Tacoma Travel Trailer Towng: Read If You Consider Buying An RV

He's not saying that...it's what people on RV sites say.

 

No, I know that. I was agreeing with him. Maybe I could have worded it a bit better.

When I was a kid growing up in Australia in the 70's when trailers weren't so light and there were no big turbo diesels (at least in Australia), my Dad used to tow probably about 18 or 19 foot trailers with a '67 6 cylinder Valiant station wagon. You just have to have respect for the limitations of whatever equipment you have.

 

Ahh, gotcha....yeah I definitely read it wrong.

 

Hello just wanted to add a few thoughts. Of course diesel trucks are ideal for towing thats what they are for... But they cost a lot of $$$ even an older used one is a lot of money.

My TT is kind of heavy for its size, 3900 lbs dry (not the best quality one) but I feel like my tacoma handles it pretty damn well. I defiantly agree that the weight distribution hitch is nice to have. I have towed both with it and without and the difference is very noticeable. I have a set of dakkars for the rear, no airbags but it sits pretty level as you can see from the pic.

Power is nothing crazy but honestly it's not all that bad, I have a lot of hills in my area (not super high elevation though) and if your able to keep your momentum up and shift right they are not so bad. I have passed slow peeps when I needed to up our worst grades at 55-65 no prob. I have a 6 speed manual so for me 3rd and 4th are my go to gears for hills, 5th for flats.

Like others have said gas mileage isn't that great.

Another point I wanted to make concerning water weight. Like others have said you can usually pull empty to the spot your camping. And when they talk about max loaded trailer weights they mean all tanks full. That's grey black and fresh. When do you ever tow with all 3 full? Maybe black and grey if they don't have a dump station but fresh you should have empty thats 400lbs or so.

Anyways kinda long post, but for us younger peeps ect who rely on one vehicle for all our uses and can't afford to have a separate tow rig, the taco can handle your camping needs no prob. Don't be scared to tow that 3500-4000 lb trailer you can do it!! Others even haul way bigger ones.

 

Are you still hauling this in 2015?
If so how has your truck held up? Where have you taken it?

 

Anyone pulling an Airstream 28 ft International Series?

 

Not a problem at all. After a finishing few camping trips over the last couple of months, (covering 300-700miles each trip), not a single issue. I am leaving for a 2,000 mile adventure once I finish my coffee this morning. Haven't a single worry. Our Nomad is 3600 lbs dry, I would estimate over 4500 full; pulls well (don't have mountains here though) . A WDH is a must, even at the lower weight...really makes the truck ride nice.


Only one rule....Enjoy your camper!

 

I have a 2015 Lance 2285 , I have no problems. Yes there is a lot of misinfomation out there.

 

I'm most likely selling the Taco and going full-size. Probably an older diesel. On our first trip with our trailer (Rockwood Mini-lite GVRW 4700) I was getting trans temps of up to 245 on some longer hills. If I lived in a flatter (or cooler) area, it wouldn't be an issue. I could probably piggy-back an additional cooler (

$56 Hayden 678 Universal Rapid-Cool 9.5” x 11” Add-On Transmission Cooler – Not for Direct Replacement of the OE Cooler

Hayden 678 or similar) on to the TRD cooler but long term I don't see the Taco being well-suited for my needs.

 

I purchased a lightweight fiberglass camper because selling my beloved 1st gen was not a option for me. My taco is the 3.4 v6 with a manual trans and it handles the trailer and a bed full of camping gear well. I can feel it back there when traveling thru the mountains, returned recently from a camping trip in the Smokey mountains of Tenn. but other than that i'm happy with the truck as my tow rig. I use a Curt anti-sway bar.

 

I just finished a camping trip and it was the first time towing anything. We were in the Banff area. It was a small 18' travel trailer. Overall, it was a good experience for me. The towing bible was a real help for first time towers. The Tacoma did fine, but mileage was pretty bad, but expected. The trailer is about 3000 lbs dry.

 

We have something similar. 27foot 4700lb dry TT.

The only issue i've noticed so far is the sway can be bad during a storm or high winds. I recently purchased a sway bar and will be installing that this week. Truck tows the TT fine. Same as my old 18 foot 3000lbs trailer.

 

I have had it out about 5 x and yes some time there is a slight sway, I will taking it out 2x this month.
But here is CA the legal tow speed is 55 mph, I really wouldn't want to to faster with all the village idiots(BMW and Benz's drivers) they can't wait for no one.

 

What Bluetooth OBD 2 sensor are you using? I just purchased one off Amazon and linked it to Torque Pro, it does not read transmission temp on my 2010 Tacoma.

 

Did you add in the PID in Torque? Its not a standard feature, you have to add it in "by hand"

 

am strongly considering purchasing this trailer, its 3120lbs dry, i would probably tow 4700 lbs tops, probably less.
already have firestone airbag helpers, any thougs other than a brake controller i already have? factory tow package, 4.0 auto. thanks

 

Towed this just over 25 miles.....I see there's a lot to learn yet.

 

I did some digging and found the correct code to input for my truck. Works great now.

 

I just got back from the first time towing my home-built trailer up to our property at Red Feather Lakes. I downsized from a Dodge Ram Diesel and was pretty worried about how well the Tacoma would tow. I was presently surprised by how well it pulled. It didn't like to go over 65 but handle the hills without any issues. The trailer weighs about 3000# loaded. I got 14-15 mpg overall, which is about the same as the Dodge would get pulling at 75.



Bruce