Utility Trailer Towing Thoughts/Experience

I’m looking at getting a Triton utility trailer to haul a side by side and wondering what my experience will be towing with my 2022 Tacoma Pro (has tow package). The side by side is about 2,800 lbs. Trailer is a 16 foot double axle and weighs about 1,200 lbs. Additional weight would be me, wife, dog and supplies for a day of riding. We live in WY close to the Bighorn mountains and a typical trip would be 20 to 60 miles up and sometime over the mountains on paved roads to trails. Elevation gain 2000/3000 feet plus. Any opinions/experience on how the Tacoma will handle the load/trailer combo? I’ll be adding a Redarc controller. Thanks

 

That a lot of weight but it shouldn’t present any real problems. Since your trips are quite short, 20 to 60miles I’d say no problem at all. When climbing in elevation stay in the right slow lane cause everyone is going to be passing you. (You’ll get use to it). And remember even with trailer brakes you need a lot longer to stop than without the trailer. Leave extra distance in front of you.
Enjoy, you’ll be just fine on those short trips.

 

It'll be fine. I often tow vehicles because I like to buy, fix up, and sell them. My last buy was a 1994 F150 reg cab long box that I towed home on a U-haul auto transport. Tacoma did fine with it. It felt a little "light" going over 110kph so I just kept my speed under that and took my time.

The thing that I find makes towing more treacherous is when towing trailers that are not aerodynamic. Think enclosed trailers or campers. Those make the truck work hard, suck the fuel economy away and act like a windsail when big vehicles pass by you. A SxS on a open utility trailer will be an easy tow for you.

My only universal recommendation (if you have an automatic) is to add a front mounted tranny cooler or put a bigger one on if you already have one. Overheated fluids kill automatics so just as a precaution thats the universal advice I always give

 

You can PULL the trailer but there are some things you need to understand. Assuming the trailer + ATV is 4000 lbs that will put about 500 lbs on your hitch. Payload on 3rd gen Tacoma's typically run 900-1100 lbs but some can be as much as 1300+. Those are rare. Every truck is different; you'll have to check the sticker on the door jamb. If you're truck is on the low end at 900 lbs that only leaves 400 lbs for you, your wife, dog and everything else in the truck. I'm not one to worry if I'm a bit over payload, but I wouldn't recommend going over by more than 100-200 lbs.

When loading gear put as much as possible in the trailer. If you move 100 lbs of gear out of the truck and onto the trailer you lose 100 lbs off the trucks suspension and add 100 lbs to the trailer. That will increase tongue weight by 10-15 lbs, but is a net loss of 85-90 lbs off your suspension.

This is certainly doable. Around 4000-4500 lbs is a sensible trailer weight for a Tacoma. You just have to remember it's still a small truck. With a 3/4 ton truck you can pull the trailer AND carry 1500-2000 lbs in the truck. With Tacoma you can either pull a 4000 lb trailer with very little weight in the truck or you can carry 1000-1200 lbs in the truck. You can't do both.

The factory transmission cooler is more than adequate.

Altitude is as important as altitude gain. Your engine loses about 3% of its power for every 1000' above sea level. Below 5000' it's not noticeable, but at 5000' it begins to show up. I've been driving on level ground at 7000-8000' in Colorado and can really feel the loss of power. If you're going to be at 10,000' or higher, it can become a problem if loaded heavy. Good advice about driving up grades slow. The truck may well maintain 50-55 mph on upgrades, but if you stay at 35-45 mph the trucks engine and transmission will stay a lot cooler.

In some high altitude areas they sell 85 or 86 Octane gas as Regular. 87 is mid-grade and 91 Octane is premium. DO NOT use gas less than 87 Octane if towing. Buy the mid-grade.