Anyone towing around 5,000lbs (max capacity)?

[minorobsession]

I don't get why people tow so close to the max weight. I've towed numerous miles with a car carrier or a 7,000lb boat (in a truck with a 7,500 tow limit). Its just not enjoyable to drive when your car is at its limits for stopping and handling. If you need to tow heavy loads get a heavy duty truck. I got the GX for the occasion I need to use my car trailer, but at 5,000lbs, the GX barely moves and stops worse.

Most of us don't want to drive around a 3/4 ton truck or larger vehicle for the 6-8 times a year we need to haul something large. The runner is sweet for getting around in. And mpgs in these aren't great, don't want to drive something that is even worse every day.

 

[1jzgte]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5Lg_lSdImQ
video of a guy towing a relatively small travel trailer.
I'd recommend all the mods he mentioned if youre towing close to limit. Its not the v6 that's the limiting factor its the transmission cooler, the suspension, the weight distribution... etc etc..

TOW IN 4th GEAR as per the manual.

 

[itsdchz]

I tow right at max, if not more.
Transmission cooler is a must.
Airlift 1000s, for sag, does not help with tow capacity
Higher rate springs is also helpful
Can it do it, yes. should you? Your call...
I have about 4000 towing miles with my 30 foot trailer, on nearly every terrain. Knock on wood, I have been lucky. I watch my scangauge like a hawk while towing. The transmission temps usually stay at 183-200 degrees on level ground. 165 no load, and sometimes 225-250 on long steep grades. I think the limitations are heating up transmission too much/prolonged... My opinion though..

 

[1jzgte]

I tow right at max, if not more.
Transmission cooler is a must.
Airlift 1000s, for sag, does not help with tow capacity
Higher rate springs is also helpful
Can it do it, yes. should you? Your call...
I have about 4000 towing miles with my 30 foot trailer, on nearly every terrain. Knock on wood, I have been lucky. I watch my scangauge like a hawk while towing. The transmission temps usually stay at 183-200 degrees on level ground. 165 no load, and sometimes 225-250 on long steep grades. I think the limitations are heating up transmission too much/prolonged... My opinion though..

That's tough. Even with a cooler it still reaches 200 - 250??! Again a 30 footer is friggin huge for a 4runner. I still wouldnt exceed the 4runner's 5000 capacity with any/all these mods. They simply make things a bit safer. Trailer sway is scary.

Ever see those UPS or Fedex trucks two 2 cargo holds with 1 truck? Talk about sway!

 

[Rainmaker47]

Good info. New to the forum and owning a 4Runner. Moved out of a Chevy 2500HD diesel. I tow a trailer with about 4K pounds of corn / protein 3-4 times a year. Sounds like I should be able to get it done. Towing was one of the biggest trade offs getting out of my truck.

 

[Trixx]

If it’s a short distance You’ll be fine. If anyone plans on towing several hundred miles or more with any sort of frequency, well - get something for towing. I towed my 1500-2000 lb M416 trailer 8000 miles. It was ok, but a major dog on the highway and hills. I couldn’t imagine towing twice that any sort of real distance. 10-20 miles on weekends would be no biggie though.

My old F250 towed my 42’ 15,000 lbs 5th wheel about the same as my 4runner tows my 2000lb Off Road trailer, for reference lol.

 

[itsdchz]

That's tough. Even with a cooler it still reaches 200 - 250??! Again a 30 footer is friggin huge for a 4runner. I still wouldnt exceed the 4runner's 5000 capacity with any/all these mods. They simply make things a bit safer. Trailer sway is scary.

Ever see those UPS or Fedex trucks two 2 cargo holds with 1 truck? Talk about sway!

Long uphill hauls I take it slower, and stop if needed.
Sway, feeling unsafe, out of control, or anything compromising is never an issue or option. There has never been any issues, thankfully. I have towed hundreds of miles at a time, in heavy rain, sleet, snow, blizzard, chains on BOTH the 4Runner and trailer, crawling through mountain passes. I would never suggest this as a norm for anyone, but at 4300 lbs dry, and close to 600 lbs of gear and other items weighing it down, I am very impressed with the 4Runner's ability.

I think if you are ultra aware of the 4Runners temps and monitor them, being proactive is the key.

 

[Climber1]

As Trixx mentioned, if you are towing with FRRQUENCY loads at the upper limit, I would get a different tow vehicle. I came from a Tundra and towed my Kubota tractor all over the state for working on my hunting leases.
I recently towed the tractor and bushhog with my new Toyota and it was definitely a workout for the 6 cylinder but taking it easy and using trailer brakes was definitely doable.
I towed a few hundred miles and weight was 4800lbs with trailer.

I would not want to do that run on a regular basis with the 4Runner but a few times a year is not a deal breaker. Just be safe and know your limits!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Ryan1975]

SAE2807

Here's what I *think*. I think you are comparing Apples to Oranges. Let's apply a little logic. Your V8 produces similar hp/tq to the 4.0, lower rpm agreed but pretty similar. The V8 does have a better tq-@-rpm advantage, but not dramatic. 4G chassis/suspension is same-at-best, 4G brakes are inferior. So why a 2,700# difference?

I think it is primarily due to MANUFACTURER'S TOW RATING. Prior to 2011, Toyota (and every Mfgr) did their own tow ratings. So, your 7,700# rating was done by Toyota engineers, and I have every confidence it is reasonable. Toyota was the first mfgr to begin rating it's vehicles to the newly established SAE2807 tow standards, hence the dramatic TR drop with the 5th Gen.

If you think that V8 is wholly responsible for the different tow rating, sorry but that is just not realistic. I agree that the seat-of-the-pants meter favors the V8's lower rpm tq, but if I had to tow, say 6,500#, I'd pick better brakes in a 5G over a V8 in a 4G any day. If you think a 4G is a better TV than a 5G, knock yourself out, but as Spock would say, "it's illogical Captain".

The biggest concern I'd have is liability, not reliability.

This will probably start a shitstorm of opinions ... so, just my $.02.

 

[pcrdude]

I towed a Lance 1685 over the Appalachian mountains this year from DC to Saint Louis. It's not optimal, but gets the job done. I towed the same camper in southern Missouri on two lane roads (read steeper grades) and it did OK as well. I have a WDH (dual trunion anti-sway) and airbags. Sometimes you need to go a little slower than you might like to, but that's never a problem for me. I'm just not in a hurry....

Lance 1685:
Gross Dry Weight 3805 Lbs. Hitch Dry Weight 405 Lbs. Axle Weight 3400 Lbs. Cargo Carrying Capacity 1695 Lbs. GVWR 5500 Lbs.

 

[Bumbo]

Most of us don't want to drive around a 3/4 ton truck or larger vehicle for the 6-8 times a year we need to haul something large. The runner is sweet for getting around in. And mpgs in these aren't great, don't want to drive something that is even worse every day.

Personally I think the other dudes comments were spot on... If you hang out with enough people that tow big boy stuff, you develop a much greater appreciate for the dangers and saftey concerns around pushing the limits.

There are ways to do it right, or at least better, like stiffer rear springs and load leveling bags.

Renting a truck is always a valid option... its sure better than having to white knuckle down the highway with a tool that is barely sized for the application.

Alternately, you can phone a friend, or own a 2nd vehical.

 

[Dig-Dog]

it's f'in douche canoe...big difference









As far as searching....at least 10 pages, probably more



so for you own edification [MENTION=56532]MSBX4RUNNER[/MENTION]

Many times folks are participating in this forum on a phone through Tapatalk. Many times these same folks try searching through Tapatalk, because they see so many others getting blasted for not searching, and yet they come up empty because Tapatalk’s search algorithm is garbage. Therefore, the better advice to these folks would be to suggest that they read 1e’s detailed instruction thread sticky that explains how to search through Google. Searching with Google always results in finding relevant threads, whereas the same search in Tapatalk would produce zero.

 

[Big_Cuss]

Toyota's soft springs and shortish wheelbase are the only reason it's rated to tow 5k and not more.

Reference the (lighter and weaker) Tacoma V6. It's rated at something like 6,500 lbs+... all because the wheelbase and stiffer rear springs ensure that you don't get cyclical wobble that causes a crash.

so a stiffer-aftermarket-rear spring could essentially get you more tow rating... but you still can't fix the shortish wheelbase, so I'd be really careful towing more than 5,000.

 

[deanmosh]

So I've been through a few threads now about the feasibility of towing at the limit. As with most things, the answers vary and the yes/no's are both equally convincing. My key takeaway is that towing at the max regularly without upgrades is not recommended. But what about just once? I just need to tow my car up here once. 2200 lbs trailer + 3000 lbs car.

Am i wrong in thinking that I can safely tow 5k pounds 650 miles, from LA to the california/oregon border without any modifications? There's 2 relatively steep inclines but otherwise relatively flat. i dont have much experience with towing but have driven this route a few dozen times. any thoughts?

 

[AZ Craig]

So I've been through a few threads now about the feasibility of towing at the limit. As with most things, the answers vary and the yes/no's are both equally convincing. My key takeaway is that towing at the max regularly without upgrades is not recommended. But what about just once? I just need to tow my car up here once. 2200 lbs trailer + 3000 lbs car.

Am i wrong in thinking that I can safely tow 5k pounds 650 miles, from LA to the california/oregon border without any modifications? There's 2 relatively steep inclines but otherwise relatively flat. i dont have much experience with towing but have driven this route a few dozen times. any thoughts?

You'd probably be fine, just plan on keeping your max to around speed limit and be prepared to struggle a bit climbing with maintaining speed.

 

[We Out Here]

So I've been through a few threads now about the feasibility of towing at the limit. As with most things, the answers vary and the yes/no's are both equally convincing. My key takeaway is that towing at the max regularly without upgrades is not recommended. But what about just once? I just need to tow my car up here once. 2200 lbs trailer + 3000 lbs car.

Am i wrong in thinking that I can safely tow 5k pounds 650 miles, from LA to the california/oregon border without any modifications? There's 2 relatively steep inclines but otherwise relatively flat. i dont have much experience with towing but have driven this route a few dozen times. any thoughts?

You’ll be fine, I towed a large full uhaul clear across canada, including over the mountains, had to be around 5k pounds. 4Runner hauled like a champ, just had to slow down on long inclines. Try to catch it before the cruise control downshifts you to 8000 RPM to try and maintain, its a real wake up call lol

 

[deanmosh]

You’ll be fine, I towed a large full uhaul clear across canada, including over the mountains, had to be around 5k pounds. 4Runner hauled like a champ, just had to slow down on long inclines. Try to catch it before the cruise control downshifts you to 8000 RPM to try and maintain, its a real wake up call lol

Thanks for the info. What kind of speed did you average on the flat stretches? And how slow did you have to go on the inclines? I definitely want to avoid 8000 rpms haha

 

[We Out Here]

Probably averaged 100km/h and slowed to 80 km/h on hills. Was able to go faster on one particularly long flat stretch but the fuel economy took a big hit, not really worth it. Was kind of zen just cruising in the slow lane, not anticipating speed traps or trying to pass anyone. Sometimes id convoy behind an RV so i wasnt the only slow one.

 

[MoreOutdoors]

So I've been through a few threads now about the feasibility of towing at the limit. As with most things, the answers vary and the yes/no's are both equally convincing. My key takeaway is that towing at the max regularly without upgrades is not recommended. But what about just once? I just need to tow my car up here once. 2200 lbs trailer + 3000 lbs car.

Am i wrong in thinking that I can safely tow 5k pounds 650 miles, from LA to the california/oregon border without any modifications? There's 2 relatively steep inclines but otherwise relatively flat. i dont have much experience with towing but have driven this route a few dozen times. any thoughts?

I live North of Sac and have towed our travel trailer up and over the grapevine a couple of times. It weighs about 4500 lbs fully loaded and then we have 4 of us, 3 medium size dogs and all our gear the 4Runner, so pretty loaded. I was able to pass semis on the Grapevine without pushing the 4Runner. I think slowest I went was 45-50 mph all the while keeps RPMs below 5,000. Given I have a trailer brake which helps immensely on the downsides. I’ve never not had the trailer brake so can’t say how it handles going down grade without one. Same with weight distribution hitch which acts as a sway bar too; never not had that so can’t say what it’s like without that.

I will say the cruise control struggles even on the flats in the Central Valley. It will go from 4th to 3rd back to 4th gears in a 90 sec span trying to maintain the speed you set. I wish there was a speed range you could program in so it doesn’t result in sudden RPM surges, but oh well.

 

[Chumly]

We currently have a 2020 OR and previously had a 2012 SR5. We have towed a 5000lb Boat / Trailer combo for years. Disclaimers.
We try to tow @ 65 MPH or less when off highway. We have never towed more than 400 miles in a single run. Load is balanced and relatively streamlined. We live in Florida, so hills are a non-issue. We have disk brakes on all 4 trailer tires, and trailer is well maintained. In 7+ years of towing that load, no issue of any sort. No overheating, no instability. 2 flat tires, 1 on truck, one on trailer, both uneventful. Average MPG with this load about 11 MPG. Tires are KO2 255/75’s. Suspension is standard. Trailer tongue weight just shy of 400 lbs. Slight rear sag when towing, but not too bad. Prior to this setup, we have decades of experience towing much heavier loads with much bigger trucks.

Based on our experience our 4runner meets our current towing needs. If we were towing a boxy trailer, higher tongue weight, mountains, huge tires or extra heavy modified 4runner, the results probably would not be as decent.