6x12 Trailer Phx to Seattle 12/28

[4Runner4TW]

Finally time to leave the desert and head north to the Emerald City. My girlfriend and I leave early Saturday morning. I am hoping to get to our new place by Monday.
I am basically writing this hoping to get reassurance that this truck can handle pulling a double axle 6x12 U-Haul trailer 1500 miles. Looking at all our stuff we will not get close to the allowed 2400lb limit. I am guessing more like 1200-1500lbs of crap. We got rid of all our large heavy items and will regroup there. I picked the 6x12 because of the double axle vs the next size down which was a 5x8 single axle. I think we will fill only half the trailer. NOTHING will be going into the cab of the 4Runner. I want to keep the weight in the trailer.
A little about the my 4Runner. Its a 1999 4x4 3.4L Auto. 99 talls front and OME 906 with 600028 shocks rear. 174,000 miles, fresh oil change, and B&M 70264 tranny cooler. Brand new tires (less than 1200 mi on them) and new brakes this past year. New OEM LBJ, plugs wires. Basically I have done everything in my power to make sure it makes this trip. We are going up the west cause on I-5. From what I understand getting past Redding, CA to Medford, OR will be the hardest.

So help ease my nerves and tell me its all going to be good. People with trailer experience with these trucks please chime in!


Thanks!

 

[541joseph]

You'll do fine on hills just don't push it take your time. Don't let your trani shift up an down and up and down on hills. If its a big hill just slow down a little like 45mph or less and manually up it in 2nd and just take it easy. You'll be fine tho. Good luck have fun! And don't be in a hurry that's when things go wrong!

 

[Doc2012]

I went from Mass to NC with a 6x12. Going up hill sucks, but the truck will be fine.

 

[woodro]

Just make sure you distribute the load evenly in the trailer and you will be fine .

 

[deverlow]

Glad to have this topic come up because in February I'll be moving my brother from Indiana to Texas using the same trailer set up. My 3rd Gen is lifted and set up a little differently but same basic upgrades minus the tranny cooler. Thanks everyone for confirming.

 

[fun_runner]

Like everyone else already said, just take your time and you be fine. The 4Runner isn't going to like the hills much but you'll make it.

 

[Robb235]

Finally time to leave the desert and head north to the Emerald City. My girlfriend and I leave early Saturday morning. I am hoping to get to our new place by Monday.
I am basically writing this hoping to get reassurance that this truck can handle pulling a double axle 6x12 U-Haul trailer 1500 miles. Looking at all our stuff we will not get close to the allowed 2400lb limit. I am guessing more like 1200-1500lbs of crap. We got rid of all our large heavy items and will regroup there. I picked the 6x12 because of the double axle vs the next size down which was a 5x8 single axle. I think we will fill only half the trailer. NOTHING will be going into the cab of the 4Runner. I want to keep the weight in the trailer.
A little about the my 4Runner. Its a 1999 4x4 3.4L Auto. 99 talls front and OME 906 with 600028 shocks rear. 174,000 miles, fresh oil change, and B&M 70264 tranny cooler. Brand new tires (less than 1200 mi on them) and new brakes this past year. New OEM LBJ, plugs wires. Basically I have done everything in my power to make sure it makes this trip. We are going up the west cause on I-5. From what I understand getting past Redding, CA to Medford, OR will be the hardest.

So help ease my nerves and tell me its all going to be good. People with trailer experience with these trucks please chime in!


Thanks!

You'll probably be fine. I don't know if you'll have to go through mountain passes or not (sorry, my geography west of the Mississippi River is a bit sketchy), but if you do, you'll probably be wishing you had a supercharger, but you'll make it. The B&M transmission cooler is good to have... do you have a way of monitoring the transmission temp? Not that you need it, I'm just curious as to how hot it gets on your trip.

 

[J.Graham]

The B&M transmission cooler is good to have... do you have a way of monitoring the transmission temp? Not that you need it, I'm just curious as to how hot it gets on your trip.

+1. I'd go a step further and say- install a scan gauge (or similar) to monitor tranny temps. I occasionally pull a trailer or boat through the mountains and really like being able to keep an eye on it. Like was said, don't leave it in OD and let the tranny shift up and down. Shift manually when needed. If you do pick up a scan gauge, you'll see the tranny temp start dropping the minute you take it out of OD.
Have a safe trip.
Cheers

 

[4Runner4TW]

You'll probably be fine. I don't know if you'll have to go through mountain passes or not (sorry, my geography west of the Mississippi River is a bit sketchy), but if you do, you'll probably be wishing you had a supercharger, but you'll make it. The B&M transmission cooler is good to have... do you have a way of monitoring the transmission temp? Not that you need it, I'm just curious as to how hot it gets on your trip.

I don't have a way to watch my trans temp which is what is bothering me most now. I was going to install a gauge so I have an idea to what they are, but am just out of time now. I would love a scangauge but they are a little too expensive at the moment. The 70264 trans cooler is the larger so I think that should help.

Thanks for all the replies! I will keep this updated for those who wish to follow.

 

[kernel.panik]

and engage the ECT button if you have it on the 99...those few extra RPMs will help you get up to speed without bogging down.

 

[8sm]

Scan gauge is cheaper than a new transmission. lol

You should be fine with the trans cooler, yet a maxed out 6x12 will be a challenge.

Knowing your temps should give ample notice to pull over and let it cool down.

An once of prevention could save you thousands

Good luck...... Regards 8sm

 

[poleclimber63]

Not to worry....

I've towed lots of things, boats, utlity trailers etc. just don't push it, take your time and don't expect to keep up to the F350/3500HD's diesels doing 70 up mountain passes!!

I tow this regularly in summer:
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/membe...+my+runner-picture12389-primary-grunt-use.jpg

The v6 is great but its not a v8! The only thing to watch is the tranny temp. if you have no way of monitoring it, as I said, take it easy. I've driven the I5 many times, and the only parts slightly demanding, are stretches in N Cal and S Oregon. PDX650 pulled a U-Haul 1/2 way across the USA in 2012 driving a 4runner with a 4cyl. auto, with no problems! The v6 is rated to tow 5000lbs..., not very fast!

Good luck, and welcome to the Pacific Northwest!

 

[poleclimber63]

in addition....

I added a tranny cooler last year and a temp. gauge (really easy) see my pics... Since then I've climbed mountains loaded up, crossed the Rockies, driven through the Coast mountains North of Vancouver BC (steep and rough) and traveled lots of logging roads in and around my stomping grounds, here in the Canadian Okanagan Valley. Even mid-summer, I've never seen more than 230 (towing the boat, mid-summer, on hills). It usually stays between 160-190...

 

[541joseph]

and engage the ECT button if you have it on the 99...those few extra RPMs will help you get up to speed without bogging down.

This will help get up to speed but also causes more shifting and that equals more heat. I'd stay away from that button. Not trying to offend anyone just my .02

 

[Robb235]

I added a tranny cooler last year and a temp. gauge (really easy) see my pics... Since then I've climbed mountains loaded up, crossed the Rockies, driven through the Coast mountains North of Vancouver BC (steep and rough) and traveled lots of logging roads in and around my stomping grounds, here in the Canadian Okanagan Valley. Even mid-summer, I've never seen more than 230 (towing the boat, mid-summer, on hills). It usually stays between 160-190...

Is your transmission cooler in-line with the one in the radiator? Or did you bypass the radiator?

 

[Doc2012]

Just make sure you distribute the load evenly in the trailer and you will be fine .

Using a u-haul, you don't want to distribute the load evenly. You want the most weight in the front of the trailer.

This keeps the trailer form getting all damn squirrelly on the road.

I learned that lesson the hard way. Almost ripped my hitch off the truck first time I used a u-haul. Next time, I put all the heavy stuff up front, and was able to get up, surprisingly, to 90 with the trailer staying straight behind me. Only did that once though.

 

[shootmymime]

I'm glad this thread came up. 5 am tomorrow I'm hauling a fully loaded 5x8 from Kc mo on I 70 to Vegas

We will see. I deviated about getting the 6x12 but that was too big. Although would have liked the extra axle. I'll report on how things go tomorrow across i70

 

[4Runner4TW]

Is your transmission cooler in-line with the one in the radiator? Or did you bypass the radiator?

I bypassed the oem cooler to prevent getting a pink milk shake. I mounted it right in the path of high air flow with the in/out on facing up.


Got the trailer fully loaded last night. The back squatted about 2 inches. I put a lot of the weigh up front. I think my estimates are off on weight. I think I put in about 2000lbs of the 2400 allowed. Moment of truth will come tonight when we leave.

Our plan is to leaving Phx and go to LA to my girlfriends brothers and stay there. Get up and leave Saturday and get to the Redding, CA area and stay there. Then from Redding we should be able to get to Seattle. Hoping to get into Seattle by 9PM Sunday.

 

[shootmymime]

I'm posting updated on my current drive via my build thread.

 

[paddlenbike]

I have towed the 6x12 trailers quite a few times and they are really heavy and overbuilt because people tend to overload them. The standard U-haul 6x12' weighs 1,730 lbs empty and the 6x12' with the ramp weighs 2,290 lbs empty. By comparison, their 5x8' is 1000 lbs empty and the 5x9' with the ramp is 1,240 pounds.

The 4runner will pull any of them if you load the trailer correctly and drive appropriately.

I had a full tree in this one, so I'm guessing I was around 4,500 pounds between the trailer and the tree. I only moved this one about 40 miles.

This load was furniture, I estimate around 1,000 pounds of load + 2,290 pounds of trailer = ~3,300 pounds.

Did you get the one with or without the ramp? The ramp model is really heavy.