight the truck is designed to handle including any passengers, cargo and tongue weight. Actually weighting the loaded trailer is a good idea too.

MY trucks payload is 1200 lbs. Yours will be somewhat different and you'll have to do your own math. Since I don't know what type of stuff you put in the truck I'll use mine as an example. Like you I have a cap on my truck that weighs 180 lbs. I weigh 220, my wife 140. That only leaves me 660 lbs of usable payload for tongue weight and cargo in the truck.

Figure 13% of the trailer weight as tongue weight. Lets assume that your 2800 lb trailer is actually 3500 lbs after loaded. 13% of 3500 is 455 lbs. That would only leave me 205 lbs for other cargo in the truck which is doable, but I'd have to pack carefully. You'll need to verify your trucks payload and try to get a better idea of how much weight you actually have on the trucks suspension, but you may well be overloaded.

My trucks tow rating is 6500 lbs. But it realistically much over 4000 lbs would put me over my payload limit. Taking the cap off my truck would free up 180 lbs of payload.

 

The 2006 Tacoma does not have a tow package, 2021 does.

 

Very good and "learned" answer.

 

My main complaint vc with the 3rd gen is that while towing especially, you notice the lack of low end torque. Manual makes it better for sure, and so does gearing. Auto with 5.29 will probably feel closer to your old truck