I do believe the max towing capacity is 4600lbs on at least the 5th gens. Has anyone towed at max weight or exceeded this? The 4R is already sluggish unless you mash the gas peddle, so I'd be curious what the experience is like when you're towing close to or at max weight.

It depends on the trailer's wind resistance more than the weight. I've towed maybe 6k lbs in a dump trailer. No problem. My 4600lb dry (maybe 5200lb loaded) travel trailer - it's just too much drag. It pulls it easy enough at lower speeds. Chassis handles the weight no problem with airbags and a WDH. But the engine just doesn't have enough juice. Flat ground, it's kinda maxed out at around 65ish mph - not actually pedal to the floor, but as fast as it can hold 4th gear. It'll go faster, but you might only get 4mpg. At 65mph I get less than 10. Maybe 8ish. It's bad.

The same chassis in the GX460 is rated for 6500lbs (with a stronger hitch). So I'm not that concerned about the safety of it going a bit over 5k lbs. But the engine just isn't up to the task.

My F250 diesel is a piece of crap that I don't like going too far with because it breaks down a lot. I gotta get rid of it. So I still tow with my 4Runner - just trying to get by until the 2022 Tundra comes out rather than trading for a tundra now. If I find a good deal on a LX/LC200 I'll swap over. Just haven't found a good clean used one near me in the price range I'm willing to spend on a 13mpg pig.

This might help…

Anyone towing around 5,000lbs (max capacity)?


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Simply put I don't feel towing is one of the strong attributes of the 4Runner platform. Short wheelbase may be great for brake over angle and off roading, less good for towing. Physics are physics.

My experience is less than stellar with the 4Runner at the higher loads. How it's less than great is situation dependent.

ex. Yes it's short on power but you can just push the gas pedal down further. This works if you tow in flat areas like mine. Not so much with hills or worse with mountains.

ex. as mentioned above, different trailers = different experience. I'm towing my first high profile trailer with wind resistance. Not much fun on winter roads and approaching #4000, wish it was more stable. See the suspension forum for a thread I started there.

You can and should do airbags. If you are doing one trailer then WD hitch, electric brakes, and brake controllers may help greatly. If you can't do all that, I'll go back to the no free lunch physics theme:

At work we would haul a 4000# ditch witch plow on a 1000# trailer. My (gasser) Silverado 3500 was unfazed exercising a fraction of its towing capacity.

Now, curiosity has me wanting to try the same rig behind my 4Runner in the mountains


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Thanks all. I'm looking at investing in a Bhoma and it maxes out at around 3600lbs tow weight. Well under the max limit, but I'm curious how much the 4R will struggle on trails towing something like that. Getting insight into your own experiences has helped me think that through.

Towing can be EXTREMELY dangerous if you don't know what you are doing. And towing over the CGVWR or not knowing what the tongue weight should be, and how it effects stability means you don't know what you are doing. Stability and braking is a lot more important than what you can actually get moving down the road. There is actually some good insight on the DOT website. Having wrecked a trailer,( and the vehicle, all well within weight "limits") and seen several trailers wrecked with real bad endings. get some knowledge before you go, the life you save could be your own.

I have been contemplating getting a RV trailer and it seems with ~3500lbs the 4R does fine towing from what i have seen reported.
I would unlikely ever tow the full 5000 the 4R suggests it can tow, or the max of any weight a truck can tow.

I tow an 18ft hybrid and its fine . It weighs 2800lbs and about 3400 loaded up. I pull it up a lot of Sierra pass’s


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Here's another thread on towing....Can you really tow 5000+ lbs on 4Runner? - Toyota 4Runner Forum - Largest 4Runner Forum


A few years back my dad got into a wreck driving his full size Chevy Suburban. It was about 75 miles from where we live, piled up in a farmers back field. The tow company wanted about $300+ to tow it home, insurance wouldn't pay, etc, etc.

So he called me up, we hooked up the trailer and off we went to retrieve it.
We had to winch it up on the trailer. It would barely run, front end was messed up. But we strapped it down by the axel's, down tight to the trailer.

It took me about 3+ hours to get home, nice slow pace no hurry. I stopped at the logging scales on the way back. Never really went faster the 45 mph. It liked to push me a little bit, but it was never squirrelly or out of control.

Just under 12,000 lbs!!! Total weight t4r + trailer w/suburban. It was like 11885 or something like that.

As long as you take it slow, think ahead and not get stupid, you call pull quite a bit.

Of course if someone had pulled out in front of me like they did causing my dad's accident to begin with, It would have been a different story. Luckily it all went fine.

2016 4Runner Trail Premium
External/aux transmission cooler added
Redarc brake controller
Firestone Airbags in back

2021 Coleman Lantern LT17b 2900 dry/3300 when loaded (estimate)
Blue ox 750 weight distribution hitch

Always drive in S4. Tried normal “D” a few times and even on flat ground it dogs. Hard. Hitting hills, drop it down to S3, rarely S2. Gas sucks but you’re moving around 9,000 lbs with a V6 so what do you expect?

I wouldn’t go any heavier than probably 4,000 lbs total. The sway isn’t the issue with the proper hitch, the trailer brakes work great when set up properly, its the lack of power. You’ll get there, it’ll just take a little longer walking up the hills.

I don’t tow much, only an old U-Haul 6’ open box trailer, 2500# capacity. Mainly yard trash, junk, etcetera. Each year I tow a ton of heating pellets, some winters two tons, which is the most I tow. I don’t own an RV style trailer or larger open trailer.

Both my old 2002 Tacoma TRD with a 5-speed and my 2018 4Runner have the same towing capacity, but I feel the load far less with the 4Runner than the Tacoma. I think this is because the 4Runner is larger, heavier, has more power and torque. With the Tacoma, the trailer pushes the truck around, not so with the 4Runner.

But that is just my seat of the pants experience with small loads.