Towing travel trailer with partial tow package

I'm thinking they don't want to add the parts because the truck would still technically be rated for 3,500 lbs. I found this thread: http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2n...age-vs-standard-towing-capacity-question.html and that guy is/was in the same boat I am. It seems to be if I added the stuff, I'd have to have TDOT do a test to see what it would be rated. I could skip it but if I ever got in a wreck I could really be up shit creek without a paddle so I can see why they would be leery doing something like that. I do agree it sounds stupid to have to do a suspension upgrade. I'm pretty sure I have the same springs/shocks as my TRD Off Road I traded in. But what do I know. I'm not really a car guy. I just got into this stuff when I bought my Tacoma. My dad has a frontier and while it's really nice, it takes him 400 yards to turn a circle. I commute 45 miles round trip to work in this truck so I need the best bang for my $$ and that is a Tacoma.

Also, I have 0 plans to lift my truck. I don't wheel/off road or anything like that. I just need a truck to pull my camper, haul some dirt so I can play in it sometimes at the house, and cart my beer around.

 

I'm genuinely asking, why do you want to know exactly how much it is rated? I would assume it would be rated the same no matter how the parts were added. Why would you be in trouble if you got in a wreck without knowing the exact towing capacity? Don't worry about your suspension. You've got me wondering now... How much is the factory tow package worth? I just read through that link I gave you and sure enough I have a green clutch fan harness, (Or what I assume is the clutch fan) and I towed with that truck for 3 years. I may want to do a trade

Unless there's some big deal about getting that TDOT test, I would simply trust the accepted capability of a Tacoma equipped with a tow package once adding the parts.

Kudos to you for not just ignoring it and hooking up to a 5000lb trailer.

 

I really just want the insurance/peace of mind knowing if I hook up a 3,700 lbs dry, then add 37 gallons of water, gear, food, firewood, creatures, any other stuff that if my truck will pull even 6,000 lbs I'd be fine. I just don't want to be right at my limit towing capacity wise. My fan is pink.

If I were/ever got in a wreck, I wouldn't want the police or whoever to say "your truck is only rated for 3,500 lbs and you're pulling over 5,000" and be liable for it. I could be wrong but I'd assume my insurance wouldn't cover all or part of an accident if I were towing more than what my truck says it can handle. Again, I'm really just thinking out loud here. I'm not entirely sure.

 

I see, a wreck while pulling... You are probably right. So how much is it for that test?

Perhaps you could go to a different dealer and find a very similar model with tow package and just pay the difference? Explain to them the situation and maybe they will do an almost-even trade.... I'm probably repeating myself now

 

I'm not sure. I never even thought about a test until I read the thread I linked.

I went and looked at the one Toyota Knoxville offered. It was nice, would do what I needed. It needed a new seat/seat cover and some paint touch up but they wouldn't budge on the $22,000 price and wouldn't give me more than $18,000 for my truck so I walked out. Toyota Knoxville (original dealer) is still looking for an acceptable truck and so am I. There's just 30000000 different ways a deal could happen I'm trying to evaluate the best.

 

I think these dealers ask way too much... Good luck OP.

 

I agree. Thanks for all the help.

 

Hope it was worth anything.

 

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/towing/4031-tacoma-towing-bible.html

 

Just to add my two cents. I have an 09 DCSB prerunner. I purchased a 4200 lb 26ft travel trailer last summer. It did not originally have the tow package. with the Class iii/iv hitch its rated at a max of 5000 lbs, however those ratings tend to be straight pull. usually there are multiple ratings (for example when you use a weight distributing hitch). My hitch with weight distributing is 6500 lbs. I had the dealer install a transcooler, and the travel trailer dealer installed all the wiring the weight distributing hitch and the brake controller. I have traveled 600 plus miles so far with zero issues. The Tacoma handles fine. I even bought a Scan gauge to monitor my fuel consumption as well as transmission temps. I could see when my transmission would get warm, but then the cooler would kick in and cool it back down again. This only happened during steep hill climbs while in the mountains.

 

Just an update: A big FUCK YOU TOYOTA!!

 

You're upset that they want to correct your frame?

 

I no longer have that truck.. I traded it in because toyota corporate told me it would never be considered for the campaign.

 

Did you ever get the issue solved on your truck with the dealership?

 

Yes. I traded my blue one (the one with frame damage) in for the red one that the dealership lied to me about. We ended up trading even for a white, 2009, DCLB TRD Sport PreRunner. Oddly enough after everything, we moved to a different city and are in an apartment so we can't even use our camper. I guess the jokes on me..

 

Oh wow. Fuck that. I would be requesting a check for any loss of value you took on that trade in if you have those emails.

Double whammy. How permanent is the move?

 

I sent Toyota a nastygram today.

I got offered a job I couldn't turn down so we are in Nashville permanently. We're only going to be in the apartment for a year before we buy a house (then we can have it) but still, you can't help but sit here and laugh at how everything turned out. I had a truck for the camper and because we needed to haul stuff to the house from Home Depot. Now I don't have either..

 

If you can *prove* this, then you should;
Step 1: contact a lawyer,
Step 2: be nice with Toyota about this and see if they're willing to work with you in a manner that you feel is fair,
Step 3: If step 2 fails, take it to court. Your vehicle upgrade expense was entirely a result of their position that your vehicle would not ever be fixed.

As far as the towing thing goes... if you do all of the upgrades to make the vehicle match one with "tow package", then you *probably* have enough to win in front of a judge against cops and insurance. I.e., if the vehicle is technically indistinguishable, then it can be expected to perform exactly the same, which means that it really is the same, despite the differing "official" ratings.

It isn't likely to come up anyway, even if the worst thing happened.

BUT, like anything when you don't have absolute control of all the variables, there is still a risk.

I doubt that you would get much satisfaction from trying to get the ratings on your vehicle reassessed. Not that it is impossible, but my guess is that the cost of doing this would probably exceed the cost of a new truck.

 

All of it was over the phone (my fault, thought maybe I could trust corporate...). I was pretty much over it until I got the official letter. Trying to just move on now.

We now have a different fight on our hands. Now our apartment won't fix our AC so it's about 80 degrees inside every day so I don't really have time for Toyota right now. We haven't had AC since we moved in 27 days ago.