What can I Tow????

Hey guys, I’m new on this forum. Yes I am another retired Firefighter ... I just bought a 2020 Tacoma SR5 crew cab short bed. my factory stats say 6700# GVW WITH 670 hitch weight. I’m looking for a TT. Any suggestions??
thanks guys

 

Something light. Will the truck pull 6700 lbs? Sure, but it's not going to be enjoyable.
Depends entirely on budget and the use you want out of it. If I were in the market for a tt I always like the stuff from Forest River, like the R Pod

 

Welcome to The Forum!

 

Welcome to TW!!! Can’t answer the question without more information. What are you looking for in a trailer? How large a trailer do you ideally want? To sleep how many? How many people traveling with you. What kind of trips? Weekend trips, week long trips, travel the entire US?? Where you going to use it - up in the Rockies or the Sierras, in the planes states, in the South West or where? What’s your general budget? Right now your question is like asking - I need a vehicle, what kind should I get?

 

People always seem to think about trailers backwards. It's usually "how big of a trailer can i tow" when the better question is "how much of a trailer do I need".

It's like carry on. Experienced travelers usually take the absolute minimum sized bag they can get their bare essentials into (a couple changes of undies and socks and some toiletries). Infrequent travelers try to buy a bag that is just under the max size limit, overload it, drag that heavy bitch all over the airport and then get pissed when they have to gate check it anyway.

I'd always start thinking from the direction of how many people are coming, how many days out, what kind of gear and try to come up with something that meets the needs plus just a little wiggle room.

That's my 2 cents anyway.

 

Great thoughts guys! I’m trying to make my girl happy and she wants the cool stuff and a big bathroom etc., etc, etc;
I’m having to dial it back and it’s the right way to go. There’ll be two of us, Arizona Mts aren’t too bad but dragging up out of Phoenix on 114deg day to flagstaff is no easy run. I fish the Sierras so time spent up there is important. I’ll keep looking guys. I do-plan on Airbags and a weight distribution hitch! Thanks fellers!

 

Have you looked at Casitas?

https://casitatraveltrailers.com/

 

Try to stay under 4000lbs dry weight. When loaded add 800 to 1000lbs to that weight. You can tow heavier but it’s more stress on the drive train, suspension and especially you the driver. The heavier the more problematic. When towing heavy stopping can be a problem even with good trailer brakes. It takes a longer distance to stop and all the physics are affected. If you have to swerve for any reason towing heavy , even just slightly, a minor swerve , physics, weight, momentum really effect you. A slight swerve towing heavy can instantly turn into a devastating accident. Also towing heavy is always a somewhat stressful driving experience. So look for the lightest trailer that fits your wants and needs.

 

Most trailer/rv people recommend limit of half of Tow vehiclecapacity in dry weight of trailer. That allows for load up, truck loads and safety factor. So start shopping trailers in the 3000-3500 range, and add all your “stuff”!

 

Agree 100%
And even then, make sure you have trailer brakes for anything but around town transport and few hills,

My pontoon boat and ski boat are each about that weight and its fine. I would never go very far though at anything much over it.

The truck itself Is just too light.

 

I personally never tow beyond 75% of my rated capacity, which for the 2nd gens is 6K, so around 4500#s is my hard cutoff. any heavier than that is a no-go for safety and wear/tear. For the 3rd gen I'd cut it off at 5000#s. I think trucks have maximum capacities for marketing bragging rights, but they really aren't really meant to tow near maximum for extended periods.

That's my personal opinion, though.

 

Tim,
Welcome to the forum. I don't live too far from you.
I was used to hauling 3 horse goose neck trailers with a Ford F250 then F350 dually crew cab. So the whole bumper pull will be a bit of a new experience for me.
I started the search for a trailer last month. I went to a lot of the manufacturers websites and looked at floor plans and specs in order to make a lists of possible trailers. I ideally wanted to keep the dry weight under 4000#. Like you, my trips will probably be up north...prescott/cottonwood/sedona/payson/forest lakes along with the occasional jaunt up to the rim.
My ideal trailer had a slide with a murphy bed. My budget was going to be around 20K new but would have loved to find what I wanted used (not easy with my wants, but possible if you are patient).
Since most camping areas around here have some facilities available, I do not see having to haul water until I get to the campgrounds or at least the nearby towns. Hopefully not having to return with too much black water unless there are no dump sites nearby. Most places will allow gray water drainage on the ground, so that leaves other items that will make up your additional weight load. Food, clothes, toiletries, kitchen supplies would be the majority.
Purchasing items stored in the trailer can be done lightweight by shopping at places like Camping world/REI, etc. I figure 600-800# maximum for a long weekend getaway.
I too would like to keep the trailer loaded at or around 5000# to keep the tow weight around 75% capacity. This will give a bit more wiggle room in overall GCVWR and payload capacity presuming a full tank of gas/2 adults, items to be placed in the bed a tongue weight of roughly 10-15% (A WDH will help get your there).
I went to Ganders (used to be Camping World) on Main in Mesa and Tom's Camperland (unfortunately had to go to the one in Surprise because the Mesa location did not have the model I wanted). What I have discovered is that they are selling a lot of trailers right now. Both places have stated they are busier now than the same time last year, and it showed with low inventory. Because of covid, the factories are closed and they cannot replace existing stock.
I ended up with the No Boundaries 19.6 which is a few hundred pounds more than my ideal (4284#), but if I decided against a Murphy bed the 19.5 would have been perfect at 3456#.
I found the laminated wood and the counter tops in most of the Dutchman brand trailers and the Keystone trailer (that was my second choice) to be subpar.
Have fun searching. There are so many places on Main street to stop in at.

 

Hah! So right there. That’s why I always pack in a leather duffel. When I hear the gate check notice and they eyeball my bag, I just tell them it’ll fit underseat, and I squash the hell out of it if I have to.

But to the towing question, if you’re not pushing the limits, you won’t be stressing to the max and need two cool down beers when you get there.

 

I just picked up a jayco jay flight 174bh 2900 dry and it pulled great just got back from our first camping trip with it! I do use a weight distribution hitch and a brake controller. Trailer doesn’t even squat the truck at all only a 290 pound hitch weight.