Pulling Imagine 17xls mke with my new Taco

Hello!

New to TacomaWorld.com and a new taco owner! I asked the below question in the general welcome thread... maybe this is a better place to ask this question.

I'm looking to purchase a new camper. Upgrading my current 2012 19' Flagstaff to a 2021 Imagine 17xls mke by Grand Designs. Here

The GVWR is 5995 lbs. with a dry weight of 4674 lbs. I will most likely never pull the camper with the fresh water tank full. My current Flagstaff pulls fine but it's a bit lighter with a dry weight of 2945.

I'm wondering if others have pulled the same camper or similar weighted camper and what your experience has been? I'm sure that I'll have to stop for gas more often but I'm okay with that as long as I plan my route. lol

Thanks!

 

Welcome aboard. You better get more truck.

 

You will get a lot of different opinions on this. You need to be honest with yourself, we have mid size trucks which aren't made for towing larger trailers, boats, etc. Can you do it, yes. Should you, NO. However only you can make the final decision.

 

Send it. Supercharge it and regear.

 

Can it? On paper, yes. Should it? nope.

 

You mean like this one. That I bought this year. Have taken it out three times. Once over 4th of July Pass in Idaho. Not a huge pass but steep enough. Up to Priest Lake ID and other trip in NE WA.

you can PM me for more details if you want.

I have Roadmaster stabilizer springs. Equalizer E2 8000 lb hitch the torsion bar version. Tow in S4 max with ECT On.

Now I have the OV tune. Regular gas basic tune so far. Huge improvement. HUGE. Like someone said it is the tune Toyota should have used.

My payload is my wife son and I. We weigh 433 lbs total. I am the largest at 6’1” and 187. 3 MTB bikes at 25 lbs max each (all carbon fiber. My wife and I used to race extensively). Empty water and waste tanks. Food couple of camp chairs. We don’t carry a lot of crap.

have towed before the Roadmaster and the tune. Get both no questions. Truck is more stable with springs and pulls way better with the tune.
Take your time keep it at 65 or less. Make sure tires all aired up. Common sense. Look farther down the road.

I am totally comfortable towing it. It does take a few trips to get the feel of the combo. Going over Lookout Pass next summer and have no worries.
PM me and I will give you my cell number if you want to know more.

 

Wow! Thank you so much! Exactly what I was looking for. My wife and I fell in love with this TT and now I feel confident we can pull this beauty! We are minimalist as well, so not at all concerned we would come close to hitting the GVWR.

I've looked into the OV tune... and have watched some YT videos that say it helps A LOT. I appreciate you sharing that you are carrying your MTB as we planned to do the same I will IM at some point so we can chat more. Thanks again, Paul!

 

You are welcome!

 

Likly cant on paper less he has 4x2 and access cab. Well or is really skinnyand lonely. Over payload

 

Your truck your life it won't be a fun ride. It is dual axle that's a big plus but you are right at max on everything. Mine is around 3500 I live in the Mts of Maine going to VT I go through Crawford notch depending on wind by the time I crest the notch I'm down to 2nd gear gear (6 spd manual) you have to stop this thing too and you will not be able to with no trailer brakes wiring failure plug fell out etc. Bigger or add on trans cooler lot of things to think about.

 

I wouldn't pull that TT with MY Tacoma. In fact that is right at the upper limits I'd pull with my F150. There is no way you'll keep the loaded trailer weight under 5000 lbs, 5500 is more realistic. PULLING the trailer is only part of it. Your truck will PULL it just fine. The problem is the weight on your suspension. You cannot exceed GVWR.

1st you need to determine your actual payload. There is a sticker on the drivers door jamb with the GVWR and Payload. My Tacoma has 1200 lbs payload, but it varies by truck. Some are as little as 900 lbs, and some are over 1300 lbs. The GVWR is the same on all trucks. That is the total amount of weight your truck can weigh including passengers and cargo. The lighter the truck, the more payload you have. A 4X2 base model Access Cab with the 4 cyl engine has the most payload since it is the lightest truck. A DCLB 4X4 with with all of the options will weigh the most and have less payload. Any modifications or gear you keep in the truck eats up payload too.

It is best to actually weigh the truck. Then subtract the actual weight from GVWR. This will determine how much more weight your suspension will safely handle. You need to figure 13% of the trailers weight as tongue weight. A 5000-5500 lb trailer will put 650-715 lbs on your tongue. When you have 5000 lbs + you also need to add a Weight Distribution hitch which adds another 100 lbs. So your looking at 750-815 lbs on the tongue.

If that were my truck that would only leave me 385-450 lbs. I weigh 220, my wife 140. That means 25-90 lbs for other cargo in the truck. I suppose I could leave my wife at home and get another 140 lbs of cargo, but she wouldn't be happy.

If YOUR truck has more than the 1200 lbs mine has then you have a little more room to work with. Especially if you and your wife are smaller. But you're pushing it right to the trucks limits. IMO Tacoma's are best with trailers around 4500 max. If you can keep the trailer under 5000 lbs you can get away with not using a WDH and that also reduces weight on the tongue. With a 4500 lb trailer you don't have to start leaving stuff at home that you'd like to bring.

 

Forgot to add that I have a huge transmission cooler that I added

 

Yes, my truck has the same cargo rating (1200 lbs). I currently use a WDH rated at 8,000 lbs and wouldn’t pull without one. The hitch weight for this particular TT (Imagine 17xls mke) is 480 lbs, which, I'm guessing, doesn't include a battery and two 20 lbs propane tanks? So, yes, that would put the tongue weight at around 680 lbs.

I will be adding a large auxiliary trans cooler and other mods to the camper recommended by TacoManOne. Also, I pull my current TT with a Tekonsha P3 Break Controller.

 

I have a 2019 Trd 4x4.Added a weight distribution bar and a brake controller. I pull a flagstaff that’s probably about 5000 pounds. I have been the mountains in N Georgia multiple times. The truck pulls great. Accelerates fine, and gets decent gas mileage 9, to 13.