Gen 3 Towing Thread

Nice little setup.

 

Thanks! The wife and I pretty proud of her

 

Lord Humongous,

Auto or manual? If auto, ECT, Sport mode?

 

Auto, I used ect while climbing Hills but turned it off on the flats. The 3.5 seemed comfortable in 5th gear and didn't need the extra revs on flat areas. The first big downhill I tried out the "manual" shift mode to stay in lower gears so I wouldn't need to ride the brakes but I found it to be unnecessary.
I just ordered a Bluetooth obd and got the torque app so I can monitor tranny temps. We'll be taking it up the white Mountains of AZ this weekend.

 

Does that trailer have brakes?

 

No it does not, its a pretty simple trailer.

 

I'd be scared hauling 3000lbs without trailer brakes, just saying. I tried braking my 3200lb dry Kodiak travel trailer with only the truck brakes (2012 Tacoma) and it scared me how it just kept going, and going, and going. I manually engaged only the trailer brakes with the Tekonsha brake controller and the Kodiak trailer brakes could stop the truck by themselves. I'm a big fan of trailer brakes. Pulling a load is one thing, stopping the load is another.

 

Please post tranny temps when you get them...really interested in your results!

 

We mainly use the tundra to haul it no problem even on long trips. This was just the first time hauling something with my tacoma. I felt acceleration was more of an issue than breaking but then again you have a good point. I'll look into that

 

Torque app is giving me identicle temperatures for coolant and transmission. Has anyone had luck monitoring trans temp with a smart phone or know the correct PID?

 

the updated scan gauge can do it with codes entered but idk if torque will do it. I would like to know, as well, because I use torque

 

Let us know how she handles going up to the mountains.

 

I would really like to know why all the travel trailer dealers charge what at least I consider outrageous prices for a weight distribution and anti-sway hitch? You'd think they would be offering these hitch at cost in order to entice you to buy but instead it just looks like most dealers just want to gouge you for the most bucks they can.

 

I'd guess they are playing into the fear of new trailer owners and a general lack of mechanical aptitude these days. Even here allot of post say you gotta have the WDH and sway controll with these little trucks to keep things safe. A new trailer owner would read this and decide there is now way they're risking their family's safety for a few hundred bucks. I agree you should have a WDH and sway controll but I was willing to take it easy and drive well under the 75 MPH speed limit to get her home without it. I also had my head a swivel and knew every time tractor trailer was hanging out on my corner so I wouldn't over compensate steering corrections.
The sway bar brackets on the curt system are clamp on so super easy to do and the sway bar required drilling of 4 holes which was pretty easy to do. The biggest PIA was having to go buy a 1 7/8 socket so I could swap the 2" tow ball on.

 

Even with a WDH and sway control the max speed when towing should be 65 mph...many trailer tires aren't rated above that.

 

I like any excuse for me to buy a new tool!

Is your WDH and sway control a two way or four way? Seems like there is allot to learn for this novice. I don't mine paying five hundred bucks for a good hitch set up but when these dealers are saying $800 I'm thinking no way! My thought is when I find the trailer I want is to put a deposit on it and with the information of the unloaded weight and tongue weight I can purchase on line a excellent system then negotiate in the deal for the dealer to install and set up the WDH anti-sway bar or maybe even negotiate the price of the hitch set up. What the heck these RV sales people are proving out to be about as sleazy as new car sales people so anything I guess is negotiable! Maybe I should wait till winter to buy when they are really hungry! Sounds logical to me?

 

Just a tip, when buying draw bars and balls, purchase the items, unpackage them, and use the wrenches in the trailer aisle to tighten the ball down. I usually just step on the wrench on the ground for a the proper 'foot' pounds of torque

 

I'm actually using a friction sway device so neither 2 or 4 point. It's considered to be a passive system so not as good as something active like a dual cam setup. It's basically a long brake pad that slides in and out of a sleeve. There are positives and negatives. The biggest positive being it's a more affordable and easy to replace system. The biggest negatives are you must turn it off in slippery conditions and in some cases it needs to be removed when backing up( if it contacts your trailer frame when close to jackknife). I went this route since the trailer is already equipped with the electronic sway command system. Basically its a active electronic traction controll system that monitors the trailers position in relation to the tow vehicle.

 

I belive I saw that pic on the LOA site

 

Used my tow package for the 1st time today