Help!! Please!! Realistic Towing Capability 22’ Tacoma TRD Sport Double Cab V6 Automatic 4x4

I NEED to make this work!! This RV is AWESOME for quality , amount of space , floor plan , price point and weight!

 

Thank you !!

 

My Tacoma has only 4,936 miles and the paint is ceramic coated and is showroom condition. AMP RESEARCH POWER DROP DOWN RUNNING BOARDS , Leather Loaded , Moonroof!! Every available factory option except for 360 degree camera ( will never go off road ) and the tailgate lock!! I could get $1,000 more than what I paid. I paid $45,300 and Kelly Blue Book Retail Private Party is $46K plus as of last months book value!

 

That’s a really nice trailer, but to be honest, I think you’re gonna need a bigger truck for that trailer. You’re going be running your Taco a lot using lower gears and very high RPMs most of the time, especially on hills and your gas mileage will be extremely low. I have a 20-foot Jayco single axle trailer that weighs about 3700 pounds and get about 9 mpg when towing. I do keep a lot of gear in my truck including a shell, RTT, and full steel armor plating and sliders on it, along with a 15 gallon spare fuel tank, and I feel like that’s really pushing it. Personally, I would look for a lighter trailer.

 

I have a very similar Tacoma to yours, right down to the color. Last year we moved from New Hampshire to Maryland and I made three trips down with a 6X12 U-Haul trailer (which has brakes) loaded to the gills with boxes of books and very heavy furniture. While I don't know the weight of what I was towing, the fact is, paper ain't light, so I was probably up near the max load.

I told you the above to say this, the nearly 600 mile drive, including through the Pocono mountains, was relatively easily accomplished; but as mentioned above, slow and easy is the order of the day. In the flats and on downhill segments I kept the rig to about 65 mph in 5th gear (I have a manual in my truck), and on the uphill stretches, I geared down to 4th, and sometimes even 3rd. I kept copious notes on fuel economy, and throughout the 1,700+ miles I drove pulling a loaded trailer, I the Tacoma averaged about 15.8 mpg.

 

Correct answer is buy a full sized truck to tow it with as stated by several posts already.
Or you can suffer with bad fuel economy and a lack of braking and power.

 

Yup , I already know that’s what I need to do!! Sell the Tacoma , Privately myself , buy a Tundra or GM Pickup 2012-2013 with the 6.2 Liter Engine combined by their 6 speed Automatic Transmission!! What I get for the Tacoma should come really close to purchasing the RV and Pickup! If I get a Tundra I’ll need to come up with some cash plus what I get for the Tacoma!! Tundra will be more money!

 

You won’t believe this but last July of 24’ I pulled an 8’ x 5’ U-Haul packed beyond full , I mean we were pushing stuff and shoving stuff ( carefully not to damage anything ) and drove from Eagle Point Oregon ( Southernmost part of Oregon ) 1,100 miles to Sun City West Arizona! I just looked up the specs on the trailer and empty the U-Haul was 900 lbs with a load capacity of 1,800 lbs so that’s 2,700 and that trailer was packed with heavy furniture , our most prized pieces!! I didn’t want the movers handling what I had in the U-Haul , anyway , I was at least towing 2,700 lbs , perhaps closer to 3,000 lbs and was cruising at 75-80 on Interstate 5 and up the mountains I used the “ SELECT SHIFT “ with my 6 speed Automatic and paid CLOSE attention to the Tachometer and also geared down from 6th gear down to 4th and I think down to 3rd a few times and had plenty of power while hitting the Power Band Point at around 3,500 + RPM’s Truck did great!! I didn’t pay attention to the fuel economy , to be honest!! Isn’t that a coincidence?

 

Not to bring politics into this conversation, but car prices will probably go up as a result of today’s announcements from Washington. That also means Toyotas are going to get very expensive. If you’re planning on buying a Tundra and not a domestic, I would do it very soon. I have a feeling domestic car prices, even used ones, are also going to go up a lot as well as market prices readjust.

Your Tacoma’s value is going to end up being worth a lot more if you wait a little bit also.

 

That’s a nice looking set up you have there!! Congrats!! Yeah , I’m going to have to sell my Tacoma and go to a Tundra 2021 model or older with the 5.7 Liter IForce engine or a 2012-2013 GM 1500 with the 6.2 liter V8 and the 6 speed automatic transmission. 2013 was the last year for the 6 speed automatic!! 2014 -present GM went to the 8 and 10 speed automatic and they have had numerous problems! Before I retired , I ran a Used Car Dealership and every 2014 or newer GM 1500 had tranny issues and we had to repair them before putting them out on the lot for sale!!

 

Thanks for the compliment. Didn’t know you sold cars, so I was really preaching to the preacher! I’m not that knowledgeable about business really, so I was really stating an opinion about the auto market. To be honest, I do worry about having to buy a replacement vehicle if my truck ever gets totaled. I bought it new in 2017 with $35k cash OTD. It’s a OR 4x4 DCSB with the full tech package (at that time). Being retired now, I would have to make payments if getting a new Toyota truck and probably even for a low mileage used one.

 

Nothing wrong with going to a full size if it fits your needs. I loved my Taco, but traded it for a 2021 Tundra last year so that I could reliably tow a boat. No regrets, beyond missing the red.

 

What is your gas mileage with your Tundra?

 

These trucks get pissy towing anything over 3500lbs. You're not going to have an enjoyable trailering experience. Especially, if you plan on driving uphill, downhill, in windy conditions, twisty roads, trying to stop, ect. You get the idea.

For that kind of weight I'd highly recommend a full size truck or suv. Diesels are best, but expensive.

 

Yup, I totally believe it. Maybe it is just me, but I don't see the need for a larger truck to pull your travel trailer.

 

Nice Tundra !! Congrats

 

It is one thing to tow a heavy trailer one time in move, it is another thing to tow that weight all over the country as you travel.

Being a 50 yr motorcycle rider, having traveled over much of the country, I enjoy travel days almost more than the camp days. To that end I make sure my travel rig is enjoyable and not stressful to drive.

OP, you have it figured out correctly, bite the bullet and get a bigger truck. There are some great trucks out there.

 

Given the dozen or so times I've towed over the last two and a half years, and given only four or five of those trips were heavily loaded, I wouldn't go as far as to say the trips were stressful, but only because I kept my speeds pretty much slower than anything else out there (i.e. I was doing the speed limit). Your point is well taken, if towing heavy loads is a regular thing and/or if I want to move at the speed of the traffic, then yeah, I'd probably go for a heavier truck. My problem is nobody in my family ever learned how to drive an automatic, so I'd need to look for an older Cummins Ram or something like that.