Newb with pre-purchase towing question

It's been a few years since I owned a Tacoma, and I'm leaning that way again (last experience was great).

I will need to pull 5,000+ pounds cross-country. I did it once before with a Frontier and 6MT. It was a bit scary going down the mountains with all that weight and I think I might really have been in trouble with an automatic trans.

My question - am I better off with a manual trans on the Tacoma? I'm looking at V6 TRD Off-Road with Towing Pkg. Will the automatic trans with oil cooler do the job or will I damage it?

Any other advice is welcomed.

-Scott
Athens, GA

 

Not a tranny expert (that's a good thing...)... With oil cooler and tow package, rating is at 6000 lbs (IIRC).
Assuming trailer has breaks and you will install a good controller?

 

I have a automatic and never had a problem. I would definitely get airbags and maybe even a weight distribution hitch. Take it nice and slow and you will be fine. If you want to drive 80 than I would suggest a larger truck.

 

I think going 80 pulling a trailer with most trucks is a bit nuts. I don't know if I can rent a trailer with brakes, but that's a good idea, as is a weight distribution hitch.

Every 4 years or so my employer moves me. Moving companies don't like to move some of my stuff, so I have to move a bit of it myself. I survived the last run by taking it slowly & carefully. I geared down on the hills, and I think the manual trans was a lifesaver.

I will try to find a Taco with TRD Off-Road and 6MT, but the 5ATs are much more common.

 

Air bags= awesome.
WD hitch and sway control are great IMO, however places like uhaul don't use them on their trailers. They believe everyone loads a trailer perfectly thus those items aren't needed. I haven't seen any that use electric brakes. Just surge brakes with breakaway. Though I could be wrong.
One thing that most people will say is STAY OUT OF OD.
If you are looking at options for a dity move, maybe consider going the route of renting a box truck.

 

Get the automatic.

For towing: Torque Converter > Clutch

Remember, in the mountains with an automatic transmission, you can still manually select a lower gear to take advantage of engine braking.

That said - if you really want a manual - just get that. It can do the job.

 

auto trans you can put in a gear if you want and use engine braking down hill... that stated, get a trailer with a braking system, and a weight distribution hitch.

 

Automatic here. I live in a mountainous region and find it does a good job holding a gear up hill and engine braking on the way down. When I run premium fuel it can hold 100km/h at 2000rpm in overdrive on the longer lower grade hills which is really nice. I'd prefer a 6spd but that's my experience with the auto. I was towing a 4000lb trailer with no brakes and a regular hitch, I'd recommend trailer brakes.

 

As someone who owns a manual, I would get an auto unless you really just prefer driving a manual. Since you only seem to tow once in a blue moon, I would worry less about that and more about your daily driving.

Because of final gearing, the manual Taco gets about 3-4mpg worse than an auto. I would personally sacrifice having my 6MT to get those 3-4mpg back.

As far as towing with an AT, you can manually select gears and most will suggest driving such that you lock the auto out of 5th gear, so it just uses 4th - as that will force the torque converter to lock more often and keep your tranny cooler. So you might get worse MPG when towing but during your daily drive you'll have much better MPG.

Also, I see you are getting a TRD OR. So that means DCSB or AC. Either will have a 6500lb tow rating with tow package.

Towing with the manual is fine, and honestly, if you were to tow ALL the time, I would suggest getting the manual. Because of its closer gear ratios, it should actually tow better and get better mpg when towing. Though, admittedly, reverse is stupid tall so you'd need to do the 2Lo mod (it allows you to put the transfer case into Lo without being in 4wd), which really helps with backing up and not slipping the hell out of your clutch.

 

Tacoma V6 (except X-Runner) are rated around 6500 pounds if and only if you have the tow package, otherwise 3500 pounds or so. The other big factor is type of trailer, ie aero - is it taller than your truck, flat-fronted, enclosed, etc - which can put even more load on the tow vehicle. I'd be very careful going over 5000 pounds (trailer plus contents plus load in the cab and bed). Surge brakes (ie UHaul) work only when you brake the tow vehicle. In the mountains, stay in the right lane at the speed eighteen-wheelers travel, and use the transmission to retard speed. Use the brakes sparingly - ie on the brakes to slow about 10 mph, then off to let them cool. You may need to drop 2 or more gears for the tranny to maintain speed. Ideally, if you're in a low enough gear, no braking needed to maintain a fixed speed downhill. Turn a/c on going downhill to add a little extra drag. A/C off uphill to help cooling. Don't be afraid of high rpm either uphill or down, up to 4000 rpm won't hurt anything (except your wallet uphill).

You may also want to pick your route with the lowest mountains.

 

Thanks everyone. Great advice all around. Since I only tow like this once every 3-4 years I guess I shouldn't be afraid of the automatic.

It's a partial ditty move I'm looking at because I have some things movers will not move and some I don't want them to move. I'm probably stuck renting a 6x12 U-Haul and taking it easy like I did last time.

 

I tow a lot and I would choose an automatic every time. I never have troubles and I tow in the mountains a lot.

 

auto all the way. Today's manual are not built for towing. It is not like the old days. When they put manuals in half tons an up. I had a F150 that had a true truck tranny with granny low. I rarely used 1st but it was there if needed. That truck would start in gear with no clutch. You could put in low range and get out and walk beside it as it climbed a dam.

 

That sounds like the F250 rather than the 150...

 

nope F150. I believe back then the tranny was the same. I know they used the C6 in both. Point is in a newer vehicle I would never get a manual if I was towing. Manuals are also no good in the mud. Ever try to shift a manual in the middle of a mud hole?

 

If you get the factory tow package it does have "trailer sway control" in the electronic form, but they also state that the tow rating is with a "proper weight distributing hitch". The actual rated tow rating is significantly lower as listed by Toyota if you do not have a WD hitch.

 

I've had both the manual 6 speed and the auto and used both for towing. I preferred the auto for towing. Tow rating varies slightly with the different configurations.

 

Rent a U-Haul truck.