Towing

nope, not that either.
Unless you sent the oil in, you don't know if it was really "dirty". If you are going by looks, you could change your oil and in a few hundred miles drain it and it will appear "dirty". Same with just about any other component that needs oil (differentials, transmission, etc)

 

I tow a 6x12x7 single axle enclosed with brakes (!) Was so hard to find a single axle enclosed with brakes, but i found her

4K pounds is pretty much the max GTWR, more like 3600# actually... Thats where i draw the line with my manual. Lots of steep hills up here, plus the trailer is quite tall so lots of wind drag.

If you are planning to tow a 6x12 enclosed trailer, trailer brakes are a must. Especially through mountain passes.

 

I took two 2400 mile trips this summer, on the way out pulling an empty 1500 pound drive on trailer on the way back a 4000 pound car on said trailer.

The second trip I had an extra big block Ford engine in the bed too, just about max GVW. All the way back for both trips was 4th gear (manual trans) and 3400 RPM all the way -- 11.5 mpg too.

I pulled 3 oil samples in a row (Blackstone), about a 5500 mile interval.
#1 with no towing, #2 & 3 the trips above.
The towing trips showed no abnormal wear compared to the non-towing sample.

 

Curious why you didn't want a double axle? I find I hate towing single axle. They wander all over the place compared to a double.

 

As I’ve mentioned before in these many towing threads, ya’ll worrying about the wrong things. Oil color, gear selection, trailer weight, rear suspension, and weight distribution hitches are not all that important in the taco towing world.

What you need to be thinking about are reduced braking distance, lack of rear visibility, taking corners so sharp that your trailer leaves the road, avoiding situations where you don’t fit or need to reverse, trailer lights working, aerodynamics, where you are getting gas next, and trailer tire pressure. Am I missing anything?

Have you practiced backing up a trailer? It ain’t easy if you haven’t done it. Don’t be one of those guys on YouTube.

 

Oh… one other thing to worry about… check the surge brake master cylinder hydraulic oil. When I popped the cover on my boat trailer a few years back, I saw a goopy rusty mess. Hopefully U-Haul is taking care of that for you, but it’s more to worry about than the color of your engine oil.

 

Clipping someone while changing lanes because you forgot how long you are?

Put the tranny in D and worry about bigger problems I say.

 

Since I hardly use my truck anymore without the camper/trailer, days like today where the wife needed the car, I end up pulling super wide at every intersection or leaving crazy room before changing lanes. Takes me awhile to remember i'm NOT pulling a trailer.

 

That's better than forming dangerous driving habits.

 

I used to have a 18’ boat and an approximately 24’ trailer. I live in an urban loft with an underground garage with very tight tolerances. It’s challenging driving my taco in and out without a trailer.

My buddy, without much towing experience, was trying to convince me that I could park my boat in my underground garage stall. I was very skeptical. My prediction was getting stuck in the garage and having to rent a skid loader to remove my boat.

 

I agree I would not try that. I live in an area were we have tight alleys and off street parking pads. I have a pop up camper I store at home. it fits but its challenging and sometimes requires me to to push it by hand into the spot.

 

I chose single axle because I wanted the lightest 6x12x7. Also, I planned to tow no more than ~4000 pounds. My truck is slightly modified and I need it to last for a while I got no money to buy a new truck nor do I like whats being offered. 4G tacoma is a joke in my honest opinion. So is the tundra. Big three and toyota are all the same now.

Other 2 things are less maintenance (2 hubs) and I can maneuver it by hand if I need to. Actually needed to a couple times now.

Ive towed a 6x12x5(?) enclosed from U-hual and honestly did not notice any better stability. Ive used my trailer to move up north (500 miles away from my old place) and I was an idiot by miscalculating the weight that was in the trailer. I am guessing it was about 4.5K pounds. I also had a bunch of stuff in back of my truck, definitely over payload. It was extremely windy that day but i made it. It was 10.5 hours of white knuckle driving, was terrible. Never again will I do this.

For my business, my trailer rarely goes over 3.5K pounds or so, it trails beautifully. I got no front sway bar by the way. I have zero complaints. Love the trailer brakes.

 

Absolutely zero issues backing the steepest hills in 2WD LOW. This mod was easy to install and is a freaking lifesaver.