2013 Trail Edition - Prepping for cross-country move w/trailer

[6-0 Prolene]

So I've officially joined the ranks of T4R owners... I'm happy to say I caught one of the last 2013 Trail Editions before the 14s roll in... Salsa red, KDSS, Nav, remote start... all the goodies I was looking for.

The next big task for this vehicle will be the move from NC to WA... in December. Yeah, I don't think I could pick a worse time, but such is life. My recent deployment pushed my move into a wacky off-season timeframe.

I'm going to be pulling a 5x8' U-Haul trailer, which I know isn't anywhere near the towing capacity of the TE even fully loaded, and I know the slow down/weight the trailer front-heavy/low gear in the hills advice, but I'm a bit curious about the amount of drop I should have on my ball mount given the somewhat high ride of the TE. Would a 3 1/4" drop suffice?

Our route will take us through MI and WI visiting family along the way, and from what I've read it seems that the I-90 route is the lowest-altitude and often the best-maintained during the winter, so I was planning to take 90 across the plains and the mountains. I'd be curious to know if anyone has had experiences with that route or others.

Thanks.

 

[philsey]

I'm going to be pulling a 5x8' U-Haul trailer, which I know isn't anywhere near the towing capacity of the TE even fully loaded, and I know the slow down/weight the trailer front-heavy/low gear in the hills advice, but I'm a bit curious about the amount of drop I should have on my ball mount given the somewhat high ride of the TE. Would a 3 1/4" drop suffice?

Thanks.

Congrats on the truck, and thanks for your service.

Several on here who tow are going to recommend rear air bags... I'll leave that to them. I suspect you'll also have the truck itself loaded, which, along with proper tongue weight of 10-15% of the trailer weight, means the bags are a good idea as the 4R is softly sprung.

I don't think you can guess at the drop hitch. The trailer should sit fairly level, so I'd just go to u-haul and line up with one. Tongue weight is very important in successful trailering - not enough is not good.

I doubt a small u-haul has brakes, so adjust accordingly. Be safe.

 

[tamerunner]

Need to have whatever drop to have the tongue on the trailer level. It will pull the best that way.

 

[6-0 Prolene]

Good stuff. Looks like I'll be heading over to U-haul to figure out the drop.

As for air bags, etc. I'm actually packing the 4R fairly light. I've got one kid in a car seat, and 2 dogs who will be sharing part of the back. So the cabin won't have much. I've got a Yakima SkyBox 16 Pro that will be on the roof, but the vast majority of the weight will be in the trailer. So I'm thinking/hoping that a 2300-lb trailer won't drop the rear end too much... I guess we'll see.

 

[thebwlife]

Might look at new tires and air bags but all optional.

Hitch - you'll have to wait till you have the trailer, unless you get an adjustable one. I'd think a 2 or 3-1/2" drop would be fine.

 

[NoDak]

I used a 2" drop this past august to pull a 5x8 uhaul to and from MSP for my daughter college move.

sadly to say, college didn't work out for her so I ended up moving her back.

2nd time around I pulled the empty 5x8 550 miles to MSP and back loaded.

with 3 people in a 2012 4x4 v6 dcab Tacoma it was level loaded eyeing it.

from what I have read, a non modded 4runner should only need a 2" drop.

biggest issue you might have is they no longer have the ability to lock the hitch on the smaller uhaul trailers to the vehicle.

go out and get a thick chain with a heavy duty lock so you can use the chain to lock the trailer to the vehicle. that's what I did so no one can unhook it and drive off with it during the night while your sleeping in a hotel.

 

[Jim82]

Our route will take us through MI and WI visiting family along the way, and from what I've read it seems that the I-90 route is the lowest-altitude and often the best-maintained during the winter, so I was planning to take 90 across the plains and the mountains. I'd be curious to know if anyone has had experiences with that route or others.

Thanks.

I've driven between MSP and Seattle at least 20 times, and twice pulling a UHaul each way. Never in the winter, though. Where is WA are you going? Western WA? If So you'll be going over two mountain passes that will more than likely require snow chains.

You'll be fine up until Idaho, you might need chains, going through the pass I think it's Lookout Pass and 4th of July Pass. The first several hundred miles of WA no chains will be necessary. However, before you get to King County, you'll be going through the Snoqualmie Pass, and again if snow is flying you might be required to have them chains. They will have several check points if it's bad enough to ensure you have your chains on.

State Patrol will not let you pass if you do not have chains (when required). So If you don't have them, buy some from a national retailer like CostCo or something, and if you don't use them return them when you get out this way.

On a side note, ND (No offense [MENTION=1032]NoDak[/MENTION]) and Eastern MT are some boring flat usually dry, dead areas to pass through. Western Montana, ID are some of the most beautiful country you'll see during your trip. So it's a good think you're taking 90 through SD they have a big corn maze- You can stop off at Mount Rushmore (if you've never been) and more importably if you have time don't take i90 to Billings where it meets up with i94. Get off of i90 after Sheridan, WY and get on US 14 which turns in to US 16 and US 20... Take that through Yellowstone (again if you've not been). Then just ride that to US 191 up to Bozeman, MT and connect back to i90 and ride that to downtown Seattle if you're going that far west.

Good luck and have a safe trip.

 

[NoDak]

to followup on the previous post on chains, I think you can only have chains/cables on the rear wheels, have to read the manual. reason none on the front is due to clearance.

at least in ND, I-94 is 75 mph, so you can fly thru the boring stuff and its extremely boring flat no tree (did I mention our state tree is the telephone/power line pole). also get gas in Dickinson, Bismarck, Jamestown, Fargo. outside of those major towns, gas might be hard to find.

don't run in 5th up hills/inclines, it will severely degrade the life of the torque converter. drop it down to 4th.

 

[Catchlight]

Brakes and Brake Controller?

OP, take a look at this summary of each state's requirements regarding trailer brakes. It could have implications for whether you install a controller and use a trailer with brakes, or whether you choose your route to avoid states like Idaho where brakes are required even for trailers weighing 1500 pounds loaded.

http://www.readybrake.com/state_laws.html

 

[thebwlife]

I think u-haul trailers have surge brakes.

 

[6-0 Prolene]

Excellent. Thanks for the advice re: a chain/lock. And NoDak/Jim82--thanks for the advice on the route. Last time I drove this route I did DC to WA in 36 hours over 4 days, and I didn't enjoy it. With the wife and kid along it'll be nice to take some more breaks and stop and smell the roses a bit. Thanks for the tips about Rushmore and Yellowstone. We haven't been so we'll include it on the itinerary, weather permitting.

Also found 2 sets of snow chains, so I've got that box checked. And, Catchlight, as far as I know the 5x8 does have surge brakes, but I'll check on that.

 

[ShooterF16]

I've towed the exact Uhaul trailer fully loaded from DC to IN without any mods. I've also towed a 23' travel trailer from DC to NV (another military move) with mods.

I prepped my SR5 with airbags, aux trans cooler, Bilstein 5100s, brake controller and Scan Gauge II to monitor transmission fluid temps. I also got some new wheels and tires (Level 8 Guardians, BFG AT/KOs 265/70/17). I only got the C load rating and so far they've been fine. Obviously I had them inflated to max psi during the tow. Another nice thing about the tires is they are snow rated (with snow flake).

Get the airbags! I installed them myself and it took about 2hrs. I put a stand on one corner of the truck to extend the spring and then was able to work the bag into the spring without removing it. I got the Airlift 1000 brand and would recommend to you. One advantage I see over the Firestones is that the nipple for the bag is on the bottom. This makes running the lines easier, without removing the springs, etc.

I had access to a truck scale for during my install of the airbags and I can say they not only make a noticeable difference to how level the truck rides, but also makes a measurable difference to the weight on the front axle. I wrote down the numbers but I can't find them right now.

I will say that towing the Uhaul without mods was scarier. I thought I had loaded it correctly but that was the only time I experienced trailer sway. I have never experienced trailer sway with the travel trailer (3200 lb dry, single axle). I'm sure that the suspension upgrade, especially the airbags helped with the better trailer control.

I wasn't able to measure before and after temperature differences with the aux trans cooler, but I assume it helps too. The Scan Gauge is great because you can monitor your temps and modify your shifting, ie. leave it in "S" the majority of the time. I've seen temps as high as 210ish for short periods of time when going uphill, fully loaded, etc. However, this was in the dead of summer, 110 degrees outside with the A/C on. Usually it'd be around 170-180ish.

Good luck with your trip!

 

[NoDak]

if you don't want a scangauge 2, I went the cheapo route and got a bluetooth adapter and torque pro

CY-B06 Super Mini ElM327 v1.5 Bluetooth OBD2 CAN-BUS Auto Scanner Tool Supports All OBD-II Protocols Compatible for OBD-II Complaint Vehicles and Bluetooth Diagnostic - Newegg.com

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.prowl.torque


used that to track the TT temp from the pan the converter on the Tacoma.

 

[Mick1]

I do not think you need a drop in the hitch mount.

With stock suspension there is a lot of droop.

Straight out ball is best.

I have a tri-ball like this. Triple Ball Trailer Hitch

Pictures of towing 6x12 stock and then after suspension lift: (should be able to tell difference in photos from level stance, but also the roof rack is changed)
https://rhino4runnersuspension.shutterfly.com/pictures/1440

FYI if you notice the photo of the drop-hitch / extra mount - the bike rack would not work in the extra mount with the uhaul trailer surge brake system https://rhino4runnersuspension.shutterfly.com/pictures/2221#1451

 

[hstn_texas]

You will be fine

Take your chains in case you need them. Other than that don't worry. I pulled a uhaul trailer with a car from tx or wa in the summer. We went through Denver and Cheyenne. Them 90 west. No snow of course but pulled just fine with no airbags, special drop hitches, or anything else.

 

[andy2008]

Thank you for your service! Drop the b*tch in drive and roll out won't have any problems just enjoy the drive. I have almost same size trailer pull my 4wheeler to the mountains all over with all kinds of loads never had one problem got same set up as you but an 11 TE nav kdss etc..... Be safe thanks for serving again

 

[6-0 Prolene]

if you don't want a scangauge 2, I went the cheapo route and got a bluetooth adapter and torque pro

CY-B06 Super Mini ElM327 v1.5 Bluetooth OBD2 CAN-BUS Auto Scanner Tool Supports All OBD-II Protocols Compatible for OBD-II Complaint Vehicles and Bluetooth Diagnostic - Newegg.com

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.prowl.torque


used that to track the TT temp from the pan the converter on the Tacoma.

Interesting. I have an iPhone, though, and for whatever reason the cheap OBD-II bluetooth units all say they don't work with iOS. So much for standardization, I guess... There is an app called DashCommand that looks pretty cool, though. Might be something worth having though.

 

[LandCruiser]

I drove my TE from Ocala to Colorado Springs, sagging nearly to the bump stops in the back. I took my bikes on a hitch carrier.

It didn't like the trip. I have lots more squeaks and rattles now

 

[1engineer]

I pulled a U Haul 6X12 at 4K lbs or so 2K miles with no issues, no different tires, no bags, no scangauge or anything special except a 1 3/4 drop hitch. I also did it after only 500 or so miles on my 2012 TE through the Appalachian mountains to NC and back several times. It pulled just fine although I did use sport mode to keep the transmission from hunting so much in the mountains. For those 2K miles I averaged 12 mpg. Your 5X8 will have no issues. I also had the TE packed up tight too as I was moving my daughter from dorms to apartment off campus.

Just hitch it up and go, realizing you will go a little slower and get not so great gas mileage.

 

[derekp]

Have fun on your PCS.
I'd like to suggest looking at Craigslist, or ask around, to buy a small enclosed trailer of your own. When we moved from LR to DC we decided to buy 5x8 trailer from TrailersPlus (~$1400 back then). It was a great investment! We used it for the move, then as a storage shed until our PCS to ND. Now it is serving as a shed until our next move, whenever that will be. Once I'm out, and not anticipating anymore moves, I plan to make a small camping/bug out trailer. Just a suggestion. Your PCS, and future PCSs, will end up paying for it (partial-DITY).

As for route; we drove from ND to northern MI this summer. Our route took us through the UP and across the bridge since we were staying so far north. If you are taking that route, just FYI; the speed limit on the non-interstate roads for the UP, WI, and parts of MN is 55. Frustrating for me in good weather but might be good for your conditions. (Also, the slow speed limit netted me over 24 mpg!) Most of the roads we encountered were two lane with passing lanes available. I think the roads opened up once we hit MN, can't be 100% though.
I hope the weather holds out for you, the wind across some of these flat states can cause white-out conditions if there is any snow on the ground.