Tacoma Travel Trailer Towng: Read If You Consider Buying An RV

Anyone pull a Passport 195RB (Shipping weight 3677 pounds) behind their Tacoma? It is on my short list, and I wonder how well it tows.

 

I'm pulling a 2201DS MINNI 4800# dry, behind my 2010 Tacoma. It pulls great, as long as you're not trying to push it in the hills. Interstate driving is fine even on the big hills near me in TN, I'm able to shift into 3rd and maintain 55-60 with no issues. The winding 2 lane roads with steep grades leave you wanting more but it pulls without complaining. As long as you have a good WDH you should be happy with your choice.

 

The heaviest I've towed with a 4cyl taco is 2-3klb popup, at my elevation it's not great, going up in the mountains its definitely lacking. "Diesel' alone doesn't matter imo. My last diesel was a chevy 6.5l, turbo charged piece of junk. I bought it before I knew better. Traded for a f150 with 5.4l gas that towed 100x better than the 3/4 ton diesel did.

The upside, it would be impossible to steal on a cold day. When that thing fired up people 10 blocks away would hit the ground thinking the apocalypse was coming. And to be honest if someone did try to steal it, I'd have chased them down and forced them to sign the title. Then show them my firearms as a warning in case they tried to bring it back.

 

From my last trip 2015 Lance 2285 and 2015 Taco Prerunner

 

If you have to add parts to your truck to make it capable it's not enough truck.

 

Up grade tires and Timbern bumber stop , but I just added them , I did like 6 trips before I did anything.

 

Nice trailer , I looked at that one but the wife wanted windows in the sleeping area.

 

If you like to live on the edge 11,170# trailer, truck, and all your gear including gas, people loaded trailer, propane, water beer etc. That is the max weight no room for errors. Me I'll stick with my 3,000# loaded trailer and enjoy the ride with out beating my truck up.

 

I agree. That's why I purchased a Casita, it's lightweight. The Casita is perfect for me, my wife and my dog and it has a standard size toilet and a shower. It tows good with my first Gen taco. I love my 04 taco so upgrading to a newer bigger truck wasn't a option for me.

 

Im hoping the 2016 taco with smaller motor will perform as well as the previous gens.

 

Ive been thinking about a roughly 3000# trailer, but am very worried about the size of the stock tranny cooler. I was just driving through mountains with no trailer, no cargo, and could hit 205°. Im using the ultragauge, so not sure if thats torque or pan temps.

 

I use my dad's 25' TT which is 4,600 lbs dry. The WD hitch is a must. Tow mirrors are also a must. The hellwig air bags really help (TSB springs), but I find that I only need about 30psi to level it out perfectly. Nice cushy and supportive ride. She doesn't like steep hills but can maintain 45mph in 3rd.
I have another trip to Humboldt Co. Crescent City this summer to see how she does on long trips. If she struggles too much, I'm probably upgrading to a used 5.7L Tundra before taking the bigger trip to Zion, Bryce, Capital Reef, Yellowstone and Gunnison.

 

What your tongue weight? Do u have a WDH? The reason i ask is becuz I see your camper topper and wondered how much weight can u get away with. My payload is about 400 # and my tongue weight is 465 #, all under the max payload. just wanna know how it feels while towing rougly 4500 #

 

I know this is from a long time ago, but what model TT is that? I am in the market. I am interested in getting something that is on the upper edge of what the tacoma can handle.

 

Just wanted to drop my observations in. First want to thank all you posters out there. The info of your towing experiences that you share really helps make informed decisions on loads and such when deciding on what travel trailer to buy. I was all set to buy a 25' Passport with an empty weight in excess of 4500lbs. But after reading through a number of these threads I made a change that I am glad I did. One post that kept sticking in my mind was a guy who said "Can your truck pull that weight? Yes! But SHOULD your truck pull that weight?" So I ended up getting an Apex Nano with an empty weight of 3350lbs. I am really glad I did. The truck pulls it like a dream! It doesn't feel "stressed" at all, along with myself that doesn't feel stressed either lol. With the tow package and the Equalizer hitch system it pulls with ease and handles very well. The couple pieces of advice I read were very true and I will reiterate them here.
1. Put it in 4 and leave it there (NO overdrive)
2. Use the ECT
3. If you have a 3rd Gen, get the transmission software service bulletin "update" (I did notice the difference)
4. It is hard to get used to but 60 mph is really a magic number. I am able to average 12.5 mpg at 60 mph. By trying to stay at 65-70 mph on earlier trips my mpg was only 9.5 to 10.
5. The capacity may say 6400lbs but my advice is to not exceed 4000lbs on what your towing. I think your better off in the long run.
UPDATE--Since this post I have put on about 3500 miles towing my camper, including a trip from chicago to 11 mile state park in colorado. The taco tows it beautifully, on both the flatlands and in the mountains. It seems crazy but I actually got better gas mileage in the mountains than on the flat highway.

 

I tow this thing all over the state like it’s not even there!!!!

 

I've towed with everything from a 1980 Chevy luv to a duramax. The only time it felt like I wasn't pulling anything was because I forgot to hitch up.

 

OK I know it’s there
But doesn’t slow me down much
I’m actually looking at a hard side
It’s a Camplite 14 footer @ 2900 pounds.
Little more than I want to pull I like to stay close to 2000.

 

I drag 5,000lbs around behind the Tacoma in the Sierra Nevada Mountains......not going to win any races but it'll maintain +55mph if you're not afraid to make it work

 

Thanks for the post sticky taco.
Yeah we like to camp the Serra Nevada’s too. Real mountains.
I’ve pulled a tent trailer for over 25 years. Want a hard side. But those pop ups pull so easily.
Dig those Camplite trailer 14dbs around 3000 lbs.