Tow Package on 2.7L 4 cylinder

I have a 2005 Toyota Tacoma 4-cylinder, 150 hp 2wd with manual transmission. It's towing capacity is rated at 3500. In theory it should be able to pull a 2000lb or 2500lb trailer, at least on a flat highway. Where I live where there are lots of highways with high mountain passes and steep grades. The hills put a lot of strain on the motor that you don't experience when driving on flat or rolling country. Is there a rule of thumb for estimating the safe towing capacity under hilly / mountainous conditions? Say 75% or 50% of the manufacturer's stated towing capacity?

 

I have a 15 2.7 AC with a 5spd and 4WD. I have the dealer installed OEM hitch. I tow a 2200 to 2300 lb (depends on gear I load) 6x10 cargo trailer over to the highest spot in WV on a regular basis. I pull it up some pretty steep and windy roads. I just leave plenty of room for stops and gear down heading down the hills. The new truck feels much better towing than my 98 2.7 Regular cab 4WD did.

 

I have no doubt the 2.7 will tow the 3500 lbs. If you're towing in the mountains or, for that matter, even on fairly level ground I'd suggest just revving the shit out of it when necessary since that is what the 2.7 was designed to do. You won't hit the 300-500,000 mile mark towing the max all the time which many do with the 2.7 but it will do it.

The 2.7 is an industrial engine. You can run one all day long at 4000+ rpm. That's why so many get 3,4,5 and even 600,000 miles out of them because they are using them for grocery-getters and daily drivers instead of a work vehicle. I checked the specs on my 2004 3RZ and it doesn't even start making it's maximum horsepower or torque until right around 4000 rpm.

Go ahead and tow what you need to tow. The truck was made for it. Just make sure you don't tow a trailer that is too long for the length of the truck itself and use common sense when it comes to speed, and allowing enough time for braking. Especially on a steep grade going downhill. Just slow way down for any really steep downhill. There is a formula for length of tow vehicle to length of trailer you can find on RV sites. I don't know what it is off hand.

If I really needed to tow a 3500 lb trailer with my Tacoma RC, 4X4 with the 2.7 I would. I'd just slow way down and do 55 on the flats (If it would even get there) and probably 35 or 40 on a 7% downgrade. Maybe even less depending on how it was doing with the weight. I'd also make sure that the trailer was about the same length as the truck. When it comes to climbing a 7% grade I have no doubt I'd bee revving at 4000+ rpm in 3rd gear. Especially at 7000 ft which isn't uncommon where I live.

 

I tow just shy of 3000lbs with my manual 2TR, and even up pretty steep grades in the 4-5000ft of elevation areas I've towed to, it's been just fine. I would recommend a brake controller for anything over 1500-2000lbs though, just good insurance and added safety. And like TRVLR500 mentioned, run the engine as it was intended, not being afraid to rev it when necessary. Mine is just a 2wd, so while the 3.31 gears worked, I was mainly using 4th gear on the highway. After getting 3.73s installed, it comfortably cruises in 5th at 65-70mph on flat ground and even gradual hills.

 

There is a big difference in the wiring between the 4 pin connector versus the 7 pin connector. 4 pin just hooks thru the tail lights. 7 pin needs extra circuitry to be able to handle a brake controller.

 

The hitch would be all I would need, since I would never tow anything. It would be extra armor for the back to keep those little old ladies away, who can't back out of parking spaces without bumping everybody.

 

Yep, I'll never tow anything, but a truck should have a hitch, even if it's only for appearance, so I spent $40 on a bumper hitch.

 

You should get a big hogshead and stick it in the receiver. That kept my wife's truck safe when a lady driving a Dodge Caravan while on the phone, pulled out from a parking lot and right into the hogshead. Results: wife's truck unscathed but Dodge Caravan missing entire left side.

 

What's a hogshead?

 

As you can see, that's some armor you need to keep people off your butt. It's used along with a 2005 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins Turbo Diesel pickup to pull our horse trailer.

 

That's extreme overkill for my Tacoma, a DD in metro Atlanta. I'd be concerned that some commuters wouldn't see the hoghead in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

 

That's what happened with this lady driving the Dodge Caravan. She was on the phone and coming out of a side street parking lot. She saw my wife go by so pulled out, never noticing the hogshead on the back of the truck, perfectly legal, too, I might add. Being aware of your surroundings is very important, something lacking in today's drivers. Any driver who follows that closely is asking for it when the driver in front has to initiate a panic stop. The hogshead is used on heavy duty towing, which we do with a fully loaded horse trailer.

 

I purchased($250) vehicle specific after market reciever, hitch and the tail light harness from Amazon. It has severed its purpose well and recomend it.

 

That's what I thought as well. If I'm going to put a receiver and tow ball on the truck, I might as well put on a wiring harness, but then you also need that brake controller, which is going to run you into some money. Back years ago, when I bought a new Dodge Ram 2500 with the Cummins-Turbo diesel engine, for some reason, it didn't have a towing package. I got it installed, but over the years, I always had trouble with the alternator burning out, which shows I needed that heavy duty alternator as well. I already had the heavy duty radiator with it being a diesel engine. I also didn't have a 4:10 rear end, only a 3:50.

 

No need for the controller, Just keep within the limits of the tow ratings and you should be fine.

 

I think, if you tow at or near 3500 lbs, a brake controller is a good idea.

 

I believe that any class III, or trailer above 2000lbs is best suited to trailer brakes