FJ Cruiser & 23 CCD?

[tmrgrs]

Does anyone here have experience or thoughts about this combination? I'm willing to minimize the amount of baggage and gear if need be.

[BradS]

I pull a 22'CCD with a one ton and I would not go any smaller. With my setup My truck weighs twice the weight of my trailer. Over kill yes, but I will always have control. An FJ can't weigh very much. I think you would be in for a white knuckle ride. Maybe think about it some more before doing it.

[Road Ruler]

The FJ's are a cool looking vehicle but suspect they may need some special considerations in set up for towing a 22. I would seek the advice or assistance from a towing specialist (ie.. Can Am Rv) regarding this type of combination. .

[tmrgrs]

Originally Posted by Road Ruler

The FJ's are a cool looking vehicle but suspect they may need some special considerations in set up for towing a 22. I would seek the advice or assistance from a towing specialist (ie.. Can Am Rv) regarding this type of combination. .

....I'll look into getting more advice for sure before I buy an AS.

FJ stats:

278 ft/lb torque
5 speed auto
3.72 differential
106" wheelbase
4295 lb. curb weight
5570 lb. GVW
type III factory hitch with towing package
5000 lb. factory rated towing capacity

The service manager at the local Toyota dealer said to me (off the record) that if I minimize the 'in vehicle' weight and add the difference to the towing weight limit, that I ought to still be OK. In other words: the vehicle is rated for 1200 lbs. carrying capacity (occupants, cargo, tongue weight of the trailer, etc). If this is true and if I can stay lets say at 700 lbs 'in-vehicle' then I might assume that my towing weight limit be closer to 5500 lbs....just thinking out loud here....lol

...AS says that the empty weight of a 23 foot International CCD is 4,695 lbs. I'm really getting anxious about all of this since my wife and I are about to send the last kid packing for college next year and we still have fond memories of my 30 foot AS from more 25 years ago. She and I might get in each others way in a 19 footer though.

[lewster]

Originally Posted by tmrgrs

....I'll look into getting more advice for sure before I buy an AS.

FJ stats:

278 ft/lb torque
5 speed auto
3.72 differential
106" wheelbase
4295 lb. curb weight
5570 lb. GVW
type III factory hitch with towing package
5000 lb. factory rated towing capacity

The service manager at the local Toyota dealer said to me (off the record) that if I minimize the 'in vehicle' weight and add the difference to the towing weight limit, that I ought to still be OK. In other words: the vehicle is rated for 1200 lbs. carrying capacity (occupants, cargo, tongue weight of the trailer, etc). If this is true and if I can stay lets say at 700 lbs 'in-vehicle' then I might assume that my towing weight limit be closer to 5500 lbs....just thinking out loud here....lol

...AS says that the empty weight of a 23 foot International CCD is 4,695 lbs. I'm really getting anxious about all of this since my wife and I are about to send the last kid packing for college next year and we still have fond memories of my 30 foot AS from more 25 years ago. She and I might get in each others way in a 19 footer though.

For starters.....don't listen to the forked tongue devil known as an auto salesman. They want to sell you the FJ and don't really give a hoot about what you tow, or how you tow it!

I pull the 19CCD with a Sprinter (almost 30,000 miles, 155 HP and 225 ft/lb torque, 144" wheelbase and GVWR of 8550, CGVWR of 13.550)....max tow weight 5000lbs. and I didn't buy the 22 because it had no 'headroom' on the weights. Sure, maybe the OEMs play with the vehicle capacities, but I sure wouldn't want to be the one IN the vehicle depending on what a dealer says. There is a lot of towing wisdom and experience here, and since you asked....maybe you should take some to heart. I wouldn't tow at the max or close to it.......'headroom'.

It's never a problem to err on the side of caution (1 ton towing a 22 when it can comfortably tow a 34) but that's just personal preference and has no safety issues associated with it. Short wheel base and tow capacities don't usually lie, even though some look at horsepower and torque and say it's all good.

You have to make the decision........but there's nothing like being able to take your toys with you camping AND still enjoy a margin of safety....catch my drift?????

[Whizzo]

I was suspect of Trailer Life's pictured FJ & 23 CCD combination when I read that issue. Kind of setting a misleading example in a national publication. For that TT, you'd want more truck. The folks in this group wisely say have a reasonable margin - some towing capability in reserve.

Shorter wheelbase medium SUVs can be good tow vehicles, but new A/S's over 22 feet are usually out, based on reasonable weight and length guidelines.

We've been very happy with the A/S line designed for medium-sized SUVs. The floor plan and features don't match the CCD of course... but the Sport line 22 would match the FJ capabilities pretty well. We looked really hard at the Bambi 19, but those couple of feet made a significant difference, and we don't mind the "cheaper" features of the Sport.

[2airishuman]

hi tmr' and welcom to the forums!

Originally Posted by tmrgrs

...AS says that the empty weight of a 23 foot International CCD is 4,695 lbs...

dry weights are estimates and without options...

besides what's the point of towing a small house around, if it's EMPTY!

lp gas, WATER and food, along with the usual camping gear and household items....

are part of camping, and it's really NO FUN to tow an empty trailer...

using the toilet, making coffee and having a meal are PART of the fun in this travel style.

anyway...
1. can it tow? sure anything is possible
2. should u tow? only u can answer this
3. would i try that combo? no way, sorry.

we've covered the fj several times here are a few threads to overload U with...

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f238...mbi-42574.html

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f463...ser-28958.html

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f463...cle-26529.html

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f463...ath-23572.html

cheers
2air'

[Gene]

I agree with everything so far. I think you must have the V6 in the FJ which is an excellent engine but a little small for this purpose. Mainly, the FJ doesn't have the towing capacities for that particular trailer. I think good visability is very important when towing because you have to be much more attentive to what's going on all around you. The FJ is a very appealing vehicle, but the windows are low, the C pillar is so large as to obstruct views to the side and rear, and the hood seems enormous when sitting behind the wheel. We love Toyotas and were very interested in the FJ until I sat in it and didn't feel it was safe because it was hard to see the road in front of me. Maybe it would work for a Bambi or one of the Sport models, but for a 23' think about the Tundra with the 5.7 L engine. You can get a 4Runner with a V8 though I don't know which V8 it is—probably the smaller one. I think you'd still have a poor match with the towing capacities especially the cargo capacity unless you want to buy everything you need each day. Your clothing bill will be very high. I think the 4Runner and the FJ are basically the same vehicle with different sheet metal.

We had a 2002 Tundra when we started looking at Airstreams and I tried to convince myself the '02 would tow a 25' trailer and had sufficient payload. After I stopped being delusional I sold the '02 and bought an '07.

I don't know whether you can afford to buy a new TV and an Airstream, but that would be the best choice unless you're willing to get a smaller, lighter Airstream. For most people the trailer is a long term purchase, more so than a truck. You should be happy in the trailer you pick, so if you can swing it, either sell the FJ and buy a Tundra, or have the FJ and a Tundra.

A one ton truck is certainly overkill and would be appropriate with a 30+ foot trailer though a 3/4 ton would be fine. I tow a 25' Safari with a Tundra and there's plenty of power, easy to tow and just enough payload.

Gene

[2airishuman]

Originally Posted by CrawfordGene

...The FJ is a very appealing vehicle, but the windows are low, the C pillar is so large as to obstruct views to the side and rear, and the hood seems enormous when sitting behind the wheel...

i was excited to see the fj when she re-appeared.

but disappointed with the feel from inside and the narrowed view out.

too dark inside, not enough open space and a claustrophobic overall effect.

the access doors just weren't easy to load/unload gear either.

>>read last week the fj is being discontinued and no upgrades are planned<<

something about too much crossover with the 4runner and zero sum gain in sales/market share.

cheers
2air'

[Silvertwinkie]

Originally Posted by tmrgrs

....I'll look into getting more advice for sure before I buy an AS.

FJ stats:

278 ft/lb torque
5 speed auto
3.72 differential
106" wheelbase
4295 lb. curb weight
5570 lb. GVW
type III factory hitch with towing package
5000 lb. factory rated towing capacity

Bottom line. No.

4600 empty weight is just that, empty. You plan to bring water, food, clothes, etc or are you going to just bring the RV? Are you going to fill the fuel tank? Have any passengers in the truck. Each passenger and each lb of fuel, cargo, etc takes right off the max tow capacity. Type 3 hitch? I had type 4 when I towed a 19' Bambi.

The 22 and 23' units are significantly beyond 5000lbs wet weight and rest assured, fuel, cargo in the tow vehicle, fuel, etc will clearly, without question put you well over 5k. In addition 106" wheelbase is far too small for anything more then say a 16' or 19' max, but even at 19', you will clearly exceed the tow rating of the FJ, so you are back to around 16 IMHO.

Bottom line, go for a 16' unit, a vintage that weighs less than 4k (wet weight) or upgrade that cute little SUV.

[Garfield]

Originally Posted by tmrgrs

....I'll look into getting more advice for sure before I buy an AS.

FJ stats:

278 ft/lb torque
5 speed auto
3.72 differential
106" wheelbase
4295 lb. curb weight
5570 lb. GVW
type III factory hitch with towing package
5000 lb. factory rated towing capacity

The service manager at the local Toyota dealer said to me (off the record) that if I minimize the 'in vehicle' weight and add the difference to the towing weight limit, that I ought to still be OK. In other words: the vehicle is rated for 1200 lbs. carrying capacity (occupants, cargo, tongue weight of the trailer, etc). If this is true and if I can stay lets say at 700 lbs 'in-vehicle' then I might assume that my towing weight limit be closer to 5500 lbs....just thinking out loud here....lol

...AS says that the empty weight of a 23 foot International CCD is 4,695 lbs. I'm really getting anxious about all of this since my wife and I are about to send the last kid packing for college next year and we still have fond memories of my 30 foot AS from more 25 years ago. She and I might get in each others way in a 19 footer though.

The CJ's super-short 106" wheelbase would give me pause. Not sure I'd try that combo but it would certainly require a Hensley Arrow hitch or equivalent and you'd have to really watch the weight. I wouldn't rule it out immediately but there are so many details to consider you really should seek advice from a towing expert. If you're not willing or able to throughly investigate that combination, I wouldn't proceed.

That being said, you certainly don't need a one ton to tow that trailer safely.

Gary