Towing question

19 taco sport 4wd manual. How much can I comfortably tow? Moving roughly 400 miles and need to get as much as possible in the trailer in one trip.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/forums/towing.34/

This should help.

 

6500 lbs is rated, but that’s quite a bit. 5000 lbs is all I would try. Last week I towed 4K fairly easy.

 

Wait a minute

 

Is your engine well broken-in? I think that the manual states that no towing should be performed for the first 500 miles of engine life. Make sure that you load your trailers so that you end up with about 10-15% tongue weight of the total trailer weight. Load all your cargo in the trailer and keep the truck itself as light as possible, or else you will have run out of GVWR and be unable to tow safely.

Keep your transmission in S5 and don't drive faster than 65mph if on flat roads which should be more easy and tolerable for you and the tow vehicle. I would even drive slower at 55mph, this way you are reducing the amount of aerodynamic drag on your rig and you keep your RPMs low enough so that you are not screaming at 3000+RPMs the entire trip. If possible, I would avoid using AC to reduce the amount of load on the engine and free up HP for the truck to pull the load. If you are descending hills, be sure to use engine braking and don't overheat your brakes.

 

Well said and that sums up most things...

 

Don’t forget to add the trailer weight. I know it sounds obvious but some people don’t.

 

manual says no towing for the first 500 miles then for the second 500 miles no faster then 50-55mph.

put the trans in drive and push the ect button and go with an automatic. a manual trans operate the gears as you have to.. take your time ans don't be stupid.

you have a brake controller and trailer brakes? if not then really take your time..

be aware of your payload. tongue weight counts towards payload as does every other little thing.

i towed a 5500 (fully loaded ) travel trailer with out 17 tacoma and never felt unsafe. but i had trailer brakes and a WDH anti sway hitch for it.. the thing has the aerodynamics of a freaking cinder block..lol

that little V6 is gonna rev for sure but it will do the job.

 

i agree. best to stay about 1000 pounds under max. some like to run it right to the max though. i like that buffer.

 

9600 lbs easily

 

Since you have a manual it's easier than this. Put the truck in the correct gear and push on the gas.

Seriously these trucks can pull the rated capacity just drive safely like you're towing something. The manual gearing does actually help as it is a bit lower and you can easily keep the gear you want and no temp issues.