Towing with a Manual

Not true. Some manuals have different torque ratings depending on the gear used.

 

Yes you can on the flat it's no issue, steeps hills yes I'm down to 3rd in the mountains but an automatic does that for you but you won't cook the trans with a manual. Just have to be a little smarter that the transmission.

 

Now that I think about it. When I was towing that uhaul trailer, I was in 6th going about 60, no issues at all. Lots of power at those rpms. I’m running SFOB, so that helps too in those lower rpms.

 

The brakes seemed to work fine, but the trailer itself looked like it’s been trough WW2.

Had no issues loading that bad boy myself.

 

Perfect. Been driving a manual for 15 years. But never towed with one.

 

Anecdotal tow report: 2014 4.0L NA 6-speed MT here, stock 265/70/R16 tires.

Recently towed a double-axle 6' x 12' open bed (utility) drop-gate U-Haul trailer about 130 miles roundtrip -- empty one way, loaded on the return trip. The empty weight of the trailer is 2,300 lbs. (Uhaul builds these things like a beast, huge quantities of heavy-gauge galvanized steel.) Hydraulic surge brakes worked fine. I estimate the full load w/ cargo on the return trip was 3,800-4,000 lbs.

On flat sections of highway 6th gear is no problem at all, turning at about 2K rpm at 55-57mph. Easily keeps 62-65 mph in 5th gear at ~2.2K rpm if I want to burn more gas.

On steeper grades with the full load on the return trip I did need to occasionally drop as low as 3rd gear at around 3.7 to 3.9K rpm to keep 50-55mph or so up the grade.

2LO mod is absolutely essential if you want or need to be able to back a loaded trailer up a sloped driveway without doing serious burn damage to the clutch.

MPG on the return trip, loaded w/ cargo, headed against the prevailing wind and on a very gradual uphill climb from sea level to about 1200' elevation over 100+ miles, measured at 13 MPG, using pump-to-pump calculations. (Filling tank at start and at the end of the trip.)


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EDIT:

Important note: I have FOX 2.5's w/ DSC all 4 corners, and Deaver U402 Stage III springs on back. With the DSC's set at about a 5 (out of 7) on slow-speed damping, even the fully-loaded trailer was quite manageable, and there was NO rear end sag from tongue load. IMO some kind of suspension upgrade over stock is necessary to give a safe-and-sane towing experience, the stock suspension is way, way too soft and under-sprung to handle anything beyond a 2K gross weight trailer without dangerous rear-end sag.

 

I use 4LO mode a TON for this and when driving through tight spots on the farm. Just to get the speed down. Honestly, if there was a way to go slower in reverse, I would love to hear it! Been times I wished I had an ATV to move the trailer around.

 

Hook up and go, your Taco will tell you when to shift. It will probably take a whole 100 yards to get the hang of it.




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Again for the 2Lo mod. A must!

 

4LO is fine for this if moving around on loose / dirt surfaces, but 4LO doesn't work at all well on asphalt, esp. with the weight of a trailer compounding any bind-up that occurs from turning. Especially when maneuvering a trailer around in reverse & in tight spaces, there tends to be a lot of hard lock-to-lock steering input and this will rapidly bind up the drivetrain if in 4LO on asphalt. Hence the utility, maybe even necessity, of using a 2LO mod to gain access to the LO gear ratios while still keeping normal rear diff and front steering performance without bind-up.

 

Calling the 2lo mod a necessity is going a bit far I think. I’ve never had any major problem reversing with a 2300 lb trailer on relatively flat asphalt. You just need to be good with the clutch. Would 2 low be a nice to have? Yes.

 

Yeah flat-to-gentle slopes are no problem. The issue comes when needing to back a heavy trailer up moderate (or steep) inclines that have curves or tight spots in them, for example some driveways.

 

You don't need to be towing in OD with anything but a very light load. Manual or automatic.

I wouldn't buy a truck made since the 1990's with a manual if I planned to tow with it. You have a combination of factors that make an automatic a much better option. The biggest thing is that the engines, transmissions and axle ratios are set up at the factory for optimum fuel mileage.

Old school truck engines got torque at 2000-2500 rpm and were geared lower in both the transmission and axles. A 3rd gen Tacoma needs 4600 rpm to get torque and the transmission isn't geared low enough. That makes slow speed maneuvers in tight spots difficult going forward or backwards. The torque converter in an automatic makes a huge difference.

Today's manuals are designed for the guys who want to drive a sports car with a bed. The automatic is made for work. They've been using automatics in big trucks and school buses for 40 years. You can't even buy a 3/4 or 1 ton truck anymore with a manual. For doing any type of work an automatic is simply better in every way.

When I started driving 4X4's they still had 3 sticks in the floor with manual locking hubs. It was very easy to go to low range 2wd. They also had warning stickers on the dash and a section in the owner's manual advising drivers not to do so. I've actually seen guys snap a U-Joint doing this.

They no longer advise against doing so because as they come from the factory it's impossible. That's one mod I wouldn't advise.

 

Interesting point. I never considered the obvious, which is that by doing a 2LO mod you're putting 100% of the very high torque from the LO gear range into just the rear output shaft, instead of splitting/sharing the load with the front driveshaft.

I'll continue to use great caution/gentle throttle input when using 2LO mode for backing trailers on slopes.

 

It’s 2WD LOW RANGE mod that allows you to maneuver vehicle in LOW RANGE on pavement without binding axles.

It’s a lifesaver on an MT Tacoma.

 

yep - it's back up the hills that 4Lo doesn't cut it

 

I did not realize the 2LO was a mod. I figured the person just had a 2WD truck. How do I do this mod?

my 4Lo use on the farm is not on pavement. Some gravel but that is it

 

2wd tacos do not have a transfer case, so no low range. And low range on 4wd is only allowed in 4wd.

4lo is just fine on pavement if you are going mostly straight. It’s very useful for pulling a boat up a ramp. It becomes non ideal if you have to turn sharply.

 

We all have opinions, none are wrong.

My opinion is they stopped making manuals in larger trucks because its one more option to build and too many people are too lazy to shift. Instead they compete to have the biggest screen to look at (rather than the road).


I tow a fair bit never had a problem up to 6k.

 

Sorry to derail, but beautiful truck man! Love the sport wheels, definitely the best wheel design yet. Can't get rid of mine because I simply like them too much! What tires are those? Look like terra grapps to me! Have a good one!