Looking to tow 4500lb dry weight camper with 2-3 passengers

I have a 2021 stock SR5 (no mods).
Rated for 6400lb.

I live in the Appalachian region (very hilly).
No real plans to tow more than a couple hundred miles at a time.
Looking at campers at or around 4500# dry wt.
Probably looking at just 2-3 people (300lb max total)
Advice, or opinions?

 

Aim for 4100 dry max, include a 180 lb weight distribution hitch in your load calculations.

 

Get used to stopping for gas a lot and lacking any semblance of low end pulling power or acceleration. A brake controller and weight distribution hitch are a minimum and airbags for to help control the rear end sag wouldn’t be a bad idea.

 

45-65 mph is your new best friend.

 

Weigh it at truck scale before buying as most stickers are way off the actual weight.
Also listed is empty no battery, propane tank water, gray or black sewage, etc so add another 1000-1500 once you load up all that and food, clothes, other junk so if really 4500 then will be ready to go at 6000-6500. Read the Towing Bible for more facts/info. You will have to lock out overdrive and put in 4th and on the sport shift mode then it will pull it.

 

I pretty much planned for the distribution and brake controller. Never thought of the airbags. Are they a big help? Would you recommend going lower on the dry wt.?

 

Read my write up on my NoBo 19.6. Its in your wheel house weight wise

 

Aim for lighter and prepare for some really slow going. While the Tacoma’s can tow that much weight it doesn’t do it well. We pack light and have limited our selves to about 4500 lbs loaded (scale verified). We try to run lighter most the time because at 4500 lbs it’s a lot of weight behind the truck and you feel it. You feel it going up, you feel it going down. You feel the wind from other traffic on the road and when it blows.

 

All great comments so far, that I can attest to. Just to add my own experience, I upgraded to OME Medium Duty Leaf Springs (even tho I already had a WDH). This made a world of difference with the rear end sag. Rides much better

I wish our gas tanks were bigger. Because, as the others said, it’s gonna suck fuel like a PIG! So just don’t be surprised like I was first trip. Cut my mileage about in half

 

Necessary: A brake controller is necessary - I use a Redarc Tow Pro Elite and it wired into the factory TRD harness. You will absolutely need a brake controller. Period.

Optional: Scangauge II (or similar gear) and program it for TP1 (fluid returning from the cooler) and TP2 (fluid leaving the torque converter) so you can monitor your trans temps and pull over if they creep into the 240s - I am assuming your rig is an auto tranny. IIRC 260 is the point where the fluid breaks down and no longer lubricates the tranny so at 260 you are done and will seriously damage your rig. Monitoring transmission temps is critical in any towing situation and the 3rd gens have that cooler within the radiator that you either say "whatever" or you absolutely hate it.

Optional: A hensley arrow will set you back a couple of grand but I would seriously consider it since you are towing something that weighs almost as much as the rig itself. The Hensley mechanically transfers the pivot point of a trailer forward to the axle of your rig. Check out their vids on YouTube, most trailer crashes occur because the trailer begins to sway at the ball, by mechanically eliminating the pivot point at the ball the Hensley eliminates the most common cause of trailer roll overs. If I wasn't using a fully articulating hitch I would have a Hensley.

Optional: A helper spring or leaf pack. I put a

$256 Hellwig 980 Leaf Helper Spring

Hellwig 980 helper on my rig just to fix the sag when I have my roof top tent installed and the rig loaded down for overlanding. It was hitting the rear bump stops often and felt like a caddy and the helper fixed that sag. A leaf pack will do even more but there is a cost; it may stiffen your ride (unloaded). I would see how your rig sits the first few trips out and then evaluate if you need a helper or a leaf pack.

Optional: consider an external trans temp cooler with fans if you regularly see your temps climbing in the 230 - 240 range (as in pull your ass over and stop to let the tranny cool before you reach the critical 260 mark). I am considering a Setrab 9 series with fan pack mounted in the bed on the opposite side of the gas tank, but I'm waiting to see how my rig handles in the summer, off road (crawl speed) with 3500 lbs of trailer. There are other trans coolers that people have installed on the forum and YouTube that are budget friendly and the DIY crowd could handle.

Technique: ECT power mode is your friend and plan to drive in S mode and ONLY use overdrive (5th or 6th) on long, flat areas or slightly downhill where there will be no need for braking. Your trans temps will soar if you are lugging the rig up long inclines in overdrive. Higher RPMs in the hills is what you should aim for.

Technique: You will hear folks that live and die by the "only tow half of what your vehicle is rated for." I don't subscribe to that and have no issues going up to 5k GVWR on a trailer (I have a RTT and decked drawer system so I am carrying more of a load than you are in the rig). Drive within your ability and the conditions and the limit of the vehicle. You know what the rig is rated for so drive within those parameters and you'll be legal and the insurance company should indemnify you if poo happens. If you are over then you risk having a claim denied and being liable for injuries or damages caused in the event of an accident. The "tow half of what your rig is rated for" crowd are just giving general guidelines.

 

Nice truck. I like your tow mirror add-on.

Whats your average mpg with that one?

 

As others have mentioned, a camper around 4500lbs dry is a lot for our trucks. Max towing capacity is calculated using a flat sled of a trailer with a low center of gravity which also equates to minimal wind resistance - not ideal for determining what weight camper you should pull. Most things I read when I was selecting a tall camper was you'll want a dry weight at about half of the truck's max tow capacity. I got lucky and found a double axel, 18ft trailer with a uvwr of 2400 lbs. Ended up being so easy to tow that I didn't bother with a WDH. Also living in Appalachia, I picked up a Scangauge II to monitor transmission temperatures and it was well worth the investment. In addition, having smaller trucks makes it that much more important to have an excellent brake controller. I'd recommend the Tekoncha P3. I've towed landscaping trailers at our max capacity before without issue, but I wouldn't want to pull anything both tall and long above 4500lbs without a larger truck. Just my 2 cents

 

I agree...about half of the rated towing rate should be towed is what I was planning. What mpg were you getting with that 2400lb?

 

On the highway I was getting about 12-13mpg which I'd attribute to the trailer being about as aerodynamic as a giant toaster and high above the cab while towing below the overdrive gear. I ended up selling my camper because for my needs I found that a platform bed under my bed canopy works well enough, but if I were to get another one I'd probably look at a hard side popup - something below cab level like an Aliner.

 

I have towed some big things with my Tacoma, and towed 3 different campers with it for long distances one of them quite hefty. Starting on inclines in the mountains the truck will barely be able to pull away from a stop and stopping on in hills in the mountains is another um concerning thing unless trailer brakes are up to snuff.

I will mirror the others and say it seems best with aerodynamic shaped 3000lb and under. You will need a trailer brake controller, I just upgraded from a Tekonsha to the RedArc Tow Pro Elite. I am running Timbren Off Road Bump Stops on my truck which don't kick in till it sags 1-2" and leaves the first bid of travel as normal vs full time airbags. Also depending on tongue weight a WD hitch makes a big difference with our trucks. I monitor trans temps via bluetooth obd + torque app. I also have a larger aux trans cooler which works almost too well at cooler highway speeds.

I just bought a T@B400 will pickup this weekend and I think the smaller/lighter sub 20' trailers are really about the max. If I keep my truck I will regear it but at this point I am leaning towards replacing it and how much I live in the camper this year will guide my next replacement.

Oh...also towing MPG will be 8-12mpg and range will be around 150-170 per tankful.

 

yikes, sub-10 mpg is scary . So that's about $600 for gas (@ $4/gal) one way for me if I want to bring my family camping near the mountains in the west from MN .

Thanks for the numbers.

 

Just finished a just shy of 2000mile trip in our new T@B400(3000lbs dry) behind my Tacoma. Honestly it was probably the best towing experience I have had with the truck.

Was not to much on the tongue ~300lbs, had no problems keeping up with traffic and grades(long as you don't mind 3rd gear which I hate) Keeping the truck in D with cruise would have a unlocked torque converter in 5th far to often spiking converter temps and downshifting to 3rd when not needed. Keeping it in S4 and manually managing throttle up hills was the smoothest.

Overall trip average was 9.9mpg. Drafting semi's and staying below 70 would allow closer to 10.5-11mpg.
Saw 1 tank of almost 12mpg when average speeds were around 60-64
Going 70-72mph I was seeing - 9-9.5mpg
75mph - 8.5mpg (with a light tailwind)

One of our stops the guy next to us had a F-250 Tremor with the diesel and a 36' Fifth Wheel and was averaging 12-13mpg going 75. Dear Toyota please give me a diesel.