Help!! Please!! Realistic Towing Capability 22’ Tacoma TRD Sport Double Cab V6 Automatic 4x4

Thanks for the reply Horseshoez ,
That’s obviously a great idea but I don’t know if a dealer would be willing to allow me to do that. I suppose if they want to make a sale , It would behoove them to do so , Right? Thing is , I LOVE MY TACOMA and don’t want to give her up in order to pull something a half dozen times a year !!

 

Good Evening. Could you? Sure! 4500lbs is approximately 66% of stated tow weight, which from a vehicle’s rating perspective is the upper limit of where you want to be. Much higher than that and you start messing with things like the physical laws of motion. Are there people who tow more? Yes and some will even tell you the truck tows it just fine. But you asked if it would safely tow the trailer at GVWR and I think the answer to that depends. 1. What is your towing experience? 2. What is your intended route? 3. How is it loaded? 4. Weather 5. Tongue weight. 6. Stopping ability. These are all considerations. Tongue weight will be close to 500lbs +/-. I did not mention in my first post that I run Bilstein 5100’s all around and have a custom full length add a leaf on the rear and will be adding Timbrens sometime this year. You will probably want at the very least a weight distribution hitch. If your tail end is still riding low you’ll want to consider air bags, timbrens, add a leafs. Etc. in order to level it out. This is important because you will have to deal with the force of the trailer riding on the hitch. You will also want a good brake controller. This is a must. You’ll also need to do some planning as 950lbs is easy to exceed especially if your carrying food, water, propane, fuel, multiple batteries etc. I have towed most of my life, regardless I have had some scary moments. Most were caused by weather or road conditions. Things like high winds and frost heaves in the roads can cause the trailer to sway or porpoise. Steep grades can quickly heat up your brakes and diminish your vehicle ability to slow or stop. All of these things have to be considered and/or anticipated. As I stated earlier the Tacoma is a great truck but a mediocre tow vehicle. I almost bought an R pod a few years back that had similar weight ratings. The salesman tried his hardest to convince me that my truck would pull it with no problem. He was going off the printed specs which are just one part of the equation. I walked away and for a long time regretted my decision. Now after owning this trailer at 1500lbs lighter…I’m happy that I didn’t pull the trigger. I am right where I want to be weight wise any heavier and I will buy a bigger truck. Good luck with your decision. Stay Well…Stay Safe

 

Thank you for the response , I really appreciate the tips. I used to have a 21’ 5th wheel “ Fleetwood Wilderness Yukon “ and had it for approximately 4 years!! That was 30 + years ago and boy have things changed in the RV world , for the better I must say!! My wife and I will NEVER carry anything in the fresh water tank , gray water tank and of course nothing in the black tank! They’ll always be empty when traveling. Propane tanks will be full and I doubt anything more than a battery for possible unexpected emergencies for power when traveling. Other than that , we will hook up to the utilities provided by the RV Parks N Campgrounds!! When you say brake controller you’re talking about the unit that goes under the dash , right? I always thought that automatically comes with the set-up of the trailer to the Rig that’s towing it. The dealer charges extra I’m sure!! The weight distribution hitch sounds like a good idea no matter what and hopefully that will be all I need. I hope I will be load level after adding the WDH but if I need air bags , then that’s what I’ll do!! We will be traveling primarily from the Phoenix Arizona area ( that’s home now that we’re retired ) and Oregon will be the state we go to 80% of the time because that’s where our kids n grandchildren all are. We lived there for 30 years!! The unit we selected is the Forest River “ Flagstaff “ EproFDS and is the lightest couples trailer that has the floor plan and build quality that we desire. Flagstaff is Forest Rivers “ High End “
Line and reviews are very positive about this brand and model!! It’s only 20’ 2” long and if my Tacoma can’t pull a recreational vehicle that’s rated at 2,000 lbs under the trucks GVWR then what the heck am I doing , Right? I want to enjoy my Tacoma and use it as a truck for recreational purposes now and then , ya know? I hope this works out , as I mentioned earlier , I don’t want to give up my Tacoma and settle for a truck that won’t hold up and provide my wife & I the reliability and dependability of the Tacoma!! I purposely have kept the miles as low as possible since purchasing it as a special order back in March of 22’ so that we can enjoy it for many years to come!! Thanks again and if you think of anything else that I should know before purchasing this trailer PLEASE let me know!!

 

There are many independent folks who own such trailers who rent them out; I've done it with RV's on many occasions.

 

My TRD Sport was pre-wired for the brake controller but I had to buy the actual unit. I went with a Tekonsha P3 but Redarc makes a good one as well. Mine does sit under the dash. And stays out of the way. But at 5’10” my legs aren’t super long. I’ve seen some redarc installed in the dash which looks good. We are opposite. I live in the Seattle area and relatives are in Arizona and Southwest Colorado. So the Siskiyou’s will be your heavy haul. Depending on your southern route you will have the Grapevine to contend with. That was actually a harder pull just because of the traffic. The stop and go made it hard to maintain speed. Once you have to let off it takes some time to regain momentum. We always travel home through SLC to Burly ID to LeGrand and up through Yakima. Dead man’s pass is one spot we take real slow and just stay to the right. It’s easy to overheat the brakes if going too fast on that decline. It sounds like you’ve got the experience just not with this truck. Forest River makes a nice trailer. When my dad lived in Dallas Oregon we used to go by their place. Seems like they were just building the small units there. Hopefully it works out for you. We are enjoying the heck out of ours. Stay Well…Stay Safe

 

You can probably find something close to what you want here: https://rvshare.com/

Spend a few dollars for the assurance that your plans are solid.

 

Sell it and buy an F150 or a Tundra and watch your world change overnight. You won't be disappointed. Great looking truck by the way.

 

This.
Between my work and personal life I have towed so many different trailer/vehicle configurations it isn't funny. I'd use my Tacoma to haul my jet skis to the local lake, or my ATV to my hunting spot, or my zero turn to cut my mom's yard. That's it. Towing isn't what this truck was designed to do.

 

unpopular opinion here but I d'ont even like how my 1000lb open utility trailer tows

 

Maybe it is the trailer; an enclosed U-Haul 6x12 loaded to the gills is a pretty relaxing tow with no drama.

 

Thank you for the tip , I really appreciate it.

 

Thank you for the compliment!! I love the Barcelona red metallic with the black leather interior

 

Thank you for the link , I really appreciate it

 

Thanks for all your knowledge and help

 

+1 for the redarc. It’s a really clean install.

 

Maybe. Does your truck have the tow package with the transmission cooler, etc.?

 

There was no "tow package" per-se for any 2022 models.

 

Oh, I didn't know that. My 2018 has a tow package that seems well sorted.

 

I think by 2022 all TRD models, and possibly other models as well, came with a hitch receiver and all of the necessary wiring. Regarding the tranny cooler, it is not something I can speak to as I have three pedals under my dash and my transmission has no need of a cooler, but I believe I've run across several threads here which talk about how the tranny cooler is the same for all automatics starting sometime in the late twenty-teens.

 

I never felt I was going to lose control of the trailer or rig. I live in a somewhat hilly area and I get tired of running 5900 rpm and 8 mpg trying to keep my speed up. When I had my 2500 HD I could put a 16 ft trailer behind it with my L2900 tractor with it's front loader, bush hog, and tiller and head to the farm and barely knew anything was behind me.