Hi I am looking for some help on camping trailers I have the Tacoma with the V6 engine.

Anybody got recommendations for weight and maximum length of trailers they have purchased. I live near the grapevine so it’s a big pull up that hill. Any help on brands of trailers will be gratefully received. I was hoping a 22 foot trailer

 

Does your truck include the tow package?

Are you experienced in towing, especially stuff bigger than your tow vehicle?

Start with the owners manual re tow and tongue weights. And know folks are usually more comfortable staying under that.

 

Hi. Truck has got the tow package. I have Not pulled a trailer for a long time. Looks like I need an additional braking system regulater. I have read the Manual for weight distribution etc. I was looking for actual Yes I have a. Xx. Camper it weighs xxx.and it’s comfortable pulling up large hills.

 

Hang on. Some folks will be along to get into more specifics you want.

All you said was you had a v6, and someone else would have asked anyway. I was just getting the preliminaries out on the table.

 

Check out the Towing Bible under the Towing section on the forum. It’s got very specific info and very helpful

 

You have a Toyota Tacoma. You don't need a camper. Rocks will form themselves out of respect in a protective barrier for you and your family in the place where you decide to camp.

I mean, they might...

 

Tacoma Sr5 2018 Double cab 3.5 l V6 Atkinson cycle engine. 6 speed automatic Towing receiver hitch . Engine oil cooler . Pin connector and trailer sway controller. Gvwr 5,600 lbs From the door spec sticker.

 

Search Youtube for "2016 Toyota Tacoma takes on the extreme Ike Gauntlet towing review". It is very much like the grapevine in steepness.

 

The total weight is the main determining factor. It’s not how heavy max you can tow, its what you and the truck are comfortable with. The towing and driving experience Is quite different between say 3500 lbs and 5500 lbs. The heavier the more stress on the driver and the truck. What ever dry weight trailer you get add 1000 to 1500lbs to it for water, propane tanks and all the other stuff you’ll carry in the trailer. I can tell you pulling 5000+ lbs over the Grapevine is a struggle for your truck and for you. I suggest you rent a trailer and pull it around on vacation for a week and whatever the weight you’ll get an idea for the max weight you want to tow.

 

I pull a Lance 1475. 3200 lbs dry, 19’, 13 mpg. The Taco does fine but I wish it had a bigger gas tank.

 

I have the DCLB with tow package. I tow a Palomino Solaire 147x. It weighs 3200 lbs dry, 3800 lbs fully loaded. It's about 19' long. I try to never tow it anywhere with a load in the freshwater, grey water, or black water tanks. The extra weight of water adds up quickly.

I use a weight distribution hitch and a clip-on towing mirror. I find the weight distribution hitch definitely helps with stability. It rides much better with it on. The clip-on mirror is a big help when changing lanes on the highway or backing up into a campsite.

It was a bit of a learning curve for me. Especially backing up. I just took my time, took it slow, and made nice wide turns everywhere I went. There are times, going up hills, that I choose not to keep up with traffic. I know the truck is capable because I've done it, but I have to pin the accelerator. For wear and tear purposes, I choose not to do that. Also, expect your truck to burn a lot more gas. I think someone above mentioned that.

Even though my truck is rated to tow 6400 lbs, I'm not sure I would want to tow something much bigger than my current trailer with my current truck. It's not just tow capacity but payload capacity that you have to consider. With my modest sized trailer, I think I'm close to the payload capacity of my truck even though I'm nowhere near my tow capacity.

Consider my comments and those of Sprig, and you have some strong guidance.

 

You're coming at this all wrong. Buying a travel trailer should not just picking the largest size your truck can handle. You need to visit local dealers to see them in person to decide what you'll be using it for, how many beds you need if you have kids, is wet bath vs dry important to you, rear bed or front bed, etc. Find a brand/floorplan you like and then you can determine which model or size trailer from there.

If you're just going to read the door sticker....sure, go buy a 5500# trailer and let us know how that works out for you

 

I have a Keystone Hideout that is 3,600 pounds dry. I have towed it with a full water tank and a loaded Yeti in the bed. 3,600 pounds is a weight I think you would be ok with going over the Grapevine.

Get an anti-sway weight distribution hitch and a Tekonsha P3 beaker controller and you will be good to go.

 

Most experts recommend a dry trailer weight no more than half of tow vehicle capacity. This allows for loading of both trailer and tow vehicle and a safety factor. This puts most Tacoma’s trailers staying below 3200-3500 lbs. I’ve trailered a 3300 lb travel trailer thousands of miles through out the se US. I wouldn’t go any bigger.
Before taking anybodies advice and buying, rent. Set you truck up for towing. Springs or airlifts and a brake controller. Then get online, RVShare.com or Outdoorsey.com. Rent one or more. Try different ones out. You’ll learn a lot before making a financial loss division. Purchasing a travel trailer is always a terrible financial decision. Try to get it right the first time.

 

U might be lookin for permission

ive been on grapevine 1 of the longest pulls west coast

there are many a vehicle has issues on grapevine

U wont be the first

the combo U end up with wont be like anyone else

depends on what shape U taco is in they dont all run the same year to year

borrow from a friend or rent a similar trailer make it a day

then U will know

 

Take a look at my thread here. I've Tacoed for many years and we have been trailer shopping for about three. I've pulled lots of different trailers with lots of difference vehicles over the course of my life. Most people want to focus on tow limit when GCWR is the number that should be the focus.

Finally decided on a travel trailer: 2021 R-Pod 192

 

I have towed many different trailer with this truck all different sizes I would not go bigger than 21 feet plus I tow with a manual if urs is a auto I would stick to a 19 foot or u will be sorry

 

2015 Dbl TRD Sport - 20' Jayco 4200lbs dry, airbags, WD hitch, brake controller. Towed fine just not fast. First year we drove from Vancouver BC to Drumheller, AB over the Rockies. Our average trip is 1500-2000 miles
Traded in >
2019 Dbl TRD Sport - same setup but no airbags but will be installing helper springs. Tows the rig easier than the 15. My only gripe is the tank size. I have all the gas stations mapped out before hand. Both trucks have upgraded trans cooler

$52 Hayden 678 Universal Rapid-Cool 9.5” x 11” Add-On Transmission Cooler – Not for Direct Replacement of the OE Cooler

Hayden 678

 

I have a 178 R Pod 3200 lbs. ready to camp and live in Bakersfield, my Tacoma pulls it great over the grapevine and up to Huntington Lake. The R Pods are not wide so your stock mirrors work, just add a bigger trans cooler. The Tacoma's don't like wind, pulling my 3200 lbs. R Pod it feels good at 55 to 60 mph @ 10 mpg, pulling my 3300 lbs. car trailer it feels good up to 65 to 70 mph @ 14 mpg.