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Old 06-24-2005, 03:45 PM   #1
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Toyota Highlander as a tow vehicle?

Does anyone know if I can tow a vintage Bambi with a Toyota Highlander?
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Old 06-24-2005, 03:54 PM   #2
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From what I know, the Highlander is based on the Camry chassis...

I see it tow rated at #3,500. Generally, a vintage 16' is going to run somewhere around #2,500 dry, more or less. You can easily add #500 to #1,000 in "stuff"; water, food, provisions, and fuels (propane, etc.). Most here recommend a 20% buffer/margin, minimum.

Don't think I'd tow anything with it except, maybe, a utility trailer. There's nothing more miserable than towing too close to spec or underpowered.
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Old 06-24-2005, 08:34 PM   #3
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We tow a 1965 Caravel (17') with a 2000 Honda Odyssey. It pulls great, but we added air springs and a transmission cooler to maintain the OEM level of comfort and durability.
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Old 06-25-2005, 07:54 AM   #4
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I towed my '61 Bambi with an '85 Toyota long bed 4cyl auto 2WD pickup. The dry weight as advertised on the '61 Bambi is 1860lbs. Assuming that the Highlander is rated to tow 3500lbs, my reservation towing with a Highlander would be the short wheelbase and light weight of the tow vehicle relative to the Bambi. That said, I currently tow a 16' Scamp custom deluxe that weighs 2600lbs dry with a '94 Toyota extended cab 4WD pickup with the 3.0l v6 and an automatic. It tows the Scamp very nicely, but again has a significantly longer wheelbase than the Highlander.

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Old 08-18-2005, 01:39 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 85MH325
I towed my '61 Bambi with an '85 Toyota long bed 4cyl auto 2WD pickup. The dry weight as advertised on the '61 Bambi is 1860lbs. Assuming that the Highlander is rated to tow 3500lbs, my reservation towing with a Highlander would be the short wheelbase and light weight of the tow vehicle relative to the Bambi. That said, I currently tow a 16' Scamp custom deluxe that weighs 2600lbs dry with a '94 Toyota extended cab 4WD pickup with the 3.0l v6 and an automatic. It tows the Scamp very nicely, but again has a significantly longer wheelbase than the Highlander.
I just towed a '62 Globetrotter 19' from LA to New Mexico with my 1982 Toyota Landcruiser FJ60. Aside from the fact that It would have been better with some sway control, It was as happy as a clam. (I didn't use sway control or WD hitch.) The FJ60's wheelbase is 107.5 (http://www.tlc4x4.com/2000/SpecPages/fj60_specs.htm) only .6 inches longer than the Highlander. of course the LC is not unibody, but steel frame.

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Old 08-18-2005, 03:29 PM   #6
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Of course you can. We tow a 68 Caravel and a 77 Argosy with a Honda Pilot, which is very similar. Over 20,000 miles of towing in the past two years and no problems. But you'll want the V6, not the 4 cylinder Highlander.

The shorter wheelbase means better maneuverability at the expense of straight-line stability. A weight distributing hitch with sway control is mandatory in my opinion.
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Old 07-13-2007, 07:59 PM   #7
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Consumer Report highly rates the Highlander Hybrids. Rluhr, your Pilot is up there too!

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