Gen 3 Towing Thread

Love the pod. Totally stock suspension.

 

Going to be towing a 6'x12' uhaul trailer in a few weeks. The weight when full will be around 3000lbs plus the weight up front of my wife, dog, few more boxes and myself. Maybe 550lbs. I have a stock TRD Off Road 4x2 with the tow package and a rear sway. My question is would it be worth it to have Firestone airbags installed in the rear for one 1300 mile trip from SoCal to Seattle?

 

I pulled our Coachman Clipper 17FQ for the first time last weekend. It pulled GREAT!

I do use a Weight Distribution Hitch and Sway Bar.

 

thats about what my camper is, 3000-3500 lbs. I think thats a good weight for the 3.5 tacoma, I wouldnt want to go much higher but it did pull it good when I tried

 

What hitch and SB did you use? Any issues with the setup?

 

I run firestone bags and love them but I don't know if I could justify buying them for the 1 trip. It's reallybhar Does the u haul trailer have a WDH or sway control?
Sumosprings might also be a good more affordable option as well.

 

This thread intrigues me. I see all these Tacos towing pretty close to their limits and I have to wonder: Just how long with these trucks last towing like that? There is no way to monitor transmission temps without buying an OBDII Scanner (which I doubt many folks have anyway). My truck just doesn't feel like it would handle 5K lbs for very long without something breaking. I'm sure I'm wrong but I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around this.

 

Never underestimated the capacity of a tacoma, it is surprising!

 

First off nice Profile Pic! Great album

Not sure what the Uhaul trailer has but I am pretty sure its nothing fancy, just 4 wheels and a tin box built to catch as much wind as possible. I am holding off on the bags for now because I see all these forum folks towing all sorts of stuff and many are bone stock just like me. Plus with install its $500 or so. Doesnt the tow package on the Tacoma come with a sway control of sorts? I really should read my manual I guess...

Sumosprings were considered as well.

 

I can't stop listening to since it came out!

Unfortunately no sway control. There are a few different types but they are technically part of the trailer/drawbar since they function where the trailer connects. I'd definitely try to find out what Type of brakes the uhaul has. Your probably going to need a brake controller or they won't even let you leave with it. It may have surge brakes but I am just speculating.

 

My setup is a Reese Round Bar Weight Distribution Hitch with Adjustable Hitch Bar. I also have the Friction Sway Control Bar attached.

I have only towed it 24 miles home from storage and it towed a lot better than it did with my Toyota Sienna.

 

Just ordered a 7x14 enclosed all aluminum dual axle trailer (3,500# torsion axles, w/various other upgrades).

It will be hauling 2 track bikes - total weigh of the contents is around 1,500 pounds - so let's round up to 1,750 - 2,000 pounds just to be overly cautious. The trailer alone is around 1,800, so the total is approximately 3,550 ~3,800 pounds.

Towing will be easy trips - no hills and around 150 miles per trip. Usually just weekends at the track - perhaps 12-15 for the entire season.

I have a brake controller and the Sumo Super Springs...

The Taco "should" be ok even though I prefer to max out at under 3,500. The truck will have at most 2 (relatively light) adults and not much else as everything is in the trailer.

I will perhaps consider adding weight distribution set-up if needed.

 

Ive used pretty much that exact same configuration (sumo springs, p3 brake controller, 7x14x6.5 aluminum hallmark, dual 3500# torsion axels, with various loads) over 1500 miles over the past year. It's worked very well for me.

 

Excellent - thanks!

Any issue with the side mirror visibility? I'm also considering mirror extenders...

 

Its doable with the factory mirrors but I bought some extended clip on mirrors. Makes life easier, especially when backing up or in tight quarters.

These are the ones I got. They don't vibrate at speed and it only takes a few seconds to put them on.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001AJH1HK

 

Thanks!

 

No, it would not be worth the $500 for airbags and install, then you still need to inflate/deflate them.

the 6x12's at Uhaul do not have WDH or sway.

x2 on the Sumospring suggestion.

No trailer brakes either, no brake controller required, they are all 4pin connectors.

In the last 3 months I've rented 2 6x12's and just last weekend a 5x8 from uHaul, tows great and we had some ugly winds. No trailer breaks/sway/WDH, you just show up and make sure you have a 2 inch ball, if not they stock them there for market price, or save a couple bucks and order one from Amazon or eTrailer ahead of time.

I towed the 2 6x12's w/ out Sumosprings but since installed them for towing my A-Frame and they were on last weekend when I towed the 5x8. Necessary for the uHaul? Not really, however if you plan to tow anything in the future it might be worth it, cost was $209 from Amazon, 30 minute self install.

 

You should technically get new U-Bolts as re-using them isn't recommended. If they are fairly new I guess it's okay but the threads will deform when tightened and they may not tighten properly again.

 

The SumoSprings come with a tube of thread locker to apply. They also recommend you rechecking your torque after 500 miles.