The Tacoma Towing Bible

Just thought I’d throw out some things that have made towing life in a 3rd Gen a lot more enjoyable. Granted, when we first got our pop up (only 2500 dry) 3 years ago I towed it with the truck completely stock and it was still pretty ok, but not great. In the last couple years the mods have been a mix of off road stuff and towing stuff, but sometimes you get good bang for your buck in both practices in the same mod. Here is what has helped us and I would recommend to any Taco owner towing:

Valley Runner tune & Transmission TSB for both HP and eliminating the dreaded “gear hunting”

Eibach suspension with a Deaver AAL & a set of Sumo Springs to stiffen up the rear and add some payload (Deaver says 10% increase in payload with AAL & Sumos have anywhere from 500-over 1000lb of help while compressed. The Eibach shocks did a lot better than stock as well.

Powerstop truck & tow kit- Slotted and drilled rotors to dissipate heat better while towing, much much better pads than stock as well. Really helps.

Redarc Tow Pro Liberty brake controller- great for towing and you can get the tow pro elite for about $75 more if you tow an off road trailer, but we do most of the towing to base camp then go explore with just the truck.

Ultragauge MX 1.4- really nice being able to monitor trans temps while going up 6% grades with a headwind, it will help you know when to take a break and let the truck cool down a bit.

“Pinning” the thermostat when going on a long towing trip. Not hard to do and undo depending on what and where you are towing/driving. I usually only pin it on longer trips.

E-Load Falken Wildpeaks AT3’s- the brand is totally each drivers preference, but having an e-load is nice, especially if you tow a heavier trailer in our tow rating spectrum.

*Things on the list, but haven’t done yet*

Replacing the trans cooler with a slightly larger, stacked plate oil cooler. Seems pretty straightforward and sounds like people who do it really like the results.

Weight distribution hitch- haven’t got one yet as it’s not really needed for our pop-up, but we are shopping for a heavier (3600-3800lb dry) hard sided trailer soon and I will definitely be getting one when that happens.

Bigger mirrors- also not needed with the pop-up, but will come in handy for an 8ft wide trailer when the time comes.

Hopefully some of these things help others out since we are all on this thread for the same reason and generally have similar limitations for our trucks. Thanks to the OP for such great information and I’m always open for other good suggestions to make life on the ol’ Tacoma easier.

Cheers everybody

 

All that trans talk makes me glad i got a 6spd, lol. I do want some wider mirrors though. Not decided on the shitty flip out ones or the shitty clip on ones, lol. Wish we had a better selection. I already had an AAL and Airbags, so WDH was kinda redundant, lol. My truck would only squat 1/2" with the airbags deflated. Also have heavier springs up front. Now that i think about it, having the weight of the front steel bumper and winch might further help to keep front tires planted, along with WDH. Really expected it to be harder to tow this trailer, after all the horror stories, but its fine.

 

With the flipout ones you can. Get defrosters. Two mods at once or also gain turn signals

 

Nice trailer man! I’ve been looking for one of the Vikings but they are hard to find on the west coast right now. Looking at Coachmen Clipper & possibly the bunkhouse R-pod for now.

 

Its been pretty good. Its a 2020, bought it used off a guy that used it about 4 times. Like that it has bunks and a little door by the bunks to access the storage under them. You can flip the bottom one up. Also front pass thru on the queen up front and the queen flips up for access. Had to replace the skylight, hail cracked it while with previous owner. Replaced it with a tougher Icon one. Think they are Polycarbonate. Much thicker. Got one window that leaks, think its just shitty sealant job. And outdoor speakers dont work. Yay! Joys of owning a camper, lol. Oh and i have a leak on the back of the toilet, ugh.
I do like the spring over axle with bigger tire (off-road package, lol). Didnt think i would care for it, but i have seen it save me from dragging the sh*t spout on some occasions already.

The mini door. Kids love the escape hatch.


Spring over

 

Yep, liked all those features too. The Clipper has pretty much the same floor plan and features (pretty sure Coachmen makes Viking too). My pop up is an ‘07 Viking. Same thing, lots of little annoyances from crappy materials, but unless you want to spend Lance money I think the build quality is pretty close to the same on most of the $20-30k models with a few exceptions.

 

Ya, Coachmen definitely makes it. I had to put front stabilizers on it this weekend. Seen them on others, they just didnt put them on this year or exact camper for some reason. Holes in frame already there for them. Shitty Lippert front electric jack, already has the controls falling/coming apart from sun in one year, from previous owner. Heard about recalls of them letting water in and jack coming down why you are driving it. I smeared some "Through the roof" on it and threw a cheap cover over. Hopefully i dont get that surprise driving, lol.

 

I have a 2011 DCSB OR V6/AT, 4.88 gears with 35's - will be adding Riderite airbags, WDH, and brake controller

Looking to purchase a 2021 Jayco Jay Feather Micro 171BH:



Weights & Measures

WEIGHTS
Unloaded Vehicle Weight (lbs) 3,930
Dry Hitch Weight (lbs) 425
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (lbs) 4995
Cargo Carrying Capacity (lbs) 1,065
MEASUREMENTS
Total Exterior Length 20' 3"
Exterior Width 8' 4"
Exterior Height 9' 8"

Thoughts on towing this?

 

Mine is about the same size physically, but probably 800lbs lighter. I am probably a foot taller or more, with the SOA on the trailer. Honestly going 60-65mph hasnt been an issue. Its just the wind thats been the issue with the tall trailer. I actually think my airbags and aal are over kill. I cant really get it to squat more than 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch. WDH would probably be all that i needed, but aal and airbags were added for towing my tractor and other heavy loads, before i got the trailer. I cant speak to the auto, but my 6 speed seems to make towing pretty easy, as i dont have to worry about trans searching for gears.

Are you planning long trips or shorter distances? Flat where you're at? Hilly area might be an issue.

 

We are in New Mexico so we have a good mix of terrain (flat open desert up to 13K foot peaks) Raton pass (7800ft) is a common route for us going to Colorado Springs.

Haven't purchased the trailer yet - going to look at it this weekend, need to work on a good WDH solution for my rig as I have a Brute Force Fab HC bumper and the hitch requires a 16-18" drop hitch/shaft

 

holy crap, that hitch will be dragging road kill

 

Guess you can use a WDH with this... Gonna get weird. I would go lighter if you could, considering terrain or get you a tow vehicle. But, if you really want to try it, you could probably flip it and just loose taxes and title, if it dont work out. New or used trailer?

 

Ha lol - Yep, will need to determine height of trailer (level or slight nose down) and then get a drop hitch that allows for a WDH setup

This one we custom produced for hauling my enclosed trailer with my Quads, we added the Swedges with heims to reinforce/reduce the movement.

the trailer we are looking at sits up higher than my toy hauler - so hopefully wont require a 18" drop hitch

 

side note, last nights camp buddies

 

They make 16" drop hitches that except WDH setups, and with the airbags, swedges etc. I think we will be fine - will post pics and results as we go along.

will set the truck up with the airbags, aux trans cooler, get a WDH drop hitch then rent a trailer (from the Base - military) that is comparable in weight and size to see how everything handles before purchasing a trailer to rule out issues etc.

 

When you setup your WDH, leave your airbags at lowest setting allowed. Mine was 5 psi. Any higher i didnt get any sag. Then you can bump up airbags if needed.

 

Dang that thing is kinda heavy . I just took delivery of a 2020 Gulf Stream Conquest. Dry weight is 2790 with 350 hitch weight .Truck did not have a tow package when I bought it back in 2008.I added
transmission cooler ,WD hitch with sway control bar ,bigger battery , brake controller. I have almost 3” lift and 33” tires . Tow in 4 . I also have an Ultra Gauge
to monitor my transmission temp .

 

Nice travel trailer . I had a 2015 Jayfeather SLX 16xrb Hybrid . I traded it in on the Gulf Stream .

 

I picked up a shocker hitch recently but haven’t towed with it yet. Absolute overkill for my 6x10 trailer but if it makes towing better and reduces wear & tear then I’ll be happy. I’m looking to upgrade to a 6x12 or 7x16 in the future.

I’ve got an ultra gauge to monitor trans temps and want to get a brake controller and upgraded trans cooler.

 

What’s the weight rating for this? Seems like a lot of moving parts and bushings carrying the load.