Show us what you tow.

Haha that's ok. That was just a truck I passed, thought it looked kinda funny. That's my Tacoma's cracked windshield in the picture though! My trailer was nice and level when I was towing, the truck wasn't level though...

 

Interesting... On my 97 Tacoma, I had two windshields crack in that same spot. The first was identical, From just below the inside edge of the passenger wiper to the passenger side. The second started in the same spot and then I stop drilled it and it eventually cracked straight down to below the outboard side of the wiper.
Both times it initially popped 6-8" on cold azz mornings when I turned the heater on defrost.
I'd be interested to see what a poll would show!

 

i have 2 chips from rocks hitting (one was the first week i owned the truck). no abnormal cracking though

 

I usually tow this.

 

Mine started the same way, just a rock chip that it had when I bought it. First winter it cracked when I had the heat cranked and I sprayed it with washer fluid. Watched it crack real slow across both ways. Got a little longer during the following summer. Has been like that for over two years now.

 

nose high for me...

 

Dang!

That Uhaul trailer is F#@ked up!!!!

 

The trailers fenders collapse like that. It isn't wrecked.

 

i didnt know that either till guy that worked on my car showed me.

 

My modified version from today up to Amargosa dunes. I was very impressed by the pulling power even through some semi-soft stuff. I was not impressed by the rear sag. Even with TSB. Time to get some bags. The guy in the picture was so impressed by the power and comfort he's getting rid of his Tahoe and Passat to pick up a Taco.

 

Pulling a 19' Airstream.. Pulled it very well. No problems..
Big plus with the Tacoma, while I was there we did 2 days of fun 4 wheeling. (Alpine Loop from Lake City) & (Trip from Lake City to Heart Lake.)
On Monarch Pass had to go to 2nd gear, but still ran it around 35 mph. It was just 7 miles.. Coming down, I just kept it in 2nd and it held at about 40 mph.
The trailer, and all the other crap we were hauling must have been around 4,000 lbs.
My gas mileage was in the 12 to 15 mpg range, depending on how fast I was trying to run. We had a strong tail wind all the way across KS, what a blessing! Really helped mpgs..
Almost a 36,000 miles on this 09..

 

Finally, an Airstream hauler! Nice! Plan on buying a 31' classic someday, but will have to upsize my truck to tow it . What is the Tongue weight on your airstream? do you have a pic of your mount/sway bar/wd hitch?

 

I can't remember the tongue weight. The max weight listed on the side of the trailer is 4500#
Here is a pic taken at the top of Monarch Pass in CO.. It shows the hitch a little better. The hitch is a eazLift elite. (the weight distribution bars say 750# max tongue weight.)

 

I towed my 1983 CJ-7 from Columbus, OH to Charleston, SC.





I regularly tow my 6,500lb 24' Fishing Boat.



Cheers

 

Wow. I would not even attempt that with my truck. That boat would be a substantial load for a 3/4 or 1 ton diesel truck to tow.

 

haha...agreed. i thought my 21' CC was nearing capacity

 

Nonesense...she pulls it no problem. Of course in Charleston the steepest hill is the boatramp!! When I towed it from Tampa, FL to Charleston, SC and got like 12 mpg.

Chees

 

That's being a bit cautious - those big diesels will tow 11,000+ so would tow that easy. I go boating with a friend in his 22' Mastercraft towed behind a diesel F350 and it's an easy pull.

 

My point exactly. The 3/4 and 1-ton trucks with diesel power are MADE to pull loads like that. A Tacoma with a V6 WAS NOT MADE to pull loads like that. Just because a truck can actually MOVE a load does not mean it is the safest or best truck to tow heavy loads with. I know with my truck towing my boat which weighs (with trailer and gas etc.) around 2000 lbs. that the truck definitely does know it is back there. Yes it tows it pretty well but I can definitely tell the difference from when I had either one of my two dodge trucks with cummins turbodiesel power. There simply is no comparison when it comes to towing.

I did not buy my truck exclusively for towing so it meets my needs (mostly) but if I knew I would be towing some of the types of trailers seen on this thread I would have stuck with a diesel-powered truck with the drivetrain and wheelbase to SAFELY tow those loads with. To each his own I guess.

 

I feel much safer towing with my tacoma than i did with my full size chevy. go ahead and attack me with the physics of it, but i just feel the tacoma handles it better.


edit: so if you say you can feel 2k behind your truck, which is rated for 6.5k, the same analysis can be applied to diesels right? Assuming 1/3 towing, if a diesel is rated say 12k, you would really only wanna tow 4k? I understand the better safe than sorry logic, but i would only buy a diesel if i was towing at least twice a month.