Towing Capacity

I agree with all of the above, I have pulled our pop up camper that weight 2000 lbs GVWR on an SUV that can pull 3500 lbs. On a flat road it was tolerable but as soon as you get a small incline or hill it will not be fun. Add in other variables of crosswinds, rain or any weather I think it will be a bit tough to do and a bit scary. This is a reason we bought a Tacoma so that we can pull our 2000 lb trailer with ease.

If you are attempting this please make sure to purchase a trailer brake controller for your truck and wired in to the 7 pin to control the trailer brakes (this is a must!!).

Where we are anything over 3500 you must have a trailer brake controller.

 

I appreciate the info guys. I guess I have a couple of options. 1) I get a refund on this 25ft camper and just rent a much smaller one. It’s for 2 nights for me, the wife and two small kids 2) have my father in law who is camping with us in a tent tow it on his 2019 Tundra. 3) invest in some stuff.

when I got the truck my intentions were to pull a jet ski trailer or a small boat. We live at the beach, but go up to the mountains a couple times per year and we have encountered ice and snow so we wanted a 4x4.

the dealer told me it was 5600 towing. This is my 4th Tacoma, but my first 4x4 and first time towing. We always use my father in law’s Tundra to pull boats etc. so when getting this camper, it said 5200. I didn’t put too much thought into it. I just thought, hey that’s 400 lbs under, so no problem. Not going to load anything else into it but a suitcase or two.

glad I came her for some info. I am sure some of you seasoned folks are like, wtf is this guy thinking, but that’s why I’m asking.

 

I would say get your father in law to tow the trailer, since he is only camping in a tent and will not be towing anything.
this way you still get the room of the bigger trailer and none of the white knuckle driving towing larger trailer that what the car can handle. Enjoy your trip!

 

And now that we are talking about this, attached is a screen shot from Toyota on my VIN. It says that it has sway control on the tow package. Not sure if that is enough or even what you guys are suggesting. Break controller is a must regardless

 

Seriously, if this if your first time towing. DO NOT TOW THIS!

Towing capacity is marketing horseshit. It's all about "Payload". Tongue weight plus everything you have in the truck. The Tacoma is a light truck. 900-some lbs Payload. It doesn't take much before you exceed that. Even on flat, straight roads. Do not exceed it. It could be catastrophic. This isn't hyperbole.

The Tacoma also basically needs a Weight Distribution Hitch for all but the lightest of trailers. Not sumo springs, or air bags, but you need to distribute the weight of the trailer across both front and rear axles.

 

x2

 

i feel like the drive like you have a trailer is a big point that people don't understand. even with all the proper equipment drive like you have a trailer. add a few car lengths for stopping. drive at the speed limit and not with traffic. its really not rocket science. no you won't be driving in the fast lane going up a mountain pass. yes you can tow it slowly and safely just use your head. everyone saying the truck shouldn't tow 5500lbs is probably driving to drive 80MPH while at 1400rpm on the interstate and expecting advertised 21mpg. that's not how it works. and that's not a knock on the tacoma that is with any truck and trailer combo. towing 18k lbs with an F350 is just as shitty as towing 6400lbs with a tacoma.

 

Literally no one has said any of this.

 

i wasn't meaning in this thread in particular. i was more so meaning in the millions of other threads that say "you shouldn't tow more than 3,000lbs with the tacoma its not safe!!!!!!!!"

 

What's gas milage have to do with safety?

 

did i say anything about gas mileage and being "safe"?

 

Well you brought up gas mileage, and then when it's been pointed out no one said any of the things you said, you went to safety. So you tell me....

 

holy shit you must be bored. i brought up gas mileage as in the millions of other threads about people bitching about this truck can't tow a jet skit i get 9mpg and it doesn't go as fast as normal and takes longer to stop!!!! blah blah blah. like i already said im not specifically talking about this thread. i didn't say anything about safety after you told me nobody said these things. i can't tell if you're just acting stupid or being a normal forum participant and wanting to argue about every little thing.

 

The truck gets more than 9 mpg pulling jet skis, it even gets better gas mileage than that pulling boats, with lift, bigger tires, skids, and sliders.....I think you should look up what a strawman is, could be educational for you.

 

Sway control in regard to what you posted is a way the vehicle uses the stability control to apply brakes to individual wheels to help slow down the sway of a trailer that gets outta hand. I've only seen this in action on my sis's F150 when towing, it startled us both the first time it happened as you could hear the ABS system kicking in before we noticed the TRAILER SWAY alert on the dashboard. Not sure how the Tacoma does it, but i'm sure it's very similar. My truck is older and does not have this feature.

 

it might get better than that if your "boat" is a 10' jon boat in the bed of your truck.

 

Nah, it's a 17 foot jet boat.....On a steel trailer.

 

ahhhh so youre one of the guys with 33's full armor and tow 5000lbs and still get 15mpg huh?

 

This is more strawman
I'm not on 33's and it's not 5000 lbs......

Do you typically make these type of wrong assumptions or are you just retarded?