Towing gone wrong

You need a bigger truck.Even with suspension upgrades,sway bar,etc. You're going to get that"tail waggin' the dog" feeling.The truck weighs less than the trailer.Like others said,occasional towing u can get by but towing a lot u got the wrong truck.

 

Wow! Your enclosed 6x12 trailer weights 3100lbs? My 1969 15' camper doesn't even weight that much!

 

Here are a few things to consider:

- how do you know the tongue weight is 500lbs (and not much more)?
- weight distributing hitch (Eqal-i-zer). Sway control built-in.
- Timbrens (should not affect empty ride if selected correctly).

But are you sure you can really tow that much? Do you have the factory tow package?

 

get some helper springs

 

Well here is the scoop. I live in Chicago and I haul my equipment in my trailer all across northern and central Illinois interstates. Not only is this damn state known for very high taxes but also nasty suspension killing roads. This is a whole new experience for me. I used to haul a bobcat trailer behind a f350 diesel. No problem. When I drive through straight country highways, my taco pulls great (unless I'm behind a 18 wheeler, I'm thrown around due to the wind). When I drive across bridges and interchanges that's when I bottom out. As far as mpg, I get great mileage. For me to cruise from chitown to Ottawa without a trailer I burn less than quarter. With a trailer, a quarter even. Which is way better than my Chevrolet express v6 same amount of cargo but burns damn near twice mpg. When hauling my trailer I put cruise control on and drive 68-69 mph right at 2k rpms. Not bad. My towing package comes with a tranny cooler which helps. I was thinking an extra leaf in my springs, but at the same time I don't want my truck to drive like crap without towing the trailer. Sure airbags but I heard bad things about those. I live in a climate that has worst of the both worlds, very hot and very cold. I heard airbags suck at dead of winter. Input please.

 

A rear anti-sway bar fixes the wind buffeting almost completely... I put one on my Tacoma and can attest to the improvement.

Those RoadMaster active suspension springs supposedly do something similar to a sway bar in addition to fixing the axle wrap and improve load handling. I'm really interested if they really do fix the axle wrap and the thumping it causes in DC's.

 

There is nothing wrong with a truck that weighs the same as the trailer. What do you tell people with 7000lb F350s towing 12000lb trailers???

I tow my dad's 6x12 enclosed cargo trailer with my Taco frequently. Depending on what I'm carrying, it weighs somewhere between 1500 and 7000lbs. I have no problems other than horrible gas mileage. Get the spring TSB and get an accurate weight of the tongue and axle. I think you have way too much weight forward in the trailer and weak springs on the truck.

 

The RoadMaster active suspesion works very well for my Dads Chevy the only thing is it "creeks" from time to time he has torqued it once and rechecked it and can't tell why it happens but other than that he loves it. It only creeks when pulling the camper. As far as daily driving he commutes 50+ miles one way to work and has noticed minimal changes in ride quality. I say go for it.

 

7000lbs is more than 4000lbs.I have a F250 that used to haul my 30' tt all over the country.The weight of the truck,along with beefier suspension,longer wheel base,and weight all made it tow fine.You're right,not just weight,but overall bigger truck.

 

75% more to be precise... and 12000 lbs is 300% more than 4000lbs. I think his point is the weight differential: the F350 is way outclassed by it's 12000lb tow that it handles quite well (if I'm reading him right), far more than the Tacoma is by a 4000lb tow.

I don't see why Tacoma's suspension isn't good enough for a 400 lb tongue weight (10% of 4000lbs). But even if it does make it sag it's nothing a $100 AAL shouldn't be able to fix.

 

Another vote for Timbrens. Best bang for the buck!

 

Well with all my might, I can lift the the front end of the trailer loaded. Nowhere nere 500lbs.

 

Several reasons. 1, most trailer tires do NOT have to pass certification above 55 mph as the avg trailer speed limit in the country is 55. 2, he is putting as much weight in the trailer as the truck weighs, on a trailer without brakes or sway control, on a truck with very little weight in the back. This means if he ever brakes hard he IS going to jack knife, and the faster you go into a jack knife the less likely you are to survive, let alone innocent bystanders. Op's trailer also sounds like it is enclosed, and the faster you go with an enclosed trailer the more likely you are to roll.
There is the safety part out of the way. Now the legal. country trailer speed limit is 55, if you go 15-25 mph over (depending on state) you go from civil to criminal. This means if you are in an accident those involved can go after you at fault or not for reckless endangerment.

OP if you are determined to pull this trailer with this truck I do suggest getting it setup for it. Leafs and sway bar at minimum, brakes preferably. A larger truck would not need the brakes as much since the truck/trailer weight ratio should be a better balance.

 

without reading all the posts. GEt some HELPer springs at the local auto store. Easy, cheap and a HUGE improvement. You will be much happier for the whooping $29 they cost ya.

 

Where did you come up with that?

The ST tire spec is for sustained 65mph at the maximum load & maximum pressure indicated on the sidewall.

The ST tire spec is for sustained 75mph at the pressure indicated on the sidewall as long as the load is no more than the rated load for 10psi below the sidewall pressure. You have to find a load table for the tire in question to figure out how many pounds you can carry @ 75mph.

There are a few (Goodyear Marathon being one) that indicate you can inflate the tire to 10psi over the number stamped on the sidewall and run 75mph at the maximum rated load. This is beyond the minimum standards for ST tires.

Is that true? I assumed an enclosed cargo trailer has electric brakes. Certainly need them.

I disagree. A larger truck would cover up the trailer's inadequacies, but anything less than a F650 should have trailer brakes for that kind of weight.

 

Not All Enclosed Trailers have Brakes on them at the 6x12 with a single axle it is a 50/50 toss up if the trailer has brakes. Usually the more reputable trailer manufacturers like Haulmark do equip there Trailers with brakes but it is not mandatory. I have never seen a 5x8 enclosed trailer with brakes.

I have a 6x12 enclosed Trailer with brakes. My Tacoma has the TSB Springs and with the trailer loaded It makes my truck sit level. I recently went on a trip to South Carolina With the trailer and these are some MPG #'s I turned out.

Running Up I-75 to Ocala doing an average speed of 75mph I got 10.78 MPG.

I then got off of 75 and wen up hwy 301 Always doing the speed limit there are occasional traffic lights and 30 MPH Speed Limits (speed trap towns). I never went over 65 MPH and got 13.43 MPG.

Once I got onto I-95 I headed North and kept it at 65 MPH the whole way up to South Carolina and I got 16.23MPG.

That should be reason alone why you should never go above 65 MPH. I do agree that Trailer brakes are a must for the Tacoma. I can tell the truck isn't stopping the same just by having someone else in the truck. I'm Glad I don't Have to tow on a Daily Basis. I tow Maybe 8-10 times a year. If I had to tow as often as you I prolly would have gotten a bigger truck too.

 

Exactly what I have. Passing semi trucks going the other way on a 2 lane road or following semi trucks doesn't cause any problems. Handles bumps and dips well. Drove 20 miles on a pot holed wash board dirt road and was fine. The roadmasters come with two spacers to adjust for either 25% or 40% added capacity and I set mine for 25%. Doesn't affect empty ride.

 

In case someone hasn't already pointed this out ... a truck's brakes are only rated to stop the truck and its contents up to gvwr. It's not rated for stopping a trailer.
Most states require trailer brakefor trailers over 1k lbs.

 

Next time you are in Ottawa go to the scrape iron recycler on US6 0.5mi east of the intersection of US6 and IL71. (I think IL 71 is mile post 93 on I-80.) These folks have a certified scale and will weigh your trailer free. (Ask first!) Position the trailer so you can weigh the axles then put the tongue jack down and unhitch the trailer from the truck. This way you can get two weights and the difference will be the tongue weight. With accurate information you should be able to better solve the problem. BTW the max speed in Illinois on all Highways when towing is 55MPH. Only exception is Work Zones where it must be reduced as posted. Fines can be heavy in Work Zones!
Tom

 

Sub'd for future reference.