I tried to tow and it sucked

at towing anything consistantly with a Tacoma.

 

Judging by your avatar, yours really isn't outfit for towing, so I'm sure that your experiences are not representative.

 

That trailer was 2800lbs, it didn't need a load distribution hitch since it wasn't even remotely heavy. The weight of the trailer isn't the only factor like I said. The truck doesn't have enough wheelbase to tow big trailers, period. So I bought a truck that can tow.

Right, exactly right. And it's a huge benefit to have more wheelbase and weight.

 

The day I towed with my 2012 tacoma 6speed was the day I decided to sell it the gearing just did not do well with towing. my 2006 auto handled it no problem though.

 

Well, that may be, but I haven't found one that works well with an aluminum box trailer like mine. Plus they are a PITA when you tow almost every single day. Most have to be steel trailers that you can hook the clamps onto. I also have almost no tongue to work with. Anyway, the 1/2 ton works beautifully in all the weather I pulled through last year, even with the upsized trailer.

 

Dude, I have a tow hitch!

 

Yes and no. I've never been a fan of the 'slippery slope' fallacy because it makes the assumption that taking an action will lead to ever increasing steps towards a ridiculous goal/end result.
On the one hand, because I drive a 3/4 ton truck I can (and do) haul heavier things than I did when I had a Tacoma. It does a better job of towing loads that the Tacoma struggled with, and can haul more than the Tacoma ever dreamed of. But on the other hand, just because I have a truck that can tow more weight doesn't mean that I'm suddenly trying to drag a 20,000lb trailer up the Rockies and cursing my inability to do so.

If you compare apples to apples, though, it's a straighter comparison and better judge of what vehicle is 'better' at towing.
If you hitch 5000lbs to a Tacoma and 5000lbs to a Tundra, the Tundra will walk away from the Tacoma because it's better at towing. Plain and simple. The tradeoff is that the Tacoma gets better gas mileage as a daily driver, is better off-road, and is a hell of a lot easier to park.

 

towed a boat from Kelowna to osoyoos about 150kms maybe. pretty sure with the trailer it was like 5500 pounds. yeah it was pretty bad but still managed 75-90 the whole way. if you plan to tow 4500 pounds regularly I would probably be looking at a different truck.

 

Wonderful. So happy that you have a tow hitch.
Yet you have a light truck standing up a lot taller (less stable), and have wider and taller tires (lower contact PSI, lower torque -- not just for pulling, but also for stopping, means brakes are less effective). Your configuration would be terrible for hauling.

 

Not really.
You see, I actually own a backhoe. It weighs about 17,000 pounds (so plus trailer and it will be well into the 20k+ zone), and once in a while, I do need to move it distances of up to about 100 miles. If I owned a diesel dually, I'd probably try to float it myself, but I don't own one, and won't (because fuel, parking, etc.), so for that once every few years event when I need to float it, I hire someone to move it for me. But for that about once or twice a year thing where I do have to move something that is maybe around HALF that weight or less, I'll use the Tacoma, and if appropriate, stick to the slow roads, limit it to proper weather and so on. I certainly won't be stupid about it and try to move 6000+ pounds in a blizzard, or try to go 80 mph in the fast lane. For a 5000 pound trailer, I am really not going to be overly concerned about it, because frankly, this truck can handle 5000 pounds with ease -- I don't give a damn about how fast or slow it accelerates, so whether something else can "walk away" or not is completely missing the point. Rate of acceleration is NOT a factor in whether something is or is not good at towing something.

 

Actually, it is...Acceleration is a measure of power, and a certain amount of power is necessary for towing.
I'll pose it another way, then.
Hitch 5000lbs to a Tacoma and a Tundra. Which one will maintain speed better on a grade? Which one will brake the load better? Which one will be more stable in windy conditions?

Tundra. Tundra. Tundra.
Because it's better for towing than a Tacoma. I agree that there's more to towing than just the ability to accelerate. But just because you don't care how fast you get up to speed doesn't mean that Tacomas are good tow rigs.

 

It **does not matter**

Equal.

The impact of wind varies based on the configuration of the load. A very heavy load may actually be more stable in heavy wind, since it has greater inertia. I'll give an example: Many bridges specify a minimum weight for transport rigs to be permitted to cross. The reason is because a heavy wind could literally knock the trailer over or throw it off the bridge.

 

Whatever you say, slick. Tacoma's are the best tow vehicles out there.

I'm done wasting my time here. Peace

 

Bye

 

It's mind boggling the amount of Tacoma owners that don't seem to understand simple physics.

 

Not sure who that's directed at.
But in general, I agree with the sentiment. That in fact, it does NOT take 500 hp to pull a bag of mulch home from HD.

 

No. No it's not. Haha

 

Load the mulch in the back of the minivan; I don't want to get the back of my f#50 dirty!
My brother in law used to borrow my 4cyl Ranger to haul crap because he didnt want to get his leased crew cab high end f150 dirty. Stupid.