'05 Towing 6500 pounds

[dragr1]

I'm considering several vehicles to tow my 1985 4Runner Crawler on an 18' trailer. Trailer and 4Runner should weigh around 6500 pounds. How well will this work with an '05 V8 4x4 4Runner-I would be using a weight distributing hitch and sway control.

Who has towed this much and how was the performance? Gas mileage?

I'm also considering a Suburban and an Excursion diesel.

 

[Koz]

Try and find one with the auto rear air suspension, it will make a big difference. You could always add air bags, also. Keeping the vehicle level really makes everything work better when towing. With or without you should be OK.

Koz

 

[mtnracer]

I just towed a 1984 Ford Mustang Convertible V8 about 900 miles on a UHaul Auto Transport (not tow dolly). They weighed about 5500 LBS.

I have the upgraded hidden hitch (7500 LBS Max) and used the Toyota Class IV Draw bar that came with my 4R.

I did end up towing the mustang backwards because it is very front heavy and really compressed the rear springs on the 4R when the mustang was facing forward. Backing the car on the trailer caused much less compression and gave me about 2 inches more travel. Air bags would help.

The tow went perfectly and gas mileage did not drop much because the trailer and mustang were just a bit lower than the roofline of the 4R.

4Runners tow great.

 

[Lone Ranger]

I have towed 4500 lbs (a boat) a fair amount (including 3000+ mile round trips) with a 2001 Suburban and with my 2004 4Runner Sport. There is no comparison. The Suburban handles the load much better, including particularly controlling the weight on the highway and when stopping. The 4Runner pulls the load ok, but it is much lighter than the Suburban and has a much shorter wheelbase.

Being as you don't have the vehicle yet, I recommend getting a bigger vehicle so you have a greater margin of safety.

 

[Indy4Runner]

There is no question that the 4runner can tow that load. There is also no question a Suburban or Excursion (diesel or V10) would tow it much better.