Towing with the 2.7

2.7 SR doesn’t come standard with a tow hitch has anyone installed one and how well do they tow.
Its not the most powerful engine for sure and concerned about payload and towing. Also little confused about the 2.7 and 3.5 and capabilities assuming AT in both, I thought i read the 2.7 has a higher payload capacity than the 3.5 which doesn’t make much sense to me.
Can someone please breakdown, explain the differences between the two engines and with both AT and MT as far as towing and payload capacity. And to make it even more confusing 4wd,2wd.
I do know the 4WD gets less gas mileage

 

Do you know what it is that you'll be wanting to tow? And how frequently.

Simple - lighter engine means the difference can be applied to the payload.
I'm not a suspension wizard so I don't know if there's a difference between SR and TRD OR and their respective suspensions.

 

Payload is what is in the truck cab and bed, including tongue wt of the tow. Sticker in doorjamb gives that number. And it's less than you'd think

Tow capacity for your truck is low. Should be in the owners manual, but I'll guess about 3k.

 

dont

 

I don’t have anything in specific i need to tow at the moment but in the past i could have used one to tow a small trailer with a mower, brush, furniture, lumber etc.
Always handy to have one and borrow a trailer instead of trying to borrow both. Years ago I had a 03 nissan frontier with a 3.3 v6 180 hp 202 torque, towing was around 5,000 but payload was only 1100 i put a hitch on that and it towed a small trailer with mower etc ok but you definitely felt it. I dont think this one will do near as well but i dont know. Its 159 hp 180 torque The payload interestingly is around the same between the two but big difference in the towing 3500 vs 5000.
Just trying to get an idea if anyone put a hitch on one and what they towed. Obviously not going to tow a 30ft SeaRay
I cant even remember seeing someone tow with and SR5 or TRD around here.

 

technically you can cut the bumper step and thread a ball into the bumper support, if you crawl under the truck the "hitch" framework is there w/o the actual hitch.
for wiring you can do a search and find out how to tap into the 4 pin by the kickpanel or do the curt box that ties into the lights, there is no way around doing the wiring here and no simple plug and play.
curt hitch or ez hitch seems to be the solution for about $150, all said and done you'll be into it for about 250-275 if you do the work yourself.

 

For light weight utility towing around town, a mower, couch or small aluminum boat for example the 2.7 will do the job.

Beyond that type of use it will be an exercise in frustration at best.

 

5 lug 2.7 auto ran interstate here in flat-ish FL no problem. Hardly changed the MPG

Curt hitch, 4 pin wiring

Also useful for a bed extender or a bike rack

 

Yeah i want to say it ran me about $300-$350 almost 20 years ago having it done at a shop thats with a regular hitch setup and not sure how they tapped in the wiring.
I remember seeing many years ago going through the bumper and every bumper was bent

 

With the way they drive on 19 no way ide have it stick out the back that much lol
Especially in pinellas

 

Went with the Kurt brand and had uhaul install it for me when I picked up the cargo trailer. Went with the second smallest option and packed it damn near full. Drove 2,000 miles and wasnt too annoying until you got to higher elevation and steeper hills (VA to WY). Coming back I went with the smallest option trailer (pictured) and really wasn't too bad with ECT PWR. That trip was much longer since I crossed 3 national parks off the list. Think it is important to note that I had the OTT

 

I installed a hitch on my SR5 after I bought the truck. I just towed a 5'x10' utility trailer with a light load over 1300 miles, mostly interstate, including the hills in northern WV and MD, and thought the truck did fine. I've got the five speed MT, I would think the AT would be a little tougher. For light trailers, the 2TR does a good job. RPM is key, I used a lot of 4th gear, and 3rd climbing the hills, but that engine is built to take it. Mileage varied between 14.5 and 19mpg (calculated).

The four cylinder trucks have a higher payload because the engine is lighter than the V6. And remember that the I4 and V6 trucks share the same frame/suspension/brakes, so your only real handicap is horsepower. If you plan to regularly tow, especially heavier trailers, the V6 is probably the way to go, but light trailers or occasional use, the four cylinder can handle it.

 

Everyone on here will tell you if you want to tow anything more than a bag of chips that you need to have a full size truck.

Plenty of people tow light things with 4 cylinders (including cars, station wagons, vans) all the time. A small utility trailer with mower, furniture, etc will pull just fine behind a 2.7 Tacoma, 4wd or 2wd.

 

Just as the 4cyl has more payload capacity due to less weight how does the 2wd vs 4wd factor in
I would think the 4wd robs more power and weight as well so the 2wd has more capacity?

 

Not sure on capacities. Go by what is in the owners manual for tow capacity and tongue weight

 

I installed a hitch receiver only, but that’s for a bike carrier. It’s not wired for trailer connections and I don’t tow with it.