Gen 3 Towing Thread

Pretty sure you wouldn't want to put thread lock on U-Bolts.

 

Good to hear! I just ordered the two way Fastway e2 600/6000 lbs. square bar anti-sway/weight distribution hitch. I'll also be pulling R-Pod 180, like fellow list member BigSkyTRD, that I just ordered. I called Fastway, who also makes the 4 way Equalizer hitch, and talked to one of their techs who was familiar with this camper trailer and it's specs and he recommended the two way e2 round bar 600/6000 lbs. set up. I went up a step with the square bar hitch because it doesn't hang as low towards the ground as the square bar which will give me more clearance if I decide to boondock. The dealership I bought the camper trailer from tried to push the almost twice as expensive 4 way Equalizer bar but I decided to go with what the factor recommended for this trailer so we shall see how it goes.

 

I'll have to respectively disagree on that one. SumoSprings sells thousands of their SuperSprings products and they wouldn't include thread locker and instructions to use it unless they have found it necessary.

 

Not only that, there are different grades of threadlock. So they probably spec one that will do the job and can be removed if necessary.

 

Another data point here:

'17 DCSB SR5 towing an 1100lb open aluminum trailer (electric brakes) with a 2500lb car, 500lbs worth of spare wheels and gear, plus two adults.

Tekonsha P3, OEM tow package, stock suspension, stock SR5 wheels and tires

Truck towed great - very stable and got 13mpg there and back.

 

Well maybe you should read the instructions:

"Retighten the u-bolts as before using factory specifications. IMPORTANT: After 200-500 miles of driving, re-torque u-bolts."

"Apply Loc-Tite to threads of the bolt on SumoSpring mounting plate and install the SumoSpring by turning it tightly on to the bolt"

 

Exactly! You have threadlocker such as red loctite 272 and 271 that need heat to remove the bolt or nut once it sets up and then there is blue 242 that you can remove the nut or bolt without heat. Loctite make's a multitude of different products for different applications. With SumoSprings they include blue loctite to make sure the nut doesn't back off the U-bolt.

I don't know where your getting these instructions from but the SumoSprings has no "bolt" on the mounting plate that I remember. There is the "spring" material and then a metal plate that sits under this spring material which it screws into the plate that goes in place of your OEM bumper stops. So since your not bolting this spring to a metal plate then there is no other place to use thread locker then on your U bolts that hold the SumoSprings in place instead of your bumper stops. If I'm wrong I apologize but that's what I remember when I installed mine.

 

Just their website is all. Never says to use on U-bolts.

 

Opps! Your right! Oh well, at least I don't have to worry about the U-bolt falling off! Mine were screwed onto the metal plate tight so it never accrued to me to unscrew them and use the locktite. Not the first or last time I've screwed up!

 

Well I've seen video of them attached on both sides.

 

Greetings. I am new to the boards.
I wanted to share my towing experience with everyone. Like many of you here I found it a little confusing when trying to make sure I had a good match between my tow vehicle and travel trailer... and of course getting the camper we'd love. I hope this helps in your decision making.

ABOUT ME
I am new to towing (and RVing)..... having only have 1 year of towing experience with a 1,600 lb pop-up. So please keep in mind that I am no expert... and don't pretend to be.

MY TRUCK
I have a "stock" 2016 Toyota Tacoma Double 4x4 Cab V6 automatic with
the towing package.
• 6,400 lbs towing capacity
• 640 lbs hitch/tongue weight

MY TRAVEL TRAILER
2018 Flagstaff Shamrock 19 (which is identical to the Roo 19).
• Dry Weight is 3,866 lbs.
• Hitch/Tongue Weight is 340 lbs.
• GVWR (the unit loaded with the max amount of gear, food, water, etc) is 4,740 lbs

MY TOWING EQUIPMENT
• P3 Tekonsha Brake Controller (easily installed myself)
• Equal-i-zer E2 Weight Distribution System w/ 4 point sway control
(10,000 lbs gtw, 1,000lb tw). Dealer installed.
** I will be adding a Furrion FOS48TA-BL camera

MY FIRST TOWING EXPERIENCE
When the dealer brought my new setup out of their garage I thought the proportions of the Shamrock19-to-Tacoma looked appropriate. With the Eqaul-i-zer hitch I thought the setup looked good.

I purchased the camper in southern Pennsylvania which is 318 miles away from my home in Syracuse, NY.... so I had a long first tow in front of me. The drive was all highway (Interstate 81) with significant amounts of elevation change (from 380 to 1,700 ft) going through the Appalachian Mountains. The drive has many twist and turns and some less than desirable road surface conditions (I'm talking to you Scranton, PA). We also had 10-25 mph variable winds during the drive.

To make a long story short..... the Tacoma did great. It took me about 30 minutes of drive time before I became very comfortable with the new handling. I was able to easily maintain 65 mph.... and the Tacoma had more when I needed it. I definitely knew I was towing... but I expected that.

While towing I had the ECT button on and shifted the truck between S4 and S5. S4 for up the steeper elevations and S5 when it flattened out a bit. My RPMs going through the mountains ranged from 2000 rpms to 4500 rpms. The truck liked running at the higher RPMs and actually seemed like it wanted to go faster than I did. Lol.

I paid the dealer full shot for the hitch plus their install fee which wasn't cheap... but I have to say I am very happy with its performance and happy to pay since the hitch delivered. The dealer also helped me dial in the brake controller which we set at 5. At no time did I feel like the trailer was pushing me during braking or descending steep elevation.

IN A NUTSHELL:
• The trip felt safe
• We easily maintained the speed limits and even had passing power when needed
• The Tacoma was up to the task

This trailer was fresh off the dealers lot and therefore dry. I will post an update after a wet camping trip or two to let you know how the Tacoma handled with the extra weight.
Best wishes for happy camping and towing,
Butch

 

Nice looking TT. Everyone will want to know what your MPG was

 

Thanks for your input Butch!

 

I've got a '17 DCLB 4x4 OR. I pulled my 20' center console aluminum boat w/115 4stroke this weekend to the lake. I'll have to say I was a little disappointed with how it pulled and the MPG (avg'd around 9.4) but it's probably not the trucks performance that was to blame. It did what it should with what it's designed with.

My problem is that I'm coming from a 2014 Ford Powerstroke FX4 crew cab and you couldn't feel anything back there when towing. I'm just going to have to get used to not having that power there when needed.

Overall I'm happy with my transition to the Taco and look forward to adding a lift and other mods sooooooon!

 

Yeah you can't compare the Tacoma to that. It probably had double the towing capacity of the Tacoma.

 

Oh yea, fully understood that when I traded the diesel guzzling beast in. I'm not disappointed at all!

 

With ECT button engaged and running the automatic tranny in S4 and S5, or is your rig manual transmission? Good to hear you had no problems!

 

We just picked up our 2017 TRD OFF ROAD. I want to install a brake controller. Would you mind posting a picture of your installation? Which model Tekonsha di you choose?

 

I have the P3. Used this mount on mine, worked out really well.
https://www.esptruck.com/product-page/2016-2017-tacoma-prodigy-p3-brake-controller-mounting-kit

 

I am using a Primus IQ and mounted it in my charging bay.