Is towing 6500 lbs safe?

He did say it, he was wondering if it was going to f his truck up longterm! Says it all!!!!!!!!!

 

You don't mention the size of the dump trailer, however at my work we have a tandem axle Dump Trailer which is probably 20' in length. It gets filled twice weekly with cut-up concrete Street Light poles. Nothing less then a 3/4 Ton truck with a brake controller is allowed to tow it, in fact the company bought a new F-250 which is pretty much dedicated to just towing that trailer to and from the dump and occasionally to job sites. I wouldn't even consider moving it across our yard with my Taco.

Another factor (in addition to the valid comments about increased wear and tear on your Taco and insurance restrictions) is the DOT. In my area (So.Cal.) it's common to see a DOT Officer camped-out on the access road to our local dump looking (and catching) any commercial vehicle violations. Un-covered/un-secured loads and under-sized vehicles seem to be pretty common tickets for them.

 

This should go down as the dumbest thing I read today. Hopefully.

 

That's true, however personally it wouldn't matter to me; the potential long-term damage to my personal vehicle and potential liability would bother me too much to do something like that.

 

It won't be if you advise anyone again to trust Toyota engineers! Sure engineers says he can haul what he stated, but everyone else on here was warning him it might affect his vehicle long term!

 

Most cars/trucks are powerful enough to tow all sorts of weight above their GVWR... they just can't stop it.

Follow the manufacturer's recommendations as long as you haven't changed your equipment and you'll be fine.

 

Actually, we don't know what his truck will tow. 6500lbs is the max a Tacoma can tow, but his Tacoma may not be rated for that.... stuff like 4x4, Double Cab, etc which add weight to the vehicle and cut down the tow rating.... the truck will probably do it, but it may not be rated for it.

 

I totally agree, the gentleman had already been making trips, so sounded like he already knew he was within hauling specs, he was concerned about long term, everyone was just saying, personal vehicle hauling loads as stated for work might not be a good idea,for long term ownership of vehicle . But to give advice that if the engineers says it will haul it then haul it is nonsense and didn't answer his question! But these threads do tend to veer off the original context of a post! Lol.

 

I do occasional towing of sailboats with my tacoma for work but if we had to do that regularly id have to tell the boss to purchase an old beater ford or chevy.

As others have said, towing heavy will wear parts. Either your boss needs to compensate you for wear and tear or purchase a cheap used work truck.

Time to have a convo with the boss. Just let him know you dont mind with occasional use of your POV, but doing it regularly is going to wear out your truck, after all, its not like we are talking about a dodge ram here, just a little taco, I’m sure they will understand


Side note: when working for the US Forest Service they asked me to use my POV once and the dirt road was so muddy two rigs, including my own, slid off the road and were damaged. The Forest Service didnt cover any of the damage and maintained that they said I “could” use my vehicle and that I was not asked to use it. So if a federal agency wouldn’t cover damages it’s likely your employer wouldn't either.

 

Yes, it can be dangerous towing 3,500 to 6,500 pound trailers with this tacoma. Your braking distance is increased dramatically for beginners. Things like your brakes, transmission, suspension are going to wear faster than normal. 1 20 mile trip a day is not really enough information to go on. If you are towing between Sedona and Flagstaff Arizona for example, that would be a taxing 20 mile haul. So I a going to say that unless your making some good money for hauling the trailers or you really have to have the job, I would use another vehicle.

 

Couple of short answers. Mostly will echo what has been stated.

1. Towing anything can be dangerous.
2. Towing will increase wear on many parts; ie tires, drivetrain, engine, frame, brakes
3. Never use personal vehicle for employer work tasks.

 

You're going to be pushing your truck to the brink on a daily basis. Will the Taco hold up? Probably, but I would make sure you're being compensated well enough to consider this.

 

His truck is rated to tow 6,400 # max (2018 4x4 TRD OR Long Bed (not sure if AC or DC)).

Figuring towing weight needs to be subtracting other weight.

So he's over/outside of tow ratings at 6,500 # before he even gets in the truck.

GCVWR and what a Tacoma feels overworked carrying is another convo.

And then there's his initial two-part statement/question of long-term effects and safety. Both negative results at 6,500 #.

 

Being a dump trailer stuff gets thrown in and trailer is never balanced. Tongue weight either heavy or light, can determine whether it’s safe or not.

 

Precisely. The # amount is a small part of the equation, and a camper doesn’t haul like a dump trailer, or a motorcycle trailer, etc.

 

Lots of variables there, but it sounded like he's already been towing it back and forth and seen/felt how the truck was performing and was wondering about wear and tear on possibly having the truck for foreseeable future. Even if he would have said 5000#, I can see most on here would have said the same thing, talk to your boss about him getting a work vehicle or this new found technology they call a dumpster! Lol.

 

As was mentioned above, I hope you have trailer brakes on at least one axle if you plan on stopping in any reasonable distance or especially if you are on any steep hills.

I did have a fun event when loading a 1.5 ton mini excavator on a dual axle trailer with my Tacoma. Parked on a slight slope, when driving up the ramp the weight of the tractor on the back of the trailer created lift on the tongue with the truck causing the rear tires to slip, truck, trailer and tractor now rolling down the hill. If it had been in 4wd the front wheels would have allowed the park to keep things in place. So fortunately I did what I always do when things go horribly lopsided, I undid what I had done and backed off of the ramps.

 

Ratings for towing with vehicles are similar to fuel ratings all numbers are optimistic . That much weight will prematurely wear your truck out.

 

confused on your reply. The trucks manufacture tow rating is what I said should be followed.

 

That's what op was asking! But somehow the thread veers off into Toyota engineers are smart, go ahead and tow it if not exceeding manufacturers limit! The smart ones only warrant 60,000 miles, maintenance up to 150,000. Some people expect to exceed the smart ones expectations. JUST SAYING!