Towing with Tacoma

Hi,
Hope I find some good advice here. I'm from CT.

I have a 2003 Tacoma, no tow package, rated @3500 lbs., 6- cyl, TRD, off-road package. I want to tow a camp trailer at 3000 lbs dry weight. The trailer dealer said I should get a tow package installed including the Reese type hitch, 7 pin electrical, fan clutch, and transmission cooler. Also getting electric assist breaks. However, my Toyota parts dealer said a transmission cooler is not necessary. Is this true? The Toy dealer said the tranny fluid also runs through the radiator anyway, so the fan clutch is sufficient. Is this true? He said cooling the tranny fluid too much decreases it's effectiveness. Am I missing something? Any advice? Should I forget about the tranny cooler? The Toy dealer said a fan clutch and new hitch will increase my tow capacity to 5000 lbs.
Thank you.
Mark

 

Welcome to TW.

There is a whole section on towing if you look at the Mods & Tutorials tab at the top of the page. Lots of reading... so get a comfortable seat, you'll be a while.

As to your exact question... that's out of my depth. Best of luck

Frank

 

Welcome to TW! Since this section is for introductions only, recommend you spend some time perusing the information available in the 1st Gen. Tacomas forum and Tacoma Garage section. As Highland Logan suggested, a comfortable chair is definitely in-order...