The Tacoma Towing Bible

Without towing package means no hitch, basically putting the ball on the bumper

 

Among other things. Tranny cooler, oil cooler, possibly fan clutch, maybe 4 leaf rear springs.

 

I just towed a ~4000 lb actual trailer from dallas to reno to santa cruz with my 2008 4.0 6-speed stick 4x4 factory tow package, with RideRite airbags at 30psi. handled fine. a bit bouncy at low speeds over funky roads, but plenty smooth on the highway. I do want to try a lower hitch ball and increase the airbag pressure to 40 psi, I think it will handle a little better.

 

Just wanted to say thank you for posting all this information. I know it’s been here for a while, but this has been a HUGE help in getting me pointed on the right direction.

Thank you again

Ed

 

Hey everyone,

I am looking at getting a camper and want to get air bags to install on my Tacoma (2010 Double Cab, TRD Sport, 4x4) to help out. I have searched and searched for an answer, and I have failed. I am hoping someone can help me out.

I have a 6" Pro Comp lift on my truck, has anyone out there install air bags on their Tacomas with a 6" lift? If so, what size spacer (if any) did you use?

 

does that 6" lift involve additional suspension travel too, or is it a straight lift, with the same amount of travel, just higher up?

if it involves more travel, you'd want a different taller airbag with more effective travel.

man, a cab over type camper on a truck thats lifted 6", thats going to be top heavy as all heck. take it REAL easy going around ANY sort of turns!! of course, a Tacoma DC is only rated for like a 1000 lb payload total, so it had better be a really lightweight minimalist camper. plus with the 5' bed on the DCs, thats going to be a pretty tiny camper in the first place.

 

I think you are thinking about a slide in bed camper, and I am talking about a travel trailer camper to tow behind the truck. Yes?

I wouldnt even THINK about putting a Slide in Camper in the thing, it might tip over sitting still!

The lit utilizes an AAL and a 2.5" block in the rear for the lift. The block isn't going to make a difference. Issues comes in as to how much lift the AAL provides, and that I need to account for when adding air bags. I'm thinking a 2" spacer would do the trick? I don't believe the total lift in the back is actually 6".

 

oh,a TRAILER, hah. I read 'camper' as a slidein, yeah.

AAL as in Add A Leaf ? thats already performing much the same job as a airbag inflated to a specific point. so the leaf is lifting 2-3" then the block adds another 2.5" ?

I think I'd measure the gap from the spring to the frame when you're unladen, and again with 1000 lbs sitting in the bed (5 big dudes? 20 50lb bags of whatever from the garden store?), then find an airbag that handles about twice that range of compression (to allow for bounce hitting a bump/dip when loaded), and build your own 'kit' rather than working with the standard Tacoma kit.

if your hitch reciever is sitting that high, naturally, you're gonna want a serious drop bar for your tow bracket. with my stock TRD OR on stock sized rubber, I'm using a 4" drop as it is for towing my 21' Escape, with its 15" dual wheels.

 

You know after reading your response it got me to thinking, and realizing that I may not need air bags since I will also have a weight distribution hitch. I feel like the two might work against each other and actually cause more harm than good. May just be better off to go with the WD hitch, and see how it goes, and get air bags later if it sags too much.

 

use the airbags to level the truck after loading and before hitching. use the WDH to compensate for the trailer hitch weight. if you do it right, the WDH won't need tweaking for different truck ride heights based on truck load.

 

I've been trying to find answers to these questions with no luck.
Is the stock receiver frame that was provided in the Toyota tow package ( 2009 DC 4x4 Offroad) rated for a WD hitch, and if yes, what is the tow rating and stated tounge weight rating.
I've been researching buying a WD and the guides say to verify my hitch is rated for WD.
Of course there is no label on the hitch on my truck.
2nd- If using a WD hitch (leaning toward Anderson). How much of the actual TW is tranfered to the truck axles and therefore truck payload weight vs back on the trailer axles
For discussion purposes, let's say my loaded tongue weight is 500#.
What is the real load weight added to the truck and payload impact?
What proportion of that added weight is rear vs front axle?
I'm asking because in addition to all the commonly discussed weight limits, I see the truck axles also have limits. In my case 2755 front, 3110 back.

 

yes, the Tacoma factory hitch, at least the one on my gen2 (2008) is rated for WDH. How much weight gets distributed is dependent on the adjustment of the spring bars (or cables, for those Andersens). Rule of thumb is to hitch up without connecting the WDH and measure how much the bumper drops, then lift the trailer jack again, and adjust the WDH and hook it up, and drop the trailer weight back on the truck, you want it to sag somewhere between 0 and the original non-WDH amount, typically about 1/4 to 1/3 (so if you have 4" sag without the WDH, with it you want 1-1.5" sag). All the tongue weight is still going onto the truck, just some of it is being transferred to the front axle instead of all of it hanging behind the back axle. you still need to watch your axle load ratings, and the GCWR total weight, and on a Taco with a larger trailer, its REAL easy to overshoot these. you really need to weigh it to know what you're getting up to. find a local truck scale, get readings with just your front wheels on the scale, both truck wheels but not the trailer, and all 3, subtract them to isolate the other numbers. Do this with just your minimum always-carry stuff on board, then you can mentally adjust for additional payload when you pack for a trip.

When I first got my Casita, which is a tiny little 16' trailer thats a bit nose light, and only weighs 3500 lbs *MAX* (2200 empty), the casita+tacoma bobbed something fierce on load speed bumps, so I got a light WDH and that nicely controlled said bouncing (aka porpoising). I later put airbags on the truck, and now I don't even bother with the WDH, I just pump up the airbags til the rear ride height is the same as it was when the truck was completely empty (I measure it from the top of a tire to the fender), and it rides just fine. I did the same pulling a larger 21' trailer (4000 lbs wet, 4800 lbs max) back from Dallas to the west coast, and it rode just fine.

I wish tongue scales weren't so damn expensive, I would like to weigh mine.

 

Thanks LeftCoast.
How did you learn that your hitch wasWD rated? Did you find a decal or something else that confirmed it. Can you tell just by looking?
You might find the attached video of value.
Essentially an analysis using scales of leveling the towing vehicle using air vs WD
https://youtu.be/XBZu39pQ8Gg

 

Wanted to let you know that I much appreciate the post of the Tacoma Towing Bible, although not sure it all applies to every situation? With a smart and serious read you'll be able to determine what applies to your current rig and towing needs as well as a much needed boost in ones confidence level for first timers towing. So thank you very much.

 

the 2008 owners manual mentioned weight distribution in passing. most importantly it does NOT say that you can not use it... It says if you are using a 'weight distributing device' to ensure you're not exceeding the weight capacity of either axle.

 

Thanks LeftCoastNerd I preinstalled the Airbags on my 07 Taco which also has a leveling kit put on it. And just so you know I have to pretty much let the air out of the bags making hitching up easier, and mostly only use approximately 5PSI per side. Thanks much for the post.

 

My truck loaded with the wife, dog, cooler, just in case gear behind the seats and gas comes in at 5100 lbs according to the road side scale outside of town. If my GVRW is 11,500 that means in theory I could tow a trailer at the max rating of 6400 lbs. I am looking at a double axle unit that is 21'10" and dry 3989 lbs. The max capacity for the trailer is 6030 lbs so I think I am good there. I will have air bags, WD hitch, Scanguage, trailer brake controller etc to ensure I have control over the trailer and everything is set up properly.

MY CONCERN
The dry hitch weight is 530 lbs and I am concerned that once loaded I might breach the 650 lb max for hitch weight putting additional stress on the rig and drive axle. I initially bought the Tacoma for back country adventures however my current job will allow me to begin full time tele-commute in the next 1-2 years and the wife and I are thinking of going part nomadic. If I am going to have too much trouble towing this particular trailer we're set on then I will have to set my sights on a different tow rig.

Trailer is a Keystone Springdale 179QBWE.

 

Hitch weight is one factor to be concerned with; others here are much more experienced that I and give you detailed advice/info. Having said that, I pull a Rockwood 2104s that has a hitch weight of 536 lbs 12-15 times a year for the past two years.

So far I've only pulled it in about a 50 mile radius. Although I don't use air bags I do have Sumo Springs, WD hitch, brake controller, etc. Not sure the Sumo spring made much difference. For these short trips it does fine in the hills of the Ozarks. Indeed I enjoy pulling it on two lane much more that freeways due to wind.

Our Rockwood appears to have a similar profile. While the Tacoma pulls fine if you don't mid higher RPM, the depending on the wind and hills pulling this kind of load with the Tacoma is much more stressful that a heaver tow vehicle. That is, if you are paying attention. A lower profile trailer with a more aerodynamic front would certainly be better. I see some Airstreams (if only) being pulled here for example that are similar weights but are reported to tow very nicely over long distances. Probably because they are both lower and more aerodynamic.

We travel very light as far as the trailer goes; nothing in the tanks and since we are going for the weekend what we need is limited. We don't consciously skimp, its just that for a few days we don't need much food, etc. We're not living in there.

We do however have a few hindered pounds of stuff in the bed. Sometimes even firewood.

If I were going to be truly Nomadic, I'd LOVE to have the Taco when I got there. And I'd be O.K. if every week or so I towed less than 50 miles. But if I was going to pull 200-300 miles every other week, I'd probably look at a more wind friendly trailer or a different vehicle.

Just my experience.....

P.S. I am going to be doing some suspension mods and the OVTune (search this forum). That won't change the nature of a high RPM vehicle or the safe weight. But it might make it a little more enjoyable.

Take care....and let us know how it goes.

 

Thanks for the info. Good to know you tow something fairly large as well. We'll be buying the trailer likely in the fall or might wait until next tax season so we can almost pay full cash and most of our travel will be to the mountains within an hour or two and the coast which is all two lane mountain roads. Good news is we'll have hopefully 6 months to 1 year of just camping and towing with it before I will be able to work remote so I guess I will figure out then how much I like or don't like towing with the Taco. That 179 QBWE is the lightest, most functional unit I could find that is a double axle.

Based on all the expertise given here I think I should be good just slow and steady. I will post up in the show us what you tow thread when we pull the trigger.

 

Stay in S mode, out of over-drive gears (5 and 6) and you'll likely be fine. I am considering the the OV Tune to make it a little more enjoyable.