Towing vibration

Got my 500 miles on my new rig, sr5 v6. Towed my boat, approx 1700#, yesterday. Around 70-75 mph i got a vibration thru truck. Felt it in seats. Slowed down and it went away. Any ideas on cause? Did use ect mode to tow. Is this the preffered method? Any other help greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

My guess is the tongue of the trailer is not heavy enough and the trailer is vibrating on the ball on the truck hitch.

 

might try to lower hitch ball, seems a little high as opposed to level

 

When i setup my tow height for the 2k lb boat i tow, i needed to raise my receiver ball 2'' higher with the taco vs the tundra i had to make the trailer level. I don't tow speeds higher than 70 mph. Haven't noticed any vibration in my sr5 access cab...truck tows and rides better with a load back there....wish it rode that good empty.

 

Definitely continue to use ECT while towing. Could be tires causing the vibration. My utility trailer had vibrations above about 55 mph until I got radial tires. Night and day difference. No shakes or vibrations anymore, regardless of speed.

 

If it's only doing it with the tow, then it's in the trailer/hitch set-up.

G.

 

How did the trailer/boat tow previously to the new tacoma?

 

used my 2015 nissan frontier before bambi wrecked it. no issues towing at all. i think i need to lower my hitch but i couldnt find a straight draw bar today. if im not level it isnt off by much

 

Had a broken bunk on the trailer. Was just an 8' 2x4 w a plastic cover. Replaced w a 2x4 and added a 4' pc of angle iron in the middle to stiifen. Lot less vibration now. Still pondering dropping hitch.

 

Reviving old thread...

I had the same exact issue towing today for the first time with my new TRD Off-Road. I pull a Yamaha Grizzly ATV that weight 785lbs with an 8ft Aluma trailer that weights 400lbs. So about 1200lbs total. It's pretty level with a 2" drop hitch. I would get a vibration that started at about 60-65mph. Felt like a rear tire was out of balance, but I don't think that's the case. Truck had a shake that I could really feel in the seat (not the steering wheel). I've pulled this exact setup on the same roads with a 2015 RX350 (similar 3.5 to the Tacoma) with zero issues. In fact, the RX350 did a much better job of towing and the 8 speed transmission does far better than the 6 speed auto in the Tacoma. I wasn't using ECT, so I'll give that a shot next trip out. Really an underwhelming towing experience with this truck so far, but I'll get it figured out. Probably just some user error.

Do you guys think the vibration/shake is coming from the trailer/hitch arrangement? Too much tongue weight vs. too little? I load the ATV so about 10 percent of the total weight is on the tongue (110-120lbs).

 

Check the speed rating on your trailer tires.

You'd be surprised by how many tires aren't even rated for 65.

Also, when was the last time you had them balanced? Boat trailers especially will develop flat spots from sitting over winter.

 

Most trailer wheel/tires are not balanced. Plus they get flat spotted if not used much

 

Just to clarify, I’m not the OP. I revived his thread since I have the same issue.

My trailer (not a boat trailer) has good radial tires that were balanced about 6 months ago. I pulled it with our Lexus RX 350 two weeks ago. No issues whatsoever up 70 plus mph. Pulls like a dream, honestly. But not with the Tacoma, unfortunately.

 

Well, I went back out on the highway without the trailer, and the trucks drives perfectly. Maybe I threw a weight on a trailer tire? Will have to do some more trial and error to see what’s up.

 

I can tell you without any weight/empty in my 5x10 utility trailer, it will start bouncing if I go over 65 mph. You can feel through the cab. I'm guessing the trailer is too light for the air pressure in the tires.