Towing RV

Newbie here but Tacoma owner for many years.
Sold house and Bought a 2021 Tacoma SR5 4x4 (traded in my baby 2009 Tacoma)
Picking up a 2021 No Boundaries 19.6 in Chicago on the 9th (Live in Florida)
Original plan was an Apex Nano 3700lbs dry when I bought Truck, due to shortages I was lucky to find the 19.6. Dry is 4300lb tongue 480 (Lithium battery in another area and just one Propane)

Read forums here the past few days and very short on time to do anything before picking up RV. Plan is appt with a shop I trust to install Air Lift Ride 2000lb to rear, 10-100psi
Installed a P3 already and dealer installing WD with Sway control, Equalizer 600-800 (debated the 400-600 another story)

Pushing it a bit I know but given this setup and doing short hops..50-100miles stay 4-7 days, does anyone have thoughts on this? I still have time to check options...maybe.

 

Not sure if you've towed large trailers before but it looks like you have the basics covered. Also, just know you're towing a lot of weight and aren't in a race so take your time and allow for more everything (travel time, space, stopping, turning, etc.)
Things I would do/consider:
1. Dial in your P3 shortly after picking up the trailer so your not under/over braking.
2. Don't drive is "D" unless you are on flat stretches with almost no grade change.
3. Drive in "S" mode (I think I have a 2nd gen) for hills and grades so you can keep the transmission from hunting gears and overheating. This will increase RPM's and lower MPG's but you're better off.
4. Minimize brake usage for steep and long down grades, shift down and let the truck do the work. You'll be amazed how little you use the brakes when doing it correctly. Just know you will probably be passed by non-towing vehicles but you won't have any braking issues or premature wear. I find 3rd works really well on most steep grades and keeping the speed around 55-65.

Here is an image from the 2nd gen manual to give you an idea of speeds in gears.

 

Others will reply with more definitive advice, but I concur with the above advice, with
the exception of never using 'D', always use S Mode especially for something this big.

You sold the house, dogs, cats, kids and bought a new Taco and Camper.... damn ... livin the dream.

 

Be very mindful of the cargo weights and distribution.

It won't take much to push over the GCVWR of the truck.

Remember, the hitch weight and tongue weight are counted as cargo on the truck.

 

Question about engine braking vs pedal braking: If you primarily use engine braking, aren't you bypassing the brakes on the trailer? If so, is that a good thing? (i am a relatively new tower, so i am asking for my own edification). I get the benefits of engine braking, but i question it's benefits if it effectively bypasses trailer brakes.

 

OP, i have a 2016 OR. I tow an Apex Nano 194BHS, which i think is very close to specs as yours. I have a brake controller, WDH and sway bar. She feels at her max, but manageable. I don't drive crazy. Hope this helps.

 

Correct, electric trailer brakes are not engaged unless you press the brake pedal signaling the brake controller. That being said I can't speak to the true engineering reasons but from experience engine braking keeps the everything under control even with the extra trailer weight.
When I first started towing I wasn't aware of engine braking and thought the trailer brakes were just an extension of the vehicle brakes thus making one big braking system. What I found out, from experience, is that the trailer brakes are only assisting and most of the braking is still happening in the tow vehicle and on long descents I could feel the transition in the braking from essentially normal to not fully confident I will have the braking power I need (basically brake fade). After a few trips I had warped my routers. I then did some research and found engine braking. I have gone on many trips over the years since and have had no issues with braking power or premature wear.
Again the trailer brakes are for assistance and really that's all, braking around town, in traffic (not long/steep downhills), and general slowing down. A good example of using engine braking to save on your brakes is going down hill either behind someone slow or in traffic because you will want to use the brakes a lot in those situations. Shifting down to "2" or even "L" in those situations may seem slow and unnecessary but your brakes will love it (so will your safety). As for other descents going down below "3" will be up to the driver. Its will always be safer and better for you brakes to drive a little slower than brake more.
Sorry for the diatribe its just I found out the hard way and fortunately with no incidents, just replacing parts.

 

Sweet, looked up your camper, I am a few hundred pounds over but close. Tongue about same.
Do you have Air bags? Experience much sway? Guessing you mean "her max" as engine pull?
Was a little worried about getting to speed on onramps but guessing people can honk if they want.
Thanks for Input!

 

The engine braking helps but not replaces the service brakes.
Rather than using the service brakes all the way down the hill you can shift down and pass part of the braking load to the drive train. The weight that is pulling you down the hill is now forced to spin up the drive train which uses up some of the energy requiring less braking.

That said these trucks have a small lightweight engine, they don't offer the braking ability of an old Dodge 225 slant six for example. Even though the Dodge engine was of similar displacement (3.7 liter for the metric folks) the crankshaft, connecting rods and pistons of the Dodge engine weighed significantly more thus were more effective.

 

this is helpful, thanks. engine braking it is!!

 

Good advise above.

Personally, I'd also recommend you set up the the WDH without using the air bags. That way the load is always distributed front/rear regardless of the airbags. The airbags will mask a WDH setup that puts too much load on the rear axle and not enough on the front.

Feel free to add and use the airbags. Just don't include them in your base setup.

Debate welcome on the above.

Second is haul the TT with all the water/waste tanks empty. My KZ TT had a 40 gallon water tank way up front and that added 334 pounds of mass ahead of the axle.

On my F-150 I could tell the difference when the water tank was full. My K2500 didn't care. The Tacoma will care.

 

Seem's like you've got it pretty dialed in. If you go to any larger tires you will deff need a regear. And one wouldn't hurt even on stock tires if you plan on towing this trailer a lot. Take it slow, use S4 and you will be fine. congrats!

 

Haven't seen anything posted above that is incorrect. Given our towing experience (we tow a boat & trailer that weighs in at around 4800 lbs. but obviously very little wind resistance compared to an RV trailer) we would advise you to purchase a ScanGauge II and monitor your transmission fluid temp. Modern transmissions are designed to operate at higher temperatures than some of us are accustomed to. Before we ever towed the boat I installed the largest trans. fluid cooler I could fit in the space available. It made a tremendous difference in fluid temps. while towing.

 

Great responses - everything seems to be covered, I agree with everyone..
Don't forget the marshmallows..

 

Curious what mirrors you have there. I ordered these as I could not get my hands on the 2912's.

$64 Milenco MIL-4381 Falcon Towing Mirrors - Pair

Milenco MIL-4381 Falcon Towing Mirrors - Pair

Trailer is 7.5ft wide so hope they work.

 

Yep, 2912s. aka Grand Aero 3;
https://www.milenco.com/products/mirrors/milenco-grand-aero-3-towing-mirror

We've had them since the second trip, after throwing the little stick on velco type pair in the garbage..

 

I can try them at minimum (5psi) and see how it handles. I do plan to minimize weight as the original plan was a 3700lb camper, parts shortages changed that. Fresh tank only 30gal so will only carry about half that for boon docking.

Guy who works on trailers says think of the P3 button on top as a behave button, when hitting strong cross winds accelerate and press the button to get setup stable...ever do this? I have towed RV's while raising kids but everything was only within 1-2hrs from home.

 

They're describing the Manual control lever, as in rather than hitting the brakes and shifting weight onto the truck he's suggesting to turn on the trailer brakes by themselves and drag the trailer straight/stable.. Logic checks out - I've never needed to do it but would in an emergency.

That's one of the reasons I went with the P2 in the usual brake controller spot. The RedArc looks like it would take some practice to get the hand of - push/turn etc, the P3 a little less so but still digital buttons. I like the dial and lever controls on the older style P2 controller.

 

My Suburban had a P3, they work well. On the bottom of the unit is the manual mode lever that you move to manually command the trailer brakes should you need to stabilize the trailer using just it's brakes. There are buttons on the faceplate to control the setup for your rig.

There is not a button on the top surface of the unit to get the setup stable. Read the manual carefully. It will guide you through setting up the trailer brake settings so they behave consistently and proportionally with your truck. Go to a parking lot with plenty of braking room and play with the set up to get familiar the range of behavior and results as you dial it in.

And, seriously, practice normal and aggressive stops. You will get caught in traffic or a situation that causes you to hit the brakes unexpectedly and even hard. Last thing you want is the feeling of the trailer either locking up and skidding sideways or pushing the truck forward because the trailer brakes didn't grab powerfully enough. Been there, done that, learned to set it up properly myself as my RV dealer did not in their 5 minute drive when I first bought my TT.

 

Totally agree with this. I have a P3 as well. This is what I was touching on in my first response.