I have plans of buying a boat for the 2011 Season. I know that is far away, but I like to plan ahead of time. Currently I'm driving an EconoBox Corolla. Got it about 7 months ago when I traded in my Tacoma. (That's another story though for another day).

I need something that will allow me to also tow it long distances, say two hours of highway driving. That will be a seldom thing, but its something I want to do at least once a Summer. Take the boat down to Lake George for a weekend. So I will need to change my car in the next 6 months or so to something that will allow me to do that. The rest will be taking it down to the marina about 20 minutes away. I just don't know if the 4Runner can do this. While I have never been an owner, I have always loved the styling and feel of the 4Runner.

So the question: Will the current generation 4Runner with the V8 be enough to tow my future boat? I really want either a 24 - 27 foot Baja. It will be pre-owned so it will be determined by what I find. 24' is the lowest I will go, 27' the highest. I will be buying whatever vehicle I use to tow it at least a year ahead of time. Break it in real well before I go ahead and start stressing it with towing.

The boat at its worst is 4800lbs. --- Best Case is 4400lbs
Gas at its worst would be about 600lbs --- Best Case is 480lbs
Trailer at its worst 1500lbs --- Best Case is 1250lbs

As you can see that puts me at 6900lbs (Best case is 6130, but I never like to go by this). I will still need to load the back of the 4Runner with say a couple of coolers, maybe 2-3 bags of luggage. Say that's 200lbs. Plus the family that's a another 650lbs. That's a total payload on the Runner of about 850lbs + whatever the boat in the back with 6900.

Would this be pushing it. I know the v8 is rated for 7000, I would get the 4WD. At 6900, is that too close for comfort. I don't want to get a full size truck like the mammoth of the Tundra or the Titan. But will if I must. I'm also hoping that the Toyota would come to its senses and maybe put the new 4.7L V8 that's in this years Tundra on the new 5th Gen T4R and maybe increase the towing capacity by a few hundred which would make me feel much more comfortable.

Thoughts are greatly appreciated or comparisons to what you are pulling now and how you are fairing.

I think your pushing the limit on this. I pull an 18 ft I/O with a steel trailer. No issues at at, but 24-27' is a whole different story. No problem pulling, but the T4R doesnt have the longest wheelbase, so it might be a tail wagging the dog on your highway trips. Your weight guess might be a bit low IMHO. How well can it stop with that load? With your family in there no less. The boat will look like a whale behind the T4R.

Do you have experience trailering a boat of this size? If possible, can you borrow a T4R and a big boat and go for a 20 minute test run. Good luck and I'm already looking forward to pictures!

17 1/2' boat on a galvanized trailer (and full of vacation stuff)



It does fine w/ the V8, but as 4boer points out, I think you'd be pushing the limits with that big a boat too.

X2!

I also believe you are pushing limits here.
To feel comfortable pulling 7000 lbs I would recommend looking in full size truck, as you mention Tundra or Titan… or even looking into diesels.


Just FYI: I tow 3200 Lbs boat on regular basis (in the summer) and I tow 19” travel trailer couple of times a year. Travel trailer is about 4500-5000 Lbs.

I have been looking at larger camping trailer for when I retire. I saw one nice one, around 6,250 pounds. I told the owner of the RV store, I was getting a 4Runner with a V8. The dealer said that is too small, sure 4Runners are suppose to tow that much, but it with pull you around and go all over the road. You could tow 7,000 pounds, but it would have to be at 40 MPH. (This was before I got the 2004 V6.) The guy said you need a heavier, bigger vehicle, something like a Tundra.

I basically walked away from the deal and thought I will just figure out what I need when I actually retire, which is now about 1 1/2 years. Your figures are close to mine and it was from a guy who sells trailers for a living and has been in the business for a long time. I think I will go back to him to buy, as he seems pretty honest.

http://www.normancampers.com/

I also think you'd be pushing the limits of the V8 4Runner.

I regularly tow a boat and an ultralight travel trailer (not at the same time of course). The boat is 18.5' and weighs in around 4000lbs (that includes the trailer, fuel and gear in the boat) and the 4Runner has no problem towing it. Travel trailer is 25 feet and weighs closer to 5000lbs when fully loaded and I honestly wouldn't want to tow anything bigger or heavier with my 4Runner.

Something else to keep in mind, the 7000 lb tow rating is when you are using a Weight Distributing Hitch (WDH). Most (all?) boat trailers have surge breaks and can NOT be used with a WDH. If you can not use a WDH the max tow capacity of the V8 4Runner drops to 5000 lbs.

So I would agree with what others have already posted: look into a full-size truck with a hitch that has a weight carrying capacity of at least 7000lbs.

I agree with all of the above. With the load you plan in the T4R, plus the boat, you will be way over capacity. The tow rating of 7300lbs is with a weight distributing hitch and is calculated with a full tank of gas and a driver onboard. Any other load added to the T4R needs to be subtracted from the tow rating.

As mentioned you will have sway issues with a trailer that length due to the short wheelbase. Even a Sequoia won't help. You're going to need a fullsize truck to be safe and comfortable.

Thanks for all the answers. I figured the wheel base would do me in. Also thanks for the quick responses.