Travel trailer/tacoma help?

I'm thinking of purchasing a 24' travel trailer but I'm not much for making sense of the trailer weights or if can/should be towing this with the tacoma.

Here is what I have :

2011 TRD sport tow package, short box.

Here is what I want to buy:



specs:

Unloaded Weight 4,182
Cargo Capacity 1,318
Hitch 460
Length 23' 8"
Height 10'
Width 8

Am I crazy to think that the tacoma can tow this easily? Any thoughts?

Any help will be appreciated.

Oh, and merry Christmas everyone! !

 

You shld be ok..here is some reading material to further educated you:

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/towing/4031-tacoma-towing-bible.html

 

lets just put it this way.... my buddy has his tacoma with a supercharger. and pulls a similar sized trailer. You put gear and stuff in it, some water etc... your going to be right up against 6500lbs.... and even with his super its a pull n a half.... hes lucky to get 8 mpg.

 

I wouldn't do it mine barley pulls a tent trailer

 

I just finished a 4300 mile trip from Oregon to Texas and back. 8130 ft altitude on 395 east side of Sierra's and lots of hills across Nevada and New Mexico. You can do it, but it won't be relaxing. couldn't use cruise control and keep 60 mph without jumping down to 3rd gear and winding up... Big trucks blew me all over the place. Just not enough truck. My trailer is 4150 dry weight, about 5200 going down the road. My truck is a 2006 AC TRD OR, 4.0 w/auto. I'm getting a Tundra or a F150 w/ecoboost and max tow package.

 

Lots of variables to consider. Where are you going, how much weight will you be adding to the truck and trailer, what do you expect or would be comfortable with regarding driving dynamics.

My Tacoma is an 07 Prerunner DC SB V6 auto with Firestone RideRite air bags. I have a 24' HiLo at 3700 empty, we don't load much in it, throw a 300lb MC in the bed and head for Texas from Iowa. I keep the speed in the 50 to 60 mph range, no big altitude changes, drive conservatively and it's a pretty comfortable two day trip to Corpus Christi. Have averaged as hi as 14.5 for the trip and as low as 12 if you catch the wind against you.

My big concern about the TT you are looking at is the profile. As P.Steve says I think your going to catch a lot of bow wake off the big rigs and be buffeted around with the short wheel base of your Tacoma. My HiLo collapses to around 6' hi so presents a lot less surface area for the buffeting air to act on and a lot less drag going down the highway. Pulling with the Tacoma is the reason I looked at and purchased the HiLo.

If your not going far, not on the "interstates" much, travel light, don't mind working the truck, pay attention to the transmission by keeping it in the correct gear you'll be ok. If your traveling distances, going through the mountains.... Find a HiLo or a bigger tow vehicle. Just my free advice.

 

I was always told to take the max tow number from the factory (6400#) and multiply it by .75 and you are close. Things like how far and where figure into this. Never use fifth gear, and take it easy and you'll be fine. Throw it in overdrive, and try to go 70 with the cruise on... You get the picture. Make sure you have the electric brake controller fully functional. My pops always says "any asshole can launch one, but can you bring it back safe?"
Also on the camper side... Check the roof with a microscope! I had to completely rebuild my 2006 and it sucked! Any penetration through that roof is a potential leak! I now scare my children to sleep with camper restoration stories!
Have a merry christmas!

 

Thanks guys, I just recently sold a popup tent trailer and the Tacoma pulled that thing with ease. I guess I should consider up sizing my truck as I want to pull this thing without being stressed to the max and not having any fingernails left. I'm gonna pull this comfortably or not at all...thanks again.

 

I have a 21ft that weighs about 3,900 and the truck handles it ok but I don't go that far, max I go is about 3 hrs. Truck doesn't like to go over 60. I normally get 9 and if u do get it, get a wd hitch.

 

I have a 21ft that weighs about 3,900 and the truck handles it ok but I don't go that far, max I go is about 3 hrs. Truck doesn't like to go over 60. I normally get 9 and if u do get it, get a wd hitch.

 

Might be harming your transmission in the long run. If I were planning on towing I would sell my truck and go with a F250 or even a tundra

 

Mine will not tow my ATV on its trailer worth a crap.
Toyota told me I was grossly overloaded with a 250 ish tongue weight and it was setting at the bump stops hitting them hard on normal roads.
Had to add air bags to it and even after dumping money on a truck rated at towing 650 tw and 6500 trailer it still sucks and gets 10 mpg or less.

get a bigger truck if you want to tow a trailer over 1500 lbs.

now if you were flat ground and short trips, only a few times a year that is one thing.
but in the hills, every weekend in hunting season and one to two trips outside that it is a PITA.

went from a full size 4 door 8' bed with 20 mpg on the same trailer
to a small truck 6' bed and 10 mpg.


they are great SUV's and the wife loves hers. I like mine as a daily driver but not a truck.

If you are thinking of towing and buying a trailer test tow one first.

 

i have almost identical to what you have for size.24ft dutchmen dry weight 4160.I only have to go 10 miles from my storage compound to the lake so i dont worry about it. I did take it on a 4 hr trip once and IMO that weight is too much for the Taco. Your truck will do it but neither you or your truck will like it.Get a smaller trailer or a bigger truck.

 

If you want to have a good time 3000# max with two axles. Don't forget about the tail waging the dog with a lot of weight you get in trouble the truck does not have enough weight/traction to keep you from following the camper. I pull an 18' camper at a bit less than 3000# loaded with no problem at all with out a WD hitch or sway bars and I have caught myself doing 75. Most of my trips are at least 200 miles and generally 500 miles.

 

Nice choice of trailer. The Kodiak has the huge 52 gallon fresh water tank which nobody else does. Also larger grey and black tanks than similar trailers.

From my experience towing a loaded Kodiak 166E and loaded truck bed if you want to hold 75mph you have to drop down to 3rd gear and fourth on level roads and slight inclines, and you'll get about 8-10 mpg. Kick it down to 60-65 with the same load and you'll get about 11-12 mpg and won't have to go into 3rd gear often.

It's the wind resistance from that wedge. The faster you go the more the wind resistance.

For hill climbing on the steepest grades like 6% plus, with loads say about 6000 lbs total weight trailer and truck cargo, you'll be screaming that V6 near redline in 2nd gear to hold 50 mph.

 

I Believe forest river makes this trailer its called the wolf pup or something around those lines its a bit smaller it looks like, but lighter as well. I don't know if something like this would work for your needs http://www.ebay.com/itm/2015-Forest...em5416de5859&item=361160923225&pt=RVs_Campers but I figured I would post it up here incase it helps anyone out. I hopefully will be purchasing one of these next year sometime for snowboarding and atv trips.

 

To add my experience...I've borrowed my neighbor's 17' trailer twice to take to the desert, about a 70 mile trip one-way. Trailer is about 3500lbs dry. I have a 4x4 07 V6 4dr long bed. With the trailer loaded with fluids and gear, the Taco barely is able to maintain highway speeds. Going through a mountain pass is a real chore. An 8% section has to be taken in 2nd gear. MPG is down in the 7-9 mpg. I rented a pop-up trailer once and that much more bearable; but, it was also a lighter trailer. The 24 footer might be a little too much for the normal aspirated v6.

 

I believe toyota solved this entire issue with a TUNDRA. My dad has the crewmax 5.7 and we tow a 7500# 25' boat with no issues. Had a Chevy duramax prior to tundra and we were a little hesitant... No fears now, it is a beast. Mileage is 15/19 and about 11 towing. Duramax was the same mileage. His first toyota at age 69 and his LAST Chevy for life! Bought a new Avalon 6 mos later and is head over heels in love!

 

its too big unless its short hauls 50-100 miles on flat ground no large hills let alone mountains and go slow like 10 below limit ..... really just get the 18-20 foot small sacrifice for a better safer trip

 

When you see the trailer weights listed they are rated for dead weight of the camper alone, no propane tanks no battery nothing in the tanks no gear just a bone empty camper. Your 52 gallon water tank is going to weight some thing close to 450# propane tanks close to 75# battery another 75# clothing, gear, food, beer pretty soon your over 5000# that's more than the truck weights. I know right away I have a trailer behind me as soon as I come to a hill. I often go over to VT through Crawford notch it's a climb of over 1600' when I crest the top I'm down to 3 or 4th gear (6 spd) and that's with a loaded trailer that is close to 2000# lighter. There is no doubt that I could pull 10,000# with the Tacoma but I could not stop it or get over a small hill it has a lot to do with how comfortable you want to be towing.