Towing

Hello!

I will be towing about 4,000lbs in a short while, and was wondering if anyone had specific tips for it? I have looked through the towing thread but figure asking for specific advice/tips and tricks works a bit better. I have a V6 ACLB with the tow package so I know I'm under the max towing weight by 2500lbs.

 

Don’t get in a hurry

 

If its a manual stay out of 6th gear. 5th is the direct drive, straight through, gear.

If its an auto, be mindful of trans temp. Maybe get yourself a scangauge or similar for trans temp readout.

Fuel milage will suck, when I tow my Miata on a trailer (always in the mountains) my milage goes down by half.

Don't be in a hurry.

Check your lights before hand.

Are you gong a long way?

Mountains or flat?

 

If you're towing something where you can control the front/rear balance of the trailer -- i.e. how far forward/back some machinery is strapped down -- balance the trailer carefully and look for about 300-400 lbs of tongue weight.

An excessively heavy tongue weight is among the most dangerous towing mistakes because it raises the front end & removes needed friction from the front 2 tires, making steering squirrely and much less responsive.

 

take the 20 minutes and install a redarc brake controller. They are plug and play with the available harness. There are other options but this is the easiest and you don't have a controller to whack your knee on, just a dash dial.
Could save you, even when doing everything correct the road is full of idiots.
And agree, don't rush.

 

And not enough tongue weight is even more dangerous. The tail will wag the dog. In other words, if you don't have enough weight on the tongue the trailer will sway badly and can cause the truck to do so as well. With boats 10% of the trailer weight should be tongue weight. With other trailers somewhere between 13% to 15% is what you want. With a 4000 lb trailer that means 500-600 lbs on the tongue gives you the best results. Load the trailer accordingly. Tis better to have too much on the tongue than too little.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9Dgxe584Ss

Tacoma's Achilles heel are very low payload's. There is a sticker on the drivers door jamb with a statement saying "Total weight of passengers and cargo should not exceed XXXX pounds". That number varies depending on the individual truck but a 2nd gen DC 4X4 will be 1000-1300 lbs. You need to check YOUR trucks payload. My 07 is 1200. Some guys try to get around the low payload ratings by loading the trailer with too little weight on the tongue without realizing that is even more dangerous.

Your cap is about 180. With 500-600 lbs on the tongue MY truck would have 400-500 lbs left over for me, my wife, and any cargo in the truck. You just have to do the math with YOUR truck. Keep in mind that a skinny driver and one skinny passenger will be about 300 lbs. Two adult men could be 400-500 lbs before you start adding cargo.

While these trucks are rated to PULL 6500 lbs the suspension won't handle that much weight unless there is only a driver in the cab.

You should be OK with 4000 lbs as long as you don't also load up the truck with a lot of weight. Around 4000-4500 lbs should be considered a reasonable max trailer weight for a Tacoma.

 

I like to have my rear tires at least 5psi more than normal otherwise they spike in pressure indicating heat.

Careful on the payload weight. 400lbs (10%) + the camper shell + you and everything else could take you over the limit.

Brake controllers aren't just for stopping, the manual override is also a good way to get out of a trailer sway situation. When you mount it, try to imagine where you would want it in an emergency. Depending on my speed, winds, etc, if a semi is passing me, I'll keep my finger right next to the button.

If this is your personal trailer, consider a weight distribution hitch. A

$339 Reese 49911 Integrated Sway Control Weight Distribution Kit, 6000 lbs. Capacity, Shank Included

Reese 49911 on Amazon is currently $355. I have one, works great, installs in an hour.

 

If I'm towing that kind of weight on my 07 V6 4Runner for long distances I stay in 4th for the most part . . Especially on hills you don't want it to try to get into 5th. Tekonsha Prodigy is a great brake controller and an our "tow package" rigs it's easy to install.

There has been some really great threads and info over the years on 2nd Gen towing. Overall the truck is too weak, small, light, short and capacity limited to tow anything close to 6500 comfortably or safely for long periods (DCLB is best). Keep it slow and safe.