Towing a 2017 Airstream International Signature 19CB with 2017 TRD Off Road 6sp Manual

Spencer - digging deeper into this thread, it seems my total payload is actually less than 1000 lbs, which puts me over with the canopy/rooftop tent/and trailer attached. That said - I have to imagine you are over as well with a 16' bambi... is that right? (Trying to get some level of confidence in my decision here, as I'm not feeling like a bone head who is pushing his truck beyond the limits!)

 

You and I have such similar experiences that I'm happy to discuss this as much as you want but don't let me "tell" you what to do.

The Bambi is the first RV I've ever owned and it has been the absolute best purchase. Weeklong trip to Yellowstone is only a few days away! We were tent campers and then did the RTT for a few years but as long time Airstream fans we decided 2020 was our year. I'd call my wife and I "glampers": rocking camp chairs, propane fire pit, blackstone griddle, Yeti cooler, you get the idea.....we don't travel light. It was a 6 hour drive home from the Airstream dealer and the Tacoma did as well as I hoped but the truck was empty. After watching every video on YouTube and constantly re-doing the math, I just couldn't get over the numbers. I, like many people/first time trailer buyers, checked the towing capacity without fully understanding payload. I wasn't exceeding payload but I was right there. You'll find people on this site who have no problem towing at or slightly exceeded payload but I'm not one of them.

Another important detail is I live in the Sierra Nevada mountains and am routinely driving over 8000 ft passes to get to my destinations. You can go online and find people who live in Florida who tow Bambis with Subarus or Jeep Wranglers and say it's great. Hard pass.

The Tacoma was my favorite vehicle I've ever owned but we're also 100% hooked on RVing and will likely upgrade to a dual axle Airstream within several years so I traded in my '17 Off Road for a '20 Tundra Limited and am not looking back. Towing is a different experience in a full size truck. That said, in classic Toyota fashion, I think the Tundra still has the worst payload in it's class (approx. 1500 lbs) so I'll have a new set of limitations the next time I'm Airstream shopping. I loved the Tacoma but also never thought I'd own a trailer back in '17 when I bought it so I chalked it up as "life changes and I'm willing to change with it." I hope this helps/explains my POV but I also believe you can make your current rig work: lose the RTT and possibly shell, transfer cargo to the trailer instead of the truck so its "tongue weight", avoid traveling with full tanks, etc.

I'll be curious to see what your CAT scale numbers are.

 

Helpful things:

https://www.keepyourdaydream.com/payload/

 

This is really too weird - I am in almost the same boat. Bought the tacoma in 2016 with big hopes of overlanding and building it out. Slowly made my way there with some small mods, the canopy, the RTT... Love the size of the truck and the 6 speed manual. That said, I've had brochures of airstreams on my fridge for the better part of the past 15 years, dreaming of the day. This year has been a mess, and in addition to all the craziness, my mom passed away and I inherited the exact amount of money to make the airstream dream come true... with covid and everthing else I could only say "if not now, then when?" and with the ability to work from anywhere at the moment, my girlfriend and I decided we'd hit the road in it, chasing warmer weather and open spaces, (and good internet connections for work I'm three weeks into owning the airstream and already totally agree with you - it's absolutely the best, and I too realize that someday I'll step up to a double axle, hopefully in partnership with buying a piece of property for it to have a permanent home in the mountains.

Anyway - suffice it to say - I now find myself in the exact same spot as you. I love my Tacoma, but I want to be safe. I'll get the CAT scale done today (heading out to the coast for the weekend) and I'll post back on here what the weights were... and sadly, I think I'll start looking around at Tundras... somehow I feel like if I buy myself a Tundra TRD pro I'll still leave some space for occasional overlanding - but your words are definitely helping. I just need to chalk this up to life changes and my willingness to change with it... super helpful stuff. Now I need to find the best forum for selling my 17' TRD Off Road to someone who has had a picture of THAT on their fridge for the past 15 years

Really grateful for all the back and forth on here - never really been a big forum guy, but between this site and the airstream one, I'm learning a ton and excited to be able to pay it forward down the road!

 

So instead of moving to a bigger truck, you could remove the RTT and cap, get a normal tonneau cover, and pack everything in the trailer when you're hitched up.

May make things more complicated for when you want to get out and camp without the trailer, but if you've got a place to store the RTT, it's an alternative option. Maybe not ideal, but with a little special attention paid to where you're loading things in the trailer, you could easily get everything within spec (paying attention to hitch weight when the trailer is loaded with your gear). And also, if boondocking, filling up the fresh water tank as close to your destination as possible so you don't have to lug around a huge amount of unnecessary weight for the majority of the trip (advisable in any towing situation just for the sake of efficiency)

Just depends entirely on your priorities. Being a city slicker, trying to do everything I can to keep the mid-size truck is generally priority number one since 98% of the time, it's not towing anything.

 

You're going to be fine with where you are at weight wise. You will exceed the payload rating but it will still drive fine and be safe. I towed a 3500lb trailer with my Tacoma that weighed 1000lbs over GVWR (before hitching the trailer) all the way down from Alaska and across the country without a problem. A bigger truck will definitely do it better but I wouldn't be in a rush to go spend a bunch of money on something new just for what you're towing.

 

I typed this 30 mins ago: "You'll find people on this site who have no problem towing at or slightly exceeded payload...."

Congrats to Crazy on his road trip but if you get pulled over or -- god forbid in an accident -- and you're overweight, your insurance company is going to say "good luck with that."

 

Could you post a couple closer pics of the hitch set-up?

 

In most places it is not illegal to exceed GVWR and most insurance does not have a stipulation on it either. It is obviously a personal choice but it's not black and white like you make it out to be. The simple fact is the majority of relatively modified Tacomas on this site are over GVWR every time they load up a few people or put gear in the bed and you rarely see it causing a problem for anyone.

 

All - an update after getting on a CAT scale in two settings:
2017 Tacoma TRD Offroad Quad Cab - 6 spd Manual:
Sticker on my door says:
FRT: 2910
RR: 3280
GVWR: 5,600
(So, for starters that is a bit confusing...shouldn't the front and rear axle ratings = the GVWR?)
Trailer Axle is rated for 4,300 (Total weight of trailer is rated at 4,500 but I have the axle info in my owners binder so I think it's important to call out that value as well)

I went on the CAT scale without water in my tanks, no girlfriend in the truck, only partially loaded for a trip:
Drive Axle: 2640
Rear Axle: 3140
Trailer Axle: 3920
Total: 9,700
This seemed pretty decent... not overloading any of my axles

THEN I loaded up for a trip, got my girlfriend, our two smaller dogs, filled the truck with fuel, and filled our fresh water tank... we were loaded for a week long trip in Montana, so a good barometer for some real travel. This is not quite as good:
Drive Axle: 2,660
Rear Axle: 3,420
Trailer Axle: 4,080
Total: 10,160

So this time, it's my rear axle that is overloaded by 160lbs, but the front and trailer are still good... overall not super bad, but not great. I HAVE to imagine they are designed with a factor of safety that allows for a little overage, but it's certainly not ideal.

At this load i was still getting 12.5mpg in the tacoma, and with the manual I lived in 3rd and 4th going up a long steep pass at about 50-55mph, but on gradual hills and flat roads I could easily cruise at 65mpg in 5th or even 6th gear with little stress on the engine.

I still think I'm in the market for a larger truck but perhaps I dont need to rush...

 

Nice. Getting educated is at least half the battle. I think that confirms you need to dial in the WDH to get more tongue weight onto the Tacoma front axle? Good luck man, and I hope you enjoy your AS as much as we have been enjoying ours.