Towing Package

I recently bought an 08 DC long bed sport and i dont know if it has a tow package or not. It does have a tow hitch attached but i didn't know if there something that i could look for that would definitively show that i have a towing package on my truck. Any help would be great! Thanks!

 

look for the oil cooler below the filter with 2 hoses coming off it that go to the thermostat housing.

 

Also there will be a smaller radiator in front of your main one to cool the tranny.

 

and i think they have a 7 pin tow connector too

 

Plus look and see if u have the heavy duty battery with a little circle that indicates the batteries health

 

i know that i have the 7 pin connector but i dont know about the other stuff yet. Ill have to take a look later. Thanks for the help guys. very appreciated!

 

Good info here, learned something new tonight!

 

oh, so that's only with the tow package? we were just talking about that recently...

 

yeah, with the tow package you get a transmission/oil cooler, heavy duty alternator, heavyduty battery, the tow hitch in the rear along with electrical plug in.

 

best to relocate that 7 pin connector, i ripped mine off this weekend...

 

and a heavy duty cooling fan clutch painted Barbie pink...

 

No relation to towing package on newer Tacomas. Mine has it and it does not have factory tow package.

 

The towing package came standard with my 08 Sport package.

 

I was wondering the same thing about my truck. Being here in Afghan, I can't go check. If a person doesn't have the tow package, is it hard or expensive to get?

 

^You can get away with the hitch (obviously), the wiring harness, and the trans cooler. Those are the 3 I'm doing but I also don't tow very often. But with that, I'm not concerned about damage when I do tow the 4Klbs I would typically tow.

FYI: A Uhaul hitch is $119.95; I'm getting one myself.

 

Definately go with an aftermarket hitch if you need one.

The one on my truck was just replaced due to being rear ended. The OEM tow hitch assembly was $1,000 just for the part. Good thing it wasn't on my dime......

 

^Holy shnikey's, Batman! $1000 vs. $120. Yikes. But yeah, at least it's not out of your pocket.

Interestingly enough, that's one of the reasons I want one. My truck has been rearended twice and I want a hitch for added protection back there. I had a hitch on my '99 Explorer (a Uhaul hitch, still in my garage), was rearended, and not one bit of damage while his Nissan pickup was trashed.

 

Having a hitch won't keep damage from happening. It actually caused a significant amount of damage in my case.

When I got rear ended, the hitch took the brunt of the impact, but because it's mounted directly to the frame, the frame bent and had to be replaced.

After 10 1/2 weeks in the shop, the total bill came to $20,600.00.

About $8,000.00 of that was just to replace the bent frame.

In a minor impact I will agree, the hitch would probably save the back end of your truck.

 

It would all depend on speed of the collision. I was in an accident where I got hit by a small toyota car while I was driving another truck with a hitch and the car had damage to it's bumper and radiator while I only had a small piece of rubber rip off the hitch cover. We were only going ~15mph or so.

 

It will definitely help. It has helped me on more than one vehicle. If your vehicle was hit that hard, you would've had frame damage regardless.