anyone have a tundra? got a question..

[safari25-05]

We are toying with the idea of buying a new TV, looked at the Tundra. We have a 25' FB safari, wondering how it works out with towing. Like to hear your pro and con on this TV, can you get into the back of the pick up while hitched up? Sure wouldn't make it too convienent if you can't get what you would need while traveling..Nice truck though and comfy too. Appreciate any feedback on this..thanks

[tetstream]

I can give you some first hand experience with a Tundra. I owned (past tense) a 2003 Access cab 4WD V8 with the TRD package. I'm a remodeling contractor and tow on occasion. I towed a full 12' UHAUL tandem axle 1000 miles. It did OK, but clearly was being worked, and worked me out a bit too. The butt of the Tundra was low too with the trailer hooked.

I sold the Tundra in 2006 and got a new Chevy Truck HD2500 diesel. Yeah, the Tundra was comfy, but that is why it's not a great tow/haul vehicle. The suspension is too light, especially in the rear. It also got terrible fuel mileage; not quite 12 in town and best highway was 19, not towing. Bottom line is I would not consider it as a tow vehicle for anything other than jet skis or other light stuff.

The tundra was overrated, I think. I tried to beef up the suspension with a sway bar, Bilstein shocks and Hellwig helper springs to no avail.

For a 22 or 25 ' ---No Way. Get a heavier truck. BTW, the Chevy is a great rig so far, weighs in at about 7500 lbs every day and gets 30% better fuel mileage than the Tundra that weigh 4500 lbs. I've had next to zero probs with it, and the Tundra had a bunch of annoying issues. We drive it twice/year 1000 miles one way to our mountain cabin, and it's more comfortable than the Tundra. With a load in the bed,it softens the 3/4 ton ride but does not affect the handling whatsoever. That wasn't the case with the Tundra.

I towed my 10K trailer with my tractor on it on the same trip with the Chevy (weight about 9500 lbs combined), and it was a breeze.

Look into 3/4 ton trucks, diesel preferrably, or at least the XL series (3/4 ton) suburbans.

[davidz71]

Bob Thompson has a 2002 Tundra and he tows a '97 25' Excella. He would be your best bet on the forum since he has towed many a mile with this combination.

[moosetags]

No matter how you slice it, the Tundra is a half ton truck. No half ton truck is a really capable tow vehicle for a 25' Airstream whose operation weight near 8000# with a 700# + tongue weight. I know that the new Tundra looks really "beefy" , but it is still a half ton.

[85MH325]

I have and continue to tow my Bigfoot 25' rear queen with my Tundra '02 4WD Access Cab, auto, V6. It's slightly over-weight for the rating of my Tundra, the trailer is 5300 lbs dry and the truck is rated at 4800 lbs. Of course, I use a Reese Dual Cam and Prodigy with the combo. The V8 model which has exactly the same frame and suspension is rated at 6800 lbs, so I'm not concerned about overloading the chassis. I only tow the Bigfoot locally over mostly flat and some minor hills. Actually, the truck does quite nicely. It'll cruise at 65 at 2500 rpm towing. I wouldn't be comfortable going cross-country with my combination though. I have a 23' E450 V10 moho with a 10,000 lb tow capacity that I'd use for that!

I wouldn't hesitate to tow a 25' Airstream with the new redesigned Tundra. While I don't care for the new body style, nor the interior treatment of the new trucks myself, the new Tundra is certainly competent to pull up to a 25' Airstream. I wouldn't go over 25' with any half-ton truck with a late-model wide-body Airstream.

Roger

[Bob Thompson]

Check this post : http://www.airforums.com/forums/f463...ras-23193.html

and my post #9. I've now towed the 25 Excella nearlly 50k miles with an '02 Tundra. I figure another 150k and the truck will definitely be toast but for now, it drives like a truck with 25k miles on it. I do drive conservatively usually keeping up with most trucks on steep climbs. It is certainly capable of going faster but gas mileage would suffer and why work it that hard? Over the 50k miles of towing, I've averaged about 13.75 mpg so you know I'm not trying to run with every 911 that passes by.

In a week, we are off for a month to Ruidoso, then Sedona, So Cal, Las Vegas and then back to Texas. I have no concerns about the '02 Tundra being able pulling the 25' Excella on any portion of the trip.

I do share Roger's feeling that you need a 3/4 ton truck if you go larger than a 25' trailer.

Perhaps someone who has an '07 can add comments on it's capability.

[Rollertoaster]

I tow a 25' Safari FB with our '07 Tundra 5.7L. This is a great combination, and I have done a lot of mountain towing with this truck. It is quiet, comfortable,and gets about 10-11 mpg while towing. And yes, the tailgate will go down while hooked up. Check out the latest Consumer Reports. The new Tundra beats both the new Ford and Chevy diesels 0-60 while towing 7400#. The article also dispels some of the mpg claims many people make about diesels. BTW, I towed the Safari with the previous generation Tundra and this truck is much more capable.

[skykingpilot]

Thanks for the info Rollertoaster!

My lease is up shortly and I have also driven the 5.7L Tundra. My local dealer offered me the chance to take his demo for a couple of days and hook up my 19' '05 Bambi... After driving it, I was more than a little impressed with the power! I was convinced it had lots of get up and go, but was not certain it would really have hte pulling power I am used to in my Ford. Nice to hear otherwise... The 07 Limited is in my sights, just looking forward to taking a test drive with the AS behind... Thanks for the post. I have renewed hope for a more refined ride for the 95% of the time when I am NOT pulling!

Safari25-05, Looks like we have a new option worth checking into! Love my 350 for power... harsh ride for day to day...

BTW: Nice Pic!

Cheers!

[Rollertoaster]

One thing I forgot to mention: the TRD versions of the the Tundra have a firmer ride. I drove both and ended up with the 5.7 Limited 2wd (non TRD).
The 6spd transmission is one of this trucks best features. I use fifth for most towing, and at 60 mph the engine is turning 2000 rpm. In sixth its 80mph at 2000 rpms. The manumatic is also great in the hills.

Terry

[tetstream]

Well, I'm glad that you guys feel secure and happy with your Tundras, but we did not, and never towed anything close to a 25' with it, nor would we ever have considered it. Maybe we like to err on the safe side. One thing we noticed for sure was that the nose position went up in the Tundra whenever the bed was loaded or trailer hooked. It affected the handling and steering.

My Chevy diesel mpg's are dead accurate, hand calculated and not exagerated. Generally, diesels will deliver 20-30% better fuel mileage. For us, the feeling on hooking up 9500# to a truck loaded with 1500#, and not having the handling affected is reassuring.

If you buy a half ton, remember that it's in a class of trucks that plays advertizing war games on HP, torque and towing. I've owned several half tons over the years, and one other 3/4 ton. There is no comparison. I feel that half tons are over rated. It's not a good idea to run a truck to the limit...any truck.

[Rollertoaster]

Truck size/capacity comes down to a couple of things: Are you within the vehicle's published capacities, and does the tow vehicle feel secure with the trailer behind it. This topic has been debated endlessly on these forums, with a lot of people falling into the bigger-is-better camp. It's true that most 1/2 ton trucks are near, if not over, their stated weight carrying capacity when loaded and ready to go camping with a 25' Airstream. My 07 Tundra is rated at 1,650# carrying capacity. Towing capacity is 10,500#. Tongue weight, camper shell, and gear probably put me over slightly, but I'm really not that concerned about it. The motor and brakes are up to it. The truck tracks and turns like it's on rails. And the best part is that I have a smooth riding, quiet vehicle every single day that I am not towing.

Airstreams are not big trailers. Those giant fifth wheels you see coming down the road, dwarfing their tow vehicles, seem much more ungainly than our Airstreams, even if their numbers add up. Fact is, if you drive carefully and your set-up is correct, you have more than likely made up for the small numerical deficiencies that might exist.

Terry

[Ray Eklund]

I am pulling a 23 foot 2006 Safari LS with my 2006 4.7L Tundra 4x4 TRD. Without the 30 gallon fresh water tank full and 18 gallons of water stored in the bed of the truck when we turn off into the desert, the 23 foot is an easy pull at Rocky Mountain elevations. Doing 10 to 11 miles per gallon on regular unleaded on level tows and 8 to 10 mpg on steep grades.

We are around 2200 RPM at 65mph on the flat I-80 at 6,000 to 7,500 feet elevation in Wyoming. Going up the Front Range, west of Denver, you will be climbing at 45mph at 4000rpm with some reserve power.

I have equalizers with my tow package, with two links dropped for a level set up, and if big waves in the road are encountered on the interstate, we have no unusual handling or steering problems. I have to agree that the three leaf spring rear end is a bit light of a suspension for the TRD off road package. We will be looking at the new 5.7L 2007/08's, but those are getting a bit pricey. I even had the thought today to look over the F250 Ford 4x4 gasoline engine models... I bet the GM and Ford trucks are also three leaf spring models. (?)

I have never felt I was short on power in the mountains, unless you consider a steep grade at 10,000+ easy, which it is not. But the average Western US destinations, below sea level to 7500 feet, we have traveled in 20,000 miles in two years have not disappointed me in the 2006 Tundra. Having the larger 5.7L engine and advanced 6 speed transmission on the 2007+ would more than please me and my cautious driving habits.

I would NEVER go without a four wheel drive, 4x4, tow vehicle. With the high and low range transmission, there is plenty of power available. We "rockdock" and have never had traction problems on dirt and gravel roads, braking problems or was unable to pull up a steep grade in the low 4 wheel and lose traction. When you need four wheel drive for that ONE TIME in nowhere, it will pay for itself. If you drive the asphalt and concrete highways, then it is probably not as important to have 4x4 options. It is nice being able to go into low 4x4 down steep dirt road grades without the foot riding the brakes all the way down.

I am more concerned with "braking power" which the Tundra has not disappointed me. The 2006 has drum rears and disc fronts. The 2007 models have disc brakes all around and larger than the 2006. Having the power to travel highway speeds is nice, but having brakes that will avoid that potential problem is just as important. I have 37,000 miles on my Tundra at the present, same brakes, better Goodrich All Terrain 6 ply tires and have had NO problems with the vehicle. Good luck. There are so many options out there, I should be out checking other tow vehicles myself but have been driving Toyotas since 1981. My 1978 Chevrolet 3/4 ton, 4x4 had more problems than I wanted to deal with in the future and I went to Toyota in 1981. The size was a shock, but I never looked back...

[juel]

I tow a vintage Argosy with my 05 Tundra and I have had no trouble. I also have had absolutely no problems with the Tundra since I bought it new. My Argosy weighs in at 3640 dry, probably a little over 4000 with all the stuff in it. I don't know if I would tow a new AS, or tow in the mountains, but the Tundra is a dependable truck. I looked at the new Tundras with the large engine and the ones with the towing package have a switch that changes the suspension when you are towing. They are extremely nice and if I wasn't so in love with this step-side, I would be driving one now. I also just purchased a new Ford F150 Triton 5.4L, crew cab for my husband who won't drive anything but Fords. That's a very nice truck and fun to drive. Maybe more fun than the Tundra, but not as sexy looking.

[Gene]

Pre-'07 Tundras are a very different truck than '07 (and '08). The '07 Tundra has a curb weight for a 5.7L, double cab standard bed (6.5 feet) of 5,445 lbs. That's probably the most common one used for towing, though the larger crew cab is even heavier (must be the leather). Either is 16,000 lbs GCVWR. Pre-'07 V8's 4.7L were in mid-200's in HP (in '02, 245; now 271); 5.7L is 381. Torque 401 vs. 313. Comparing the 2 Tundras is apples and oranges debate. The half-ton vs. three-quarter-ton issues has always mystified me—the same '07 Tundra payload is 1,580—why is that not 3/4 ton? I know it's rated as a half ton, but why?

[UtterNirvana]

I too tow with an 07 Tundra (5.7l) pulling an 25' International FB.

I just took it out again about 2 weeks ago in the Rocky Mountains (Breckenridge, CO). The truck did marvelous! I seriously averaged 14 MPG the whole trip (about 90 miles) to my Denver suburb home.

Regardless of the trucks payload capacity, I do use an equalizer weight-ditribution hitch.