Show us what you tow.

@snowmanwithahat, that boat and trailer are about 5,000 lbs....not really what I'd consider a small setup. My deep v fishing boat/trailer weigh about 1,100lbs...that's a small boat.

Are you using a weight distribution hitch?

 

I will be towing my camper with my kayaks the end of July. I have the same rack as you with the kayak J hooks. I have been super curious about how the truck will handle the wind over my kayaks and the camper.

 

No, you shouldn't use a WDH with a boat trailer like this because it uses a surge brake and the tongue has to compress to function properly.
I had no issues with sway or handling. My comments about the truck's capability was simply related to the printed and approved ratings. It performed safely all around, with the minor exception of acceleration being terrible (which I expect when I double the weight) and braking distance was also increased (also expected). I experienced a loss of traction while braking heavily, and would compare it to wet road traction when unloaded.

I love the J-cradle design. It catches wind, no doubt about that. The stock OEM roof rack isn't super sturdy, but it works. I ended up going "over" the kayaks with straps connected to the top of the J-cradle, going down and around the roof rack bar. Yakima recommends bow and stern tie-downs as well, which I didn't want to use because of softopper on the truck making the stern tie-downs impossible without removing the soft top. So instead of going to the bumpers with the bow and stern tie downs I actually went to the integrated hoop on the roof rack instead. This still gives me some security in the sense that if the bars of the roof rack fail or the main straps loosen or stretch then I do have the bow and stern tie downs holding them in place still. It isn't perfect though, as the angle of pull is a little different and might cause the kayak to "roll" out of the J-cradle if a full failure of the 2 main straps occurs.

There was also concern about the entire roof rack being ripped off with extremely high winds, which I haven't experienced, but apparently the place I bought the J-cradles from have seen before. In my scenario with my strapping method I wouldn't be protected from the roof rack separating from the roof... but since I installed it on my own I know there's some pretty considerable nutserts and it's actually quite well secured at the base. It's just the bar locking into the base that causes concern for me.

Anyway, noise, yes there is some, we hear it any time we're over 55mph.
Wind definitely is felt, especially headwinds. Traveling with the boat is already tough trying to maintain 70mph, but with the kayaks acting as as an air brake killing aerodynamics, maintaining 70 is even harder, but possible.

My overall sentiments about the design with the roof rack and towing with the tacoma as you saw in the picture, safe but not comfortable. With the wind noise, engine noise (and tire noise) we were shouting to each other in the cab while trying to have a conversation. The engine lives in 3rd gear at the slightest sign of an incline and is screaming around 4,500 rpm. I'm asking a lot of the truck and its performing as well as I'd expect. For what its worth, I won't be making a jump to a full size anytime this summer, but I definitely will be going full size next time around. It's safe and capable enough to ride out this arrangement through the summer until I see the new Chevy and GMC full size trucks with the 3.0L Duramax get released.

 

2 or three times a year I tow a 25ft 2900 lb sailboat on a 1200 lb trailer from my house to the lake, a 120 mile trip or so. We leave the boat there for the summer and dry sail. So we launch and retrieve the boat every other weekend and leave the boat in a mast-up storage lot near the marina. My V6 longbed with tow package does pretty well. It's definitely at its limit, however. Having the extra wheelbase really helps. Brakes are the weak spot. HP and torque is sufficient. I would like to ad a spring helper of some sort to keep the truck a stiffer and bit more level. Been reading a lot about options here!

 

Just picked up this Gently Used Aerolite Cub Hybrid love it so far and wouldnt even know its behind the truck

 

We had the tandem axel version. Pulled great (mileage sucked). Sold it - now on the hunt for a replacement. Have fun.

 

Took the camper for a test drive with the kayaks on top of the truck. I did not notice any difference as far as performance goes. The scanguard told the same story. No increase in trans temp or fuel consumption. I’m slightly surprised.

 

Towed the uhaul around 1200 miles from Eastern WA state to Phoenix. It was 90-100 degrees the whole way. Trailer is stacked full from end to end, top to bottom. Not sure of the weight. Full of my daughters stuff. Kept my speed no more than 65 mph. Climbed some good mountains (side trip to Bryce Canyon). Taco pulled it good but had to gear down on those steep inclines. Had it in 4 and stayed out of OD (automatic). Just have the stock trans cooler. Most of the time in the mid 190 degrees according to the ultra gauge (that is usually where it runs as a daily driver). The longer mountain climbs got to 205 degrees sometimes but it always came right back down. I quit checking my gas mileage as it depressed me. Between 11-14 depending on how many hills we had to climb. Still have to drive back... but with no trailer.

 

First tow with my '18 Sport M6. Did very well and could maintain speed on steep inclines.

 

No issues with the L brackets? They seem to be spaced to far back. I am in the middle of adjusting the same system, had to raise the brackets and add a couple washers. The WDB's were put on by the dealer with the camper and truck unloaded.

 

Nice camper BTW, what is the model?

 

The brackets are exactly as the manual says to put them. I can't remember the measurement but I believe it was 30". The distance you set the L brackets is very important and setting them closer can reduce the sway control of the hitch.

The trailer is a Jayco Skylark and was only made for a two years. It was designed to be a high end smaller trailer but because they had set a price on the trailer at around 25K few people bought it. Customers just bought a smaller cheaper trailer or a larger trailer for the same price. The Sklark was unique in that it uses Azdel in the floor, walls and roof with all aluminum construction. They also added a torsion axle, block styrofoam insulation, tankless water heater, V nose construction, frameless double paned windows and most models had ac/heat that used a heat pump. Adding all of these features pushed the price up and profite margins down so Jayco dropped it after losing money . Dealers had to discount the list price to get them sold off the lot and most were sold under 20K.

 

I bet the V-nose is what makes the location of the L brackets look odd to me.

 

Could be. When I installed brackets I had to double check my measurements because it didn't look like there was enough spring bar sticking out from the end of the L bracket. I thought the bar would come off the end in a right turn.

 

Traded this in on Saturday. Picking up the new one on Thursday!

 

You went bigger?

 

Go big or go home! lol

 

How big did you go? The old TT looks to be about 25 footer. Curious because I'm trading in my 20' next year.

 

towed my 4800 lb Escape 21 all over Northern California, and Southern Oregon this last 2 weeks, camped in like 5-6 different places, all kinda mountains and back roads.





averaged 13+ MPG the whole way. never had a problem pulling it at the trailer speed limit over any grade. gawd, I love that 38 gallon diesel tank, getting around 500 miles per fillup :-O

oh wait, this is my F250, not my Tacoma...