Towing RV

"Been there, done that, learned to set it up properly myself as my RV dealer did not in their 5 minute drive when I first bought my TT"

Agree 100%

Your brake controller is one item you need to read the manual and completely understand the settings before you hit the road. Having a quality controller set up correctly makes for low stress towing.

 

Hi all! I put a deposit on a grand design imagine xls 23bhe today now wondering if it's too heavy for my truck... Of course the salesman said no problem lol. Dry weight is 5k pounds. I have the electric brake controller and getting an E2 fastway trunnion hitch.. any thoughts? Thanks!

 

I really looked at that one to. Looked hard at specs though 5300lbs+ dry and 80gal grey tank, 2 propane's plus battery so tongue over 600lbs. Others here know more on the towing end. At almost 28ft and weighs more than your truck....I would keep looking or tow with something else.

 

I don't dry camp but definitely have the same thoughts you listed! Thanks!
*I won't have the tanks full

 

You don't need to turn the knob for manual braking, you just have to push in. Depending on which mode you are in, it will either apply a light brake just to pull the trailer back into control, or it will ramp up to the gain that the dial is set to, same as using the lever on a P3. You can turn the knob while pressing, but only if you feel you need it to go past the gain setting that you normally tow at. It would be like trying to use the manual lever as well as the up or down arrow on a P3 to adjust the gain while manually braking.

This is from the redarc manual.
"In Automatic mode the manual override will apply the trailer brake to a level equivalent to ‘light’ vehicle braking whilst still retaining the proportional braking characteristics of the Automatic mode.In User Controlled mode the manual override will apply the trailer brakes to the level set on the gain control knob.In both modes the braking force can be adjusted by turning the gain control knob, either higher or lower, whilst applying the manual override brakes."

 

Here's my write up on the NoBo
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/my-tow-experience-with-a-nobo-19-6.690623/

 

Sweet! Must have missed this digging around a few days ago and dang its like someone wrote it just for me. Will be on the east coast until spring but will look into adding a cooler for sure before heading out west. Will pay attention to Trans temps and see how they do on diff grades so forth. I expected I would already need to modify my routes around grades, considering the Garmin RV. Thanks!

 

That is too heavy for a Tacoma. What's it weigh loaded? 6500. Truck will tow it but will be screaming for the 3 miles it takes you to get up to speed. You will run out of payload really fast too.

 

As far as brake controller go. The P3 is a great one. Easy to set up and use. Basically set it and forget it. As stated earlier, read the directions fully.

 

Too heavy.

Dry weight means little. What will the camper weigh when you have all your gear loaded? Ok, so tanks will be empty. Will you carry propane? A 20# propane bottle will be close to 40 lbs. Battery? Add another 40 lbs. Pots, pans, dishes, silverware, bedding, food.........clothing......

It won't take long to blow over the trucks GCVWR or Tow Capacity or Cargo Capacity. Your truck will be about 4500 lbs, dry camper at 5300 lbs. GCVWR is about 11,000 lbs.......a little math leaves 1200 lbs for all the gear including the hitch sway bar.

Good luck.

 

Salesmen always say no problem. A Tacoma just doesn't have the payload to work with.
That isn't going to be a fun or comfortable tow under normal driving and downright scary in a bad situation.
Smaller trailer or bigger truck and you will be a happier traveler.

 

I've read through the first page and see most people are recommending engine braking... so let me play devil's advocate.

These trucks aren't semi's or diesels, so they aren't designed to take the stress of engine braking with a load. Just because you can do it doesn't mean it won't wear or stress the machinery. The trailer brakes, properly set, are designed to take the extra load. I'd rather pull over and let overheated brakes cool than to damage an expensive transmission through working it in ways it is not designed to work.

Just my two cents... and I think your question and reasoning was right on.

 

engine braking will long term be ineffective

will no less compromise the transmission

effective trailer brakes trump engine braking ( getting a good setup takes beating the bushes )

dry adjustments to trailer brakes will more than likely sketchy when wet

in the upper midwest HIGH Winds are a major consideration

if U take Ur time U will avoid many a mistake

 

These engines aren't equipped with an exhaust brake like a diesel so there is only a limited amount of load that can be applied to the drive train through braking.

There will be less stress on the drive train when using engine braking than when climbing the same hill, the hill is only spinning up the drive train -- a few hundred pounds of rotating weight. Climbing the hill the drive train is pulling several thousands of pounds.

In section 4.1 of the owners manual Toyota specifically uses the statement "to maintain engine braking" regarding operation of both the automatic and manual transmissions and in the next paragraph specifically states "Before descending, slow down and downshift." and further cautions about overheating the brakes by applying them too long or too frequently. Toyota seems to have no issues with this as they recommend the procedure specifically.

Transmissions that fail towing usually fail climbing the hill not descending it.

That said, under test conditions of 2 identical trucks, one with a medium heavy trailer and one without I am sure the towing truck would show wear at a higher rate and ultimately wear out faster than the unloaded truck.

 

I would recommend switching to a smaller/lighter trailer or buying a bigger truck to tow with. I went from a F350 Crew Cab Dually towing a 42ft Weekend Warrior to a Tacoma TRD Sport 4x4 towing a 19 ft Jayflight SLX 19RB Baja. The Jayflight unloaded weight is 2,900lbs and you feel every bit of it with the Tacoma. Weight adds up quickly with gear, clothes, food etc. Even if towing with water tanks 1/4 full. When I go to the desert for a few days I'm really pushing the limits with everything full. The Tacoma can handle it but you are definitely not passing anyone. Takes a lot more effort/attention with the smaller truck to tow a trailer getting close to vehicle limits. If you are set on that trailer with those weights - you will definitely be unhappy with the Tacoma as a tow vehicle.

 

That trailer will be much more at home behind a half ton truck, in my opinion. I'm sure the Tacoma will do it with a properly set up weight distribution hitch, but it's a big tail for a small dog, that trailer will push around the Tacoma and likely make for an uncomfortable towing experience.

In general, be weary of 'dry weights' and 'unloaded tongue weight' as stated by the manufacturers. They are usually a bit more than they indicate. Tongue weight should be between 10-15% of the overall trailer weight so at 6k lbs, 15% puts you at 900 lbs (I know that should be the heavy end but not out of the realm of possibility either).

To the OP, lots of great advice in this thread. I would echo what others have said about doing your own homework and recheck the weight distribution setup if you have it done by the RV dealer. Sometimes, you get a great tech who can really dial it in, others rubber stamp it and need to have their work checked out. Loaded and heading down the road, you want the trailer level or slightly nose down and 10-15% of the weight on the tongue of the trailer. Also, don't be afraid to go to a CAT scale and check your numbers. Weigh the truck empty, then truck with the trailer (load bars unhooked) and truck with the trailer and load bars hooked up to prove out how much weight distribution you're really getting and also how much tongue weight you have. I would really recommend using a CAT scale if you have a lot of sway and you're trying to get your setup squared away. Someone also made a comment about air bags masking an overload condition and that advice is 100% correct. If you have some time, there's a great YouTube video on air bags vs. weight distribution, it's worth a watch. Air bags can lift the rear of the tow vehicle and make it appear like everything is level and fine but it's really overloaded and will handle like crap. Using both air bags and weight distribution is fine, you just have to get everything dialed in as a system.

Regarding engine braking, the Tacoma's engine isn't going to bring the truck and trailer to a stop, it doesn't have enough mass to get the job done but, there's nothing wrong with using a lower gear on a long down hill to maintain a speed. If the grade is too steep, you'll need to use your brakes regardless. Engine braking is not a substitute for using your brakes, it's just a supplement that you have available to you. You may find that the stock brakes aren't great and may want to consider more aggressive aftermarket pads and rotors if you spend a lot of time towing in hilly terrain.

What you called the 'behave' button is a button that activates the trailer's brakes separately from the truck. You should have your brake controller mounted in a way where this button is easily accessible. If you're traveling down a highway and a truck passes you and you start to feel the trailer sway, that's when you hit that button. In those situations, intuition tells you to hit your truck's brakes when, in fact, that's about the worst thing you can do. Maintain your foot on the gas and press the button that puts on the trailer brakes. It puts a little drag on the trailer and makes it step back in line, release the button and carry on your way.

Congrats on the new purchase and I hope you enjoy camping! I've been dragging my camper around the north east for years and think it's a great way to get out and see things.

 

FYI- My fully equipped/fueled boat and trailer is around 4000lbs (well under the 6400lb max). I have AirLift bags (15psi) on the truck and surge brakes on the trailer. I have a V6 DCLB and there are no problems pulling or stopping my boat or my lighter, 16ft enclosed trailer. Other than the terrible fuel mileage, there’s nothing that would make me want to get a smaller boat or add a WD hitch or anything else.

 

set up + adjustment is not a 1 time thing

 

very familiar with ‘ Dry Weights ‘ = butchers thumb

loaded for a vacation .............weighed correctly on a ‘ Certified ‘ sclae

easily hundreds if not thousand pounds overweight

 

Thank you all for the advice! Rethinking I should have kept our 20' Rpod...
Threw the taco on my local craigslist to see what happens...