Should have bought a half ton

Have you ever purchased something knowing very well what it's capable of and what it can handle, just to turn around and be dissapointed that that object performs as advertised? Bro, you purchased a tacoma, not a Tundra or other full size. Lift it up and do some mall or rock crawling .

But on a serious note, I've towed a camper, boats (even one significantly bigger than my tacoma), and utility trailers loaded close to the max tow rating of my truck and it handled just as I expected.

 

Its all about the compromise. I have a diesel 2500 that gets better fuel economy in the city, on the highway and towing than my Tacoma. In fact, it often gets better mpg towing at 80mph than the Tacoma got unloaded at 75mph. Unfortunately I can't just turn down any side road/trail I want and see where it goes anymore as a consequence of a larger truck.

 

OP, you can't say anything negative about the beloved Gen 3 on this board, the fanboyz will defend the Gen 3, and all of its known shortcomings, till the death.

 

Hey, gen 3s are the best for mall crawling. No one can mall crawl harder than us.

 

Payload is 1155, so it looks like you did buy a half ton truck

 

I have seen speed limitations on trailers. Usually 65mph.

In Texas we have speed limits of 80mph in some places, but DPS will pull you over for going 70 in an 85 mph zone if you are towing.

 

Buy a Tacoma for towing? Should have bought a half ton
Buy a half ton for towing? Should have bought a 3/4 ton
Buy a 3/4 ton for towing? Should have bought a 1 ton
Buy a 1 ton for towing? Really should have just bought a commercial truck.

 

May be something to this... Or maybe at least ensuring the ECU has the latest Toyota software on it. It's generally cars I'm towing with my '17 Sport 4x2 w/ OVTune but it does fine on the highway. Transmission in D (which, from this thread, I now know is not what the manual says to do), ECT on. Gas mileage is lower, but not dramatically.

 

Gotta disagree with that one. There are only 5 states where trailers have a different limit than pax cars, Texas isn't one of them.

But here's the big fat caveat: a trooper can pull you if he is of the opinion that you are operating unsafely whether it's within the limit or not. And if you're looking squirrelly/uncontrolled on the road, you are almost guaranteed to get pulled over. If you have the appearance of being near your weight limit but still keeping up with traffic and holding your lane, there's a slight possibility of getting pulled. If the trooper is bored and feels like fishing, and you are the best prospect he's seen today, you'll get pulled no matter your situation.

 

I was off the Texas speed limit for trailers is 70.

Granted this is an article and not the actual law I am referencing.

https://traveltips.usatoday.com/trailer-towing-rules-texas-100019.html

 

Plus it's Texas. If you're not rolling coal, you're not doing it the Texas way

 

This has been documented at an exhaustive level for over four years here.

 

Texas is confusing as hell in this regard. It doesn't help that they changed the law a million times in the last decade. It used to be 55 for all, then it was 70 for cars in daylight only, then it was 70 for cars anytime but still 65 for trailers in daylight, then finally it was 70 for all. It also doesn't help that the current language is weird. It's easy for an article to quote a dated source or even just get it wrong.

Per TxDot, the current state limit is still 70 for all vehicles. (weird, right?) TxDot is allowed to grant itself exceptions to the state max if the road design and congestion conditions allow for it, which is why we have 80 and 85 limits in areas.

It's all an academic exercise anyway, because I'm of the opinion that operating a trailer at those speeds is an open invitation for suicide. . As an operator I an obligated to RTFM and know the recommended limits of the trailer, the truck, and the one mandated by the state, and stick to the lowest of the three.

 

I get 15mpgs when Im in the truck alone lol

 

The differences in MPG is amazing. I've got to be stuck in 95 parking-lot-esque traffic or drive like a complete a$$hole to see 14 mpg.

Eventually I'll add 265 AT tires that're 10+ lbs heavier and will be able to identify whether that's a major factor.

 

I was actually considering the Aliner, only thing is I didnt think they had bathrooms

 

Did 2200 miles from Western Canada to Northern WV @ 4500lbs..unlike most I thought it did really well despite being on 33's with the 2/1 lift and OVTune. On my way back I'll have a bigger trailer and a SxS in it but probably stay around the 5200lb mark.

 

There are some with a potty and a shower, but we opted against those options. To keep the trailer light. Finding a campground with a shower isn't very hard, and I don't need to shower every day. There is an option to put an external shower as there is an external shower head.

We did not want a toilet. I do not want to poop where I eat.

 

A trailer that small, a toilet will make it foul for a minute and a half. Mine has a porta potty under the dinette. It's strictly for emergency only use. In four years it hasn't been used yet. If I can't find a tree or dig a hole, I'll drag the toilet outside. If I can't do that, then only if it saves me from going to the hospital or shitting the bed I might consider it.

I also have an outdoor shower. I actually like that feature better than an indoor shower. It's as spacious as I want it to be and it's less prone to mildew. If other campers are nearby and I need privacy I have one of those folding changing rooms that makes an instant shower/shitter that will obscure things enough to keep me off a government registry.