Can I tow this much?

J

Jave

New member
I have a 99 4runner, SR5 V6. I'm towing a uhaul trailer with dual axles across Canada (close to 3000 miles.) I have an external tranny cooler, done the tundra brake upgrade and plan to drive with O/D off and ECT button on.

Here's where my concern is. I weighed the car with the trailer fully loaded (went to a garbage drop off and they were nice enough to let me use the scale) and after subtracting the weight of the car, I'm towing about 4200 lbs. The trailer is rated for 4800 so I'm ok there but I'm concerned that this is a lot overall, especially going that distance.

There will be no cargo in the truck itself, other than me and a passenger.

What do you think? Should be ok or not?
 
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Just keep in mind that your load = your truck drive easy leave room for stopping don't get in a hurry and balance your load so you don't have crazy heavy toung weight. the duel axle will carry most of the weight nicely it would be ideal if the trailer had electric brakes.
 
That is alot of weight, if I were you I wouldn't drive with OD off...The rpms are going to be really high on the highway. Your still under the towing capacity (5000 lbs? correct me if I'm wrong) so you should be alright. Make sure the suspension can handle the weight as well. My car with the stock suspension is already about an inch and a half away from the bump stops (I need a lift) so you want to make sure you not sitting on those. Other than that I wouldn't be too paranoid.
 
Ummm, I'm no towing expert but have listened to a lot of towing questions/replies and I would turn overdrive off as the OP stated. From what I gather it's bad news to tow with O/D on, especially with a load that size.

Drifter had a good point, trailer brakes would be ideal.
 
KeatonMP said:
That is alot of weight, if I were you I wouldn't drive with OD off...The rpms are going to be really high on the highway. Your still under the towing capacity (5000 lbs? correct me if I'm wrong) so you should be alright. Make sure the suspension can handle the weight as well. My car with the stock suspension is already about an inch and a half away from the bump stops (I need a lift) so you want to make sure you not sitting on those. Other than that I wouldn't be too paranoid.
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RPMs won't be higher cause I'm towing more weight, no? If not then I'm ok with the high RPMs as it's sitting at about 3500 rpm at highway speeds with O/D off but no trailer. Pretty sure I will kill the tranny if I leave it ON.

Just checked the bump stops and it's about 3-4 inches from the bump stop to the axle. Should be fine right?
 
Jave said:
RPMs won't be higher cause I'm towing more weight, no? If not then I'm ok with the high RPMs as it's sitting at about 3500 rpm at highway speeds with O/D off but no trailer. Pretty sure I will kill the tranny if I leave it ON.

Just checked the bump stops and it's about 3-4 inches from the bump stop to the axle. Should be fine right?
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Yes thats plenty of room. And x2 on the trailer brakes...That will help alot.
 
I'd leave OD on and not even worry about the ECT. 3500 rpm is to high, your radiator will be much less efficient w/o o/d. Most of the heat in the trans is actually generated by the torque converter. It is most efficient and runs coolest under lock-up, that last little 300rpm drop u get in 4th gear. Both turbines are locked therefore generating a lot less friction/heat.

Just my $0.02, I have yet to tow with mine.
 
Turn your OD off when you are going up grades ( or if you notice the tranny shifting a lot) and turn it on when the road is generally flat and your speed consistent. Try to anticipate when you need to turn it on and off, and keep the up/down shifting to a minumum. It wont be a speed demon with that kind of load, so just take your time, accelerating and stopping.
 
leaving the o/d on will keep your rig hunting for gears even on the slightest incline. That constant shifting will build up heat quickly. I would leave it off. And if the trailer has surge brakes that will be really helpful in slowing you down easier. Just remember to load the trailer correctly to avoid sway, and keep your speed down, 60 mph or so. It will save gas and help with sway problems.
 
I'm no expert myself but I'd strongly advise to keep O/D off and keep your speed under 45 mph. That's what the owner's manual advises and it's also what most guys who tow a lot recommend. I'd imagine that the trans would hunt like crazy with O/D on.
 
Just took a picture of the car with trailer attached:

img3825g.jpg


Does the rear sag look like too much? It's sagging about 1.5" - 2".
 
I'd slide some weight to the back of the trailer. Looks like its taking too much weight off the front- decreased steering and breaking traction.

Last thing I towed with that was relatively close to the 4Runner was my 2000 Mercedes ML320 v6 AWD. It was a dog! It was pulling a trailer relatively the same size and with cruise on at 70mph it was constantly slamming down gears to make it up small grades. I hope the T4Rs aren't the same. I ended up knocking the cruise off real quick and using the tip tronic the rest of the 300mi from GA to FL.

Make's me miss my 7.3 F-250, that thing would pull a house!
 
Agreed. Move some weight to the back. Try to trailer level. I can see by the pic you got too much weight on the front axle.

Every truck manual I have ever read says TOW WITH OD OFF. Also a good idea to have ETC on to keep the RPMs up. Don't exceed 55 mph. At that speed the RPMs will not be too high. Besides it's not the RPMs you need to worry about it's lugging the thing which will burn something up.

One other thing. That trailer probably has surge brakes. You can't back up a hill with them on. There should be a manual release if you have to but whatever you do don't forget to put the surge brakes back on. I don't think the 4runner can stop that thing at speed without the trailer brakes. You may want to test the braking ability before you get going.
 
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i would say that ur fine. does the trailer have breaks? your not gunna hurt the truck remember the the "max towing weight" is not based off what ur truck can pull. its based on what it can stop. so just when stopping make sure to give some room
 
BTO said:
Agreed. Move some weight to the back. Try to trailer level. I can see by the pic you got too much weight on the front axle.

Every truck manual I have ever read says TOW WITH OD OFF. Also a good idea to have ETC on to keep the RPMs up. Don't exceed 55 mph. At that speed the RPMs will not be too high. Besides it's not the RPMs you need to worry about it's lugging the thing which will burn something up.

One other thing. That trailer probably has surge brakes. You can't back up a hill with them on. There should be a manual release if you have to but whatever you do don't forget to put the surge brakes back on. I don't think the 4runner can stop that thing at speed without the trailer brakes. You may want to test the braking ability before you get going.
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I've moved some of the weight of the trailer around so it's more level. I think it also looks like there's a lot more weight in the front of the trailer than it really is because I think the drop on the ballmount is a bit too much so the trailer naturally tilts a bit forward, even with no load.

As for the surge brakes, it seems to stop really well actually. It takes a bit longer to stop than normal of course but I tested it on some fairly steep local hills here yesterday and it does fine. As for backing up, it seems to do that no problem. Is it only when backing up a hill that I might have issues?
 
You may want to look for a ball mount that has less of a drop, that will help level the trailer out. As for overdrive, try turning it on when you are on level ground and cruising. When you notice it downshifting often, or when you are climbing a grade, turn it off. It is harder on the tranny when it shifts often, but on a level road cruising at any speed use your od! I tow a 4000 lb boat all the time with mine, and use the od all the time, except for grades. My runner shows no sign of giving up. The manual says to leave the od off, because otherwise people would leave it on. However, if you use it when appropriate, it's advantageous, and your fuel mileage will be better. If it is always hunting and changing gears and going in and out of lock-up, then leave it off. It's all in knowing when to use it!
 
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So I did about 500 miles today and everything seems to be fine. Didn't get a chance to switch the ballmount but it seems to be ok still. No trailer sway on the highway or anything like that.

4Runner is being a champ. No issues at all. Tranny and engine seem to be staying at normal temps. Probably helps that it's freezing outside though.

Only 2200 miles to go...
 
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