Towing Travel Trailer with 2016 Tacoma

Hey everybody,
I'm new to the group (first thread) but I've been reading some of the threads on and off for some time.
I've seen several threads about towing with the taco. Of course the Tacoma is not meant for everyday towing but I'm happy to report for the weekend warriors it has done me well so far.
I bought my Tacoma in Feb.
(2016 TRD Sport, double cab 4×4 manual transmission, factory tow package)
I recently bought a Travel Trailer for camping.
Salem Cruise light BHXL 230.
Gross weight is 4930.

My tacoma is rated for 6400 lbs(owners manual) 6800 lbs (advertised)

With the weight distribution hitch the Tacoma tow's it well.
It does struggle a bit on inclines but I can maintain 45-50 mph uphill and 65-70 under normal conditions.
No noticeable sway when semis pass or passing semis.
The trailer has breaks of course but slowing down or stopping is easy once I dialed in the break bias.
Gas milage takes a major hit though. That is expected with towing but you can expect 10.5 to 11 mpg.
I am under the GVWR for the truck by about 800 lbs. Not a whole lot of wiggle room for supplies, but our camping journeys are at most 2-3 hrs from home and usually just a weekend trip. That allows us to pack light. No out of state or Cross country trips.
Just wanted to give a first hand account for anyone that was on the fence on this.
Thanks.

 

I think in general the manual tends to pull better because the beefier rear diff gives it more low-end than the auto. The manual drives nice though. Congrats on your truck.

 

Get a helper spring in the rear or some airbags to help with that drop.
looks like you'll be maxed out every time you pull it. Becarful out there.

 

thanks for sharing. i actually was looking for this info and your taco is exactly like mine.

btw, the 6800 advertised tow is for the auto. the manuel is only 6400. i don't know why exactly.

 

From your photo your weight distribution bars appear to be angled too much...they should be parallel with the ground, yours are pointing up in the back. This is taking too much weight off your front end and putting too much on the rear. Drop the chains done a notch on both sides and balance it out.

 

Damnfingers, thanks for the heads up, I think some of that is due to the un even ground I'm on in the picture. They supposedly measured and balanced it out, at the trailer dealership. I'll try and get a pic of it on black top and re assess it.

Username: that's good to know on the 6800 vs 6400, I didn't know there was a difference. I just thought it was marketing... lol.

BLKTRUCK: thanks for the idea. Any idea if a helper spring is available for the 16's yet.

Tacojohn: I think so too, I had a 2011 Tacoma, same truck except it was red and auto, I like the manual better. The tow package does not come with a transmission cooler for the manual but I guess it's not needed considering your in control instead of it constantly hunting gears, but I wish they would have included it just for redundancy. I'm sure it still gets warm under load.

 

Flying_snowman: thanks for your report and pictures. I'm planning on something in the 3,000lb range (R-Pod, Winnie Drop, Cassita, Scamp...) next spring.

 

Here is a pic from this morning on level blacktop.

 

That looks better...in the first picture the front of your truck looked like it was raised up with most the weight on the rear...not good for steering as the truck would tend to plow ahead when turning.

 

You think the

$105 Hellwig 550 Helper Spring Kit - 550

Hellwig 550 would do? I don't know much about helper Springs but that particular one seems to be the buzz on the forum.

 

Thank you for posting.

I have a 6MT Tacoma coming in another week or so, and I have been curious about the towing. Issue is HUGE grades around here, so I am wondering going up grade do you need to stay in 3rd or 4th? I would tow about 4500lbs 8-12 times a year.

Currently I am doing it with my LX570 which doesn't have any issues, but thats got a big motor.

 

Here is a little input on helper springs. I had them on my 2013 for one season towing my KZ Sportsmen 242BHS, dry 4250' / gross 6000 / i'm around 5200 give or take. The helper spring help when towing, but when I wasn't towing and had no weight in the truck, the truck rode very hard. I didn't like it. I changed the helper spring out for the Firestone ride rite air bags with the on board compressor and the difference is like night and day. I love how the truck rides when not towing and it does a better job than the helper spring when i'm towing. That's just my 2 cents. Good luck and happy camping. It looks great BTW...

 

Cruising on the interstate at speed then going up an incline I have to downshift to 4th. Really steep inclines or slow traffic down to 3rd. The sweet spot seems to be about 3100 rpms. That is where I get the best performance. But all in all the truck never runs higher than 4000 rpms. I was concerned under load I would be running high rpms up inclines but nope. I live in KY so we have some decent hills here too.

 

Thanks for the info, I hadn't thought of the ride quality. I will look into the air bags. Are they expensive?

 

Depends what you call expensive, the set up for your truck P/N 2407 is about $325.00, no air compressor, that's a separate item and that is P/N 2158 and it's about $275.00. But believe me it's all well worth it. Where abouts are you located...

 

I'm all for the airbags with the onboard compressor. I had to upgrade to a bigger truck for towing. The Tacoma is great but I was afraid I would damage the transmission. But I also had a quad in the bed and a family in the truck when I towed.

If your going to tow with the Tacoma do the responsible thing for you, your family and the drivers around you. Don't push it to the limit. It only take one down hill grade a some idiot cutting you off to change lives.

That's my rant. Have fun and enjoy the trailer. Make as many memories as you can.

 

In Kentucky, just south of Lexington. Go Cats. Lol

 

Thank you for the info!

 

If I was planning on pulling a camper that size, I would be looking at a full size truck. No way would I pull something that big long distance. I have an A- frame camper that weighs approx. 2600lbs fully loaded and my Tacoma pulls it OK, but I would not want to pull anything over 3000lbs any distance.

This is just my opinion based on my towing experience with my truck and camper. Your camper looks great!

 

I used my 2012 without a tow package to tow a total of a 3600lb (all aluminum enclosed trailer w/vintage race MG) all over, including from MS to AZ. No big deal and I'd expect the 2016 to do even better.