R-pod towing

i have a 2013 taco that I will use to tow my r-pod down to Arizona. I have read the towing bible but am looking for any additional first hand knowledge. This will be a first for me and I am not a fan of surprises. The taco is a 4x4, Tacoma, long bed, 4 door with a leer canopy a wife and medium size dog. I’ll post my experiences as I begin the trip in a couple weeks but for now...what do I need to address. Thanks I have moved from a full time big dodge owner to my first Toyota...even though my brah has always owned one. He still has an 85 that we used for hunting...great rig. i have hauled campers around but this will all be new...thanks for any experiences relayed.

 

What is the payload rating posted on the drivers door jamb? How much does your trailer weigh when loaded? My payload is 1200 lbs. I weigh 220, my wife 140, my cap 180. That leaves me 660 lbs available payload for the hitch weight and any other cargo inside the truck. A 3500 lb trailer will eat up about 450 lbs of your payload, figure 13%. You need a minimum of 10% and somewhere between 13% and 15% is where you want to be. Using my truck with myself and my wife in it I'd only have 210 lbs left over for cargo in the truck with a 3500 lb trailer. If I pack carefully I can do it. But you need to do the math based on YOUR truck and trailer.

The truck won't have any problems PULLING the weight. Just be aware of overloading the suspension. You'll probably be fine, but you can't pull the trailer AND add 400-500 lbs of gear in the truck.

The most accurate way to determine true payload is to actually weigh the truck, then subtract the actual weight from the GVWR listed on the door jamb.

 

Also make sure you have a good brake controller and depending onh the Rpod a weight distribution hitch. You should have a tow rating of about 6500. Should tow it with no problem. I tow a 17 ft Hybrid with my 2013 Taco set up like yours.

 

Sub'd for replies since we're eyeing up something in the R-Pod size.

Lot of information in this thread.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/what-kind-of-camper-do-you-have.87823/

 

Thanks for the reply which really fired up the ol math skills...so let me run some numbers by you that I have taken from the specification and best guess estimates. The gvwr...11140lbs. Twr...6400lbs.+ Gvwr...5490lbs.= 11890lbs.....sooo Gvwr @ 11140 lbs...I’m Confused?. Truck 4600lbs + us 400lbs = 5000lbs therefore 490lbs cargo capacity?. Manuel says truck cargo capacity...1050lbs. Trailer weight unloaded...2792lbs + hitch wt...281lbs. + 36gal water...300lbs.= 3373lbs...minus TWR of 6400... gives me 3000lbs of cargo???? When my max cargo capicity says...939lbs. Sorry to lay this confusing array of numbers. I know my truck will do fine with the V6 4.0 L 1GRFE...241 cu. I just have to try and understand from the answer man. I’m sure my advanced age is not firing in the right places. Thanks so much from any and all of the fine members as well.

 

True that potstech...great advice...I go both installed

 

You should be good then. Load it up and take it for a ride.. If not sure go to a commercial scale and get it weighed.

 

Yeah that’s what I was thinking...lots of numbers that don’t add up and seek to confuse rather than clarify. Bottom line...I can pull 6400 lbs with the win with the 13 taco tow package. So I’m just gonna load her up and hit the road. Thanks for the insight.

 

In 2015 My sister relocated to Boston from Reno, NV... We decided to drive there with her to move all of her stuff. My mom towed her r-pod with her FJ (same drivetrain as 2nd taco as far as I could tell) all the way there, and all the way back without an issue. Total trip was probably close to 10k miles as we went along the southern border than up the east coast.

 

just because you can doesnt mean you should.

Brake controller, Weight Distribution hitch and likely some airbags in the rear, and some common sense of what gear to be in to not cook the auto trans and you should be good.

 

You should be able to pull the Rpod with ease, but make sure you have brake controller. If I'm not mistaken, many states have a weight limit where brakes are required, and the peace of mind/safety margin for stopping goes without mentioning. I pulled a similar weighted set-up cross country several times, and only real issue I ever had was in strong head winds going through the plains, and climbing long passes. If it has a tow pkge, it has trans cooler, and be prepared to drop a gear if needed, especially in head winds or steep climbs. I ran in 4th several times when I sensed tranny or motor was beginning to struggle. I've since added ride rites, but even without my droop from tongue weight was not that drastic. Fully loaded with folks, pets and gear, you may have more droop and may want to consider upgraded leaf packs or ride rites in the future. If you have weight concerns, you can always wait til you arrive to fill fresh tanks, and always empty gray and black before you leave the park. I was amazed at how much full tanks affected my tongue weight. I always ran distances with all tanks empty, and it was noticeable enough to adjust my brake controller gain when empty vs. full.

 

The brake control is required by this state...so I will install. In addition, the weight distribution hitch and sway bar are going to be part of the deal. I suppose the 36gal water tank is essential to my ride so that 300 lbs is just part of the weight. The r pod calls for a 939 cargo carrying capacity...the taco will tow 6400lbs...good to hear all these stories that the Toyota’s preformed well. I’ll post when I finish my 2100 mile ride towing the pod with the details...leave in 2 weeks.

 

I pulled an 18 foot lightweight that was 1900 dry. No water added and it was my dad and i in the truck with maybe 12 smaller split logs in the bed. Not too much added gear. I sagged but pulled fine. Trailer brakes and weight distribution hitch are essential. These trucks aren't really designed to tow so they're not the best option but it is doable. As @Marshall R noted, follow the numbers by his example and make sure you're WELL within the range. You're also going to want to make sure you keep it in 4th gear since you cant lock out the converter. I personally don't think that any Taco can truly/safely tow 6400lbs. More like 4000-4500 max.

Just be safe and be aware of surroundings.

Can you get by without any of the extra weight added in such as the water or the canopy? Assuming you have the tow package also. And Where are you traveling down to Arizona from? The taco wont like hills very much.

 

Weight creeps up very fast as you load for a trip.
Your payload is more rear spring dependent and stock ones will sag down that's a fact while weight distro hitch helps - but add a lot of truck payload down she goes.
Tongue weight depends on how you load items in the trailer and is given by manufacturer empty and no battery or propane as an FYI.

So if you really want to know take it to a truck scale (they are in sections) and weigh it.
1. Put truck on 1 section and trailer on 2nd to get a combined gvwr.
2. Then drop the trailer jack front wheel down on scale 1 with trailer wheels on 2 and drive truck off scale and get the tongue weigh on 1 and trailer on 2 (add 1 and 2 for total trailer).
3. Remember each weigh cost you so if you cannot add and subtract just weigh the truck. Otherwise you have the truck #1 - #2 above.
Then you really know. Otherwise it is only somewhat educated guessing and you will be amazed at the real numbers.

 

Suggestion. Only travel with 5 -10 gallons of water in the tanks and fill up at locaiton... a full 36 gallons is a good chunk of unneeded weight. This is the strategy we use with our custom tear drop trailer... though, that holds 120gallons of fresh water!

 

Good call on only a fewer gallons of water...pick up the rest later. With the trailer weighting 2700lbs and 939 ccc gives me 3639lbs. So that being well under the 6400lb...I should be well within the range. I cannot lose the canopy...gear storage to stay dry. The run is from NW Washington to southern Arizona. I’ll be taking the coast route so as to avoid the mountains. Who knows the taco may be in the “not really a tow vehicle” category...but I’m about to find out. May have to go back to my dodge connection...though the wife really loves the taco.

 

You should be fine, assuming you don’t have any white knuckle slam on your brakes situation. And remember that’s why you have insurance.

 

I drag a TT that weighs 5,500lbs loaded steins the Sierra Nevada mountains. The truck will cruise at 60-65 no problem and it can maintain 55mph going over the passes if you're not afraid to make it work (like wound out in 2nd gear). You should be fine with the smaller rpod.

I'd suggest packing most of the gear in the trailer to keep the payload of the truck as low as possible.

 

I just got back from towing an R-pod on a hunting trip up in the mountains, about 300 miles up some steep mountain grades and then some off-road conditions to get to our spot deep in the woods. Overall the truck handled the weight well (all stock suspension, factory hitch, no weight distribution, but definitely a brake controller). I had a slight squat, but still room for rear suspension to travel and the truck sat near level.
On the highway I noticed the wind drag more than the weight of the camper, the truck isn't going to like staying in 5th gear if there are any hills, or even level ground. I kept the shifter in 4th and speeds around 65-70MPH. Even on downhills, I could get up to around 75MPH, but as soon as the truck shifted into 5th, there wasn't enough gusto to maintain speed against the wind resistance, so it would slow down and eventually have to shift back down to 4th anyway. Some steep climbing grades slowed me down to around 50MPH and I would shift to 3rd gear to climb, it seemed to maintain 50MPH in 3rd on the big long climbs.
As others mentioned, I kept the tanks empty for most of the trip to help with highway behavior, and I filled the fresh water right before going into the national forest area. I definitely noticed the extra 300lbs, since the R-pod fresh water tank is in front of the axle, all that weight will be felt on the hitch. I moved some of my gear from the bed of the truck to the back of the camper, to help offset the water weight.
Besides the highway, the truck handled the R-pod in the city and even off-road without any issues, seemed to have plenty of power to get the weight moving and trailer brakes made stopping a non-issue.

I am coming from a Dodge as well, it is a very different experience pulling this R-pod with the Cummins Diesel versus now with this 4.0L V6. Overall though, the R-Pod is a good size camper for the Tacoma. Good luck!

 

^ This. I tow around the mountains of Colorado and always keep it in 4th as a max (aka don't go into D on the highway). With that much weight, you're not being nice to the trans by having it in OD or that 1:1 power ratio. You need the gearing to help take the strain off, and leaving it in 4th (and downshifting when needed) is, IMO, the right way to treat it.