Gen 3 Towing Thread

Lots of good info here

 

Great thread. Do SRs that come with tow package have all the wiring too?

 

6 cyl yes. 4 cyl no (Can be added I believe, not that you’d wanna tow over 3k with the 4 banger)

 

Thanks, it is a 6. .

 

You should have it. As long as you have a 7 pin connector at the back of the truck, you have the wiring for the brake controller

 

Thanks. I will not get truck until Friday. I already have a ball receiver and Trailer does have a 7 pin.

 

You 100% have the wiring ready for it then. This is a good install video.

https://youtu.be/ndGXtLO2ZTg

Took me 20 minutes.

 

I also have the Redarc mounted and looks factory. Info in my build thread in my sig if you are interested, but looks similar to how they mounted it in the above video with a few small differences.

edit: Direct link to the post

 

Redarc for the win!

 

But can you manually engage the trailer brakes?

We just completed a 6k mile trip thru AZ and UT (from Virginia) and frequently independently apply the trailer brakes on steep grades, while entering high speed turns or to straighten a wiggle when the sway bar eventually loosens at an inopportune time. The Tekonsha Prodigy 3 has the classic arm/switch for progressively engaging trailer brakes.

 

Yes just push the knob to engage the trailer brakes.

I typically have the dial set to just under 4/10 but turn up to 5 for descents.

 

Hey y’all! Not new to the Toyotas, (had a single cab pickup and fj cruiser) but new to the forum!

The other weekend I was happily surprised when the new Tacoma pulled my boat no problems. Only just a little bit of gear hunting in the mountains with ect on.

As for power, no problems at all. I just had to get used to the revs being a little higher.

Not too much squat, pic below shows a 2” drop for the hitch, so it looks a little lower than it should be.

I plan on just doing some spacers and AAL 265/75/16s and a topper eventually.

boat is a jet sled. Willie 22 footer aluminum with 115/80 jet. Weighs around 3000-3200lbs. Flyfishing (Spey long lines only haha!)

Was initially hesitant to get the Tacoma because I wanted a slide in camper and a full size fits the bill a little better. However, I will make do with a soft top canopy and am amazed by this truck!

I came from a Nissan Titan xd with the diesel Cummins. But the crank broke at 110k miles, ( the engines have been known to have crank issues and they wanted near 25k to replace) so here I am back in Toyota land and am happy!

 

Make sure you know and have the correct ball. I made the mistake of trusting Uhaul when buying my ball thinking it was 2 5/16", but it was really a 2" ball and learned a scary lesson luckily with no extensive damage or injuries.

 

What type of sway control do you have? I haven't heard or seen sway bars loosen up unless installed improperly.

 

It's simple (and ancient) a simple Reese style old school friction anti- sway assembly. Essentially a sliding armature encased in brake material. The first day I did over 900 miles and ran through 90 minutes in a rainstorm.. it's tuning and adjustment NOT improper installation.

 

I have the bluetooth connected Curt brake controller. It plugs inline to your trailer's 7 pin connector, and then directly to your Toyota's 7 pin connector. You use the App on your smartphone or tablet to control it/configure it, you can change it on the fly as with the RedArc or Tekonsha controllers, and also manually apply the trailer brakes at any time, independent of the truck's brakes. Cost was around $400 if I recall correctly, we bought it and the weight distribution hitch at same time as the trailer earlier this year, and so we paid for everything all at once, so I don't recall the exact price for the controller.

https://www.curtmfg.com/part/51180

 

I looked into this. My only concern was varying/conflicting signals, being its wireless, when needed. Being it on your phone, you would need to have it up all the time and accessible (phones aren't always reliable and crash/freeze up) and could pose safety issues if needing to use it at a moments instance. Its neat product though.

 

Actually, once you plug your trailer in to the controller, and confirm the controller has a good bluetooth to your phone, you can turn your phone completely off and the controller will work just fine. The only thing you would not be able to do is manually deploy the trailer brakes (independent of the truck brakes) and you would not be able to modify the sensitivity/amount of trailer brakes related to the pressure applied to the truck brake pedal. The current settings will remain active. I verified the controller continues to work just fine while my wife and I were towing our 20' Coleman trailer from CA to KY when we moved last month.

 

Thats intuitive to have. I would still be concerned for emergencies when needed while the phone is off/not working.

 

Anyone have owned and towed with a toy hauler with the third gen tacoma? I'm wondering if its possible with the hitch and trailer weights, even with the smaller ones. I know payload is limited but can it be done with a smaller one and not have any toys in the back that have substantial weight (EG: small dirt bikes/bicycles vs motorcycles/ATV's).