Pulling an Enclosed Trailer, Advice/Comments

Hello All,

I am seeking your opinion on the towing that I am doing.

I own a 2000 Tacoma PreRunner, 3.4L, 190 HP, V6. The engine air intake cover reads 3400 Four Cam 24 (I don’t know what that means)
I recently purchased an 8X16 ft. tandem axle enclosed trailer with electric brakes for hauling an antique car. Because of the old style height of this antique I bought the trailer with one ft extra in height, making it 7/12 ft tall rather than the normal 6 ½ ft. I needed the door frame clearance to get the car in.

The trailer weight empty is 2400 lbs.

The antique car weight is 1400 lbs.

My Tacoma’s GVRW (reads on the door jamb) is 5100 lbs.

I don’t do much towing, about four 200 mile round trips annually to car shows. Because of the wind resistance I drive at about 55/60 mph with the overdrive off and the truck seems to do pretty well. I have an electric brake setup. I believe it has a transmission cooler but can’t confirm right now. I’ll need to look in the area to confirm or have a mechanic take a look.
The truck is in good mechanical condition and has always been well maintained.

I am planning to take a longer trip, about 650 miles one way with trailer empty and another 650 miles back with trailer loaded with a 1600 lbs antique car.

Any advice and/or comments are appreciated. Am I ok with this setup or do I need to do something different.

Thank You

 

The extra 200 lbs shouldn't really tow any different than it does now. 3800 lbs to 4000 lbs, it's a 5% difference. As far as how well the truck can handle it I don't know what the ratings are on the earlier Tacomas so I can't help you there. The trailer will most likely have a maximum total weight (GVWR) of 7000 lbs, minus the 2400 lbs trailer weight for 5100 lbs of cargo so the trailer is good to go. For the truck you should find out not the GVWR but the gross combined vehicle weight rating and the tow rating. In your case tow rating should be at least 4000 lbs and maximum combined should be more than (4000 lb trailer) + (?? lb truck) + (luggage, driver, passengers, extra parts, whatever). If your gross combined rating is 9000 lbs (05+ V6 Tacomas are like 11,100 lbs) you should be fine as far as ratings go. I'm assuming you have a properly rated class III or IV hitch and aren't pulling this off the bumper or something.

Now that's all ratings and weights to make sure the truck can safely pull and stop with a load on. As far as engine/trans longevity and things like that it's more up to driving style and extra coolers and equipment. Take it slow, keeping the revs up lowers the load on the engine and increases the flow rates of tranny fluid and coolant to help keep things cool. Easy on the hills, up and down. 4000 lbs isn't really huge, it should be fine if you take it easy but keep in mind you catch a lot of wind with that and you should verify the other specs and numbers.

 

maybe get a WD hitch, it should help a lot with towing, and maybe some helpers spirngs

 

Fellows,

I sure appreciate your comments as they allow me to make better sense of what I have. I purchased the Tacoma a few years ago with no thought of towing anything. A few years later I own an antique car and enclosed trailer.

I’ve taken some photos that lets you see what the Tacoma is equipped with.

One photo is of the hitch rating, another is of what I believe may be a transmission cooler mounted in front of the radiator, (can you tell by the photo if it is a transmission cooler), and the last is the truck weight ratings on the driver’s door jamb.

Would it be wise to have the transmission fluid and filter replaced?

What is a “WD hitch”?

What are “helper springs”?

Thanks again

 

helper springs are a spring that bolts to the top of your spring pack to give increased payload and load handling.
wd = weight distribution hitch...

google these things and theres lots of towing threads on the forums...

how many miles are on the truck? fresh fluids are never a bad idea...good synthetic fluids are always good

 

The Tacoma has 108,000 miles.

 

being that ur not a super offroader look into load-rite air bags....i feel these would be an excellent investment for you and your truck.....this with good fluids and filters...and a cat back exhaust and trd or afe intake will help your goal out

 

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/towing/68038-6-cylinder-towing-review.html

 

Thanks for the link F-125Racer and everyone else for your comments.

I've decided to pull an open car trailer on this trip. There are a few factors that have led me to my decision.

First, the winds in the southwest have not subsided all spring. Yes, we've had a few nice windless days but not many. Until we get a good rain, the winds will continue. My concern is more with dealing with headwinds which makes a huge difference when pulling my enclosed trailer. MPG will suffer and will put extra strain on the Tacoma.

I've pulled the open car trailer on a few occasions with no problems other than my cargo (antique car) is in the open and exposed. There could be a chance of driving through a rain storm. I plan on plastic wrapping the cargo and hope that the weather cooperates at least until I get home.

I generally drive at about 60 mph. I will log my mileage and hope to report to you here.

Thanks again