New Toyota tow and rust thoughts

I don’t think anyone has said it yet but on the A/T Gen 3 trucks both 5th and 6th are overdrives. Coupled together with the 3.91 is does leave a little to be desired.

Our first trip camping was over the weekend. Trailer is 3400lbs dry and probably 4K with gear. The truck does fine in S4 with ect on. Once it gets steep it drops into 3rd. On the 120 mile round trip we averaged 11.3mpg. Saw trans temps reach 223 momentarily as we neared the top of a climb and dropped back down to sub 200 within a couple seconds of creating the hill. Is the Tacoma an ideal tow rig? Not really but it isn’t terrible either.

 

Pretty much the gist of it.

 

I had Fluid Film done on my 2019. I was under the truck today installing running boards and it looks brand new under there.

 

Just brought this bad boy home on Friday. Probably around 5500 pounds total. The Tacoma did fine for the 60 mile trip home. This was the first time I pulled anything substantial and I was pleasantly surprise. Definitely took a MPG hit but wasn't paying attention to that while I was towing. I run Woolwax for rust resistance and so far doing well.

 

I tow this weighing in at about 5500 lbs loaded. Does just fine. I would not be worried at all towing 3500.

 

When I tow in my GII I lock out 4th unless on light terrain. I generally do not use cruise control as I can modulate the vehicle better on my own. Mileage is variable so much so I do not know what it is except that it is not horrid but not good. Small gasoline engines are never going to get good mileage working hard and bigger gasoline engines are worse the 95% of the time I am not towing. Plus, a significant factor for most Tacoma owners is the off road capability second only to a Jeep Wrangler which is lost going with a full size behemoth that will not even fit down the trail. The Tacoma is a nimble and capable off roader.

Laughing about a manual for tow duty or even off road, sorry, no, just no.

Everything is a compromise, i will just need to drive one. I have owned a 1986 Turbo HiLux, 1989 HiLux, Tundra GI, 06 Tacoma GII so I hate to leave the Toyota brand .

Maybe I should look at a Chevy Canyon with diesel if the Taco is a rust bucket. I was under the impression that Toyota had figured the rust issue out. Yeah, all vehicles can rust but the early GIIs of which mine is included are extraordinarily bad about it or should I say good at it (rusting big holes through the frame).

 

If you tow in 4th in your 2nd gen, you will do fine doing the same in your 3rd gen. You seem to have a good head about you, most users run into issues when they lose the plot. My 17 in the rust belt is fine, there is a frame notice I need to decide whether to honor or not, but otherwise I have some surface rust, but nothing major. I have not done any rust proofing, I just give my truck a bath frequently in the winter. The receiver on my truck is by far the rustiest part of my truck.

I did have a TSB done on the door jams for rust, but I assume that has been corrected at the factory by now.

FYI, 4th gear on a stock Taco is roughly 3K RPM at 70 MPH if my memory serves me correctly. At 3k RPM the truck is pulling fine as it is getting close to the VVTi point.

EDIT: I just realized you said you lock out 4th. Is that correct, or lock out 5th?

 

It will tow well outside its weight limit.

 

I lockout the top gear, what some call overdrive. The auto shifter is pushed to the side from the normal Drive position.

 

I have used Fluid Film for years on my vehicles but it needs reapplication seasonally and sometimes multiple times in a winter. It is not a permanent solution as is a properly treated frame from the factory. Fluid Film will stave off rust on a frame but at best is a stop gap, kick it down the road, for a GII.

 

So you tow in 4th. Yeah, do the same in a 3rd gen and you're fine. Towing in 5th in a 3rd gen really only works in the AT with a tailwind, super level ground, or downhill. On a 3rd gen 5th and 6th are OD, MT and AT.

You'd be fine.

 

I have a 5x10 aluma utility trailer also i used for going to the dump, carry my lawn tractor, and my snowmobile. You don't feel its being towed at times. I have to look back to be sure its there. Funny thing with that trailer, it will suck gas like crazy if in the ECT mode. I just use S5 with that trailer, and it still gets 19 mpg.

 

LOL at the comments saying you'll be running at 5,000 rpm for a 3500lb boat. Whoever said that might want to check their trailer(s) to make sure the electric brakes aren't stuck.

Naw man, go to a dealer and take and extended test drive.. have your boat somewhere close by and tow it around.

 

Just use cosmoline RP-342 and be done with it like bmw, and mercedes. I use to do ff every fall on my tundra, it got to be a pita.

 

Had an ‘06 that I sold because I was also worried about the frame rust issues (mine passed the initial inspection and Toyota under-coated it). The guy I sold it to ended up getting a new frame from Toyota a few years later...

The 3rd gens just have more electronic doodads vs the 2nd. Have you priced toppers lately? You’ll spend over $3000 to replace what you have. I’d keep the ‘06, worst case put the money saved toward a frame swap down the road. Unless you just want a new truck, then go for it!

Mike

 

Any truck will. However, towing and safely towing are 2 different things. Thus the ratings.

 

I upgraded from an 07’ to an 18’. I also live in the rust belt. Undercoat every year same as any rig and you’ll be fine that way. I have a small pop up camper that’s around 3000 lbs and I don’t even notice it, mileage doesn’t change much although I haven’t travelled real far with it yet. I honestly don’t notice a whole lot of difference between it and the 4.0. I drive very easy most of the time which may be the reasoning with that, I don’t hesitate to pass people with the 18’ like I did the 07’. I get about 580-640km out of a tank in the 18’ vs 450-550 in the 07’.

I’m in an AT DCLB Sport, 07’ was the same.

 

Very true statement. I only moved the excavator a mile down the road from the neighbor. Also without the trailer brakes and upgraded rear leaf springs I would have never tried it.

 

+1 for woolwax, did my frame back in October and when I was doing brakes last week there was still a coating in the spots that see direct road spray. Protected spots it's still nice and thick

 

So let me ask, not having driven a GIII yet. How do I lock out the 5th and 6th? In my truck I just push the auto lever over a detent and everything remains the same except the truck does not engage "OD". Is a similar position available on the GIII to disengage 5th and 6th so that the transmission operates normally 1 through 4 but does not engage 5th and 6th?