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m.hony · 08-22-2013, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LFC

Only person that would knock the Tundra is someone who's never owned one.

5.7 liter = 381 horsepower and 401 pound-feet of torque

What he said.
The people who doubt the capabilities of a Tundra have never driven one.
I have towed with many 1 ton and 3-4 ton Ford and GM diesel and gas. I promise you there ain't a nickel's worth of difference.
In fact, the Tundra does some things better.
I would buy another Tundra in a heartbeat.
I have also ridden in the backseat of GM and Ford crew cabs. No truck has a bigger backseat than a Tundra.
No other truck ha those big wide opening rear doors.
We almost bought a 1988 34' Airstream. I had every intention of towing it with the Tundra. Its owner used a Lincoln Navigator to tow it.

m.hony · 08-22-2013, 06:05 PM

If a Tundra can pull this it can pull any Airstream made.

RickDavis · 08-22-2013, 06:21 PM

There is a picture of a Tundra pulling a 34 on the cover of the February blue Beret. At least it looks like 3 wheels as you look under the trailer.

m.hony · 08-22-2013, 06:25 PM

Going to the trailer to look at the February Blue Beret...

m.hony · 08-22-2013, 06:36 PM

Yes, Sir. That is a Tundra pulling a 34. It looks like a very new 34. Who knows? It might even have a slide-out.

m.hony · 08-22-2013, 06:38 PM

Here it is.

LFC · 08-23-2013, 03:26 AM

Truth is with a set of ice cleats it would pull it up the side of that ice field.

m.hony · 08-23-2013, 03:31 AM

Maybe...
If it were 4-wheel drive and had the right tires...
My 2-wheel drive gets stuck in wet grass...

LFC · 08-23-2013, 03:59 AM

I didn't know a Tundra had sway control....

http://www.toyota.com/content/ebroch..._ebrochure.pdf

m.hony · 08-23-2013, 05:40 AM

I don't know if mine has sway control or not

A pleasant surprise if it does.

m.hony · 08-23-2013, 05:42 AM

Nope. Mine don't have sway control.

That started in 2011.

m.hony · 08-23-2013, 05:43 AM

I am the sway control...

Hitch up properly.
Distribute weight evenly.
Drive 55.

bonginator · 09-06-2013, 06:12 PM

I tow a 23 foot 2008 AS with my 5.7 V8 4x4 Tundra Double Cab. With passengers, generators, misc. camping gear and water, we always bump up against the payload limits on the Tundra so have to be very careful when managing load. Since we live in CO, we have to do mountain passes

I would not want to go any higher than a 25 footer and feel good about it. Yes, the Tundra has power but you do feel the trailer going down those mountain passes.

The weak link on the Tundra is its payload capacity. Pay close attention to those limits.

I absolutely love my Tundra but am just telling it like it is.

LFC · 09-08-2013, 10:37 AM

Your 23 footer weighs over 10,000 lbs ?

andreasduess · 09-08-2013, 01:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bonginator

I would not want to go any higher than a 25 footer and feel good about it.

Trailer length is not the same as trailer weight.

bonginator · 09-09-2013, 08:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LFC

Your 23 footer weighs over 10,000 lbs ?

No - not even close. My point in the previous post is that the payload in the Tundra is the limiting factor and not the weight of the trailer it can tow. By the time we add up tongue weight, passengers, generators, other camping items, we start to bump into the payload limits. Also, when I tow with the tundra down mountain passes, I don't think I'd want to go bigger than 23 feet based on the feel of how it handles. It has plenty of torque and power up the hills.

Is is just my personal feeling based on owning one. Others may feel otherwise but the OP was asking for opinions so I thought that I would share mine.

m.hony · 09-09-2013, 12:21 PM

How much tongue weight does a 34' have?

Tongue weight pretty much takes all my payload.
I just haul a few sticks of firewood in the truck bed.
I am at the limit, but I don't want another truck.
8 payments left and 29,000 miles.

andreasduess · 09-09-2013, 12:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by m.hony

How much tongue weight does a 34' have?

Depends on the model. Mine has 625lbs, but they go up to 1000lbs.

Vitaminsea · 09-18-2013, 01:13 AM

Good question and good place to ask. I'm very grateful for the many experienced travelers here.

I have a 2011 Tundra Crewmax 4x2 platinum 5.7 engine and pull a 2012 28' international. The 28' has a heavy pin weight at 850 to 950 lbs. That eats up a bunch of my payload but I manage it by keeping the inside of the truck for people only and the bed for a small generator, fuel, and bikes. All our gear and clothes etc go in the trailer and learning how to place items for weight helps in the overall safety I believe. We travel with full water too. Nevertheless it's getting close to the published limits so you have to keep an eye on it for enjoying the benefits of this amazing truck and safely towing.

I had a hard stop this summer coming down a two lane highway from Big Trees State Park in the sierras. The small pickup truck in front of me decided to stop all traffic to turn left after missing their turn on a downhill curve. I hit the brakes hard and steady and the rig did great as if I didn't have a 8000# trailer behind me. Of course I have the big tundra breaks, but the brake controller and the airstream brakes worked perfectly. I have a whole new appreciation for each piece of rig and the luxury of shaking my head at the dumb driver in front of me. (And learning to even give even more space while following in this situation).

It's seems you are at some limits with your rig combo. And I don't know the condition of your trailer systems and brakes. Since it is an older trailer I would make sure it's all good and fresh with the best brakes, tires, etc. Then look at how much attention you want to give to balancing the load, driving responsible, hitching, weight distribution, verses a heavier capacity truck that you can attach to the trailer without the bother of these limits. The driver is a big factor in any rig safety.

For me, I've been happy with the Tundra 5.7 4x2 Crewmax. Both towing as a primary and as an extra vehicle around town.

Hope that helps and enjoy your travels.

bonginator · 09-19-2013, 09:06 AM

Vitaminsea mentions towing with his Tundra near the limits. If you are an owner of a Tundra, you should be aware that there is a know issue with the 2007 - 2010 bearing axles wearing down. Apparently this affects both front and rear. There are two separate Toyota service bulletins out on this that say Toyota has addressed this in later year models by using different parts. I just ran into this on my Tundra rear axle when I was 200 miles out of warranty (of course!) and Toyota wanted $1800 to fix it. It manifested itself as a loud whirring noise that progressively got worse over time and was very apparent between 35 and 50 mph. Toyota told me that it was a serious safety risk and wouldn't let me drive the truck until it was fixed.

I might advise that you specifically ask your techs to check for this on both front and rear axles before you are out of warranty. Not sure if weight bearing has anything to do with this but thought I'd mention it in the hopes that I save some others money and give them peace of mind.

I still love my Tundra but it does piss me off that Toyota knows about this issue and has not done a recall on it. They did agree to cover part of the cost of my repair after I pushed the issue but prior to this, I have had great service and I thought this was not up to par for the company.