Tacoma 4 cyl. Towing

[boutdoors]

Hi All,
First time posting so be kind.

We currently own a 2002 Tacoma 2.7L 4 cyl. with a max towing rate of 3500#. We are ready to take the plunge and want a 2010 16' sport (basic) with a dry weight of 2,897. This is 82% of capacity and not even loaded with the few things we will bring with us.

Is it reasonable to think that I could pull 3,300 or so pounds with the tacoma?

Also, what if any mods should I make? I am thinking about adding Tibren and getting new brakes?

[CanoeStream]

Hi boutdoors! Welcome to AIR Forums! We've been staying in the Eken Park neighborhood this week. Small world...

Let's see if this link works. Our search function prefers to search only one word at a time. I used Search > Advanced Search. Searchword - Tacoma. And at 'Search in Forums' on the right side I confined the search to threads originating in the 'Tow Vehicle' subforum. There's a lot of reading there.

Pay attention to posts by waltero -- he lives in the Pacific NW and has been happy with his Tacoma in challenging terrain. You definitely don't want an 8 1/2 foot wide body Airstream -- but those would only be 24' and longer -- too much trailer for your tow vehicle anyway. You'll need the best weight distribution/antisway equipment available.

Tow capacity? Leave yourself some cushion; try not to go over 85% of your tow capacity. And the next important figure will be payload capacity of your truck. Weights of people aboard the truck + what you intend to place in the truck bed + tongue weight should also not exceed 85%of your truck's payload capacity. 85% (sometimes quoted as "80%") leaves extra margin for "I've got to have this on trip XYZ" as well as contributes to better emergency braking, maneuverability and maybe durability for your truck.

Let us know what you think after your research!

[moosetags]

First off, welcome to the Forums. We're glad to have you with us.

As to your question, I feel that you may be slightly pushing the envelope. By the time your AS 16 Sport is ready to go camping with propane, food, gear, etc., you would be at or near the Tacoma's total capacity. This would be with no cargo in the bed of the truck. When you load the truck with some gear and tools, you may well ease above the Tacoma's capacity.

Since you already own the Tacoma, I suggest that you give it a try, and see if the towing experience falls within your towing comfort zone. If you plan is to camp close by home, the Tacoma just may fit the bill for the time being. If you want to do any cross country traveling, you will probably want a more substantial tow vehicle.

On the other hand, I would not suggest going out and buying a 4 cylinder Tacoma to pull a 3000# trailer of any kind.

Brian

[boutdoors]

Thanks for the quick responses. The only problem we have at this point is that we currently do not even have a hitch on the vehicle to test it out.

I don't know if I want to go the expense of adding a hitch, wiring, brake control, if I am not sure if the Tacoma is going to work.

Its a catch 22 for us, we can afford the trailer but not a trailer and a new tow vehicle.

Would adding any suspension upgrades help or is it a pure power/braking safety problem?

[snake]

I towed a 19' Bambi from New York State to Arizona with a Nissan 4 cylinder pickup with a 5 speed manual transmission.

The Bambi, empty at 3,500 lb was right at the pickup's rated towing capacity.

For most of the trip the pickup did okay, I could maintain a reasonable speed with the traffic on the highways.

Things changed when I got to West Texas and started climbing to above 4,000' elevation and encountered strong headwinds. I was constantly shifting gears, and still not keeping up with traffic.

Although I was able to get home safely, I would strongly not recommend a 4 cylinder tow vehicle unless you are just towing short distances on level roads near sea level.

Last winter I pulled the same trailer, loaded, on the same highways and windy conditions from West Texas to Arizona, returning from Big Bend National Park, with my current TV, a Nissan 4L V6 with 6 speed manual transmission, rated at 6,500 towing capacity, and the difference was amazing.

If you can afford the Bambi, you can afford to trade up to a better TV. You'll be safer, more relaxed on the road and have a better overall travel experience.

[fmr.capt.evi]

Welcome, boutdoors. To answer your question: no.

[3Ms75Argosy]

A couple of thoughts... try looking used for a 16' Airstream.. I think not only would you save some $$, but then you'd have some leftover money for a bigger engine if you think you need one.

For your current rig... I'd buy some slightly smaller diameter tires (lower profile) to give your engine the ability to rev more. The v6 model has 2" larger front brakes.

I dunno, it might be better to get two slightly used toys.. a 16 ft Bambi + a v6 toy. That said, CanAm RV in Canada uses a PT cruiser to toy the same trailer.
Marc

[modarch]

boutdoors- welcome to the forums. I have a '02 v6 Tacoma and I pull our Caravel with it. Dry weight is just under your proposed 2010 Sport. The V6 gets the job done. I would NOT recommend attempting with the 4 cyl.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Another vote for a gently used Airstream.

This one is listed in the forum classified. A good used unit has already taken the depreciation hit and and the QC concerns on the new units won't bug you as much.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f318...eam-53083.html

[boutdoors]

Living here in Wisconsin high elevation and hills are not really a big factor. Neither is speed, we will most likely be taking back roads. I just want to make sure I can control and stop the trailer.

[barbara4rb]

Greetings,
Welcome. You will find the folks on this forum very knowledgeable and always ready to help. They've helped me immensely.

I own a 2006 Tacoma V6 w/ towing cap of 6500#. When I found my 21' Sovereign, dry weight ~4000#, thought I'd be OK towing. On our first trip I found the same situation as snake, towing in N New Mexico, up/down hills, climbing from 5000 to 7200 feet, the Tacoma did fine on the flats, but it was a struggle accelerating/merging onto the freeway and to keep up with traffic going up the hills. We'd manage about 45-50 mph on the hills. And I was exhausted when we arrived at our destination.

In the meantime, we became horse owners and were lucky enough to find a very nice, used F250, 5.4L 2x4 truck. Towing a "live load" safely requires the full size truck. The F250 became our TV for the AS. At New Years we towed the AS on a 1000 mile round trip to the 4CU NY rally in S. AZ. It was a comfortable, easy trip. I know the F250 is a very popular AS vehicle. It is overkill for towing my Sovereign, but makes the towing a breeze.

[boutdoors]

Just want to thank everyone for the input. I think I am going to get new brakes and upgraded suspension and give it a shot.

Any input on which hitch I should be looking for.

And . . . can anyone explain brake assist for me.

Thanks.

[dkottum]

I recently owned a 2001 Tacoma like yours. I now pull a 5000# fully loaded Airstream with a 2006 V8 Tundra, adequate. Having had both trucks and a small Airstream, my impression is the 4 cylinder Tacoma is not even close to the task of pulling the Bambi. Not enough brakes, not enough weight, and not enough power.

[Antique Pedaler]

During our pre-Airstream days our Toyota 4-banger pickup was taxed pulling our Coleman Pop-up up Montana and Wyoming mountains......but we did it anyway. No damage done!

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by boutdoors

And . . . can anyone explain brake assist for me.

Thanks.

Try these links for brake controller info..

The two I have used, Tekonsha and TruControl.

HowStuffWorks "How Brake Controllers Work"


Trailer Brake Controller Information

Trailer brake controller - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Have always had good luck with Reese towing equipment.

Trailer Hitches, Hitch Accessories, Hitch Wiring


HowStuffWorks "How Towing Weight Distribution Systems Work"

[2airishuman]

hi bout'

welcome, yadda yadda.

it reads like u plan to do/try this regardless, so have at it.

from a $$ perspective it isn't a wise choice.

u need...

-a receiver for the truck AND a hitch (not the same thing)

-a brake controller for the truck, maybe mirrors?

-UPgraded brakes and bumper stops (tibren) according to your notes..

-how about a TRANNY cooler?

-are the tires P metric (probably underrated for towing) on the truck?

-does it have a WIRING harness for the 7 pin connector?

and so on....

it's likely u will spend 1-2k$ on the truck most of which isn't transferrable to the NEXT vehicle...

of course that's CASH probably, right?

and the 3500 lbs isn't REALLY the towing capacity...

>>subtract PAYLOAD in the truck (people, dogs, gear, options and the HITCH)

-conservatively that's 4-500 lbs? so now the towing capacity is 3,000 lbs...

and your anticipated LOAD is at/over 100% of the available capacity.

the safari sport BASE weight doesn't include ANY options (like an awning) OR lp gas (sorta useful) or WATER or personal gear...

while an a/s is nicely equipped there WILL be 'stuff' for camping right?

any toys? (bikes, grill, cooler, dog, canoe, lawn chairs and so on...)
_________

so while it's great the POWER issues doesn't really concern u and the focus is wisely on STOPPING and control...

is this really gonna work and will the money spent UPgrading a marginal truck be well spent?

it's not gonna eXPlode with towing but there are LOTS of inexpensive options for towing that sport...

options that would be LESS expensive overall and way more useful.

debating ratings/capacity/wear/useful enhancements may be irrelevant if the decision is to just...

give it a try.

best of luck with both the new trailer and the towing experience...

cheers
2air'

on edit, bob's link isn't working for me, here's a similar but shorter version...

http://www.airforums.com/forums/sear...archid=1692765

and other threads for insight OR confusion...

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f400...oes-39712.html

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f463...cle-55778.html

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f463...ion-34782.html

[handn]

Is your Tacoma Standard shift? If so, I'll bet it has a small clutch.
I towed a 22 foot HiLow travel trailer with a 4 banger little pickup for about 10,000 miles. I put an oil cooler on the engine and an electric fuel pump because the weight caused the engine to vapor lock in the summer. I thought I was good to go because the HiLow was low profile even though it weighed as much as a regular trailer and I was bog slow up the hills.
To make a long story short, I needed a flywheel, clutch and pressure plate at 40,000 miles to the tune of $1,200. Suddenly an adequate tow vehicle became affordable. Go with a tent trailer or at least a 5000 gvw tow vehicle. It will save you $$ and aggravation.

[boutdoors]

Thanks again to everyone for the advise.

To answer a few questions. . .

My truck has a manual transmission.

Here is the math I am coming up with.
Truck curb = 3500
Trailer curb = 2897
Passengers = 350
Cargo = 350 (40lb lp, 10gallons H20@8.35lb = 83.5lb, clothes/food/gear @ 226.5lb)
Total GCW = 7097
Total Trailer Weight = 3247 (92%)

Tacoma Max Trailer Weight = 3500
Tacoma GCWR = 7400

I know 92% is a bit above the 80-85% rule. I don't know maybe I am just an stubborn optimist.

[Road Ruler]

Originally Posted by boutdoors

Thanks again to everyone for the advise.

I know 92% is a bit above the 80-85% rule.

These rules are based on tow ratings. Beware that these vague rules have little to nothing to do with how well your combination will handle (stability) or perform overall.

[boutdoors]

Road Ruler,
Is that a vote of support or a warning?