Toyota Tundra as a Tow Vehicle

[slowmover]

That's a damn big cat, brother.

[evamcmahan]

I pull a 2008 25 foot International with a 2010 Tundra with the 5.7 liter engine. The tow haul mode should be used when towing or hauling a heavy load in the truck bed. It adjusts the points at which the transmission shifts. For example, with tow haul mode off you may start pulling up a hill and when reaching a certain speed the transmission would shift up, but very quickly it would have to shift right back down because it would sense it shifted too soon considering the extra weight. In tow haul mode, it waits for higher RPMs before shifting up. The lower gear selectors need only be used to hold back using engine breaking under extreme conditions when the smart transmission does not cause as much engine breaking as you would like.

[iowaal]

I am wondering if the Tundra (with towing package of course) would be adequate to pull a 30 ft Classic. I understand there are a lot of variables to consider...but just curious is I am even in the "ballpark" considering the Tundra. We are "in the market" for a new AS...unfortunately, we also will be needing the tow vehicle. Planning on attending the RV show in Tampa in a week or so.

[m.hony]

Originally Posted by slowmover

That's a damn big cat, brother.

Not really, but she has plenty of room for her food, water, litter box, and lounging around.

[m.hony]

Originally Posted by iowaal

I am wondering if the Tundra (with towing package of course) would be adequate to pull a 30 ft Classic. I understand there are a lot of variables to consider...but just curious is I am even in the "ballpark" considering the Tundra. We are "in the market" for a new AS...unfortunately, we also will be needing the tow vehicle. Planning on attending the RV show in Tampa in a week or so.

Check out my rig in my profile and avatar- I'm gonna go ahead and say, "Yes, it's adequate."

[Gene]

Whether the truck has enough power to pull a 30' is not the only question. The 30' has higher tongue weight and with other things in the truck, you may be well over payload. And more weight means more wear and tear on the truck.

Gene

[SteveH]

Originally Posted by m.hony

Check out my rig in my profile and avatar- I'm gonna go ahead and say, "Yes, it's adequate."

It probably is adequate in and around the Mississippi Delta country, but how will it be in the Rockies?

And besides, it definitely doesn't have enough power to be jacked up with big off road tires, and flying a huge Texas flag.

[slowmover]

Or carry the Kegarator plus three extra beer kegs like any real truck can do.

[SteveH]

Originally Posted by slowmover

Or carry the Kegarator plus three extra beer kegs like any real truck can do.

You only carry three?

[slowmover]

I travel solo. If I get a dog I guess I'll have to rethink it.

[reelfastgreg]

Originally Posted by iowaal

I am wondering if the Tundra (with towing package of course) would be adequate to pull a 30 ft Classic.

i had a 2008 Tundra extended cab, which was one of the most comfortable riding trucks i have ever owned. this was before my AS but it had to be able to haul my 10k boat and trailer. there was no way this suspension was up to the task so i added air bags to be able to keep the boat trailer axles level.

then i bought a 2014 Tundra crew cab, virtually the same exact truck as the 2008, no upgrades, no changes from Toyota. same issues with hauling the boat and trailer. the transmission would hunt on even the smallest rises in the road, very annoying and the fuel consumption would break the bank. and for some reason, the once comfortable captains chairs where now only good for about 200 miles before my back made it clear it was time to stop.

when the AS came into view, i knew this truck, despite all the positives, was not going to be up to the task of long haul travel in comfort and without worry. so i shopped around looking for a 3/4 ton but instead got a great deal on a 1 ton Ford diesel. what a tremendous difference with this truck.

for a while i thought this truck was going to be overkill but with the first 900 mile swing we made, i now know i made the correct decision. over north cascades highway at the posted speed limit, down the steep E side, across the deserts of WA and into the side winds of the Columbia gorge, all handled by this truck with ease.

maybe Toyota will start upgrades coming to their iconic truck but right now, i would not be shopping for a Tundra given what other trucks are on the market.

[KJRitchie]

Tundras are long in the tooth and I don't like the new styling compared to my 2010 so if I need to upgrade in the near future for towing duties it won't be another Tundra.

Kelvin

[m.hony]

Surely an upgrade is around the corner, but maybe not- look at the Tacoma-

[Gene]

Toyota usually upgrades around 6 years with a minor sheet metal change at about 3 years. The Tundra had some sheet metal changes at about 6 years, maybe 7. The dashboard was restyled and does look better. 2015 has much bigger fuel tank, but I'm unsure whether it is an option or standard. The biggest changes were huge price increases, but with car and truck sales way up, why not increase prices to capture the most you can get out of pent up demand?

Edmunds says the next major change is for 2018, 11 years after the first Tundra. They say fuel mileage will be improved, but they are way behind on that and will probably have a long road to re-build market share. They sell about 100,000/year—after almost 200,000 in 2007, sales have been much less.

This is the worst time to buy, but our Tundra is doing fine so no need to replace it. Whether we will wait 3 more years—or more likely 4 to wait for model change screw ups to be sorted out—is yet to be determined. We've had a lot of Toyotas, but Toyota just doesn't seem interested in this truck. It is a good truck, but getting dated. Reliability is important to us, so we'll see how the others are doing down the road.

Gene

[m.hony]

With 44,000 miles, I might have my Tundra 15-20 more years or all of 'em-

[GettinAway]

Mine only has 26,000 miles on it. I bought it for retirement, which isn't expected for five more years. I'm planning on at least 15 more years total on it. But, then again, that's why I bought a Toyota.

[Gene]

You guys have to start driving. We have more than 98,000 miles, 50,000 towing from Alaska to Key West and much in between.

Here's a bit of a change of subject—I have always used full synthetic oil. Now Toyota recommends changing synthetic oil at 10,000 miles, not 5,000. I asked a service manager whether that meant I could change the oil in the Tundra at 10,000 miles like the newer Toyotas. Some new Toyotas come with synthetic, the '07 Tundra did not. He obviously hadn't a clue, so he just said stick with what the book says. But that begs the question—if synthetic oil is good for 10,000 miles, shouldn't it good no matter what vehicle it is in? Or does it get dirtier in an older vehicle? I have split the difference and will change it at 7,500 miles unless I am persuaded that is not ok. Persuade me (or not).

Gene

[SteveH]

This is probably more than you want to know about "synthetic" oil, but you would think synthetic oil would be some thing that was synthesized, but really it's not.

Other than additive "package" differences, all synthetic oil has a base of polyethylene glycol, and guess where that comes from.

Crude oil.

[KJRitchie]

I think the only thing Toyota has changed on the 5.7L is most newer models are FlexFuel. If you were to switch to synthetic after using normal oil is there a procedure you need to follow or does the synthetic mix OK with the residual standard oil? Just wondering if its worth the extra cost to switch to synthetic since the 5.7L takes about 7.9qts.

Kelvin

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Originally Posted by Gene

You guys have to start driving. We have more than 98,000 miles, 50,000 towing from Alaska to Key West and much in between.

Here's a bit of a change of subject—I have always used full synthetic oil. Now Toyota recommends changing synthetic oil at 10,000 miles, not 5,000. I asked a service manager whether that meant I could change the oil in the Tundra at 10,000 miles like the newer Toyotas. Some new Toyotas come with synthetic, the '07 Tundra did not. He obviously hadn't a clue, so he just said stick with what the book says. But that begs the question—if synthetic oil is good for 10,000 miles, shouldn't it good no matter what vehicle it is in? Or does it get dirtier in an older vehicle? I have split the difference and will change it at 7,500 miles unless I am persuaded that is not ok. Persuade me (or not).

Gene

Hi, my wife's BMW has an oil change rate at 15,000 miles. Scary to me, but so far so good. I do 5,000 miles on the Lincoln.