24 Sr5 bouncy towing

Hi all, newbie here. I'm new to towing. Well, I've towed quite a few smaller things, boat trailers, utility trailers etc.

I just got a ROG 16rb. 2900lb dry weight gvwr 4400 lbs. 452 tongue weight.

24 SR5 with tow package (brake controller, hitch, bigger alternator, trans cooling etc.)

Driving back from the dealer, it seemed "bouncy" but almost barely noticeable. More like a mild wave type motion. Hard to tell if it was surging or bouncing. Just didn't feel solid.

On the plus side, it didn't even feel like the truck was trying to pull it. I setup the trailer in the truck, adjusted gain on the brake controller.

I don't have a lot of confidence in the guys who hooked it up. It looked very level in the lot when they hooked everything up. Steering felt good. Wasn't like the front end of the truck was up in the air or anything. Just felt a little "sketchier" than I'd like.

The Tacoma manual says that anything over 2000 lbs needs a stabilizer control system. So I'm looking at that now. Like I said, I'm fairly new to towing, so I'm trying to figure out where to focus on fine tuning things. My instincts say it's a load distribution thing. Maybe just that the trailer is empty and closer to the 2900 weight, and if it was loaded that might help?

Curious if anyone else has experienced this or has any advice. Thanks!

 

If you aren't using a weight distribution hitch, you should invest in one. That should make hauling the trailer much more comfortable, and it'll help distribute some of the load to your front tires for even better control.

Also, that's a single axle trailer from my quick google search. Personally, I dislike towing them as they seem to sway/wander more. Much prefer a 2nd axle. You may want to find a WDH that has sway control.

 

That's pretty much what I was thinking on all points. I talked to a buddy of mine who tows all kinds of stuff. He seemed to think it's a weight distribution thing. Basically without anything in it, and with the slide out kitchen in the back, it's probably light on the tongue. He suggested putting water in the tank (the tank is just forward of the axle) and leveling it then testing.

I'm looking at weight distribution hitches now. I was already pretty much planning on getting one for sway and flexibility in leveling/load distribution. I thought the same thing w/ the single axle issue. I think it's the size. At 16', it's on the edge of where that would make sense for maneuverability. Thanks for the help!

 

+1 to the weight distribution hitch. My camper has a nearly identical GVWR and hitch weight.

The manual says you need one at 5k (and sway control at 2k, as you noted). 4400 is close enough...

I bought a WeighSafe middleweight, because you can see the tongue weight on the built in gage and adjust the distribution on the fly by turning a bolt head.

When I dry camp/boondock, the weight in the freshwater tank migrates to the gray and black tanks, which changes the tongue weight and distribution needs. You don't have to pull everything apart and mess with washers and whatnot. There's even an app that does the math for you.

 

I watched a youtube video of a guy towing a travel trailer w/ 4th gen and that's the wdh he used (weighsafe). I really like that w/ the scale built right into the hitch. That makes a lot of sense in terms of fully understanding the weight the hitch is seeing vs guessing based on measurements. Especially when the load changes like you said. I'm leaning toward a weighsafe now for sure.

 

Yep. I didn't like spending the extra money, but it paid for itself in hassle. You only do measurements once when you install it. After that, the gage shows the tongue weight, and when you input the data into the app, it tells you what the gage should read when the distribution bars are added. You just adjust it from there by turning a bolt.

What's really handy is that the process works in the same order as hooking up the trailer. Drop the camper on the ball, read the gage. Input the reading into the app and hook up the distribution bars. The app has the new number you set the gage to. Adjust bolt if needed (most times you don't need to). It's a brilliant design feature.

 

I'm that guy so let this go in one ear and out the other. I always recommend a bigger truck for towing even if it's a long bed SR5 Tacoma.

My neighbor had probably an 06 SR5 long bed probably since it was purchased new. 2019 he got a 3.5 ecoboost 4dr with the 6' bed the longest wheel base F-150 Ford sold, because he wanted a larger travel trailer he had weight distributing hitch and all that stuff. The bigger truck always seems like money better spent when you get a truck and plan on towing with it.

 

A WeighSafe hitch is about $800. That's cheaper than trading or buying a new truck, just to avoid using a weight distribution hitch.

Seems to me as long as you're under 70% or so of the tow capacity, the hitch is "money better spent". As a bonus, you get sway control. Drive across Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, etc... and you'll discover the value of that.

 

I'm with you, if you're lucky enough to be shopping for a truck knowing you're getting a camper. Wanting to try a truck camper, I bought the lightest one I could find knowing it wasn't the best idea for a Tacoma. Couldn't see putting out seventy to a hundred thousand for a new truck and camper when I wasn't sure about it yet. Spending the 23k was a much more reasonable test of the waters.

Knowing we like it, we are planning a MUCH larger truck for our next camper. Started working with a dealer a week ago to plan an F450 order. Sometimes we just need to work with what we got, and a sub 5k GVWR travel trailer should be manageable with his Tacoma, as long as he's careful and cognizant of how he loads and uses it.

 

For sure work with what you got I don't know the ratings on the Tacoma but I'd think the truck is up for the task. I saw an avalanche gray F-450 the other week and thought that was probably a custom build and that truck looked good. I think my neighbor actually went to one of those little campers which I thought was a cool little trailer and could easily be handled by a midsize. I know he really liked that 2nd gen he had and was surprised to see the Ford. Maybe he would have went with a 3G Tundra if they had been available.

 

This is reasonable.

Wife and I have talked about a bigger camper. My Aunt and Uncle have a 16000lb 5th wheel. It's practically palatial inside and the "wow" factor really hits. It sucks to tow though, even with the dually that pulls it. We do State and National parks mostly, and just need a "rolling hotel room" as she puts it.

That said, when I get rid of this Tacoma, I'll still look at a bigger truck.

 

Off the top of my head, 6400-6500lbs tow capacity, 640-650lbs tongue weight (there slight variance between models) 70% of 6500lbs is 4550lbs.

 

We want to future proof the truck, so we can tow anything we want. We could see getting a 45 foot 5th wheel YEARS down the line, so we want a truck we know can comfortably handle it. And in the meantime we would like something that can handle whatever truck camper we decide to put on one. I can't imagine towing a 5th wheel regularly, I'd rather have the TC for seeing the country. But, if I was staying in place for weeks/months at a time, a 5'er would be great.

 

I'll also note that it isn't alway weight that's the issue. I've towed a lot of miles with around 4-5k pounds on an open car hauler, and that's easy compared to towing an empty enclosed trailer in the sub 2000 pound range. The wind resistance of an enclosed or travel trailer really ups the sketchiness factor, especially single axle! I might actually suggest the OP get a topper/canopy for his truck. It helped a lot to keep air up higher on the front of the trailers I've pulled. I actually gained over 1 mpg towing my open trailer with a sxs and atv on it when I put a leer topper on, that shocked me (and it wasn't a one off, it was a regular trip I made and was repeated several times).

 

The wind issue is definitely real. That's part of the reason for keeping the tow weight at or under 70% of capacity.

Biggest problem I've found with 1/2 tons and midsize trucks is that you usually you exceed payload before you reach tow capacity. You really have to pay attention to every pound (toppers included!). It's one of the reasons I'm disappointed with Toyota for publishing one cargo capacity, and selling you a lower one.

 

This is the same with all manufacturers, not just Toyota. F350 has a Payload Capacity range of over 4000 pounds. All you ever see advertised is the max payload of like 8000 pounds. But that's only on a 2wd, standard cab with zero options and the gas v8. Upgrade to a Platinum crew cab diesel and you get around half the payload.

 

Yeah, but Toyota goes to the trouble of differentiating on their site and even in the owner's manual, by trim, and then puts a sticker on the door that is hundreds of lbs less.

With superduty's you have a lot more room to play with. With 1/2 ton's and midsize trucks, you're close or over almost immediately.

One of these days I'll go to the CAT scales and get the real numbers.

 

you don't want the real numbers... lol

 

Right on. My truck's configuration is 6400. I think it's 642 tongue weight. So I'm at roughly 68% on tow capacity. Tongue weight of the trailer is 452. So on paper it all seems to work.

It doesn't feel like the truck is being stressed at all. In fact, I had it in tow/haul mode and when I pulled out of the dealership I about broke the wheels loose. Kind of surprised me. I also had to stop on a really steep hill on the way home. Stopped fine, didn't drift, pulled right out without breaking a sweat. It's just the dynamics rolling down the road. It just feels like soft suspension somewhere. The trailer is an off road model, and I wondered if its suspension, being unloaded, might be a bit springy too. That coupled w/ the softer rear suspension on the tacoma might be what I'm seeing.

 

Just remember that 642 pound tongue weight counts towards your trucks payload, and vice-versa (if you're trying to keep it within specs on paper, which is not a bad idea).

If your truck has 1200 payload, and you already have 452 pounds on the back, you're down to 748 pounds of payload left for the truck. 4 big dudes and nothing else in the truck and you'd be overweight, lol.

This is why it's so hard to keep things within payload, while being nowhere near your max towing.

I'm not saying it won't do it, just saying on paper it's hard to keep within manufacturer's spec.