How do I increase towing performance?

Seems like an easy problem to solve.

 

A burlap sack and a river?

 

Nah man... new stuff is all plastic and computers. He needs something that he can wrench on himself that he doesn't need to get 15 year financing to afford...

 

On a stock tacoma or a modded tacoma? I want to s/c mine anyways even if I'm not going to be towing the travel trailer.

 

Been my experience as well. RV service bays that aren't backlogged by 6 months are as rare as hens teeth. My trailer had a lot of issues that should have been under warranty, but I instead elected to fix it myself. At least now I know the wiring and plumbing intimately, as I have rewired and re-plumbed a good 70% of that trailer.

 

heavy hauling in a gas truck is a complete waste of time

 

You can get a 3k, 3.5k lb trailer that should be plenty comfy. Whatever you do don't buy a Chevy! Complete garbage!

 

Around 4000-4500 lbs max is a realistic limit for a Tacoma. And that's on fairly level ground and under 5000' elevation. MOST 1/2 tons will be OK at around 6000 lbs, but some won't. Around 7000 is a more realistic limit for MOST 1/2-ton trucks. You still need to make wise choices.

 

Total cost of ownership of a diesel is a complete waste of money, unless you are talking about a DD16 in a big rig My 5.9 Cummins ran like a champ but dang, the repair bills sucked as well as filling up at the pump.

 

ok cool yeah I see a couple of options that would work in my area that'll be about 4-4.5k fully loaded. I'm only traveling around the gulf coast so pretty much flat aside from a couple of bridges here and there.

 

5K pounds isn't heavy hauling and a diesel is really expensive overkill. That's solid 1/2 ton work. If I were getting something that size I'd be shopping a 2018-2019 Tundra. Had a '19 and loved it, but when I decided I liked a RTT more than a trailer I downsized to the Taco.

 

Honest question here, are you going to pull the heavy bumpers/mods off the Taco before you get this rig? I only ask because you're likely going to be way over payload with all that heavy stuff and a trailer on it.

 

It's a TAA-coma not a TOW-coma.
Proper tool for the proper job. Tacoma ain't it. Get a truck suited for towing.

 

I'd rather not. The roads to the job sites I'm working on are pretty shit from what i've been told.

 

Yeah definitely not very practical or rational but I'd rather keep the truck and drop a shitload of cash on it to make it work than get a new truck.

 

Then honestly, I think you'll tear the tacoma up pretty badly from the added stress of trying to tow the trailer. Remember the pics of the chevy colorado with a bent frame from a little trailer on it? He was within capacities, but drove normal speed on rough roads. The bounce of the trailer fatigued the frame until failure. You have to tow slow on rough stuff.

 

My '23 Taco struggles to carry me and a passenger with no other load up hills going from 2,000 ASL to 5,000 ASL over a 30 mile stretch. Add luggage or camping gear and it really bogs down. Have to keep RPM's up and drive it like a Manny-Tranny. Pulling a trailer (which admittedly I've never done in the taco) wouldn't be any easier.

Or - put a different way....
My Tacoma, unburdened, doesn't perform as well in the hills as my Ranger did with a trailer and load in the bed.

At a minimum he needs a Turbo 4 or even better a Turbo 6. If not, then it's V8 territory.

 

Oh damn, that's wild. But I won't be towing on rough roads. I'm just taking it to the closest RV park and driving from there through the rough roads without the trailer. Even on the highway I drive like a grandpa.

 

I live at nearly 7k feet, and it's not that bad towing a light trailer. Just tow slow (like every manual out there tells you to) at 60-65 and don't expect to not be revving for hills or headwinds and it's fine.

 

Ah, that's a huge difference. How often would you have to move the trailer? Are you living in it solo, or will you have a companion? Do you need a shower/bathroom in the trailer?