Tacoma Travel Trailer Towing

Well the first time i used my Taco to pull the camper was due to my 6.0 Powerstroke being at the shop and we were just going to the local state park (about 10 miles away). I didnt take the time to adjust the weight dist hitch and the truck seemed to struggle.

This time the 6.0 is down for repairs again. RME! We went from Jacksboro to Sevierville, TN (about 66 miles). The Taco, of course could not accelerate like the 6.0 and it seemed to sway and porpoise a bit more than i was comfortable with, but we arrived with no issues. Hooking up this morning to head home, i decided to tighten the bar chains one more link and it made a WORLD of difference! The porpoising and swaying is gone! Granted, i still got some of the sway from passing semis, but the 6.0 F250 experienced that too.

All in all i am feeling alot better about towing with my Taco. I figured this may help someone else.

My truck is an 05 dcsb 4.0 auto trd or. Ive got a Mobtown Offroad rear bumper and LOVE it as well. It has the hidden (behind the tag) reciever. The camper is a 26’ Salem Cruise Lite by Forest River. Aprox 6000-6500 lb rigged out (as towed). I held 4th gear most of the time and maintained 60mph fairly easy. Some of the hill lost speed to as low as 45.

All in all, if i were to add a set of Firestone airbags and flip out towing mirrors, this truck would be just fine. A supercharger would be nice too, but not really a “need”.

 

Thanks for the info!

 

Thanks, want to get a travel trailer soon and I kind of had a feeling the tacoma would have No problems. ...

 

Seems like you might be on the edge of the Tacoma's towing capacity with a tow package. 10 miles may not be a problem but would not do that size trailer on any long trip.

 

Agreed. Definitely on the edge of the rated towing capacity.

 

So many people here claim the Tacoma isn't able to tow more than 3k lbs safely but the reality is, it is more about the comfort of the driver. The Tacoma is fine right up to the tow capacity with a capable driver.

Our setup is about 1k lbs lighter than yours but we drag it on long trips all over the eastern Sierra. You just can't be afraid to make the truck work.

 

This

I'd refer to your trucks specs for Gross weight for truck and tow ratings ECT, hit a nearby truck stop, weigh both your truck by itself then with camper and see where your at. It's simply for the safety of yourself and others.

 

There's a bit more to it than simply driver confidence...

There is a large difference between a truck being able to competently tow a load, and the truck simply being able to "pull it just fine." I was using my 4cyl Tacoma for a landscaping truck all summer. Even with 1 cu.yd. of mulch in the bed (estimated 400-800lbs based on moisture content), the truck would squat a concerning amount. Rear squat down, and front nose would raise a bit. Brand new leafs from Toyota in March, btw.
The 4cyl motor would pull no problem, but the brakes were significantly underpowered.
I also pulled a small 5x8 utility trailer for the last ~6 weeks. One time I made the greedy mistake of putting 1yd mulch in the bed, and 1.5 yds in the trailer.
so 2.5yds x (400-800lbs) +350lbs trailer weight. Any way you cut it, it's still under 2500lbs and the 4cyl has a towing capacity of 3,500. The truck was quite sketchy at this point, and I kept visualizing (Final Destination style) of some dumb car cutting me off, and not leaving me enough room to brake.
I had to change my driving style significantly to mitigate unnecessary risk. I stayed 5-10 below the speed limit at all times, I had very diminished braking capacity, and my steering was affected.
Additionally, the shorter wheelbase you have, the worse the truck will tow.

I'm very inexperienced with towing, but I still can't imagine adding 1000+lbs to that trip, to push the 3,500 towing cap. of the 4cyl.
I also can't imagine doubling (or tripling) that load with a v6 truck. 6,500lbs is far more than the truck itself weighs, mind you.

 

My statement was assuming the truck/trailer are set up properly with a weight distribution hitch and trailer brakes.

 

Reason of a sound mind should be used when towing any load with any vehicle. A person should understand how the pull vehicle handles and how changes effect that. As mentioned, when the rear squats the front raises which changes ALOT, auch as the suspension geometry effecting steering, handling, etc. it also effects the braking ability, braking ability is also effected by suspension geometry changes, i.e. suspension raises gives less contact patch exacerbating pitch of the road and when the vehicle wants to go when you brake (instead of straight).

As i mentioned, if i were to pull my camper with the taco full time, there are still some changes i would make. But if i didnt have a better suited truck for this... i would do it and not be concerned about the safety once i addressed everything.

 

Forgot to mention. My truck does have an electronic brake controller. The frame has been replaced under the recall earlier this year. It has a Toy Tec lift/level kit with Billies along with the leaf spring recall performed and AAL’s. My truck sits a little lower in the rear than the front with no load, i will probably be adding a small block to fix this.

Trailer tow rating are based on alot of variables. If someone addresses all of these i dont see a problem within reason.

 

Did the trailer make you squat pretty bad?

 

that is a lot of trailer to haul with a taco

some good info here
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-tacoma-towing-bible.4031/

 

It didnt squat the taco anymore than it squatted my F250, but the taco already had some squat unloaded, so when i added the trailer, it looked worse than it was.

When setting up a weight dist hitch, you actually WANT to see the truck take a little weight, just not an exorbitant amount. Tongue weight of any trailer should be 10% of gross for the trailer, so i would expect the tongue weight to be between 600-650. Also with a weight dist hitch, the intention is to move the “instant center” forward to distribute it more to the center of the truck as opposed to directly on the rear most part... the tongue.

All told, i would guess it lowered the back of my taco 1-2”.

 

Ive read this before, good read.

 

I do notice you did not mention a transmission cooler. Is one installed.
Yes your trailer weighs what you say it does but what about other items loaded in the bed of your truck and the weight and number of passengers. My 2013 DCLB with a full tow package is only rated at 6800 and I would not get anywhere near that.

The question is are YOU addressing all those variables? In the long run it is your truck and your camper so just remember there are others on the road with you.

 

do you know how many are driving under the influence, speeding, with worn out items, texting, dealing with back seat drivers, rear seat stain modding, eating, shaving, apply hair gel, brushing, looking for that last chip that fell from the bag and more..... (yeah I have done all of those in the past)

Drive safe.

 

yes, my truck does have the towing package with trans cooler. this is not my primary tow vehicle, the Ford still is... it just happens to be down for a little bit, so the taco is filling in.

 

LOL!