Comfortable towing

Gonna rephrase my question: 2007 Prerunner, 4.0 v6 Access cab with class 3 hitch, brake controller, trans cooler - what would be the max I could tow comfortably?

 

Where and how fast you are towing has a lot to do with it, but a conservative number would be 3500-4000lbs to be comfortable in all locations. Still kinda suck going over the Rockies
It will do more, obviously

 

Did you miss out on the reading from the Towing forum?

Post 2 in your yesterday thread has a link for you.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/towing.834244/

Weight is certainly a factor. Maybe the biggest. But so is the shape of what you're pulling. Is it a parachute or a bullet?

The weather (crosswinds are tough, as are headwinds), where you are towing (mountains, flat, desert heat, snowy/icy roads) and how far you tow. All matter.

 

The real issue isn't the weight of the trailer nearly as much as the total weight on the trucks suspension. You 1st have to determine your payload. There is a sticker on the driver's door jamb with a statement that reads something like "The combined weight of passengers and cargo should not exceed XXXX pounds". It varies depending on the individual truck but most a 4X4 DC 2nd gen Tacoma will be somewhere between 1000-1300 lbs. My truck is 1200, a Pre-Runner might be a little more.

Your truck is rated to tow around 6500 lbs. You calculate about 13% of that then add 100 lbs for a weight distribution hitch if the trailer is over 5000 lbs. Under 5000 lb trailers don't normally need a WDH. So, 13% of 6500 lbs 845 lbs. Add the WDH and you have used up 950 lbs of your payload.

You could PULL a 6500 lb trailer, but with only a driver in the cab of the truck. Another passenger and any cargo will likely make you overweight.

If you allow 400 lbs for the driver and one other passenger along with about 200 lbs for other cargo that is 600 lbs of your payload. Leaving you around 600 for tongue weight. A 4500 lb trailer would not need a WDH and would use up 585 lbs of your available payload and be a reasonable max for most Tacoma's.

If you want to carry more than 600 lbs of people and gear in the truck, then you need to get a lighter trailer. If you max out the payload in the cab and bed you can't pull a trailer at all. This is true of all 1/2 ton and smaller trucks. That's what they make 3/4- and 1-ton trucks for. They don't tow that much more weight. But you can tow the trailer AND load up the truck. With Tacoma's and most 1/2 tons it's an either/or proposition. Not both.

My 07 with a 2900 lb dry weight trailer. It's no more than 3500 lbs loaded. The cap eats up 180 lbs of my payload. My wife and I are 360 combined. That eats up about 1000 of my 1200 lbs of payload leaving me about 200 lbs for other gear in the truck.

I can pull it comfortably

 

I pull a Tab 320 Boondock with my 2.7 5 speed manual. Truck has an OEM hitch, 7 pin wiring, Sumo Springs and brake controller. Total wet weight is around 3,000 pounds. I’ve towed it all over WV, down the Blue Ridge Parkway and to Nova Scotia. I’ve never had an issue.
I also don’t drive over 65 when towing.

 

Nice. I reckon my 4.0 v6 could do a bit better weight-wise. How does it do on uphill grades?

 

Not nearly as bad as one would think. I have pulled it up Sandstone mountain in WV on I64. It is a roughly 7% grade for 5 miles. I have, amazingly, actually passed semis on that stretch. I also go over Route 33 from VA into WV. It’s a steep road with a lot of switchbacks. I get up it as fast as I feel is safe towing.
I’m heading out west in September. I’ll report back after that trip.