Towing upgrade - yes or no?

Do they need a warrant during an accident investigation?

 

I am also a former LEO and although did not do much accident investigation, have CHP friends who have. They do not need a search warrant to look at a door jam or any other part of a vehicle during an investigation. We have truck weigh stations here where trucks are completely thoroughly inspected w/o search warrants. We also have (or use to) vehicle check points where vehicles were inspected for mechanical violation, no search warrants required. It’s not worth further arguing about. It simply isn’t a good idea to tow beyond manufacturers stated limits.

 

Does that mean that every trooper I see on the side of the road that has a vehicle parked on their portable scales has received a search warrant?

 

Interesting thought I had... the towing capacity and GCWR aren't found on the door sticker, only GVWR and front & rear GAWRs. The model code (bed, cab & 4WD combinations) have different GCWRs listed, but they also all have different entries for with or without the tow package. Other than the tow package being listed as equipped or not when you run the VIN with Toyota, the towing capacity & associated GCWR bump don't seem to be directly linked to your vehicle.

Sooooo... maybe, if you were to add all the appropriate stuff, you could make the argument that the truck does in fact now have a "tow package"? I... honestly don't know how that would go legally. Looking at the sticker as a cop might on the side of the road, they wouldn't see a difference. Obviously if someone got a bulldog personal injury lawyer involved after an accident, it would be nothing for them to run your VIN and say the trailer was overweight, but then what, if you in good faith added the necessary components?

Hell, even if all you added was a hitch rated for the weight, and a 7-pin and brake controller, I could see and argument that the rest os irrelevant unless an accident were caused by the engine or trans overheating, or the battery dying. There aren't any suspension changes involved, with the factory tow package & the leaf recall done mine even had 2+1 leaf packs on it.

 

Yes, there is an engine oil cooler as I have installed it:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Toyota-1GR...a-03-16-4Runner-07-14-FJ-Cruiser/332593436812

Yes, an oil cooler is always worth it, whether towing or 4wd off road. My subaru came with one and wasn't a car meant to tow.

The transmission oil cooler is separate. I did not go OEM, but went with the largest remote cooler I could find. Is this all worth it? Yes as I tow and it keeps the temps down going up and down mountains. I tow a trailer at about 2300 lbs and it helps.

 

At this point it doesn’t really matter. Add what ever you want, tow however much you want. The OP is asking a bunch of strangers with little or no knowledge what he can do to his truck and how much he can tow based on the mods. Just put a bunch of stuff on the truck and tow 10,000lbs or what ever. It all good just tow it, don’t worry about any consequences.

 

Wow, dude.

The factory "tow package", besides the hitch, adds not one mechanical item to handle more weight. Not a stronger frame, heavier springs, don't even think it changes the gear ratio? The engine oil and auto trans cooling are good ideas for the extra load, the higher amp alternator could be argued to better supply electric brakes but isn't really necessary, and prewiring for a 7-pin and brake controller are handy, but you can add both aftermarket too, like people did for many years.

Once you add a hitch capable of >3500lb, and a 7-pin and brake controller, it's mechanically just as capable of towing 6500 pounds (that being "just barely" and "if you really have to") as a truck with the tow package.

The legality of it all is far more hazy, but just like the legality of lots of other things, the ability to do it doesn't necessarily make it a good idea, and the fact that something is borderline or actually against the doesn't automatically make it an awful idea in practice... it's just ill-advised. See also: shotgun with 17.5" barrel.

 

What I find interesting about these types of threads is since when has the “tow capacity” been a legal number. I have yet to see a legal standard for determining tow capacity. Can someone direct me to one? Furthermore, I have yet to see a manufacture release data they used to determine the tow capacity. I could be wrong, but often it sure looks like the marketing and warranty claims departments are heavily involved in determining this number.

 

Tow capacity is limited by the lowest capacity component. On the non-tow package 2nd gen this is the lack of wiring for trailer brakes and the bumper pull. Next obvious issue would be cooling. To get to the 6,500 capacity you need the tow package components and if these are installed I'm highly doubtful that any judge would say you were negligent if you were in an accident and happened to be towing a 5,000lb trailer behind your truck that didn't come with a tow package installed

The capacity is determined by the manufacturer and is usually simply a goal for the engineers to work toward when designing a new vehicle: http://www.trucktrend.com/news/163-0910-truck-towing-capacity/

 

To keep it simple for the OPs questions..

I've got a 2010 V6 crew cab. It has a hitch but not the tow package from Toyota. Can I install all the parts for the tow package? Answer - yes, you can add 7 pin trainer connector, wiring for brake controller, an oil cooler, a transmission cooler. You can even upgrade the alternator if you really want to.


Is it worth it? My answer - no. Towing with my Tacoma sucks, get a bigger truck that already is set up and will tow far better if you really need more than your current 3,500lb.

 

I think the biggest issue you will face with the Tacoma is limited payload capacity and the soft rear suspension. The Tacoma is not a good choice for a travel trailer, but will do well with a boat or flatbed trailer. Trailer brakes are a must. I pulled a 20’ flatbed trailer with off-road toys with my 2008 Tacoma DC PreRunner v6. The trailer fully loaded was @ 4000 lbs. I didn’t need the weight distributing hitch, but I did use Timbren rear spring helpers. The trailer was a tandem axle and had electric brakes. Also, my Tacoma was unmodified. It did not have a lift or over-sized tires.

 

SAE J2807, but AFAIK it's voluntary, and there's nothing explicitly stopping any manufacturer from saying basically whatever they please. See also: F150 rated to tow 6+ tons.