Towing with a 4 cyl

hey tacoma world i am considering a prerunner with a 4 cyl engine my question i would like to tow a 15 foot aluminum boat ( 1500 lb ) would there be any issues ?? freeway or hills ??
i understand it is a 4 cyl the tacoma would be about a 2015 or newer any in put would be great THX SENCO

 

Welcome aboard new member.

 

No problems at all for that boat. Just switch off overdrive. Truck will use a small amount more of gas and run at higher RPMs but it won't hurt a thing.

 

Normally I would say no to towing with a 4 banger, but with it being only 1500 pounds, I'm thinking it should be fine.

Go for it.

 

I pulled a pontoon boat for two summers no problem 3000lb.
Ramps no problem, hills slowed me down to 50 mph.

 

Is this really appropriate for this thread? The OP, with very few post may not understand that you are waiting for responses.

We want new people who can offer future, valuable opinions.

I did find the gif entertaining, but I've been around for awhile and can understand the context.

Sorry to offend.

 

It will probably downshift more, and run some higher RPMs along the way, but it won’t hurt anything towing 1500 lbs.
People tow 1500 with unibody compact cars.

 

I tow my 16' with 33" tires and it's fine. The 13' boat with the 350 Chevy weighed more but it still pulled ok. Hills will slow you down so if you see one ahead, try to get a running start for some momentum to help.

 

I've towed that much at highway speeds, including hills, and the thing is to keep the engine revved. Mine is a 5 speed so I just don't use fifth. The engine will fall flat on a hill if it's not kept up over about 2750 rpm. Just let it sing up high where it makes it's little bit of power and it's great!

Edit: Welcome to Tacoma World!

 

An LCE header will help on the hills.

 

Towed this at about 2500lbs for 200 miles without any complaints. Second gear pulling hills, but at 250k miles and an automatic, it did great.

 

thanks BananaMan for your input climbing hills in 2nd gear sounds tough hey i dare not ask how you got your nickname by the way can you share any knowledge about
the reliability and life on the 4cyl versus the v6 thanks again senko

 

The main reason for pulling the hills in second, is I've got the four speed auto, and 3rd is 1-1 ratio, not enough gearing for trying to get up a hill you had to stop at the bottom of. I stuck it in second and sat around 3500 rpm for the half mile hill, then upshifted once flat and kept on trucking.
The four cylinder can take a serious flogging from my experience. It's virtually the same engine as the 3rz, which was also known for being pretty bullet proof. With stock tire size and stock everything else, I can cruise at 90 on the highway around 3k rpm for hours.
The v6 is no slouch either, and also a really reliable engine. They're just more expensive to buy. I know my truck has had a rough life, being a fleet service truck before I got it, and I certainly don't baby it.

 

I've got a 16' aluminum boat about the same weight I haul regularly without any problems. As has been suggested, make sure to keep out of O/D (or 5th gear on manual) and you'll be good.

 

thanks for the reply ! i am thinking a 4 cylinder will be something to seriously consider i have to ask any issues with steep launch ramps ??

 

have U ever heard of the ' butchers finger on the scale '

many shade their posts tilted towards the result they want

UR 4 wont notice 1500 pounds of anything
save for the fact that on occasion ................

the other items taken to fish or camp weigh in also
so its NEVER just 1500 pounds

big tires / tall gears work to Ur disadvantage
dropping at least 1 gear makes a difference

at legal hi way speeds torque more than HP makes a difference

 

I tow this through the mountains of West Virginia all the time. I have towed it to the Cleveland area and back to Central Virginia on several occasions. I have never had a problem. Loaded down it is about 2300 lbs.
I have a 5speed 4WD.

 

Great thread. New here & this is valuable info as I plan to haul a 12ft alum boat with 6hp on it lmao. Wasnt sure what to expect out of the 2.7

 

WELCOME !! i ran this post and received a lot of positive input i personally have been towing my 15 foot 25hp aluminum boat with now issues i tow out of overdrive and cruise at 60 mph sometimes at 70