Clarifying towing capacity

Hello.
I've got a 2009 double cab TRD 4wd sport with a manual transmission and am just trying to clarify gvwr towing capacity. I see in the owners manual that with a tow package it's 6500 and without its around 5400. Did the second gen version with a 4 litre TRD come with a tow package? There is a brake controller and a factory hitch .
I bought a tandem axle flat deck to use to get hay and move other stuff around. It's an 18 foot I don't know the weight of the trailer so I'll have to drive over the scale at the scrap yard to figure it out

 

Tow package tow rating is 6500#
Non tow package is 3500#

Towing 6500# with a Tacoma is really pushing it though, it may be rated for it but it's not really ideal.
You also have to consider the tongue weight rating is only 650#

The easiest way to tell if you have the tow package is to see if it has the engine oil cooler under the oil filter and look at the main alternator fuse (120A for non tow package & 140A for tow package).


Towing package includes:

27F battery (non Tow Package has 24F)
130 Amp Alternator (non tow package has 100A)
Engine Oil Cooler
Auxiliary Transmission Cooler (A/T only)
Class IV Receiver Hitch
7 Pin Trailer Connector with Trailer Brake Control Harness in Cab (Brake controller not included)
2012 and up models added Trailer Sway Control Programming in the VSC System

 

6500 lbs isn't realistic on the road. You have to stay within the payload limits too and while the truck may PULL 6500 lbs that will probably put you over payload. For moving stuff around on a farm you could probably handle way more than that occasionally. But I'd not get it out on the road. I once pulled a F250 diesel truck (about 7000 lbs) with a stock trailer loaded with cattle hitched to it. (Probably 10,000-15,000 lbs) for a short distance on a deserted dirt road. But I wouldn't put over 4500 lbs behind my Tacoma on the road.

They didn't come from the factory with a brake controller. There is a plug for it so all you have to do is mount one and plug it in. If it's already there it isn't factory.

 

I have a 2014 DCSB A/T with tow package (Factory as new). Really nice setup. I pull a tent trailer with a total weight of about 1800 lbs. Tonge weight is 170 lbs. Trailer has electric brakes. The pickup pulls this great in all road conditions including mountain passes. No way I would go above ~4000 lbs. with this setup. "Just because you can, doesn't mean you should"...

 

3500 is easy on a taco but more is when i went with a bigger truck

 

The tow ratings are performance-based. i.e. the truck can pull 6500lb up 100% grade and merge onto the highway safely, but the engine will be screaming at redline. Toyota warranties the powertrain for 5 yrs/60k miles if used in this condition.

Easiest way to check if you have the towing pkg is to look for the donut-shaped oil cooler under the oil filter.

 

I will have a look. I called Toyota to get them to run the vin and check specs on the 2009 models. I got this info right from the horse's mouth.

2.7 litre 4wd. 3500 pounds
4 litre 4wd. 5000 pounds


6500 lb capacity was newer models with the tow package you guys have described but that seems a bit sketchy for the size and would certainly depend on terrain and topography.

I will likely never go that high. I have towed a Nissan 720 on a U-Haul once but that's about the max I would want to go comfortably.
Incase anyone else was interested see capacity posted above .

 

My 2008 SR5 4wd V6 ,auto did not come with a tow package . I added the trans cooler , just about 3” lift ( Bilstein 6112s in front 5125s in rear with Dakar leaf pack ,Timbren bump stops ) class IV hitch ,7 pin connector,brake controller and the larger battery. I tow a travel trailer that weighs 2950 and all my camping gear . I estimate everything at around 4000 pounds . No problems ,at some point I might add the oil cooler .

 

To do it right, you have to check the GVWR on your trailer and compare it to the towing capacity.

The tandem axle trailers I've towed (with full size trucks) were all rated at 7000 pounds GVWR because 3500 pound axles are a standard rating. 2 of them gets you to 7000 pounds. You compare that to your tow rating to determine if you're good, not the actual weight of the trailer.

Regarding adding a trans cooler or other accessories Toyota included on the tow package models. It might be a good idea, but there's nothing that can be done to a truck after it leaves the factory to increase its rated capacity.

So, for example, my 2012 base has a tow capacity of 3500 pounds which means I can legally pull my single axle 2999 GVWR enclosed trailer as long as the weight of the trailer and cargo in the trailer remain 2999 pounds or less. I could not pull a tandem axle trailer (empty) that weighs 2000 pounds if it has a 7000 pound GVWR legally.

If I'm wrong on this, someone please jump in and correct me. What I wrote above is my understanding of how it's supposed to work though.

 

I always wondered what actually makes the difference in the tow capacity for a non tow package versus tow package even if you add all the necessary stuff . Are the frames different suspension? Something must be heavier duty on the tow package Tacomas excluding trans cooler ,oil cooler and other goodies ???

 

From a design standpoint, on older/less sophisticated vehicles it's bolt on stuff. Shocks. Springs. Coolers. Axle ratios. Brakes in some instances. On newer vehicles, it could include programming changes for shift points and such.

But there's this whole legal component too. The manufacturer or final upfitter assigns a GVWR, and that number rides that truck from cradle to grave. Again, in my understanding, there is no way for the owner to legally increase the GVWR or tow rating of your truck....even if he tracked down every OEM upgrade included on a higher capacity truck and bolted it on to his truck. GVWR for that truck remains the factory specified rating.

 

I'm pretty sure that you can't upgrade towing capacity of a vehicle as that was it's design specs. My understanding when speaking with ministry of transport was that you can tow up to your maximum tow rating, load and trailer combined and that a heavier rated axle doesn't come into play when calculating. As long as axles are rated to load.

 

There are lots of homemade trailer out there. Also it depends on local laws. Some areas you can tow a camper and a boat behind the camper on another trailer . Other places you can t

 

It's mainly the hitch, non tow package Tacoma's don't come with a hitch but instead your limited to what the bumper can handle. As stated above ypu can add all the stuff but it doesn't change the rating of the truck from a legal sense, as far as DOT rules and liability in the event of an accident it goes by whatever the vehicle was rated for by the manufacturer when it was built.

 

Right
I also had a Road Armor aftermarket rear bumper put on when I got the frame replacement . I’m most likely capable of towing better than a new Tacoma with a tow package but like you say “not legally “