Towing Travel Trailer with 2016 Tacoma

32 ft 2005 R-VISION TRAIL CRUISER Trail lite : dry weight 4289 lbs, about 5200 lbs when load with all the camping gears, bicycle, etc/full propane gas tanks, etc... empty water tank

gas mileage = horrible ;P , 22-24 L/100km (i'm Canadian, km here sorry)

 

I question how many scale their rig? I have. I found out it is ez to run out of payload on the truck. This is on my access cab with me and my gf towing a 2500# wet epro 14fk single axle. The quad cabs have even less payload. My tongue is 380#. People talking 600# of tongue...the truck will be overgross with humans and stuff inside.

 

My friend has a lifted Tundra and get 28 L/100km pulling his boat which is less weight then you are pulling.

 

How does the truck feel when pulling a trailer that size? Any issues with stability or wind?

 

It's been interesting reading these posts about Tacos and how much you can pull. Opinions seem all over the place. We have a 25ft Jayco, dry is about 4200, with gear but not clothes or food it weighed in at 4800 lbs. When I add the rest it should still be well under the max. I have a Equal-i-zer WDH and I have a brake controller. Been on a couple of trips around 250 miles. The Taco is a 2018 TRD Off-Road with the towing package, auto trans. It seems to pull best around 60 mph, with ECT and 4th gear. I do feel it when semi's go by. We're going from Wisconsin to AZ. Some might say I'm crazy, some will just say "have a nice trip". I do have a question for others like me. How far do you pull in a average day?

 

I don't pull regularly, but my first pull was about 335 miles. I think it took me about 6.5 hours, including 3 stops for gas and 2 resets of the weight bars on the WDH when they popped when turning tight (coincided with gas stops both times). I probably could have done another 2hrs or 100 miles before fatigue set in. I definitely was aware I'd been driving at the end of those 6.5 hours. But this was my first real haul, I was doing it solo, and it was in the hill country. So maybe some more relaxed highways would have netted me more miles. My fuelly average was 18.5mpg at ~28k miles before that trip. Now I'm down to 17.7 mpg avg.

 

At what weight do the WDH, sway bars, and a brake controller become necessary?

 

If your trailer has brakes, it's in your best interest to use them, so you need a controller. That sounds rude but is not meant to be. Wdh and sway bars involve a lot of other variables but anything that can legitimately make your rig safer and more controllable is a good thing.

 

I guess a fair place to start is Toyota’s recommendation. I think they have an unbraked towing limit in the manual. I don’t recall it though.

As above, it’ll help at any weight, but more so as weight goes up.

 

Different people have different comfort levels so it is hard to say when WDH, sway, etc. is needed...

If the trailer is causing any significant squat, especially if it is starting to take load off the front wheels and thus affecting your ability to steer, then you should really have it.

Towing a camper, unless it is really small, anti-sway is a good thing. A camper is a big flat brick going through the air and can catch a huge amount of wind and turbulence from semis and other large passing vehicles, causing sway to start.

As far as brake controllers, you might want to check with your state laws. Some have certain weight limits where it is required, some require you to use them if the trailer is equipped with them.

 

In Wisconsin electric brakes are required on any trailer above a certain weight. It’s either 3000 or 3500 lbs. Can’t remember which it was.

 

Completely new to towing travel trailers (have towed trailers, goosenecks, and flatbeds with equipment with a dually in the past)

I have a 2018 Tacoma TRD Sport Double Cab 4x4

What do you all think about something like this for the Tacoma?

https://www.rvtrader.com/listing/2019-Travel-Lite-Falcon-F-24RBK-5012331562

I've been looking for something light with a low tongue weight. The Travel Lite is the lightest I've found. I need something that will comfortably sleep my wife, and my two kids, and hopefully one more when we expand again . I really want a tow hauler but a toy hauler in our towable weight that will sleep us all seems unrealistic... Except for this?

https://rv.campingworld.com/rvdetai...r-wildwood-fsx-210rt-toyhauler-20k-SRM1744821

Does anyone have any advice or input? Thank you for your time. Pic is for attention. (My truck)

 

My thoughts are that it's going to be on the easier side to tow with regards to it's actual weight. It has a pretty sloped front end so wind resistance will be lower compared to others. Double axle helps too; usually there's a lower tongue weight when you add the second axle. But 4200lbs may equate to near 5000lbs by the time you load it up. If you're geared up correctly with a good WDH and brake controller, and your expectations are moderate, I'd say you're okay.

If you're towing 800+ miles monthly, it may wear on you. If you're towing 250 miles 4-5 times a year then that's a different story. You just have to realize that the 3rd gen makes it's power above 3500rpm, so you'll need to be ablate accept hearing the rpm's run when you're at speed or in the hills.

Other's have probably towed similar trailers, so hopefully you'll get some more direct feedback.

 

Thanks for the response.

I think we are pretty much thinking the same things.


I'd assume we will fit the second description much better, only probably 10 times a year and less than 150 miles for the majority of the trips. The 3rd generation power band is pretty odd to me, but I have to say I enjoy driving the truck alot. We will see how it goes. I'm excited, I am currently in Germany (Stationed here) and will be going to Texas for our next assignment. Shouldn't be too bad, being that there are not many hills

 

I’m in Texas myself. Took a 3750lb loaded trailer to the hill country. That trailer was not kind for wind resistance. 3rd gear rocked in the hills as long as you were ok with 4500-5000 rpm and 10mpg. . I also was running 65-70mph.
Truck handled it well, given my earlier caveats.

 

20,000 miles with this set up. Trailer is 19 ft about 3700 loaded. Over 400lbs hitch weight. It is small and light and I am always over payload by hundreds of pounds. If you keep anything besides a driver and passenger, I'm 160 my wife 120lbs, you are over. If your dealer told you your hitch is 400 lbs it is probably 550. Dealers no very little and just want to sell. With that said my truck does fine. Aal with sumos, no wdh and I get about 9 mpg. In Texas open roads with some wind I have seen 6 or 7. That was nerve racking watching gas go down fast. If you keep it small the wdh isn't necessary it also take around 70 lbs of payload.