The Tacoma Towing Bible

General consensus is going to be if your transmission isn't hunting gears, shifting back and forth and etc you'll probably be fine without knowing what your actual transmission fluid temperature is.

Likewise, if you got the dough, many of those type gauges can display all manner of other data you didn't realize you wanted to know, esp the ability to display and clear Diagnostic Trouble Codes if your check engine light comes on.

 

Weighed my truck today, might as well share.

2015 Tacoma, V6, AT, 4wd, tow package, access cab, SR5 trim level.

Total on the scale was 4440 pounds, less than three miles from the gas pump where I filled up.

All factory supplied stuff still in the truck, spare tire, jack, etc. Full tank of gas three miles ago, oil level perfect, all under hood fluid levels look great.

In the truck that stays in the truck year round: Aluminum tool box in bed, about 40#. Universal draw bar with all three common trailer balls sizes on it, 15#. 4 ratcheting tow straps, 1 scrap of 5/8" plywood about 6x8 inches for using the jack on soft dirt, two pairs of sunglasses, 3 audio CDs, etc. I am calling it 70# of total stuff not supplied by the factory.

I weighed myself carrying my briefcase that was in the cab with me on the scale, 208# for both.

So 4440#, minus 208# of me and briefcase, minus 70# of other crap not in my briefcase, wet and ready to roll, 4162# for just the factory truck.

Notice I emptied all the trash out of my cab and bed last night knowing I was going to do this today. I shook the dirt out of my floor mats. I looked under the seats with a flashlight to make sure I didn't leave a styrofoam coffee cup behind. I took my traction aids and snowshoes and ski poles out of the bed box last night since spring is finally here - but I haven't put my summer time stuff in the bed box yet. I carried in my spare parka from the back of the cab, and my spare wool socks and my emergency set of hand and toe warmers.

The only thing I could have done to get a lower number and still have a spare tire was hose maybe 2-3 pounds of dirt off the paint and undercarriage.

Just a data point if you have a hard time getting on a scale.

 

hey everybody, i bought a 2014 TRD Sport Double Cab and it came with the towing package. i have to buy the ball mount, but im curious to know if it can tow a car that weighs roughly 3,000lbs

 

As long as the trailer it's on is less than 3,000lbs.

 

Ok thanks, wasn't to sure

 

00 SR5 4x4. I'm going to look at a 7x19 2-axle trailer today, intending to haul a 3800 pound tractor. Is this too much for my truck?

 

Towing help? Driving a 2012 Tacoma 4x4 w/ tow package. New to towing and just purchased a single axle TT at 3700# fully loaded. Two questions: 1. Most here say to not tow in overdrive and use 4th. My truck doesn't have an overdrive on/off switch. Only has D,3,2,1 what is recommended?
2. Most here talk about using WD hitches however my dealer, the TT manufacturer, and a local hitch installer says WD hitches are not needed (would serve no purpose) since the TT has only one axle and is light weight. I do use a friction sway bar which they all recommended. Any thoughts on this?

 

Do yourself a favor and have a WD hitch and brake controller installed. You can thank me after the first tractor trailer passes you on the highway.

 

Thank you for the advice. I do have brakes and controler. So it's towing very well so far. But, I've only towed once on I85 in GA/SC for about 200 miles @ 60 mph (lots of trucks) w/o an issue. I'm going to rethink the use of a WD hitch. I think I'd rather err on the side of being safe.

Thanks!

 

I have a 2014 195 Scarab that I tow with my Taco.

DRY WEIGHT 2600 LB
TRAILER WEIGHT 834 LB
31 GALLONS OF GAS 186 LB

2015 Tacoma Pre-Runner TRD Off-Road V6 W/Towing PKG. It tows just fine around town, but the trailer has its way with the truck at hwy speeds. The stock trailer cannot be adjusted to get proper distribution as everything is welded together. I am purchasing a tandem aluminum trailer with dual brakes. Should be night and day on the highway, and it lowers the center of gravity of the boat. As you can see the stock height is very high.

 

Need a suggestion from you tow professionals... Would both options be safe, or would one be better then the other.
I have 2 ATVS, weight 388lbs each. I also have a trailer that is fairly light 5x8 wire mesh trailer that you could easily lift it and move it around. FYI: I have a 2008 2.7 cylinder 5 speed Tacoma.
Option 1) Would it be safe to load 1 of the ATVs on the bed of the truck and pull the other one on the trailer towing it using the bumper hitch (max tongue weight on the stock bumper is 500lbs according to Toyota)
Option 2) Or would it be better to load both ATVs on the trailer again towing it using the stock bumper.

 

The trailer tongue might sit a tad bit higher then the rear end of the trailer, but today I tried lifting the trailer tongue with 1 ATV sitting right up front and I was able to lift it. Im going to assume it maybe be weighted around 100-150lbs but NO MORE then 200lbs at the tongue.

 

I have the replacement springs on my 2009 and when I sit on the tailgate it only sags about 2" at the rear wheel arches. I weigh about 280.

 

Don't think so, but I'll have her take a pic with her phone today while testing it so I can see (instead of taking her word for it...)

 

Safe is always the best way to go.

A weight distribution hitch, on its own (not counting any sway control features that it may have, such as the Reese Dual-Cam) simply spreads the tongue weight over the rear AND front tires of your tow vehicle. The simplest way to tell if you need a WD hitch, is to hitch up your fully-loaded trailer, and compare the rear ride height to the front. If there's obvious sag at the back, you'll be experiencing light steering, which is indicative of less traction up front, which means poor handling.

You should also (as mentioned above) check how much clearance to your bump stops remains under load. A fix for that would be rear air bag "helper" springs, which have the advantage of being configured for any additional load/tongue weight from zero to maximum rated, by changing the air pressure in the bags. An example of such a system is shown below.

At about $319, it's not too expensive, and it can be a DIY project, requiring an afternoon of wrenching, if you're at all good with mechanical stuff, and can follow the instructions.

Also mentioned above is a brake controller. If your trailer is equipped with electronic brakes, you'll need a controller to activate them properly; the heavier the trailer, the more you'll benefit from the additional braking, to keep the trailer behind the truck where it belongs. You can also manually activate the trailer brakes independently with the controller, to help bring a swaying trailer back under control.

I installed all of the mentioned devices on a 2006 Chevy Silverado 2500HD Duramax/Allison turbo-diesel, which was used to tow a 28', 12,000 lb (fully loaded) toyhauler - The systems listed below are for that level of towing weight, but you can get the same stuff, rated for lighter duty, which is more in line with our Tacomas' tow ratings (and cheaper, as well).

WD hitch with sway control - Reese Dual-Cam

http://www.etrailer.com/Weight-Distribution/Reese/RP66084.html

Rear air bags (Firestone),

http://www.sdtrucksprings.com/fires...g-kit-chevy-silverado-2011-2013-2500hd-3500hd

Brake controller (Prodigy)

https://www.southwestwheel.com/store/showproduct.aspx?ProductID=4751&SEName=tekonsha-prodigy-p2

The links given are not a recommendation for that dealer, nor is it where I purchased the items at the time - they're only provided for reference. Do your own price/service shopping... I installed all of these items on my own, and it wasn't rocket science, nor am I a young muscle guy (although two people will get it done faster.

The truck towed well, rode levelly, and didn't give me much in the way of surprises, although braking was always scary in a panic situation... it's not easy to quickly stop a combined weight of 9 tons.

 

I camp every year at Big Sur and I know that road like the back of my hand Lol. I recently just bought a fleetwood pop up and this will be my first year towing it up there, I live in HB as well. I've been pouring over all the information I can find on towing in perpetration for my trip this June. Thanks to this thread I think I've got the all my bases covered, brake controller added, upgraded to yellow stuff pads in the front added a tru cool lpd trans cooler and installed a ultra gauge to top it off. Will be servicing the truck next week trans flush, radiator flush, brake fluid flush, power steering flush, oil change and what ever else the manual call for at 50,000 miles. I'm kinda looking forward to hitting the hills on hwy 1 to see how my truck does, I've never pulled anything up that road more than 1500 lbs. This thread has been an invaluable source of info.
Thanks!

 

Just towed our new 16' hybrid TT up to the White Mountains and back - about 300 miles round trip, one half uphill all the way. Our 2009 V6 TRD Sport model got about 8 to 12 mpg on the way there, and about 12 to 50 mpg on the way back! We probably averaged about 12mpg while towing the trailer. I kept it in "4" vs. "D" to prevent the hunting and potential damage to the transmission. I kept it at 60 mph on the highway, which just seemed more comfortable than 65 or 70. That was right at 2500 RPMs or so. Anyway, the truck and trailer seemed to do just fine. With the WDH and sway bar, it behaved very well, even when windy or going down hills.

I got an Ultra Gauge before the trip, and I love it. I could not figure out how to make it show transmission temp though, and I left the manual at home...so will have to do that for next time.

 

Great thread! Helped clarify some ankle biter questions

 

Try this link

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/ultragauge-transmission-temp.318340/

 

I figured it out...I ordered it with the Toyota settings, and the trans temp was already there, but many screens down (about 6?) so I just didn't go far enough.