The Tacoma Towing Bible

Do you have any recommendations on after market transmission oil coolers. The dealer charges $800 just for the part. Installation extra. Or is that the going rate? I thought I'd be looking at around $300-$500 total. I have a 2011 SR5 without tow pkg. Towing a 3500 pound rv.

 

I don't know about the quality but Dorman makes one that i have seen on ebay for as low as $178.50.

 

looks good, that's a good size boat how much does it weigh?

 

According to the Sea Ray website it has a dry weight of 5,100 lbs. I don't know if thats the trailer or not but its pretty heavy back there. Before I added the leafs it sagged pretty good.

 

The "stated" weight is RARELY accurate, especially if you have had options added on. The only way to know the ACTUAL weight of your rig is to weigh it on a certified scale.

 

this is how I have mine but I did NOT drill any holes. Instead, I used a large binder clip and presto!

Stays put and does not move at all. And is out of the way. I just can't see myself drilling holes in the cab control panel finish....

If you want pics, pm me.

Later, stay safe!

 

What is this? (sway control feature) New feature on the Tacomas? Got pics? Never heard of it.

Educate me on this pls. Towing this summer from east coast to west coast a Big Tex Utility tandem 14' trailer with all my toys.

Cheeers!

 

It's done electronically, using the ABS system to rapidly brake one side or the other independently, when sway is detected (again, by the ABS). Haven't had any instances where I've noticed it in action, so I can't say how well it works, but theoretically it should help in controlling sway.

 

^^^^ Really? umm...interesting. I hope I never get to use/experience it.

 

I believe it's done so subtly that there's a good chance you might never even know it activated, or that there was sway at all. But I can't say from personal experience.

I can tell you that we towed a Uhaul box trailer 700 miles last weekend, almost all on the interstate, and I never felt any sway at all, even when passing/being passed by 18-wheelers, or in gusts of wind (there were several t-storms that day).

I know what sway feels like - when towing our 28', 6-ton toyhauler (not with the Taco - we use a Silverado 2500HD Turbo Diesel), every time an 18-wheeler goes by, i have an exercise in steering control. And we have an anti-sway, load-distribution hitch on that rig. The Taco, while admittedly not nearly as loaded, showed none of that.

Maybe it was the electronic anti-sway...

 

OK - from what I have gathered, I probably should NOT be towing with my taco... but just for shoots and ladders, if I was to move a travel trailer about 300-400 miles once a month... would it even be possible?

I'm thinking about getting a 20' as max in size with all the hook ups so no tanks would be filled as I'd set it up at parks and leave it there when I go back home... basically trying to get a cheap alternative to renting motel rooms as it is out of town work.

I have a base model bone stock 96 taco with 70k miles. No towing package added, but of course I'd get the class3 w/ a trans cooler if needed.

 

What's the weight of the trailer and what is the truck rated for?

 

The truck is rated at ~3500lbs, but I would take that with a grain of salt.

The trailers I am looking at are Casita Travel Trailers, and the 13' is 1900lbs dry and the 16' is 2200lbs dry. Now, I'd move it to the job site and set it up and leave it there. So I'd only move it once or twice a month. I'd much rather buy a nice new trailer than have to buy a new truck and a cheap older trailer...

 

You'd probably be good with either of those weights. Up hill or mostly flat?

I'm fairly certain I exceeded the 6500 lb rating on my 06 double cab with tow package. Nothing broke, and it handled fine with proper load balancing. So the 3500lb rating is probably a low estimate from Toyota for safety reasons. The class 3 hitch is rated for 5000lbs anyway, so the 3500lbs for the truck is based on brakes, weight of the truck, horsepower, etc.

 

Hi, very nice writeup. I just bought a new trailer/toy hauler to take my motorcycle places and brought it home today. I drove the 200 miles from the dealers home in drive. Your article if i'm reading it correctly suggests that I should drive in third gear. Do I have that correct? Thanks, len

 

I tow a travel trailer that weighs around 4700 lbs. i personally leave mine in drive unless the transmission is hunting, (shifting back and forth between gears). I figure I should trust the Toyota engineers to have done their jobs. I definately get better gas mileage in drive and the TFT on the scangauge doesn't seem to drop much, if at all, in a lower gear.

 

I have the Reese dual cam and my bars are not level to the frame, the angle down by design. They are different depending upon brand, design, amount of weight transfer needed, hitch height etc.

 

any tips for towing with a m/t? this seems geared more towards the a/t crowd.

 

Easy on the clutch, don't let it slip, and listen to the RPMS. You can tow in 6th, just listen/feel for it bogging down. And you can downshift to save the brakes too.

 

what would you say might be too high of rpms when towing? the truck usually runs about 17 to about 2 grand, never towed with my taco before.