Towing Questions

Hey all,

I am going to be getting out of the Army soon and I am taking a trip around the us to ride moto and mountain bike. I am going to be driving my 03 Tacoma with 160k on the clock. I am going to be buying a small toy hauler (12'-14'). The weight of the ones I am looking at are right around 3,000lbs. I will also have tools, a generator, small welder, one dirt bike, and misc camping/riding gear. I estimate that with all of that, and water in the tanks I am looking at 4500-5000lbs. That puts me right at the recommended towing capacity. What mods, if any would any of you make? I was thinking about heavier rear leaf springs, helper air bags, and maybe exhaust and cold air intake.

 

IMO I would not worry with a cold air intake "minimal gains" and exhaust will give you minimal gains as well. I would focus on getting heavier rated springs and possibly air bags. Keep in mind heavier springs/airbags do not increase payload, but make your truck more stable while hauling the load.

 

Yeah, I get that the payload will not increase. I am not planning on going over that magic 5k number. I am really hoping to stay under 4500lbs. Thanks for the input. I am also going to have the tranny flushed and serviced prior to leaving. Do you think a trailer load distributing/anti sway hitch would be a worth while investment? I have always had full sized trucks and towing with something this small is new to me. Thanks again for your input.

 

Have you ever done a transmission fluid flush on your truck before? I have always heard if the transmission was not flushed at regular intervals to leave it alone and add fluid if needed.

 

You could look into doing the Tundra brake upgrade as well - that's a lot of weight with our crappy stock brakes.

Also - many on here who tow get an Ultragauge, Scangauge, etc. to monitor transmission temps while towing

 

I did not see if you have a Auto but flushing says a auto

Auto Trans cooler for sure

Trailer brakes every little bit helps .

How you load the trailer makes a big difference in how it handles and pulls.

Up grade to a 7 pin plug and brake control needed for the trailer brakes

You will find the weight adds up very quick how much of the load are you planning to carry in the truck??

 

you say small toy hauler... are we talking enclosed or open? If it was me I would really examine the construction of the toy hauler very carefully. I have seen toy haulers where the "V" of the hitch is butt welded to the front cross piece as opposed to welded underneath the trailers box frame. The 7 pin connector is a good idea. I always run the +12v charging wire and make sure that it is only powered when the tow vehicle is running*. I put a battery in the trailer that the tow vehicle can use "just in case". If open, an aluminum box can be installed on the tongue to hold the battery and stuff.

*I am a Ford truck guy... Toyota doesnt make anything big enough for a 33' 5th wheel toy hauler, anyway, I couldnt find a decent Ford and a buddy was selling his 03 Silverado 2500HD, Allison 5 speed, 8.1L gas, quad cab, long bed, 2WD / LS etc. etc. and the price was right. First trip to the desert and get ready to go home and both of the chevys batterys are dying or near death. Come to discover that Dodge and Chevy decided to have constant power through the trailer harness so all weekend pulling power out of the coach batteries and the tow vehicle batteries...

 

I have a couple friends who I've recommended this to, before spending the dollars on a pricey travel trailer. Rent a U-haul car hauler, borrow a buddy's 2, 3 or 4000 pound car. Haul it around for a day or so. Most find out that " tow rating" isn't a fun weight to tow. Then factor in mountains, trailer aerodynamics, etc. Most end up with a bigger tow vehicle or smaller trailer. X2 on the Tacoma stock brakes.

 

Too much weight, I wouldn't go over 3800 lbs