Towing travel trailer with tacoma

We are new owners of our first truck, a 2009 Toyota Tacoma... with 6500 # towing capacity and want to know what is the maximum unloaded weight of a travel trailer that we could safely tow and length. We are new to camping and would love to be able to tow something farther than just two hours away (as we have been doing with our Kia Sedona Minivan and our small camper).We would love to be able to go back-and-forth to Florida occasionally but want to make sure we are safe with what we’re towing. Of course we have been told all kinds of weight but we want to hear from the experts what is safe. Thinking of buying slightly larger camper but don’t want to make any mistakes! Thank you ahead for any help you can give us!

 

Unloaded weight doesn't matter very much if you consider that each trailer has different fluid capacities and such. 30 gallons of water is 240 lbs, but if your trailer has 100 gallons, that's 800 lbs. obviously a huge difference. You should probably add up the unloaded weight, max fluid capacity weight, and get an estimate of all the gear, luggage, food, etc you plan on hauling. That last part, gear, luggage, etc, double that number when adding up.

I would also think that total should be 5500 or lower, max, if you plan on towing any great distance.

 

And just an added FYI, there are a ton of these conversation already if you want to check the Search box up in the upper right of the page.

 

First welcome aboard. You will get as many opinions about towing as there are folks towing. I knew when I bought my truck I would buy a camper that the truck could handle. I read the Tacoma towing bible and was able to set up my truck as best I could for the type of towing we will/have done. My camper is about 4200lbs ready to camp with no water in it. I wanted dual axles for more stability when towing and the additional set of brakes for stopping power. Things you may want to consider are; a larger transmission cooler and a way to monitor transmission temperatures. I bought a scanguage II to monitor my transmission temps. Never tow in 5th gear, put it in 4th gear to reduce gear hunting and heat generation. Some type of rear suspension upgrade i.e. airbags, sumo springs or other helper springs. You will need a brake controller for the trailer brakes. I bought the Prodigy 3 and really like it. A weight distribution Hitch is a must when towing to help prevent sway especially when trucks pass you or hi winds. I bought replacement mirrors which are plug and play - no mods required.

 

The closer you get to maximum towing capacity the more problematic towing is. The bigger the trailer and the heavier the trailer, towing becomes a
real chore. It becomes problematic when you have a strong head wind, or cross wind, or you are driving in snow and ice or heavy rain. The maximum tow capacity is something you should try to stay well below. Try to find a trailer 3500 lbs to no more than 4000 lbs dry. Loaded not to exceed 5000 lbs. You would be better off though if you could stay around 4500 lbs loaded.
Also get a WDH and consider air bags.

 

Towing capacity only takes into account weight. Surface area is a whole other discussion . Its easy to carry a sheet of plywood. Its a whole other story to do it with a 20mph breeze.