Toyota Tacoma Towing Experience?

[DanCinDreams]

Does anyone have real time experience towing a 20 ft Flying Cloud Bambi with a newer Toyota Tacoma? The numbers say it should be able to handle it, but what does it really feel like? I have been towing with an old Chevy Avalanche, but it is time to retire her and I am considering a Tacoma with a full towing package.
Thanks in advance for any experience you can share.

[DKB_SATX]

While I don't have Taco towing experience, unless you just really need the smaller footprint (and since you're coming from an Avalanche I'm guessing you don't) you should consider the Tundra alongside the Taco while you're looking. You get a lot of extra capability for not much more money, and the V6 Taco is fairly thirsty for a mid-sizer (not that the Tundra isn't equally thirsty, but you're getting a lot more truck and towing capacity for the fuel you're burning.)

[smithcreek]

Someone asked the exact same question a week ago and I answered it here: http://www.airforums.com/forums/f463...ud-202226.html

I have an V6, 4x4, Access Cab, with 1300 lbs. payload. It tows the FC20 very well, but as I mentioned in the other thread, we carry everything we want to carry, but are right at the limit of the Tacoma's GVWR. I'm well under the axle ratings, but if you have something like a V6 4x4 crew cab (1200 lbs. payload) and want to bring along more than two people along with lots of camping gear you may run into payload issues.

[uraljohn]

Do yourself a favor and take a hard look at a new Chevy Colorado or the GMC Canyon. All of the recent magazine tests comparing the Taco, Colorado/Canyon, Nissan Frontier have all been very favorable toward the Colorado/Canyon.

My good friend purchased a 2018 Colorado extended cab long bed with the V6 gas engine and factory tow package to tow his Lance 23' trailer. He is extremely picky and analyzes everything to death and after spending considerable time looking at all three he choose the Chevy. It is rated to tow 7000 LBS. It handles his Lance at around 5500LBS very well.

You can get a Diesel version also. It is rated to tow 7700 LBS.

If you choose the Colorado/Canyon order the upgraded Curt Class IV receiver from Etrailer.com and install it in place of the factory supplied Class III receiver. The factory receiver is not rated to use with a weight distributing hitch. About a $150.00 upgrade and worth it. Much beefier receiver.

Everybody towing with a Colorado/Canyon and using a weight distributing hitch is now going to go out and look at there receiver and realize there is no allowance for a WD hitch. Sorry I had to be the messenger.

[rmkrum]

Personally, I’ll stuck to the reliability and comfort of a Toyota product.

I easily tow a 22 foot International with two axles and a ProPride hitch system. Always stable and although a Tundra would be more powerful the 4x4 Crew cab the 2012 Tacoma does the job ‘good enough’ for now. I can be comfortable with slow hill climbs because I’m not in a hurry. On the flat it can go faster than I’m willing to go, and the brakes are adequate. Proper trailer brake controller settings are the key.

Just got done with a 4,000 mile trip with no issues.

[Seemore2006]

We were looking at the Tacoma and took it for a test drive - not a comfortable ride and too much road noise. We are Toyota owners so was disappointed.

[chugchug]

I switched from a Tacoma to F150 Ecoboost. Not only the F150 had a lot more power, it also takes less gas towing. So although the Tacoma was able to take me where I wanted to go, the F150 does it much better.

[2old2tent]

I've pulled my 19' 2007 Bambi 27,000+ miles with my 2009 Tacoma 4x4 access cab V6 stick shift with the full trailer package, ProPride hitch, total mileage on the truck is 106,000. Until this last trip (7,000 miles from Alabama to Glacier NP and environs) I've had no problems, it handled well, panic-stopped when necessary, cruised fine on the flats, would pass snails on the flats, and go up long grades out west fairly well. I didn't usually pass the semi's going uphill, but they usually didn't pass me either.
The earlier statement about being on the edge of load capacity does apply, though, and has always worried me. You have to be careful not to load past specs.
But near the end of this last trip (~5,000 miles into the trip) the Taco developed a bad vibration when accelerating which required replacing the 3 u-joints (gratis under a Toyota service campaign). It was in a city where we were staying several days, so didn't impact the trip, and the repairing dealership gave us a loaner car while they fixed the Taco. And fortunately, one of the joints didn't fail somewhere south of Glacier and leave us stranded 100 miles from nowhere.
I don't know if the u-joints would have failed without pulling the trailer, since there was obviously a problem with them that Toyota recognized, but sadly we are looking at upgrading to a Tundra for the extra capacity margins it has over the Taco.
Anyway, that's my experience with a 2009 Tacoma. Love it, but for peace of mind we want a little more power and payload and towing capacity. But still a Toyota product.

[Halford1]

Make sure that whatever your TV would be, it needs to have factory installed Tow Package because it includes: suspension, special transmission, tow button, bigger radiator, possible pre wired brake controller. Some different brands have more in the package.

DYI would not increase the tow weight max.

[tjwoods1]

Uraljohn:
What do you mean there is no allowance for a WD hitch on the Colorado?

[joeeagle66]

I tow a 19' Bambi with our 2015 Toyota Tacoma 4 x 4. No issues. I had to install a break controller but youtube has videos and it's just a matter of plugging into an existing harness. We haven't pulled over the Rockies yet, but we did go from Colorado to Maine with no worries.

[uraljohn]

Originally Posted by tjwoods1

Uraljohn:
What do you mean there is no allowance for a WD hitch on the Colorado?

Go out and look at the towing capacity sticker on your receiver. Note that there is no separate listing for WD ratings. When my friend purchased his 2018 Colorado the salesperson (imagine that, an honest car salesperson) informed him about the receiver not being rated to take a WD hitch. He pointed out the info on the sticker only lists towing and tongue weights. He told him about the much beefier Class IV receiver available from Etrailer.com. It is rated for WD hitch applications. He ordered one and installed it. Way better receiver. Took about an hour or so to switch it out. When he told me this I checked it out with the local Chevy dealers commercial truck salesperson. He confirmed to me that the factory installed Class III receiver is not intended to be used with a WD hitch. Therefore, no separate WD ratings are on the sticker on the receiver. Go look at yours.

[GatorDave]

The vehicles behind you probably don’t enjoy being in a long slow parade up the mountain inclines. Consideration of others does have its merits.

[rmkrum]

Originally Posted by GatorDave

The vehicles behind you probably don’t enjoy being in a long slow parade up the mountain inclines. Consideration of others does have its merits.

A good rule of thumb is if you have 4 or more vehicles trapped behind you, get off on the shoulder and let them by.

Most of my slow climbs are on multi-lane grades that include a slow vehicle lane. That’s where you will find me if I’m going slow. Ditto the big rig trucks.

[pegjust]

We had a 2016 Tacoma fully loaded and a 2017 19 ft international. Towed about 5k miles. It’s ok but over mountains it was not great. We switched to 2018 F150 with eco boost and wouldn’t go back. Yes the F150 is bigger and not as great for off-roading. But in the flip side it is almost the same width as the Bambi so once you learn to drive it, towing is easier. The power you will appreciate.

[Boone]

We tow our 2015 Sport 22FB with our 2018 Tacoma four door long bed 4x4 with tow package. We have Prodigy P2 break controller and a weight distribution hitch with sway control. I couldn't be happier with the Tacoma. The 22FB is narrower than a 19' Bambi and tucks in nicely behind the Tacoma. We have traveled the northern NM and southern CO rockies and have not held up traffic more than any other people with larger trailers / larger trucks. Our gas milage averages about 12-13 MPG driving conservatively. My previous set up was a 2002 GMC Duramax pulling a 2005 22ft Safari. I love my Tacoma, especially as a daily driver, and would not go back to a full size truck, just my preference.

[Gsmblue]

Just had a Tacoma crew cab this week as a rental car for work. Was a nice truck, 4x4. Payload capacity was only 1,000lbs.

So 2 passengers at 165lbs each, maybe 200lbs of “gear” in the truck bed leaves you an available tongue weight capacity of 470lbs.

Not sure if this rental had any tow package options though.

I hope this helps.

[Hikingsolo]

Towed an SOB (T@B 1934lbs.) during the summer of 2018 12,000 miles cross country and thru Canada with my beautiful red 2011Tacoma 4 Dr. V6 4WD with Tow Package. I always felt like the Tacoma was working way too hard. 65 was about the best on the freeways and it ran at about 2200-2800 rpm’s most of the time.

It was with great sadness this last December that I traded it in on a 2017 Ford F150 with a V-8 to pull another SOB (Premier 19FBPR, 6500 lbs loaded) to Alaska. My mileage was not great, 11.9, But the Tacoma only got 12 pulling out really light SOB. The Ford never faltered and I didn’t feel like I was always pushing it. Most of the time it ran 1800 to 2200 rpm’s at 55 to 65 miles an hour. Up to 3300-3800 was typical on mountain grades.

I’ll be trading in the F150 and on probably an F250 this next winter in preparation for pulling our 34 foot Classic. I think I’ve got it roadworthy now and I’m really excited about attending some rallies in the area.

[PBixby]

I have been towing my 19-ft (4,500 lbs) International with my 2016 Toyota Tacoma SR5/V6 for more than 2 years and at least 10,000 miles. I've been up and down mountains, and I've always felt completely fine with the tow--I have weight distribution bars and a sway bar. Is it "effortless"? Maybe not--but since I only have one vehicle, I didn't want to be driving around doing daily errands in a huge, gas-guzzling truck. I have towed it with a friend's larger vehicle, and can go faster and use cruise control, but for me, the easier towing isn't worth the loss in MPG and the difficulty I would have parking a honkin' big truck around the city.

[drobert33]

Toyota has a reputation for miserable seats and ours is no exception. Within twenty minutes you’re looking up chiropractors on the interweb. Sadly this didn’t show up in a fifteen minute test drive, however, I will say it has been flawlessly reliable and manages our towing needs quite well. That said, the seats are driving us to consider alternatives in the same size range. Don’t want a Ranger with a four cylinder turbo, or a Taco with its annoying driving position. The new Frontier should be out shortly and I plan to take a book with me and sit in a GMC Canyon for an hour - don’t care if it annoys the salesman. We had a Sierra previously and apart from one or two electrical glitches over twelve years it worked out very well. We’ve moved to a condo right in the heart of downtown urban living so a full-size pickup is out of the question as a daily driver.