What's the largest camper size a v6 tacoma dbl cab can tow?

My F150 towed better and my older 3/4 ton suburban (8.1L) was a phenomenal tow vehicle (31 foot KZ TT). Love my current Tacoma, it tows poorly. Even dragging around a small TT or utility trailer under 4,000lb is a chore. You really have to watch the tongue weight. On the fire roads and going fishing it rocks. In a perfect world I'd have both the Tacoma and the super-burban.

 

I agree with you
100%

 

I bought a 3500lb travel trailer that I thought the Tacoma could handle. Boy was I wrong. 6500lb rating? No way in hell.....the experience towing the trailer was abysmal. I used the trailer 2 times and now it sits in my driveway unused the last 2 years. The only reason being the Tacoma can't pull it worth a darn. I've since gotten a Hiker Trailer Extreme which is right around 2000lb loaded and even then the poor truck still struggles.

 

I'm seeing a lot of negativity on here regarding towing with the tacoma. I really don't understand why. I use my Tacoma as a work/tow vehicle regularly. I have a float I use to haul my Kubota tractor around with. That's a 5500 lb load easy. I have a 20' 7000 lb cap trailer for hauling timbers from the mill and that I will max out and tow 100 miles home no problem. The worst thing I find towing is the TT. At 20' 3950 lb dry and likely 4500lb loaded, it is the worst to tow as far as noticeable influence on the truck. That is also using a WDH w/say control. I think it has more to do with height and air flow. I have also had two more leaf springs installed on each side to carry tongue load better. Towing a float or a flatbed, I will tow the maximum wt without blinking an eye but to tow a 4500 TT 1000 miles including some impressive hills... that' s a whole different story.

 

You're getting away with those loads by using a tandem axle trailer and loading them to keep weight off the hitch, which in its self is dangerous. You are way over your trucks limits.

The real limiting factor is payload, not tow rating. My truck is rated for 6500 lbs towing, but only 1200 lbs payload. My fiberglass cap eats up 180 of that 1200 lbs leaving me just over 1000 lbs. If the trailer is loaded properly 10-15% of the weight is on the tongue and 13% is usually used to calculate tongue weight. Less than that and the trailer is unstable. A 7000 lb trailer would have over 900 lbs on the tongue. The hitch is only rated for 500 lbs unless you use a Weight distribution hitch which adds another 100 lbs to the tongue putting you over 1000 lbs on the trucks suspension. And that doesn't include the weight of the driver, passengers, or any cargo in the truck.

Adding springs or modifying the suspension will help things ride better when approaching max payload, but it doesn't add any more payload. The more weight you put on the hitch or in the trucks bed means less weight on the front. Modifying the truck so it sits level doesn't change that, it just hides the problem. Not enough weight on the front axle has a detrimental effect on both braking and steering.

As you've discovered about 4500 lbs is a more realistic limit on these trucks

 

Don't run in OD

 

I know lots of folks enjoy their fords, but word of advice - get the extended warranty. Friend of mine put a rod through the block on his ecoboost with only 40k miles. $9000 repair but under warranty - big dollars to replace that engine. I know, I know - may have been and likely was a one off, but it was catastrophic... and yes he took care of that truck. Sure did tow nice though.