Towed my buddies fully loaded Formula 240 bow rider @ 25 miles RT

Spent the day on the Delaware brushing up on some wakeboarding and relaxing. This is the first "heavy" item I have towed with my 3rd Gen. I towed my 21' 3800+ lb bow rider often with my 1st and 2nd gen Tacomas, and this one . I have a VR tune, cap and some weight in the bed. ECT was more of a drag when engaged. I towed it mostly without it, in S4. Total weight of boat was around 5700+ lbs.,w/ 60 gals of fuel. Truck towed it OK. The Alcan leafs kept the truck pretty much level . I could definitely feel the difference between the boats with the weight differential, accelerating. I would not tow anything heavier by choice.

 

So boat 5700 + 480(gas)+150(cap)+100(other)+ 350(passengers)
6780 total…..

guess trailer was included in boat weight. Trailer brakes???
Right at the limit

 

5700# was including fuel, but not trailer w/ brakes. 3 -200 lb men and a 7 year old Rottweiler

 

Towed this unit. A little over 5000lbs (best guess). Kept it low and slow but I wouldn't want to do it often.

 

I towed around 6K through the Tennessee foothills for a few hours the the other day. The truck hated it, and I hated it for the truck.
Empty truck, no passengers, doing all things right by the transmission, and yes, of course, trailer brakes..
Just because you can do it doesn't mean you should do it.
I'll borrow the right truck for the job next time.

 

I would not tow anything more than 4500# unless there are zero hills.

Starting in first on a hill at a red light is no fun at all.

 

Biggest hill was the boat ramp

 

When it comes down to it, the Tacoma is a miserable tow vehicle.

 

Correct, “small trailers “ are fine, small !

 

So isn't any small truck if you want to haul a lot of weight. I wouldn't want to haul any thing that is more that the truck weight.

 

trailer brakes were working. lights, when they decided to

 

This is how you do it...

 

I’ve owned two Chevy S10 ZR2 pickups with the 4.3 and they towed much better than my Tacoma with the 3.5. Now both of Chevy’s were pretty well shot by 165k where a Taco could probably do twice that.

The problem with the Taco is it just doesn’t make enough low end torque. I’d consider it to be a great truck if it made some torque.

 

Compared to what? It does what I ask it to do very well. It sure beats the Subaru I used previously. You need to put things into perspective.

 

Drove from So Cal to Waco Tx for the recent eclipse, then returned home on Route 66. Side tracked to Grand Canyon and some other locations at high elevations, and drove through very steep terrain on Route 66 through Arizona in places like where it passes through Oatman Az. No issues and didn’t have any discomfort doing it-

 

That's because the 4.3 is a v8 with the rear two cylinders lopped off. Same bore/stroke as the 350. Still makes some grunt.

 

Compared to its competition.

Had only 3k lbs behind me today and I'll admit the chassis and suspension did fine the motor really had to work.

 

Chevy’s 4.3L engine is a V6.

 

As quoted: V8 - 2 cylinders chopped off = V6.

 

Yes, I agree a 3.5 Tacoma will tow better than most any Subaru.

But I’ll say, my wife’s old V6 RAV4 towed almost as well as my Taco. And from a power perspective it was better…. That vehicle was a beast, for what it was.