Towing 6400 with Tacoma

It's like you know what I like

 

And just whys that

Call me a liar I'll at least ask why

 

I tow a camper regularly loaded up to around 3100lbs. The wind kills. I keep the truck in s4 with ect on. It does it well for the size of the truck, but it doesnt do it anywhere near like what a diesel does. Also, you have to remember that 5th and 6th gear are over drive gears and just dont have to rpms or torque to steadily tow

 

Get this and you will not even know it is behind you. Dang I miss this truck..... I was pulling about 20mpg empty.

 

For what it’s worth. I’ve towed a boat (4000 lbs) with the V6 Tacoma and with my wife’s V8 gx460. They are tow rated for the same amount. The V8 pulls so much better in my opinion even with identical tow ratings. I still keep the gx460 in manual shifting mode to keep the rpms above 2500, and above 3000 in the hills. For me to tow comfortably I have to be able to control what gear I’m in.

 

5700lbs, though more aerodynamic than a travel trailer. Tows fine in ECT and S4/S5 but Highway speed limits up here are only 55-70 mph. Definitely need to rev some on the hills but nothing uncomfortable

 

Good lord... I hope that beast never drags you down a slippery slimy boat ramp. Tow it sure. Get on a steep boat ramp with some snarly moisture and I can't imagine the e-brake alone would hold it. Just sayin...wonder-in ….

 

Haha I just stumbled onto this slap fest. Should have gotten a 2nd gen!

 

just the nature of the beast man.. it will tow what its rated for but its gonna rev and strain in certain conditions.. when i had my 2017 tacoma i towed a 5000 pound travel trailer 10+ hours a couple of times. it did ok. never felt unsafe, was always able to pick up speed going up a hill though it would spin to 4500 rpm at times.. it is what it is. how that strain and high rpm will effect things over the years who knows.. i needed a full size truck for the cabin room so i upgraded to a gmc sierra. has the 6.2 engine and 10 speed trans with max tow package (rated for 12,200 ponds). towing that same 5000 trailer it doesn't even break a sweat but that why i bought it. it was better suited to do what i needed...

 

My RV is 20' and is 3900 lbs dry. It pulls easily at 55 mph doing 2200 rpm in 4th (5 spd auto). When pulling loads of timber, I'm often 6000 lbs but compared to the RV it pulls easier due to the frontal size is much smaller. I cruise at 55 mph and even going up modest hills it rarely goes into 3rd. I have no qualms about pulling maximum loads with my truck on a regular basis. The first thing you could try is slowing down. 55 to 60 mph is plenty fast for towing.

 

55-60 mph is plenty fast for towing eh...…….. guessing you have never towed or driven through, let's say, Atlanta or even Orlando. You would be likely "forced" off the road at that speed. Not sayin it's right. Sayin that's the way it is.

 

Lol. True statement.

Driving through Denver at rush hour. People were pushing 80+. KC, OKC , STL all cities pulling a trailer with the Tacoma better have your “A” game ... lol

I should go to Canada next summer...60mph sounds nice ...

 

55-60 is crawling. the states vary a lot with towing speed limits.. some are 75 mph... https://drivinglaws.aaa.com/tag/trailer-speed-limits/ gotta be aware of the speed rating of your trailer tires too..

one thing i notice going from the tacoma to a full size truck is i'm less wore out after a drive with the full size truck.. never realized it but the high revs and lack of acceleration must have stressed me out or something.. the tacoma never made me unsafe or anything so i don't know what else it could have been that wore me out in that truck.. i have more room and am a little more comfortable in the full size truck so maybe that has something to do with it too..

 

Most trailer tires are only rated for a max of 65 mph.

All trucks max tow ratings are based on NOTHING in the tow vehicle but a 150 lb driver. And you also have to consider other limiting factors. Most hitches are only rated for 5000 lbs and 500 lbs tongue weight even if the truck is rated for more.

And then there is payload. Tacoma's don't have much. Mine is 1200 lbs. I weigh 220, my wife 140. That only leaves me 840 lbs for tongue weight, a WDH, and any other cargo I might want to put in the truck. A 6400 lb trailers tongue weight + the required WDH is going to eat up 930 lbs of my payload. I'm 100 lbs overloaded with nothing in the truck but me and my wife. Start adding other cargo, camping gear, other passengers etc. and a Tacoma can easily be overloaded with a trailer much lighter than 6400 lbs.

Virtually no trucks on the road will actually tow the max listed weight. Even 3/4 ton diesels. That is the amount the truck will PULL under ideal conditions. It is not the amount the trucks suspension is rated to handle which is usually the limiting factor. You have to look at all of the limiting factors and not exceed the one with the least amount of weight. Which is realistically 4000-4500 lbs for a Tacoma.

 

my tacoma had a 900 pound payload. too many people do not understand what payload is. they think its what you can put in the bed. not every little thing you have.. cell phone, floor mats, aftermarket bumpers...etc...etc...etc..

 

No but the manual does say...

“Your vehicle is designed primarily as a passenger and load carrying vehicle. Towing a trailer can have an adverse impact on handling, performance, braking, durability, and fuel consumption.”

 

I pulled a Tab 400 all over the Midwest this summer. Dry weight is 2800 lbs. I had no issues with MT towing mostly in 5th at 65-70 mph. Occasionally going up hills I would have to downshift to 4th. RPM’s were never very high—around 2500 when cruising. MPG was about 12 mpg. Mine is a pretty aerodynamic rig, but high winds do affect towing quite a bit.

No offense to anyone, and I realize the AT is a different story altogether, but I think people who complain so much about towing with the Taco don’t really know how drive it, because it takes a little effort.

I agree it does wear one out a little. It requires more attention than typical cruising on a 4-lane. The worst is having to pass up a hill for instance.

I would have no problem towing up to 4000 lbs, but any more than that I’d go fullsize (our previous truck was a Chevy Avalanche 5.7L).

 

I just redline and bounce the limiter all day. Towing I treat it no different. I'll go hours in 3rd & 4th. Counting the days till she blows