Towing Dilemma

I have a 2014 TRD Off Rd w/Towpackage rated for 6500lbs towing capacity.

I am looking at at 25' trailer overall length 28'. 4800lbs dry. Even with 1000lbs added that would only take it to 5800. Supposedly within my tow ratings. My questions are these:

Anybody towing something similar and if so how does the truck handle?

I keep reading that it will really tax the brakes?

Any feedback would be appreciated!

Thanks.

Also live in Santa Fe, NM would be towing in mountains.

 

If you're using a brake controller and you have it properly configured for your rig when loaded, the trailer brakes should handle most of its own load. Your Tacoma should have a small percentage increase in braking required not the full 5800#.

 

Legally your truck will pull it Realistically you would be taxing it to the limit. there is a lot more to consider than just the gross trailer weight. Combination weight. axle weight. tongue weight, tire load rating, frontal area for starters. AS for brakes not a problem with proper trailer brakes and controller. { not a cheap time delay mount in any position type} then you add a WD hitch with sway control, an other 200 lbs. of wt. You can do it but it will be a white knuckle experience and not a relaxing vacation.

 

Hey I live in Albuquerque and recently got an 2015 TRD DCSB to pull an Avenger ATI 17QB that weighs in at 3176 dry. Went to Jemez Falls Campground for a few days. Pulled the hills from Jemez Springs to the campground no problem but I would not want to try it with your trailer. Never was one to push the limit on my trucks. Stopping will be a problem if you have to in a hurry and there is always that chance. Come to Albuquerque shopping I am sure they would have something lighter that would meet you needs.

 

Huge square box campers are probably the worst kind of weight to pull. You can handle weight a lot more easily than you can handle being pushed around by the wind. The only thing that can properly overcome being pushed around by the wind, is a great big heavy brick of a tow vehicle. If you were talking about pulling around 6000 pounds of bricks on a flatbed, I'd say go for it.

For a camper though... I wouldn't. At least not as a permanent match. I might in a pinch move a big camper with a tacoma as a one-off event, like a favor to the guy who owns the dually that broke down instead of leaving it on the side of the road.

Have you considered a pop-up camper?

 

Hm. Depends on what you want to do. I now tow a 3600lb (dry) trailer with WD hitch+brake controller, and consider it to be close to the upper limit when taking it on long trips. It pulls OK up hills, but the Taco sometimes has to shift to 3rd to keep the momentum....and it's 1200+ lbs lighter than the one you mentioned. I also have a 950lb 5x8 cargo trailer. I took it to Arizona from Michigan recently to pick up 2000+ lbs of minerals for a rock and mineral show here in Mich. Didn't have a brake controller at the time, and the brakes on the Taco nearly caught fire coming down the Rockies. Don't think because you are below the tow limit that you are out of the woods in towing; like the guys said here, there is a lot to consider, and max tow weight should be the LAST thing. You can definitely pull it on flat roads; mountains?....not so much.

 

You'll get a "tail wagging the dog" feel if the trailer weighs more than the truck. Your truck is about 4200 lb dry. With two people and a full tank of gas, you would still be under 5000 lb.

 

I pull a 19' hybrid that weighs 4200lb unloaded. I drive it through the Pocono Mountains without any problems.

 

That is why I got rid of the Tacoma I want to be able to tow a lot more. Tried to stay in the Toyota family but the Tundra just wasn't up to the task either. So I went with a PSD and I can tow 27,000 lbs now and I get better mileage than my Tacoma.

 

Thanks all for the reply's. Problem solved I went out and traded my Tacoma for a 2013 LTD TRD Offrd 5.7 Tundra with only 20K on it for less than than I was paying for for the Tacoma. Loved my Taco in the short time I had it, just didn't meet my needs.

 

Congrats on the Tundra. I was briefly considering one to pull a travel trailer but the size and gas mileage had me staying with the Tacoma. We like to travel forest roads a lot in the summertime so I need something that gets decent gas mileage.
Elevation makes a lot of difference when towing, others that pull a heavier trailer live at lower elevations than we do.
Staying at fifty percent towing capacity worked for me.