Antman
Elite Member
I call them my "Little ROAMers" .
It's like [MENTION=47340]Titanpat57[/MENTION] is always with me...
4Runner and Towing boat
- Thread starter bzizzi
- Start date
I call them my "Little ROAMers" .
It's like [MENTION=47340]Titanpat57[/MENTION] is always with me...
Titanpat57
Senior Member
Did that f'in dude just call us "a tad surely"?.....lolol
Jhalko
New member
Youve been called much worse for much less... Must not know about your love affair with Antman.
Antman
Elite Member
He makes a damn fine looking woman Halko. Damn fine.
Great closet deflection :dancin: :nod:
FlightMedic303
New member
So I plan to tow my boat from Denver to Glendo, Wyoming... Approx 200 miles. My boat is a Chaparral 2000SL and the trailer is a dual axel.. Not entirely sure of the weight, but I would assume she's gotta be pushing the 5000lb limit, maybe shy a few hundred pounds. Is this completely stupid of me to attempt to tow 200 miles? I have a '16 Trail with a 3" toytec lift and a drop hitch for the boat. Thanks for the responses!
CO-Cygnus
New member
Umm, you're going to want to know the weight for sure.
Boat is 2,650 lbs on its own, probably dry weight. Tandem-axle, small sailboat trailers can weigh upwards of 1,000 lbs so you're pushing 80%+ capacity right there because I'd bet your trailer weighs the same or more than that.
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I have not towed a trailer yet with my '15, but will soon. Just ordered a 5'x10' utility trailer for the mower and Honda Foreman, not loaded together.
I used to pull a 5x12 trailer with my 2002 Tacoma, when I had the Forman and a Recon on the trailer, the 3.4L engine would really struggle.
I cannot imagine loading the 4Runner with a 5000 LB trailer...I don't care what the specs say, I would not do it.
I used to pull a 5x12 trailer with my 2002 Tacoma, when I had the Forman and a Recon on the trailer, the 3.4L engine would really struggle.
I cannot imagine loading the 4Runner with a 5000 LB trailer...I don't care what the specs say, I would not do it.
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philsey
New member
Pretty much agree with [MENTION=79561]CO-Cygnus[/MENTION] . You're probably around 3650# dry including 1000# (which could be 1200# (??)) for trailer. But you need to be aware of fuel and all the other crapola in the boat, plus be aware of how the 4R will be loaded. Will it have lots of gear and 4 adults?
Very important to successful towing is the tongue weight. Must be ~10% of the trailer weight. Too little is worse than too much.
Given the assumptions are in-line, I'd not be afraid to tow that 200 miles. Go slow, remember you are 2X longer than normal, 2X heavier than normal, do not follow closely, allow extra stopping distance, take wide turns, practice backing skills. Be safe.
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salong53
New member
I've been towing our Sea Ray 185 on a single axle trailer (no trailer brakes) 40 miles round trip all summer long with no problems. About 5 miles of that trip is an extremely broken asphalt surface. Most of those trips have been loaded with 4 adults, a baby and all the necessary items, two 75lb dogs, and the boat full of toys, fuel, coolers, etc... Dry weight for the Sea Ray is about 2700 lbs, so I figure a reasonable estimate is that I'm towing north of 3500lbs easily with another 800lbs of cargo in the truck.
I use 4Lo when taking out of the water, try to maintain momentum when approaching steep inclines, and use S mode to control what gear I'm in and maintain RPMs. When the dogs are in the back, I think I would definitely benefit from the AirLift, but without them I feel that it tows just fine. My 4th gen V6 towed the same boat in summers for 180,000 miles with no problem, and my 2003 Tacoma for over 220,000 miles, so I think the transmission temperature concern is sort of irrelevant. 5000lbs is a lot of weight, but it's nothing the vehicle can't handle with some conscientious driving.
I use 4Lo when taking out of the water, try to maintain momentum when approaching steep inclines, and use S mode to control what gear I'm in and maintain RPMs. When the dogs are in the back, I think I would definitely benefit from the AirLift, but without them I feel that it tows just fine. My 4th gen V6 towed the same boat in summers for 180,000 miles with no problem, and my 2003 Tacoma for over 220,000 miles, so I think the transmission temperature concern is sort of irrelevant. 5000lbs is a lot of weight, but it's nothing the vehicle can't handle with some conscientious driving.
Riddler6.7
New member
Pulled this pontoon boat for the first time last weekend. Normally we pull it with our cummins but decided I wanted to see how the 4Runner would do. It definitely was no Cummins but it did okay. Kept it in S mode and shifted how I wanted.
As you can see, it squats a bit with my buddy standing on the front of the boat. Without the extra weight of him on the front, it set pretty level.
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FlightMedic303
New member
I appreciate your feedback. So I researched and routinely come up with 2650# dry weight for the boat, estimated approx 250# of fuel, and maybe 100# worth of gear. Trailer between 1000-1250#... All this added up puts me at approx 4250#
Now inside the 4Runner there is only going to be myself a girl and a 40# dog plus maybe 300# of gear.
I'm feeling a little more comfortable about the trip. I've made this trip every year for the last 10 years but have always used my dads Tahoe in the past and more recently his F150 Ecoboost, which neither have had any problems.
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meanbaby
New member
few question if you dont mind...
1. is the airbag install permently? or you slap it on when needed?
1a. if when needed...how hard to put one each time?
2. i have a weight distrabution setup towing my 16 ft. wolf pup(3200lb dry), my trd back still sags about 2,5 inch, will the airbag help?
thanks
-pete
Diver Deuce
New member
Peter,
1. You can take the bags out since they are squeezed in between the springs, they are a dick pain to take out when installed.
1a. As stated it would be a dick pain to take out and reinstall.
2. The airbags will help. If you are using a WDH ensure that you lock the hitch to the ball then use the stand to lift the trailer and back end of your truck as high as you can get it then lock the WDH chains at least 3-4 links up. Once you let the stand down you shouldn't see that much sag.
TRUSTYAXE
New member
I'm pulling a 2400 pound 19' on a single axle and it's no problem whatsoever. I have the trailer set up right so there is almost zero back end sag. I don't think you want to run anything near capacity, not so much because of acceleration. It's the stopping that's gonna get you. Congrats on the new boat though!
Attachments
Friggin Idiot
Senior Member
The bags are best left permanently installed, they are however adjustable for less pressure when you don't have a load on the rear end. I did a short write-up with some pics of the Air Lift kit install, Part 1, Part 2. It's easy enough to do yourself, don't pay someone to drop the axle for you. The kit will greatly help with all rear end sag. I had a set of 5x 55lb tires in the rear end and 0psi in the bags for service (not advised below 5psi for driving) then added 15psi and watched the rear end come up 2+ inches. I have yet to tow my light boat back there, but imagine it will make a great difference in the sag and resulting nose high handling. Firestone also makes a kit, though I went with Air Lift because I got it for $80 on sale via Amazon Prime.
[MENTION=4869]bzizzi[/MENTION] (OP), My dad has a 20' Triton Spirit 200 deckboat that loaded and wet comes out around 4300-4500lbs. I've tried towing it with my 4Runner, and it's a burden on the truck. He has a 1st gen Tundra QuadCab with V8 and that thing has no issues hauling that much weight, except up his driveway (4-9% graded gravel). I'd say if you're regularly towing the boat around then make the switch to the Tundra and 8 cylinders. If you're just moving it once a season from the lake to/from storage, the 4Runner may be more acceptable. I really wish the 5th gen had a V8 option, I certainly would have sprung for it.
