Towing Capacity
 

Currently have a bumper hitch and I'm going to install a hitch that attaches to the frame. I have an 03 V6 sport, what would the towing capacity be then ? I have a weight distribution hitch for my camper currently. The hitch I'm purchasing says the capacity says 7300 with weight distribution hitch and sway bars.but just want another opinion.

Just cause you installed a new hitch with the capacity of 7300 lbs doesn't change the towing capacity of the 4th gen v6 4 runner which is 5000 lbs. You are limited to 5000lbs and everything else will help you control the camper better but not tow more. If you need to tow more sell the 4 runner and get a Tundra which due to brakes, weight, engine, transmission etc it can much more than a 4 runner.

Until a few days ago I would have answered the OP's question the same way you did. However, this same question was posed in another thread and someone brought up the owners manual. In it it clearly says that by using the frame mounted weight distributing hitch, as in the one that comes on the V8 models, the V6 towing capacity changes from 5000# to 6400 for 4WD and 6700 for 2wd. I had to look for myself cause I didn't believe it. This is for an 05 model. Not sure if other years have it listed the same. Here's a link to the owner's manual. It's found on PDF pages 314 and 327 or pages 304 and 317 of the manual itself. https://www.toyota.com/t3Portal/docu...f/OM35843U.pdf

What are you towing with your 4th gen, V6?

V6 Towing?

Towing with the 2005 V6 4Runner

Towing capacity from 2005 to 2006

V6 vs V8 Towing Capacity

My manual also says 6400lbs with towing package

You are safe at 5k but might want to add airbags if you tow anything much heavier.

It's the stopping you should be worried about. That's too much weight. I tow with a 2500 duramax crewcab around that weight pretty often, and it's noticeable.

Does the payload capacity include the tongue weight? My 03 v8 has according to the VIN a 7000lb towing capacity and a max tongue weight of 700lbs. My question is if the trailer you are towing has a 500lb tongue weight does that mean you only have 600lbs left for passengers and luggage etc.

The GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) is the maximum weight your 4runner can legally weigh on its own four wheels. The GVW (Gross Vehicle Weight) is the actual weight of your vehicle supported by its own four wheels. The difference between the empty GVW and GVWR is the amount of weight that can be legally additionally supported by the 4runner, also referenced as the payload capacity. Since the tongue weight is attached to the 4runner, this weight would be included in the payload capacity.

For example, using made up numbers, if your GVWR is 5000lbs and the empty GVW is 4000lbs, then there can only be 1000lbs of additional weight supported by the 4runnner. Theoretically, you could have a maximum of x5 200lbs people OR x2 200lb people + 600lbs tongue weight OR x4 200lb people + 200lbs tongue weight, etc. The hitches have ratings as well, so if your maximum rated tongue weight on the v8 is 700lbs, you could not have x1 200lbs person + 800lbs tongue weight. Even though this would meet the maximum weight rating, it exceeds the tongue weight limit. It should be noted as well that you really don't want to push any of these numbers to their limits.

The GCVWR (Gross Combined Vehicle Weight Rating) is the maximum weight your 4runner + a towed unit can weigh. The GCVW (Gross Combined Vehicle Weight) is the actual weight of your vehicle + towed unit. The GVWR of the 4runner still applies and should not be exceeded, you can't borrow the weight from the trailer and put it on the 4runner. It should be noted that the GVWR of the 4runner + the listed towing capacity will likely exceed the GCVWR. This is because the real theoretical towing capacity is the difference between the GVW and GCVWR. If your GVW is higher than normal, this will also limit your towing capacity

So for example a combined weight with more made up numbers: with the vehicle again having a GVWR of 5000lbs, GVW is 4000lbs, and now towing capacity of 7,000lbs and GCVWR of 11,000lbs. The towing capacity is the GCVWR (11,000) - GVW (4,000) = Towing capacity (7,000), however notice the GVWR (5,000) + Towing capacity (7,000) > GCVWR (11,000). This is important because there is a misconception that you can max the GVW and Towing Capacity safely when, for many vehicles, this would lead to overweight. Additionally as mentioned above, if your GVW is greater than the empty weight, but under the GVWR (ex: GVW = 4,800lbs), then your towing capacity would be limited to GCVWR (11,000) - GVW (4,800) = Towing capacity (6,200). These are just ballpark numbers I made up and not related to the 4runner at all, so only take them as an example.

The best way to know the GVWR and GCVWR is on the driver door sticker or the manual. The best way to know your true GVW and GCVW is to have it weighed at a CAT scale. They're not very expensive ($8 or so if my memory serves), and would be a lot cheaper than getting in an accident or ticketed for overweight.

And lastly, if you're towing anything over really 2000lbs with the 4runner, you're going to want to have a trailer with properly functioning trailer brakes. The brakes are meh as it is, and adding more weight will only make them worse

thanks for the examples, it is what I had thought it would be.