Towing capacity??

[Shazam]

2011 Tundra - GVWR= 6900
2015 25FC GVWR= 7300. Dry weight is 5700.
Plan is 4-5 hour trips at essentially no elevation (middle Georgia)

We will only be adding about 600 pounds of gear max.
Can I tow with this Tundra ?

[brick1]

Maybe. Maybe not. You need to consider the tow rating of the truck, max tongue weight of the truck, axle weight limits, payload, gross vehicle weight rating, etc. I expect you will be OK, but your pinch point may be payload or tongue weight.
And many folks tow above rated limits.

[Mrjkq]

You're in good shape with that Tundra & AS. Use a WDH to reduce tongue weight & enjoy the adventure. I have a 25' FC also & tow with a Titan/Cummins diesel however, we do mountain trips, Rockys etc & need the torque.

[A W Warn]

Originally Posted by Shazam

2011 Tundra - GVWR= 6900
2015 25FC GVWR= 7300. Dry weight is 5700.
Plan is 4-5 hour trips at essentially no elevation (middle Georgia)

We will only be adding about 600 pounds of gear max.
Can I tow with this Tundra ?

Maybe.
You have not provided enough information to say for sure, because there is a lot of variation of equipment and capacities.

For example, this is the range of capacities for a 2011 Tundra:
Towing capacity: 4,500 to 10,400 lbs
Payload: 1,450 to 2,090 lbs
Horsepower: 270 to 381 hp

ps:
Read the owners manual for the tow vehicle.

[CBWELL]

How does a WDH reduce tongue weight? Where does the weight disappear to? I have always read, understood, and used the WDH to "distribute" the weight of the hitch. You need to know all the things that brick1 mentioned, as well as the CGVW (combined vehicle weight rating). Just because someone says "i do it", dosen't mean that it is correct or legal. Best to be legal, just incase you are involved in an accident. You don't want anybody to point a finger and sue, as insurance companies love to find ways to not pay or recoup their payouts. JMHO

[KK4YZ]

Originally Posted by CBWELL

How does a WDH reduce tongue weight? Where does the weight disappear to? I have always read, understood, and used the WDH to "distribute" the weight of the hitch. You need to know all the things that brick1 mentioned, as well as the CGVW (combined vehicle weight rating). Just because someone says "i do it", dosen't mean that it is correct or legal. Best to be legal, just incase you are involved in an accident. You don't want anybody to point a finger and sue, as insurance companies love to find ways to not pay or recoup their payouts. JMHO

Well, the tongue weight doesn’t disappear. But the WDH will take some of that tongue weight and transfer to the tow vehicle front wheels and some to the trailer wheels. That’s why you should weigh the rig.

[Shazam]

Warn- This is all the info I have available - It is 381HP, 5.7L
GVWR- 6900. - I assume this is what you mean by towing capacity?

CBWell- Excellent point about potential legal ramifications.

I also have an Equalizer WD hitch

[Daquenzer]

Does it have a tow haul mode? If it does I think you will be fine. The tow haul mode is helpful to keep the transmission from overheating as well as slowing and breaking.

My suggestion is take it on an hour trip somewhere and see how it handles on regular roads and freeways. The biggest thing with a marginally powered truck is accelerating in traffic. I have an F150 Ecoboost rated to over 12,000lbs for my 28’ Serenity which weighs about 7200lbs loaded. It’s nice to be able to have some acceleration.

[A W Warn]

You need to know tow vehicle's GCWR (gross combined weight rating).

Gear ratio of the drive axle has a lot to do with this, as does engine size.
There should be a chart in the owner's manual that gives GCRW based specifically on the equipment in the tow vehicle.

My guess, based on the info you have shared so far, is that it will do ok towing in the flat lands.

Does your vehicle have a brake controller that will activate the trailer brakes?

There should be a sticker/placard on the drivers door jamb that gives the payload capacity and axle rating.

You must do the math. When you find all of these specs AND then weigh the vehicles, then you have what you need to calculate the suitability of the tow vehicle:
GVWR (door placard)
GCWR (door placard or owners manual)
Payload capacity (door placard)
Hitch capacity (owners manual or hitch manufacturer's data)
Both Axles capacity (door placard)
Tire's load capacity at ? PSI (tire manufacturer's chart)

[Aviator]

FWIW, I have towed our 34' Airstream with a 2009 F150 5.4L using a ProPride WD hitch (also eliminates sway. I didn't enjoy the Equalizer I had at first). We base out of the Atlanta area, so similar to Shazam. This combo has been to New Mexico, up to Wyoming, the Virginia's and points between without any problems.

The Tundra you have is a larger more powerful package than my truck. Properly set up, you should have many enjoyable years of towing.

[gandttimes]

GVWR = Gross Vehicle Weight Rating.
GCWR= Gross Combined Weight Rating.
Subtract the first from the second to find the weight of the trailer you are capable of towing.
Payload is going to largely tell you the weight of the trailer tongue ( equalized) and passengers and cargo you can carry.
Should all be available on door sticker, manual and website.
I would suspect with the engine you have and Toyotas final drive ratio you should be fine.

[TouringDan]

I have an 08 Tundra with the same engine and transmission. I can assure you that you will have plenty of power. My GCWR is 16,000 lbs, yours I suspect is similar.

Like A W Warn said you need to do the math to determine how legal you are. The tightest criteria to meet, I believe, will be the rear axle weight rating. You have to weigh your rig to determine the weight on the rear axle. Then compare this to the maximum rear axle weight allowable on the drivers side door jamb. It is probably about 4,100 lbs.

Attached are photos of my drivers door jamb stickers showing the GVWR, payload and axle ratings.

Dan

[waninae39]

contact andy at canam rv

he is the #1 RV towing guru in CAN/USA

he has a old jetta that pulls a very big AS

thus he should be able to get yours to work

[TG Twinkie]

Originally Posted by Shazam

Warn- This is all the info I have available - It is 381HP, 5.7L
GVWR- 6900. - I assume this is what you mean by towing capacity?

CBWell- Excellent point about potential legal ramifications.

I also have an Equalizer WD hitch

Does the Tundra have the tow package? Meaning a tow/haul mode along with transmission cooler and larger radiator. Among other things.
Probably not equipped with tow mirrors. Unless they were installed after original sale.

[Rezqewr]

Check your owner's manual for vehicle towing capacity. For instance, my '07 FJ Cruiser has a towing capacity of 5,000 pounds, and my 19' Bambi weighs 3600 pounds "dry."
As for a load distribution hitch "reducing tongue weight," it reduces the "lever effect" of the trailer tongue on the rear of the tow vehicle. A properly set up LD hitch, will have both the tow vehicle and trailer sitting perfectly level with hooked up.

[Shazam]

The Tundra has a Tow/ haul mode, so I am assuming it has the tow package.
Data from the door placard:
GVWR= 6900
GAVR Frt: 3900
Rear: 4100

I can not find the GCWR
I have extendable after market tow mirrors and am having a brake controller installed.

Touring Dan: Your sticker and mine have identical numbers.

[n2916s]

Towed my 31' Sovereign some 70000 miles with a 2004 Nissan Titan which worked great despite being a less capable tow vehicle than your Tundra.

That 5.7 liter V8 is powerful and bulletproof. The Tundra brakes are superb. My sister in law has towed her 2007 27' all over the country with hers.

Get out there and enjoy!

[TouringDan]

The Tundra GVWR is 6,900 lbs and your Airstream GVWR is 7,300 lbs for a combined limit of 14,200 lbs. This is way under the Tundra combination weight rating of 16,000 lbs. I can’t find this number in my owners manual, but I know that I read it somewhere and it is stuck in my pea brain.

I find payload to be kind of a meaningless number because you can’t really measure it. What really counts are the TV axle ratings. The rear axle rating, in my experience, will be the toughest one to meet. It is the easiest one to exceed. Good luck at the scales.

Please let us know the results of your scale weigh in.

I don’t agree that the Tundra brakes are all that great. I find that I do a lot of downshifting especially on mountain descents to minimize using the TV brakes.

Dan

[thewarden]

Originally Posted by TouringDan

I find payload to be kind of a meaningless number because you can’t really measure it. What really counts are the TV axle ratings. The rear axle rating, in my experience, will be the toughest one to meet. It is the easiest one to exceed. Good luck at the scales.

Dan

I must disagree that payload is a meaningless number and you can't really measure it. It is actually quite an important number. It includes the tongue weight of the trailer, the gear you stow in the box and in the cab and the weight of the passengers. Not at all difficult to measure and something that needs to be done to ensure you are within the vehicles stated payload capacity.

As you stated, axle weight ratings are important as well and if you stay within them, you are generally in good shape.

The scales are your best friend in making all these determinations.

[A W Warn]

Originally Posted by Shazam

The Tundra has a Tow/ haul mode, so I am assuming it has the tow package.
Data from the door placard:
GVWR= 6900
GAVR Frt: 3900
Rear: 4100

I can not find the GCWR
I have extendable after market tow mirrors and am having a brake controller installed.

Touring Dan: Your sticker and mine have identical numbers.

This is a link to the specs for your truck. On page 5 GCWR is listed for various setups.

https://pressroom.toyota.com/article...rticle_id=2688

Regardless of equipment, every 2011 Tundra with the 5.7L engine will be capable for towing your 25' trailer. Looks like the total combined weight, even if both vehicles are at max GVWR, will be about 2 tons under the GCWR. (that is impressive!)
Payload and tongue weight will be the two items that will be nearest the limits.

Still, weighing and doing the math is necessary IMO!