Can a 3rd gen with tow package 3.5l V6 automatic tow a car?

Reversing tiny trailers like that is HARD. The slightest input from the steering wheel sends the trailer jack knifing. So don’t beat yourself up too much.

 

Oh man putting the taco to work! Lol
Thank you!

 

Good to know! And yea a scanner goes a long way! Lol especially when it’s a small easy repair.

 

Not a bad suggestion and might actually help a small minority of people who don't know anything about towing, but taking a written test and a road test to get a drivers license doesn't stop people from driving like complete assholes. They're gonna do what they're gonna do regardless.

 

Small trailers are hard to back up. Try putting your hand at the bottom of the wheel. It makes the steering wheel work the way your brain thinks it should.

 

Are you from California, we don’t need any more laws or rules or taxes or tests

 

Don't have a 3rd gen, but I've towed with my 4runner and regularly drive a 60' danger noodle (bendy bus) though small town traffic and on the highway. Not exactly the same thing because the sections are permanently together, but kind similar

Never a bad thing to have extra braking power, especially on the rear axles. With ABS its less of a concern, but locking up the front tires with the trailer tires free wheeling can lead to spin. Drivers today are highly distracted, so its pretty common for people to cut off large vehicles without recognizing their significant weight. A 60' bus can surprisingly stop on a dime (everyone on board would get launched, but it is possible). However, the same is not necessarily true for a light truck with a lot of weight and no trailer brakes. You can leave as much following distance as possible between you and the car in front of you, but someone always sees that as an opportunity to get into traffic. On highway, same thing happens with people going on the left and cutting over for a right exit while braking. I definitely second the responses mentioning changes in driving style

The U-haul surge brakes vary wildly based on the trailer. Overall it did pretty well, but not as great as dedicated electronic brakes. I've towed 3 different u-haul 6x12 enclosed trailers and some had good brakes, some had poopy brakes. Surge brakes also work best if you're really stepping on the wide pedal, but sometimes they're not so good if you're just engine braking down a hill. Again, depends on the trailer. Uhaul trailers are also heavy AF, which eats into your GCWR

I would not fully rely on the engine braking if you have a lot of weight back there. Engine braking on gas engines just can't compare to a system designed for slowing heavy loads like a hydraulic retarder

some kind of sway control is also very helpful. Pretty similar to how you can crank up the dampener on a some models of Weight distribution hitch, Artic buses have hydraulics in the center that essentially turn them into a straight bus at highway speeds. It significantly improves handling. When towing with my 4runner, you could tell that uhaul trailer was back there when the wind picked up. the additional weight that a WDH puts on the steer tires is also very helpful

Vehicle and Combined weights are also important. Your GVW = empty truck weight + payload + passengers + tongue weight can't exceeded the GVWR. Similarly, GCWR can't exceeded the GVW + trailer weight. The listed towing capacity is a theoretical value given the expected GVW and design GVWR and GCWR. However, once you add extra weight from RTT, or camper shell (just examples of stuff people have) your GVW increases and could decrease your effective towing capacity. These are not important only for preventing an accident, but if you are involved in an accident when over weight, your insurance would not be happy.

Once you throw larger tires on the tow vehicle, throws a wrench in everything.

and I'd agree, letting anyone with a driver's license strap 10k lbs to their car without some training is high risk.

 

I probably over-compensate steering and that's what causes the jack-knifing! lol

Just doing slight adjustments is all that's needed is what I'm guessing.

 

A short trailer is like a little lever, where moving the tongue end a small distance changes the angle a lot. Whereas on a longer trailer, moving the tongue end a small distance changes the angle less

crude drawing, but hopefully it shows how the same movement at the tongue translates to less overall angle of the trailer. Black represents trailer body, red is the angle. Shorter trailers are much more sensitive to input.

 

No bragging here but I hear you.

 

Can't be legal in North Carolina, because you'll be squatting.

 

If a Tundra can tow a space shuttle, you should be able to tow another car with a Tacoma.

 

I have seen people pull some crazy stuff with tacos. I think if you are around 6k pull weight you will easily do it.

 

Put trans in S4 and drive 55-60mph and give yourself plenty of space cushion and time to brake. If going uphill, drop your speed and use your lower gears and use your torque advantage to pull, you don’t need to flog the truck and do 70mph+ uphill.

 

Also forgot to mention: When you're towing or driving a large vehicle, you can no longer swerve to avoid things in the road. The only safe option is to stop or slow down. just something to keep in mind, as its a natural response that we can get away with in smaller cars, but don't have that luxury with combination or larger vehicles

 

I have towed many cars on dual axle trailers behind a second gen and my old 5th gen 4Runner. Usually on uhaul trailers. No issues. A few times it was over 100 miles. Mostly 3 series BMW's and fox mustangs. Keep it out of overdrive and drive conservatively. My 3rd gen has a brake controller already in it but I have only had it a month and haven't towed with it yet. I admit I have towed WAY over the weight rating of the truck a few times too. And I was fortunate nothing bad happened.

 

Towed a 96? Altima on a uhaul dolly. All good in the hood