For those of you that tow with your Runner, please read.

S

scott78945

Member
I am going to be helping some family move next weekend and I have never towed anything before. I have a 2005 V8 SE Runner. I will be hauling a 6' X 12" trailer from U-Haul. I have checked their website and it says it comes with an automatic hydraulic surge brake. Now I have no idea what this is. I have the tow piece that came with my Toyota but no ball, so I guess I need one of those. Secondly, I have noticed that I need to get the trailer wiring from Toyota as my truck didn't come with it. As it has this hydraulic surge brake thing, do I also need to use the brake wiring that came with my Runner and the trailer wiring? I am so clueless I can only imagine what I am going to be taking out when I try to turn this thing. Any help would be appreciated and let me know of any items that I will need to tow. I have it down to the ball and the trailer wiring. Anyone know how much the trailer wiring goes for? Can I bu the wiring at an Autozone or Parts America?
 
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Not sure but you shouldnt need anything in way of wiring ,trailer should have all the wiring that plugs into a plastic plug on the rear of your truck/ crawl under there and take a look
 
I do see the outlet type connector but I don' t believe my truck came wih the 5 pin wiring that I need to connect to te trailer.
 
There is a connector for the lights right next to the square receiver opening. There is a spring loaded cover on it, it's round.

You might need the adapter from Toyota ($9) to go from the round connector the the regular flat connector.

You will need a 2" ball. Get the solid steel one.

Go slow. Give yourself a lot of room between yourself and the vehicle ahead of you. Go slow.

Just when you think you know what this towing thing is all about and you start to go faster...something will occur and you will find out real fast what it means to have the tail wag the dog.

Load the trailer with 60% of the weight in front of the axle.

The surge brakes will help but you will have trouble backing up.
In a panic stop they will probably lock up which is a good thing. You will not be able to apply them manually while driving if the trailer starts to whip around. So again I say, Go SLOW!!

I've pulled travel trailers and car haulers. Those guys that say you can pull safely at 70 or more MPH NEVER had a flat tire at that speed. Things get interesting in a hurry.

Towing a heavy trailer is like a 747 pilot said one time. Hours of mindless boredom puncutated by moments of sheer terror.

Go Slow
 
Uhaul should have all the necessary supplies you need including the wiring adapters and the ball and hitch mount.

You can pick up the ball and hitchmount at your local autozone if you want (prob cheaper) but if you're not sure, just walk into Uhaul and make your purchases there.

Just drive extra slow and don't forget that you have something behind you when you make your turns! nice wide turns especially for right turns. We've all seen big rigs make WIDE right turns so follow suit. If not you'll notice that your trailer will ride up on the sideway! :eek:

If you have a long drive, periodically check the hitch to make sure everything is connected (especially the wiring harness as a few bumps here and there might knock if off completely). Double check the brakes and the tires on the trailer along w/ the 4runner to make sure there's no issues.

Good luck
 
scott78945 said:
I am going to be helping some family move next weekend and I have never towed anything before. I have a 2005 V8 SE Runner. I will be hauling a 6' X 12" trailer from U-Haul. I have checked their website and it says it comes with an automatic hydraulic surge brake. Now I have no idea what this is. I have the tow piece that came with my Toyota but no ball, so I guess I need one of those. Secondly, I have noticed that I need to get the trailer wiring from Toyota as my truck didn't come with it. As it has this hydraulic surge brake thing, do I also need to use the brake wiring that came with my Runner and the trailer wiring? I am so clueless I can only imagine what I am going to be taking out when I try to turn this thing. Any help would be appreciated and let me know of any items that I will need to tow. I have it down to the ball and the trailer wiring. Anyone know how much the trailer wiring goes for? Can I bu the wiring at an Autozone or Parts America?
Click to expand...

I will be towing the exact same trailer in about a month.

I will check on the brake thing. I did not even think about that!
 
Remember, when towing a trailer your entire rig (4Runner and Trailer) is LONGER that just the 4Runner is by itself. That means that you have to take turns wider with a trailer in tow than you would with just the 4Runner. Failure to do so may mean you will possibly hit other cars, curbs, signs, mailboxes etc.

Whatever you do, always try to keep the curb side wheels of the trailer positioned such that you can see the white line on the side of the road. (ie wheels of the trailer on the inside of the white line) If you get the curb side wheels of the trailer off on the shoulder of the road you stand a very good chance of having a serious accident.

Like others have said S-L-O-W is the word. Give yourself plenty of time to pull out into traffic. Take turns SLOWER than you normally would. Do not make sudden lane changes especially when you are in the right lane with an entrance ramp that merges into your lane and other vehicles are on the ramp.

Given the questionable mechanical condition of some rental trailers keeping you speed at or under the posted speed limt is a good idea. When towing my car trailer I seldom go above 55-60 mph.
 
While pin adapters can be purchased at Wal-Mart in the sporting goods section, you may want to wait and which adapter end will work with the trailer plug. Probably best to buy the adapter at the U-Haul place. The pin includes a connection for the trailer brake.

U-Haul also sells the tongue and 2" ball. Do NOT buy a tongue at Wal-mart or Lowes. Those will not work with the 4Runner receiver because of the position of the spare tire and the holes for the large pin that holds the tongue in the receiver. When I say receiver, I'm talking about the tow bar already installed by Toyota. It has a square port for where the tongue/ball connect. Also, don't forget to buy a locking pin to go in the receiver holes. Let me know if photos would help.

The 3.5" drop tongue sold at U-Haul fits the 4Runner perfectly. Getting the 3.5" drop is best because of the height of the backend of the 4Runner. I have a 2" drop for the Acura MDX and 5.5" for the pickup truck...neither provided the correct drop for pulling a cargo trailer behind the 4Runner. The 3.5" is the way to go.

The brake on the trailer is a good thing. Beyond a certain weight, trailers are required to have a brake.

Be sure to spray WD40 on the ball before you put the trailer on. It'll help with steering as well as make coupling and decoupling easier.

-Jedi
 
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I tow occasionally and I bought everything from UHaul. First you need a 7 pin plug and then an adaptor for the size plug that fits whatever trailer you are hauling. 2" balls have different weight capacities. I would suggest all stainless steel with a 6K or 7K rating. The T4R IS rated for 7,500 LBS. I would also suggest getting a locking tow pin. Kids like stealing receiver hitches these days.
 
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You'll be needing a 7-pin to 4-pin adapter (round connector to flat connector). When I rented a car transport trailer from U-Haul, they didn't have that particular part. Fortunately for me, there was an Autozone a block away. It was about $14 or so. Other than that, all you need is the ball. As mentioned by other members, drive slow and keep it under 55mph. The trailer may want to sway and wander abit. You don't really need a locking tow pin unless you plan on leaving the tow hitch/tongue on all the time even when you aren't using it. I just keep mine in the original box in the rear cargo area.
 
Here's the def on surge brakes - basically self contained on the trailer:

Hydraulic surge brakes are a totally trailer self-contained braking system, requiring no electrical, hydraulic or other connection of brake sensing components to the tow vehicle for automatic operation of the trailer brakes. In a hydraulic surge brake system, the inertial differential pressure developed between the tow vehicle and the trailer, during the braking process, creates a mechanical pressure which is applied to the push rod of the master cylinder in the hydraulic surge brake coupler. This mechanical pressure is proportional to the difference in pressure between the two vehicles and therefore, the hydraulic output of the brake coupler, and resulting brake operation, is automatic, regulated, and proportional to the amount of braking being applied to the tow vehicle.
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I just wanted to give you my advice, as I was in the same situation a couple weeks ago.

First of the 4Runner uses an odd sized ball mount. The ball on top needs to be 2 inches for Uhaul trailers, but the shank which is 1 1/4 inches, is larger than the 1 inch shanks you'll find on most balls. Places likes Lowes, Home Depot, Walmart, Autozone, Pep Boys, don't stock balls with the 1 1/4 inch shank. At least not in my area. I had to go to a speciality trailer place to get the ball. This is for the tongue that came with the OEM Toyota hitch (in the brown box in the cargo area). I would suggest calling the Uhaul place ahead of time and asking if they stock this item. If not, call some local trailer speciality stores. Also it requires an enormous wrench to get the ball on, so you may need to buy one. The Reese wrenches sold at Walmart are too small.

Get your 7 to 4 pin adaptor at Walmart. I paid a whopping $3.97 for mine. Works perfect.

As for a drop? I mounted my tongue per the instructions from Toyota with the flat part up. I'm only towing a jetski, so its not a huge issue, but you may need some kind of drop for a Uhaul trailer.

I've driven towing a car trailer with surge brakes before. They do help a lot, but they lock easily, so keep that in mind. The intial grab is a little slow, but then you'll feel the trailer slowing.
 
KDCane said:
Also it requires an enormous wrench to get the ball on, so you may need to buy one. The Reese wrenches sold at Walmart are too small.
Click to expand...

You can use a pipe wrench.

Koz
 
KDCane said:

First of the 4Runner uses an odd sized ball mount. The ball on top needs to be 2 inches for Uhaul trailers, but the shank which is 1 1/4 inches, is larger than the 1 inch shanks you'll find on most balls. Places likes Lowes, Home Depot, Walmart, Autozone, Pep Boys, don't stock balls with the 1 1/4 inch shank. At least not in my area. I had to go to a speciality trailer place to get the ball. This is for the tongue that came with the OEM Toyota hitch (in the brown box in the cargo area). I would suggest calling the Uhaul place ahead of time and asking if they stock this item. If not, call some local trailer speciality stores. Also it requires an enormous wrench to get the ball on, so you may need to buy one. The Reese wrenches sold at Walmart are too small.
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This makes no sense to me as the only thing that comes with the V8 4Runner is the square class IV hitch receiver. You have to provide the part that slides into the receiver. This part has the ball on it - nothing much to do with the 4Runner itself.
 
TeryT

I think what 'comes' with a unit is dependant on the Toyota distributor. For example my 2005 Sport V8 4WD came with the receiver (obviously), but it also included a tongue and lock pin. The tongue came in a box and had a Toyota part number on it. It DID NOT include a ball. I even asked the dealer about it and they said thats what SET (Southeast Toyota) gives.
 
scott78945 said:
I am going to be helping some family move next weekend and I have never towed anything before. I have a 2005 V8 SE Runner. I will be hauling a 6' X 12" trailer from U-Haul. I have checked their website and it says it comes with an automatic hydraulic surge brake. Now I have no idea what this is. I have the tow piece that came with my Toyota but no ball, so I guess I need one of those. Secondly, I have noticed that I need to get the trailer wiring from Toyota as my truck didn't come with it. As it has this hydraulic surge brake thing, do I also need to use the brake wiring that came with my Runner and the trailer wiring? I am so clueless I can only imagine what I am going to be taking out when I try to turn this thing. Any help would be appreciated and let me know of any items that I will need to tow. I have it down to the ball and the trailer wiring. Anyone know how much the trailer wiring goes for? Can I bu the wiring at an Autozone or Parts America?
Click to expand...

First of I have been towing trailer for nearly 30 years including many U-hauls. I don't believe the U-haul 6x12 even has trailer brakes. I would not worry about the hook up as U-haul will provide the needed parts and help in this area icluding the 2" ball. If anything I would spend the time practice with an empty trailer going backwards in an open parking lot and driving it on the street making sure to leave yourself enough room in corners and for braking before ever putting a load in the trailer.
 
My V8 came with the "tongue" I believe it is called. This is the piece that goes into the trailer port in the back with the bolt to fasten it and the cotter pin. I will most likely go to U-Haul tomorrow to make sure I have the proper equipment. I would like to buy the items before hand just to cut some costs but it doens't sound like they are very expensive anyways so I am not too worried. I thank everyone for all your help. The only thing I don't understand is what the 2" or 3.5" drop they are referring to? I was going to use the piece that came with my truck and you can turn it up or down per the instructions depending on the V6 or the V8 model.
 
scott78945 said:
My V8 came with the "tongue" I believe it is called. This is the piece that goes into the trailer port in the back with the bolt to fasten it and the cotter pin. I will most likely go to U-Haul tomorrow to make sure I have the proper equipment. I would like to buy the items before hand just to cut some costs but it doens't sound like they are very expensive anyways so I am not too worried. I thank everyone for all your help. The only thing I don't understand is what the 2" or 3.5" drop they are referring to? I was going to use the piece that came with my truck and you can turn it up or down per the instructions depending on the V6 or the V8 model.
Click to expand...

No more than $30-40 would set you up. The drop is to make the trailer level and is dependent on the trailer setup. This becomes important when towing a camper style trailer or larger boats. The only thing you need to worry about is to make sure the trailer doesn't scrape the ground going up and down driveways and order road bumps. With the U-haul you will probably need to put the ball on the lowest drop setup on the receiver (piece as you put it) provided with the Runner (i.e. owners manual V6 setup).
 
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