Towing a 13 or 16 ft. Casita w/ a 4-cyl

Hi Toyota people,

OK, there are obviously some extremely knowledgeable people here posting super detailed stuff about towing that sort of makes my head spin with all the details. I can read and sort it all out, but it seems a little daunting and will take a couple of weeks of readings... So I am probably posting a relatively foolish question but I would just like to try to keep it simple.

I have a 2001 Tacoma with a cap, 5-speed manual, no mods, well-maintained and humming at 200K miles. I would like to install a real hitch (not on the bumper like the one I have now) and pull a 13 to 16 ft Casita or other small fiberglass trailer on cross-country road trips. Is this going to work? 16 seems unlikely. 13 I think will work. Just a total beginner to this and attempting to hack out a simple answer. Please advise. Thank you in advance for your towing wisdom. If this is an incredibly stupid question and there is a thread with a simple answer please point me there.

 

What's the trailer weigh and what is the total payload of your truck? That should answer your question.

 

I would not recommend the 16. I pulled the 17' Casitas with my 99 reg cab 2.7 4x4. Truck was totally stock. I would rent the trailer from military bases near my camping areas. Usually 20-40 miles. I pulled them dry(unloaded) to the campgrounds. My truck did not like it. It did it, but complained. Hard to maintain speed if on the interstate. Definitely wouldn't try any hills at all. I would jump on a 13 Casita if I could find one at a "real" price. Most sellers of these think they're made out of gold.