5th wheel hitch on Tacoma

Seems like a waste of a perfectly good farm truck. There’s no way to do what you’re doing without wrecking it.

 

I agree with Kirk.
Remove the bed and Build a custom mount to mount the 5th wheel hitch kit.

I guess it depends on what you're comparing the install with.

 

I had a 1998 RWD with the v6 5-speed that had a fifth wheel hitch in it. Let me see if I have pictures of where it was welded to the frame.

 

It was long disused, but it was in there.

 

Wow!

 

I also own a 250 but with 6.7l. It's not even the right tool for a 5th wheel trailer but it is makes my first gen Tacoma seem like a toy. My first gen is practically sitting on the bump stops with 800lbs in the bed, that's with Dakars and extra leaf. The most I've towed with it was a small utility trailer loaded with dirt, totaling around 1k lbs...the rear was squatted and the weight was noticeable even with the 3.4l. Love my Tacoma for what it is, it's carried me and my tools to work for years, but there is a realistic practical limit to these compact(mid size?) trucks. Seeing someone try to rig a 5th wheel hitch to a 1st gen certainly is entertaining, although trading for, or purchasing a more capable truck might be a better long term solution.

I don't know how large your FIL's TT is, but I guarantee the towing experience would be much more pleasant behind the Super Duty than behind your Tacoma. Out of curiosity, how much do you regularly haul?

 

He regretted not getting Diesel the first time he towed his 5th wheel. It's a smaller 5th wheel, too.

As for actually towing like that, no I'd never seriously think about doing that with a Tacoma. He was just bragging about his truck and making fun of my little toy truck... not knowing how I actually use it. He isn't using his to spec and complaining about it already, but I use mine ridiculously beyond spec and have zero issues or complaints.

This is about as heavy as I've been loaded. But I've put on thousands of miles like this. My Truck is about GVWR without the camper and tongue weight. I run the Deaver stage 3, and it sits about level when loaded.




This was my dumbest towing job. It's actually 1000-1500 pounds lighter than the load above, but the single axle made it sketchier. In fact, the leaf spring busted on the trailer on the drive home. Thank God it happened in a gas station, not on the freeway. It actually wasn't all that bad, the trailer just liked to track with the ruts in the pavement more than my double axle.

 

Why dont you just rip the tacoma off its frame....

and then stick it on a real truck frame.......