Towing with a Tundra

[Silverbuckle]

Much appreciate all the replies ....Now leaning towards a 3/4 ton. We plan on spending
most of time out west. Sold or Keystone Colorado Ski Condo and are going the RV route.
Love the west.
Thanks again for all the input.
\
Silverbuckle

[larryglarson]

I towed a 30 ft. classic with a tundra 5.7. I towed it a lot of miles (8,000) and I felt it did a great job.

[Silver.Sanctuary]

Originally Posted by Silverbuckle

Much appreciate all the replies ....Now leaning towards a 3/4 ton. We plan on spending
most of time out west. Sold or Keystone Colorado Ski Condo and are going the RV route.
Love the west.
Thanks again for all the input.
\
Silverbuckle

There has long been rumor of a diesel Tundra. You might want to check with your favorite Toyota dealer to see if that might be in the cards. Then you could have your cake and eat it too!

[KJRitchie]

Towing my 2008 Classic 25fb with my Tundra at 60mph I averaged 11.9 mpg on my Utah trip. Typical safe range was about 225 to 250 miles with 5 gal reserve hand calculated.

Kelvin

[rucos]

I tow a 23" with a 2010 limited tundra club cab/towing package.... tons of power but a smaller trailer....KJRitcie the 2010 and possibly other years had an issue with the rotors on the front warping a bit and causing the braking shudder especially downhills hauling..... i replaced them with heavy rotors and the brakes work like dream ...ive hauled all over the west and usually do about 10,000km (6000mi) a year.
Its a great vehicle but if I was to go to 30ft I think I would go 3/4t and possibly diesel. hopefully one day Toyota will build one ...haha

[demijac]

We tow a 27FB Classic with our 2007 Tundra with the Towing Package. At initial purchase of our Classic, we looked at both the 27FB and the 30ft models. We chose not to go with the 30ft because it was too close to the maximum load specs of the Tundra. I have no doubt that we could have pulled a 30ft Classic but experience tells me that prolonged work close to the upper limit would result in increased wear and tear on the tow vehicle and a shorter useful life.

We do not regret this decision. To further reduce wear and tear, we drive at 60 mph and make a point of letting the Tundra find its 'comfortable' speed on the uphills. We've not had any issues on the downhills using a combination of the Tundra's downshifting capabilities and our adjustable trailer brakes. The idea is to not be in a hurry, take our time and maximize the useful life of the tow vehicle which is still going strong after all these years.

Conclusion: Sure you can pull a 30ft trailer but in the interest of maximizing the useful life of your Tundra, do you want to be pushing it to its upper limit most of the time?

[m.hony]

Towing a 30' doesn't seem to have hurt my Tundra or shortened its life.
I tow at 60-65 for following distance, stopping distance, and fuel economy.
This is how you extend the life of a vehicle.
It is easier on the engine, transmission, suspension, and brakes.
My Tundra is a 2007 with 57,000 miles- 47,000 of those miles towing.
All I have done is oil changes, air filters, wiper blades, 2 cabin filters, and 1 set of tires.
My Classic 30 isn't bothering my Tundra. It likes it.


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[jumboscott]

Hello, first post so be easy on me. Anyways, purchased my Tow Vehicle, 2007 Tundra 5.7L Double Cab with OEM tow package. It didn't come with draw-bar or ball. Really not sure what type to get since there are different styles of draw-bars (drop or rise type) and ball sizes. Currently looking for Airstream 19-25'. I'm guessing I will need a draw-bar that is 10k rated and a 2" ball? How about the rise or drop? Do different Airstreams require different drop/rise on the ball mount and ball sizes? Plus, no where on OEM hitch does it say the Class Type. I'm guessing it's a Class 4 since the tow capacity is 10,200. thanks

[m.hony]

It is a Class IV receiver I think.
You will be getting a weight distributing sway control hitch anyway.
It will have the hitch head dropped for an Airstream trailer.
The ball size is 2 5/16".


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[Alluminati]

Originally Posted by jumboscott

2007 Tundra 5.7L Double Cab with OEM tow package. It didn't come with draw-bar or ball.... tow capacity is 10,200. thanks

That's a class IV receiver.

There's no such thing as a one-size-fits-all draw bar or ball. When you know the weight of the trailer you will be pulling, you can buy the hitch and ball you need. Then the hitch comes as a complete package with all the pieces. For example:
https://www.amazon.com/Eaz-Lift-4805...h+sway+control
Note that everything comes matched together. Also note that this hitch is sold in four sizes according to your trailer tongue weight.

[farmeric]

I tow a 1994 classic 30ft with a 08 tundra 5.7, don't have any problem, just a little slow on the mountain. I like to smell the roses.

[m.hony]

No mountains in Mississippi, but in the Ozarks in Arkansas or whatever mountains are in Tennessee and Kentucky my Tundra 5.7 and Classic 30 do well.


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[Meeks]

Originally Posted by m.hony

Towing a 30' doesn't seem to have hurt my Tundra or shortened its life.
I tow at 60-65 for following distance, stopping distance, and fuel economy.
This is how you extend the life of a vehicle.
It is easier on the engine, transmission, suspension, and brakes.
My Tundra is a 2007 with 57,000 miles- 47,000 of those miles towing.
All I have done is oil changes, air filters, wiper blades, 2 cabin filters, and 1 set of tires.
My Classic 30 isn't bothering my Tundra. It likes it.


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Don't know if you believe in all of the standard maintenance guidelines that Toyota produces but wanted to share in case you do.

Engine Oil change every 5,000 miles (or 10,000 miles is ok using synthetic)
Rotate Tires and check condition every 5,000 miles
Check fluid levels every 5,000 miles
Lubricate propeller shaft every 5,000 miles
Re-Torque propeller shaft every 5,000 miles
Replace air filter every 30,000 miles (check every 5,000 miles, change if dirty)
Replace cabin air filter every 15,000 miles (check every 5,000 miles, change if dirty)
Replace transmission oil every 60,000 miles if towing, 90,000 miles if not
Replace transfer case oil every 30,000 miles
Replace differential oil every 30,000 miles
Replace engine coolant every 60,000-100,000 miles
Replace spark plugs every 120,000 miles
Replace brake fluid every 2 to 3 years or 24,000 - 36,000 miles.

[m.hony]

Originally Posted by Meeks

Don't know if you believe in all of the standard maintenance guidelines that Toyota produces but wanted to share in case you do.

Engine Oil change every 5,000 miles (or 10,000 miles is ok using synthetic)
Rotate Tires and check condition every 5,000 miles
Check fluid levels every 5,000 miles
Lubricate propeller shaft every 5,000 miles
Re-Torque propeller shaft every 5,000 miles
Replace air filter every 30,000 miles (check every 5,000 miles, change if dirty)
Replace cabin air filter every 15,000 miles (check every 5,000 miles, change if dirty)
Replace transmission oil every 60,000 miles if towing, 90,000 miles if not
Replace transfer case oil every 30,000 miles
Replace differential oil every 30,000 miles
Replace engine coolant every 60,000-100,000 miles
Replace spark plugs every 120,000 miles
Replace brake fluid every 2 to 3 years or 24,000 - 36,000 miles.

So far I have followed that maintenance schedule religiously- except the part about replacing rear end gear oil or brake fluid...
I have never done that on any vehicle and have never had any ill consequences for not...
Or the brake fluid will get replaced when I get a new master cylinder...
I am at 57,000 miles working on 1,000,000.
I had a 1987 Mazda B2000 pickup that I sold to a coworker at 248,500 miles. The truck still looked new.
My 1999 Nissan Pathfinder with 121,000 miles is in really good clean condition with only routine maintenance in 17 years.
So far the Tundra has been better than the Mazda or the Nissan as far as upkeep and maintenance. I guess that is why I love Toyotas and that is all I will drive now. My wife's car is a 2014 Avalon with 11,000 miles.
If I am ever forced to buy another truck, it will be a new Tundra CrewMax Limited 4x4, sky silver metallic with black leather seats, fender flares, bedliner, and tow mirrors- almost my current truck all over again but new...
I love my truck!

[Alluminati]

Originally Posted by Meeks

Don't know if you believe in all of the standard maintenance guidelines that Toyota produces but wanted to share in case you do.

Why are you so condescending?

So Toyota is the only truck that requires routine maintenance??? If you have to change the oil in your Toyota, that proves that it's inferior. Really???

I tow my 34' 10K GVWR trailer with a 2008 Toyota Sequoia. But let's compare apples to apples, shall we?

The 2008 Tundra with a V8 engine tows 10,800#
The 2008 Ford F-250 THREE QUARTER TON with a gas V8 tows 10,400#

Toyota 1/2 ton tows MORE THAN Ford 3/4 ton.

Ford needs a V10 or diesel to out perform Toyota.

[gandttimes]

Originally Posted by Alluminati

Why are you so condescending?

So Toyota is the only truck that requires routine maintenance??? If you have to change the oil in your Toyota, that proves that it's inferior. Really???

.

Alluminati, I don't think Meeks was being condescending.
If you notice his profile, he tows with a Toyota as well


George

[Countryboy59]

Originally Posted by Alluminati

Why are you so condescending?

So Toyota is the only truck that requires routine maintenance??? If you have to change the oil in your Toyota, that proves that it's inferior. Really???

I tow my 34' 10K GVWR trailer with a 2008 Toyota Sequoia. But let's compare apples to apples, shall we?

The 2008 Tundra with a V8 engine tows 10,800#
The 2008 Ford F-250 THREE QUARTER TON with a gas V8 tows 10,400#

Toyota 1/2 ton tows MORE THAN Ford 3/4 ton.

Ford needs a V10 or diesel to out perform Toyota.

http://www.ford.com/trucks/superduty...ations/towing/

Or you can just get a newer one and tow much more...

[bobgoldstein]

Originally Posted by thiel

Tundra owner here. I concur.

The tank is about the size of coke bottle as near as I can tell!

I had a 48 gallon gas tank installed... no problems; check out Transferflow.

[m.hony]

I have the stock small fuel tank.
No big deal.
I will have to pee anyway.
I will get hungry anyway.
If I ever get a new truck I will get the larger fuel tank just so I can get more of the less expensive gas when traveling.
The larger tank will also calm down some tense moments when we really need gas but a station is still far away.

[m.hony]

Originally Posted by gandttimes

Alluminati, I don't think Meeks was being condescending.
If you notice his profile, he tows with a Toyota as well


George

I don't think he was being condescending either, but wondered why he felt the need to post the maintenance schedule for me...
I have the Tundra, the Tundra owner's manual, and the Toyota dealership service department...
My Tundra is very well maintained, babied, cared for, loved...
It is still in nearly new condition 9+ years later...
I truly don't think towing my Classic 30 is hurting it or shortening its life.
So far I have not even replaced brake pads.
The only problem with my truck is the center console lid cover is peeling off/unrolling/unraveling due to 9 extreme Mississippi summers.
At some point I may get the console lid re-upholstered.
Buying a new one is out of the question- $514 from Toyota-