Can my Tacoma handle towing my car with trailer?

Hey everyone!

Had a quick question regarding towing for those of you who have more experience with Tacomas and towing in general. I need to tow my car about 150 miles down south, was originally going to be renting a truck to do this but now that I picked up the Tacoma I'm playing around with just using her. I have a V6 2011 SR5 with the tow package, extended cab, long bed and 4WD, as I understand the towing capacity is 6500lbs (little less for the long bed?) Trailer I'm using weighs about 1500 and the car about 3200 so should be within the capacity. I have pretty minimal towing experience though outside of short trips within town with my old F150, is it recommended putting this much weight on these Tacomas for that long? Or is there something else I could do to ease it up? Just wanna make sure that this wouldn't be a stupid mistake to make, figured I should ask and cover my bases instead of stupidly grenading my tranny. Thanks!

 

It’ll tow it, but it ain’t gonna like it, but it’ll do it. Just remember it ain’t about going as much as it is about stopping.

 

Don't tow in "D"

 

I tow a boat over a mountain pass and it weighs roughly 3500 pounds not including the trailer and it does just fine. I've been looking into travel trailers and there are some on here towing 5,000 lb campers fine. Be sure to be in 4 versus overdrive or "D" is what I've been told. I have 2015 V6 double cab short bed. Do you have to tackle big elevation changes?

 

Trailer brakes are a must.

 

Is it auto or manual? If it’s auto put it in 4th gear and stay under 60 mph. I mean it’s only a 3 to 4 hour drive. The real problem is the rear springs don’t handle the weight very well.

 

Assuming your weights are accurate I think you'll be fine. Many 1/2 tons won't tow any more than a Tacoma so don't assume the F-150 will be better. It just depends on how they are equipped, but many 1/2 ton trucks are rated for under 7000 lbs. In fact only a handful are rated for more than 8000, many less than a Tacoma. I know they advertise 11,000-12,000, but those trucks are unicorns that are generally special ordered. tundra is the one exception. Almost all of them are rated for about 10,000 lbs. But Ford, Chevy, and Dodge are all over the place. They offer so many options and they are so concerned about EPA ratings that most of them sacrifice power for fuel economy.

Down south is a direction, not a location. Unless we know where you are starting and ending it is hard to say. If you have to cross steep mountain passes at 10,000' elevation it makes a big difference. If so, then a bigger truck might be a good idea. And once again, don't assume your F-150 is any better.

On fairly level ground at near sea level you're well within the limits. The thing to watch for is payload, not towing capacity. Check your trucks payload rating. Most are near 1200 lbs. The tongue weight of the trailer will be about 600 lbs. That leaves about 600 for you, other passengers, and gear inside the truck. If you load down the bed with other gear you'll be over the payload.

 

Rent a 1/2T truck. I have a flatbed car hauler and used to trailer my Jeep with a 1T and a 3/4T truck. I wouldn’t do this with my Tacoma. It may fall under the rating but it won’t be a fun trip for someone experienced and with your lack of experience either you will be very uncomfortable or in over your head and not know it.

There are going to be all sorts who say “you will be fine” etc. Myself I wouldn’t unless it was right around the corner or I could do a test run of a few miles from home. I would want a weight distribution hitch as a minimum requirement as well as a brake controller (I already have brakes on all my trailers as well as a brake controller in the Tacoma).

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-tacoma-towing-bible.4031/

 

I would do it without hesitating. It’s just one trip, take it easy and leave a lot of room to stop.

 

No worries, you have a towing package. I drove from Norfolk VA to Jacksonville FL towing a car with no problem. Be safe and be aware that your front end will be light and you steering will have less traction.

 

Haven't towed with my 2nd gen taco, but i've done thousands of miles with my 1st gen Tundra which is exactly the same size as the Taco in just about every way (Taco is
3 inches narrower and a couple hundred pounds lighter). The taco should be fine. When you load the car watch the back of the truck...load for about 2" of squat and it should be happy. Definately need trailer brakes, prefferebly both axles. Do not tow in high gear, kick it down one gear to get out of overdrive unless you want to buy a tranny (they don't play well when towing in OD). You should be under 5k in weight which is fine. If you load the trailer right you don't need a WD hitch (they are usually needed for travel trailers due to weight dist). If you have a wd hitch simply lightly load the bars. And don't be in a hurry....give lots of distance to folks in front of you and all should be good.

 

Not sure just what you mean. If you mean spring capacity or drive line power, of course you are correct.

Otherwise it means a lot. Several upgraded components that are good for keeping the vehicle healthy.

In fact, I ordered a tow package on my '04 Highlander, with no intention of towing anything of substance, just to get those components.

 

You could as long as you have a trailer brake set up. If your truck isn't set up, would be cheaper to rent a tow dolly. For what it cost to rent a tow dolly the fuel used pulling a heavier trailer would be even. Less wear and tear with tow dolly also.

 

hauled a car from so cal to phx with a trailer weighed the combo at 10,100 lbs weighed tongue at 600 lb 65 to 70 mph all the way no problems 4th or 5th gear no overdrive

 

ATF cooler (if auto transmission), engine oil cooler, power steering cooler, 130-amp alternator, 4- and 7-pin connector with converter

Your '95 may have had all or none of that, I don't know.

But the OP's '11 did. As does my '04 Highlander. Well, the Highlander doesn't have a 7 pin outlet, just the 4.

 

This. The manual for my 2014 2.7L says brakes are required over 1,500lbs.

 

Because you 'can' doesn't mean you should.

 

So for 1 trip, of 150 miles, people are suggesting this guy outfit his truck with trailer brakes?