Gen 3 Towing Thread

Towed a uhaul enclosed full of moving stuff the other month, pretty funny to be body rolling around corners while towing. This was before I added another trans cooler/pinned the trans tstat, and it did not like me floored up hills with 35s Towed pretty good otherwise.

 

Thank you for your honesty. I appreciate it.
Zim

 

Recently did a 200 miles round trip with 1,800 pound trailer and about 1,300 lbs on the trailer (plus probably another 200lbs of stuff in cabin including me) and surprisingly wasn’t too bad at all. I got 15.7 mpg and had no issues. The truck didn’t seem to squat too bad.

 

can a tow package be installed after market maybe ?

 

@Phich thank you for the detailed post. Unfortunately for me that sounds like bad news. I am looking to buy a 3500 lb Winnebago travel trailer, which is very similar to the geo. I follow a guy online who tows the Winnebago micro Minnie with a Colorado avalanche and does fine, or doesn't complain.

So, if I'm looking to buy this trailer. You wouldn't suggest towing with Taco and upgrade to Tundra?

 

Thank you for the details

 

Man, there are so many factors regarding towing that it's useless to offer advice - better to simply state personal experiences and let people draw what they will from them, hence my towing post.

Some people are truly not bothered by staying in 3rd and 4th gear for hours on end with the revs whining like crazy while maxing out at 65mph and getting 8mpg. It drove me NUTS. Again, the Tacoma can do the job just fine, it's just that there are many other vehicle options that are WAY better than the Tacoma for towing wind-blocking RV's. The idea of towing my old GeoPro with my Tacoma to Colorado or Utah from south central Texas almost literally gives me anxiety.

A Tundra will tow much better and get slightly better mpg while being able to maintain up hills without bogging down to 55mph.

Look into pop-up's and A-frames. Some are VERY nice and even if they are 4000lbs loaded, you don't have that nasty wall of wind resistance, which is the main reason for the abysmal towing in the Tacoma. They are just a bit more work in setting up and taking down, but well-worth the better drive in my opinion.

Good luck sir!

 

Towing is about safety and not speed.

 

And knowing his half the battle.

 

I was towing a 2021 Gulfstream Ameri-Lite 199DD. Last time I had it weighed with all my stuff I was at 3720. Total GCWR 9220. So about 2k under max. But just traded that for a 2022 Ameri-Lite 248BH with a dry weight of 4200 but it has tandem axles. Figure we add 500 max but length will be 27' vs my 21'. The Tacoma handles it well...actually more than pleased. The only mods I've done is Timbren helper springs and Cooper RTX 265/75R16 tires with a higher load rating. And the hitch is a Husky Centerline 600/6000.

 

You will be fine as long as you set up your hitch correctly. I've seen a number of half ton trucks over the years towing campers similar to mine and they are sagging and all over the road. If you buy the right hitch, set it up correctly, load your trailer correctly all will be fine. Also have to consider tire pressures, tire load ratings and tire type. If you take a camper off the lot, leave it as is and let the rv dealer setup your hitch you will be disappointed. And yes...your rpms might be higher at times but I never struggled to maintain speed even when the limit is 70 and it's uphill. Another thing that will not help is if your truck is lifted...thats about the least ideal thing you could do if your using your vehicle for towing.

 

Parroting @green_plaid with the exception that I am lifted. I tow a 3400# tt with a 2017 dcsb, I run a

Reese RB Wt. Dist. Kit w/Shank, Friction Sway Control, 2-5/16" Dia. Chrome Hitch Ball, Sway Control Ball, Chains & Hardware, 10000 lbs. (GTW), 750 lbs. (TW)

reese pro weight distribution hitch with the included friction sway control and it's good to go. I will say I've learned a few things along the way.

1) For me in the PNW the sway control is a must, I tow around the columbia gorge and the winds often left me white knuckled, the friction sway control changed that game significantly. I plan to replace my hitch with a

$746 Equal-i-zer 4-point Sway Control Hitch, 90-00-1069, 10000 Lbs Trailer Weight Rating, 1000 Lbs Tongue Weight Rating, Weight Distribution Kit Includes Standard Hitch Shank and 2-5/16" Ball

newer design that has built-in sway control
2) Trans temps kept going much higher than I wanted, after "pinning" the transmission cooler those temps drops off by 20+ points and now never go over 207
3) A rear facing camera on the rear of the trailer while driving is amazingly helpful (but not a replacement for extending mirrors)

 

First trip out with the newer...longer...heavier camper. I estimate I'm probably around 4800 lbs...27' long. No sag when hooked up. It was a good weekend to test as it was pretty windy. Have to say it for sure tows better than the lighter, shorter single axle I had before. I was a bit unsure but after this weekend I have no regrets at all. Obviously acceleration is slower but I'm merging onto the highway just about as fast as anyone else and I hit 70 a few times to check stability. All good...but trying to keep it no more than 65 because the tires are rated to mid 70s.

 

My taco pulls best around 60-65. 5,100 lbs ready to roll. Dual axle makes a difference

 

I get it that greater towed weight needs tandem axles, but I'm curious about the 'towing manners' of tandem axles vs single axles. Less anxiety?, better sway stability?, tongue weights?, etc.

 

Yes, tandem axles are supposed to help really well with stability and sway. You should also be able to put more weight on them in general, so I'd think that means you can move the weight back more off the tongue and put it more over the axles instead without worry (for the most part, still keeping in mind overall weight ratings etc). As far as anxiety, I'd say yes to that as well. If you have a trailer tire blowout you can limp on the other one remaining on that side to a safer place to work on it or even a service station.

 

And if you have a blowout you can use one of the Anderson levelers as a jack.

https://andersenhitches.com/products/camper-leveler

 

That is probably why Toyota took the time to run the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) J2807 towing test and put their recommendations in the owners manual ;-)

 

I too, was pleasantly surprised when I figured the fuel mileage when towing our boat. Our boat and trailer weigh in at just under 5,000 lbs. and we're getting between 14 & 15 MPG. Couldn't be happier with those numbers!

 

How much better is towing a non TT? Seems like you all are having such a great time relative to my reasonable time with a 3800# tt.

@Illini Tacoma What boat/trailer setup are you towing?