5500 pounds, no problem

2011 Off Road, AT, bone stock
I usually use truck for recreational purposes (hauling gear, canoe on top, driving on dirt roads, etc.). Every once in a while, I use the truck as a truck. This haul was about 5,500 pounds for a trailer and mini excavator. The truck had no problem pulling the load, but braking was a little wonky and took more pressure and distance to stop, but as I only had an 8-mile drive from rental shop it was manageable.

 

You can haul as much weight as you want too,but hit somebody because your braking is nill,you will be sued for sure.

 

A trailer brake will surely help here. Knowing you have probably doubled your braking distance, make sure you have plenty of space to stop for normal events and for emergencies. Slower speeds will be your friend too. No matter who is honking behind you. 5500 is still fine though considering it's not an entire wind block like a camper back there.

Be safe and happy tractoring!

 

What state are you in? The photo looks like East Coast or the south, by how green it is in mid-summer. How hilly was the drive?

If it's pretty low/flat and you're not driving on the highway at >50 mph you can get away with a bit more than otherwise.

Many states require by law that trailers over X pounds capacity have built-in "surge brakes" (aka "overrun brakes") or similar on them. Your state may or may not.

 

I think you need to look into upgrading your braking. Even going short distances you are carrying quite a bit and an accident can happen anytime.

 

The primary place the brakes need to be added is the trailer, not the truck.

It's physically impossible to add large enough brakes to the Tacoma to fully account for a combined vehicle + trailer weight that is north of 10,000 lbs.

It certainly wouldn't hurt to add higher capacity brakes on the Taco, but the primary location for brakes, preferably in a modern electric or electro-hydraulic style, is on the wheels of the trailer.

 

Wouldn't attempt that kind of weight without a quality brake controller. Thats a lot of mass pushing you down the road when you put on the brakes.

 

id take a guess and say Vermont due to his name


And everyone getting on him about brakes, I’d bet the trailer is from the rental place too, and it likely has surge brakes

 

I’m looking to buy a small tractor/backhoe. I just ordered a brake controller from REDARC.

 

a pruis could haul that for 8 miles. try it up and down mountain passes and let us know how it goes

 

Literally says New Hampshire on the profile thing on his post

 

At my place in the Cascade Mountains, you wouldn't be able to stop that rig at the end of the driveway


in summer.

 

The trailer was part of the rental. I had no input as to type. It had no brakes, but then again, I have no brake controller in my truck. This is the first time I have towed anything that heavy. I have rented other lawn equipment, but those weights 1/2 of the excavator. They gave me a "pintle" hitch to use as my 2" ball would not have worked with the trailer ring connection. They also gave me a 7-4 converter for the lights.

I am only about 8 mi from the rental shop, but did have to use HI way for about 4 mi each way. I kept it in 4th and had no issues other than the noted increased brake distance and need for pushing hard on the pedal.

I am in NH, but grew up in VT.

 

Meh come on down to south Texas, I've seen much bigger loads than that behind old Ford Rangers

The only ones around here that worry about having working trailer brakes are commercial operators because that's who the DOT will nail, they don't tend to bother individuals much except around the metro areas.

 

Tacoma (HiLux) will tow 30,000 lbs, no problem. Just as long as there aren't any hills.......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUWMc92W1wQ&t=251s

 

The Tacoma can get the job done towing 5-6k lbs. It isn't the best truck for the job, but it's doable. As noted by others, braking is the most important part when it comes to towing. A brake controller on the truck and electric brakes on the trailer will make stopping a breeze. I like this unit from Redarc for our trucks.

https://www.redarcelectronics.com/u...bNJthsKPd9l1ay8mEzoIz8tV7aRL6tDRoCvWQQAvD_BwE

 

Chevy Cheyenne vintage commercial (youtube.com)

As long as that trailer has brakes I'm OK with pulling it with a Tacoma if there isn't anything else in the truck. The 6500 lb tow rating for Tacoma's is assuming an empty truck other than the driver. No other passengers or cargo. Yes, under those conditions a Tacoma will pull 6500 lbs just fine.

What people forget is that when you start adding passengers and cargo to the truck the amount you can tow starts going down pretty fast. If you put 4 grown men in a Double Cab Tacoma you've used up almost all of your payload and can't pull any trailer. For most people with a driver, one passenger and a couple of hundred pounds of gear in the truck 4500 is a more reasonable weight to tow.

 

It almost certainly had surge brakes. It's illegal for any trailer rated over 3000 lbs GVWR to not have some sort of brakes. That's federal law, some states require brakes on smaller trailers.