Any 3rd gen owners who regularly pull a trailer?

[Martinjmpr]

We just got a teardrop trailer for camping (wife's been talking about getting one for a while.) I picked it up on the 15th in Glenwood Springs (about 150 miles away.) Had no problems pulling it back over 2 10,000'+ passes (Vail and the Eisenhower Tunnel.) Even got 19.9 MPG overall on the trip!

I haven't had the trailer weighed yet but the seller says it's ~1100lb or so.

My question: Who here pulls a trailer regularly with their 3rd gen? I don't mean around town, I mean on long trips.

Reason I'm asking? Well, we've got several long trips planned for this Summer, and I'm wondering if the 4runner is up to the task. I know the 4runner is rated to tow up to 3,000 lb but I'm not sure if it will do so "happily." My main concerns are power (the 3.4 being not a super-powerful motor) and longevity/reliability (my 4runner has about 142,000 miles on it now.)

I've got some mods planned for the 4runner (lift, seat covers, instruments, etc) but I don't want to sink a bunch of $$ into the 4runner if I'm not going to keep it. At this point my inclination is to see how I like it on the first couple of trips and then make a final decision later in the year.

So that's why I'm asking. Want to know if others out there regularly tow a travel-type trailer with their 3rd gen and whether they're happy with it.

 

[the great him]

if i can pull a competition ski boat with my old 85 truck(did so for a summer every weekend over an hour away) you should be fine. ive also towed a quite a bit with my runner, everything from a little garden trailer to a 28' flat bed with a f250 4x4 turbo diesel. (i dont recomend doing the latter). your 4runner will be just fine

if your concerned at all, just make sure you have the TBU and if your an auto, have a larger tranny cooler ie the B&M 70624 vs the 70628.

 

[A.Wilson013]

My Grandpa pulls a tear drop with his GoldWing occasionally... I hope a 4Runner is up for the task.

Google "Towing Teardrop" if you need reassurance... Focus' pulling them... VW Bugs...

Which kind did you get? Did you looking into building one at all?

 

[Maxil]

The camper I pulled was a lot heavier than that at around 3500#. It towed just fine but you could tell it was there. One that is less than 1500# should be easy enough. I did get the new koyo radiator and put the B&M 70264 in series for maximum cooling and would suggest that as well. Some synthetic tranny fluid wouldn't hurt, I like amsoil.

I towed mine the first time 5 hours straight on the priginal radiator with no cooler and never had any issues. I had changed out some fluid to Amsoil by that time which I am sure helped a tad.

Don't drive like a lunatic and you should be fine, although that is good advice that I wish more people would take anyway hehe.
By the way, our towing capacity is either 3500# for 4 cyl or 5000# for our 6 cyl engine.

 

[denverunner]

short answer - YES! 1100lb teardrop should be no sweat.

I regularly tow 2 sleds (AC 900 and 700) on a triton 2-place trailer with 4 passengers! It's definitely not the "ideal" towing situation, but I don't rush and I can make it up and down the I-70 "parking lot" relatively easy, maintaining 55-65mph. the 3.4L has plenty of power and the 231mm tundra brakes do too!

I do have a 5spd. I think the transmission can be a significant factor, but either way, you should be fine.

 

[Martinjmpr]

My Grandpa pulls a tear drop with his GoldWing occasionally... I hope a 4Runner is up for the task.

Google "Towing Teardrop" if you need reassurance... Focus' pulling them... VW Bugs...

Which kind did you get? Did you looking into building one at all?

It's a home built. We bought it off Craigslist. Built up on a utility trailer chassis (that's why it's so heavy - the chassis is pretty heavy steel.)

Here's a pic of me bringing it home from Glenwood:

Close up of the passenger side, me standing next to it (I'm 6'1".)

BTW, if anyone in the region is looking for a teardrop I found a couple of decent ones in New Mexico for not very much money. Might be worth a look a the price. Go onto Craigslist for Albuquerque, Santa Fe or Taos and put "teardrop" into the search block.

 

[Kung]

LOL - I just pulled a 6'x12' trailer with a mattress and numerous other things on it from Missouri to Virginia and back, through headwinds the ENTIRE way. While it didn't exactly love the hills, it did just fine - the temp gauge never budged, even in the hills of WV.

My T4R has 135K; I did install the aux tranny cooler (B&M 70264). But anyways, it did just fine. It wasn't a diesel, but I'm quite sure my trailer was heavier than what you want to pull.