Towing w/ 2014 4x2

Greetings - My 2014 Taco specs say it can tow 6500#. Just purchased a 4062#, 25' camper. Am I ok? I realize it is under the specs but I'm used to pulling a 1500# pop-up. Am I going to hurt my Taco? Besides crappy gas mileage, what will I notice. I have 48 hours to cancel my purchase. Thoughts? Experiences? Thumbs up or down? Thanks. - David

 

There are posts in the towing forum that indicate you'll be OK if your truck is set up correctly and you know what you're doing. Here is one(read some of the reponses): https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/towing-this.473361/

You might want to check in there.

 

Hey man!! That's great, congrats on your purchase. Nerve racking when you're buying and only towing with a Tacoma. It's a small window to shop in. This Is what I bought last summer. http://www.keystonerv.com/passport/models/238ml/model-mobile
With the wife two boys and two large breed dogs we have the trailer loaded and truck loaded pretty good. My first run was 300 mile trip on way. YOU WILL NOT BE RUNNING AND WINNING ANY RACES!!! Don't push your truck hard. Just take it easy. Slow and steady. And don't stay in drive if you have a AT. Some people will say you're crazy and some people will say you will be fine. I will be fine with mine and can tell you that you will be fine with yours. In all reality!! Every case is different. Nobody knows what will happen or how things will go. That includes myself. That includes you and when you hit the road for your first time. It's all going to be based on. Your experience your gut feeling and your knowledge.

 

Thanks! We're excited. Been in a 30 year old pop-up for 20 years, so this is a big deal. I love my TACO and just don't want to burn it out. Wanted to stay at 3500# but didn't work out that way. Folks keep saying to be sure I have the proper tow package. I have what the dealer installed and I'm purchasing the sway/weight equalizer. I should be good, right?

 

Thanks ABNFDC for pointing me to that forum. Didn't see it. See my last reply...what is a correct set up? I have the dealer installed tow package.

 

You have a transmission cooler right? It's part of a tow package on a Tacoma. And yes a weight distribution hitch or sway/weight equalizer hitch as you called it is a necessary item. Actually it's a must. This is just like the one that I have and it works great.https://accessories.lazydays.com/bl...d=52-0013-05&gclid=CPu2mtSFn9ICFRKOfgodyXYEMw When the rv dealer hooked it up they usually don't put much effort into hooking it up. So i experimented with it and found that making it more taut makes it ride better.

 

Keep in mind the weight of the trailer is empty and dry. You do need to factor in any weight you are adding to the trailer, such as water food clothes....also need to factor in what's in the truck, such as people, gas, whatever is in the bed.
Not saying you will be over and can't do it, just that lots of small weight here and there adds up to way more than you think.

 

I wouldnt recommend towing anything with a tacoma - but people do it. i towed 5000 pounds cross country and wanted to shoot myself in the face.

Assuming the trailer has brakes, you'll need a brake controller. Your tacoma is a hair over 5200 pounds with a compact truck frame. be mindful of that in high winds, vehicle speeds over 55 and hard braking.

 

I was parroting what I read in that thread. There are some pretty good towing threads in that forum. I've just been browsing-my only towing experience has been with a couple of 6x12 uhauls.

 

OP, double check your "tow package". It is very easy to do and good to know for sure.
Pop your hood open. Look at your oil filter. Is there a round metal part between the filter and engine that has two hoses coming off it? Look infront of your radiator on the driver side. Is there a small black oil cooler sitting there? If so, you do indeed have the tow package and not just a dealer installed receiver.
As for setup, there are a few things you need and a couple you want.
Need- a decent weight distributing hitch, a good sway control, a good brake controller.
Want- airbags will help with sag and will improve handling. A good set of tow mirrors (flip up replacement mirrors or GOOD removable mirrors). Something to help keep an eye on tranny temps wouldn't be such a bad idea either.
As stated above and in other threads, keep it out of overdrive. Something that you will notice on top of lower MPG is wind load. Both front and side. So keep that in mind when traveling through areas that get wind blowing across the road.

 

It's not the weight of the trailer that will limit you, your truck will pull the trailer. It is payload in your truck that may overload your suspension. Mine is 1200 lbs., yours may be slightly more since my truck is 4X4. Check that 1st. If you end up with a loaded trailer weight of about 5000 lbs including all gear, food, fuel, water etc. inside you'll have a tongue weight of around 550-650 lbs. Subtract that from the payload capacity and that is how much weight you can carry in the truck including passengers. It'll only be a few hundred pounds. With four adults in the truck you don't have much weight capacity for cargo. With just 2 adults and even a couple of kids you'll have more room to work with.

If you're careful not to overload the camper and truck you'll be OK. Especially on fairly level terrain at low elevation. Gas engines lose about 3% of their power for each 1000' elevation above sea level. Trying to cross the Rockies you'll lose 1/3 of the engines power while pulling up steep inclines. It wouldn't be fun towing there in a Tacoma.

Short version, you are close to as much as I'd want to pull with a Tacoma. If you like the camper buy it just be sensible about how much you load in the truck and camper. In a few years you may decide to upgrade to a bigger truck.

 

I tow a 27ft rv. It is 4700lbs dry and guessing appx 5500lbs loaded. It tows just fine. I don't go over 60 mph. A weight distribution hitch installed properly will level the truck so no air bags or other suspension add-ons are required. Use a good brand name proportional type brake controller. Time delay type are shite! Don't waste your money. My WDH is a Curt and it doesn't use chains and am very happy with it. Good times guys.

 

Thanks Thane!

 

If I was inclined towards a camper, which I am not, I would certainly restrict my choices to popup campers.
The *weight* of that unit will be fine, but the height, side surface area (think about cross winds), and complete lack of aerodynamics, will make pulling it... less than fun. In fact, unless you take it for just short trips (2-3 hours ish, to a campground by a lake or something), pulling it will be incredibly stressful, heavy on fuel, and SLOW. By slow, I don't mean that you will have a hard time getting it up to speed and keeping it at speed, but that you will be dealing with an increased frequency of fuel stops, and you won't be able to drive for as many hours in the day -- you'll have to stop to sleep for longer hours.

 

^^^ This.

Use the search feature.

 

Here's a pix of what I have been towing since 2008. Dry weight 4200 lbs. I have a WD hitch (no sway control), brake controller, factory tow pkg plus additional trans cooler, Ultragauge to monitor pan and torque converter temps, and clip on side mirrors. Since this picture was taken I have added Sumo springs to keep it level.
Like others have said, it is no fun towing. I keep it around 60 mph, usually in D, but will go into 4 if temps start to get around 200F. I get 14 mpg on the flat in D, average 12.5. Biggest challenge is the gust of cross wind when a semi blows by at 75. Just take it slow and you will have no problem.

 

A sway control bar or two will help with those cross winds and like I said before, a WDH does just that, it distributes the tonge weight across the whole vehicle. Which means it will lift up the back and push down on the front. That is the purpose of them. Without my WDH on, my back sags 2" and the front lifts 1". I set up my WDH to allow for 1" sag on back and 1/2" lift at front. I didn't want to stress the trucks hitch too much.

 

While sway control will *improve* it, it won't cure it. Cross winds will still blow you sideways just as hard, but it won't allow it to cause as much of a sway when the trailer bounces back.

 

Here is the WDH that I have. It is heavy (almost 75 lbs) and expensive but it works great and was easy to set up.

 

Different question Guys - Are there any strap on mirrors that don't vibrate?! I've never found any. Looking at a set that straps around the entire door; looks like old style mirror supports you'd see on pre '70s trucks/vans.