Can It Take It? Long Trip with Trailer.

Maritimer

Maritimer

New member
I may be moving across the country and would like to drive there with a trailer. I'm a bit worried about actually making it there, though.

Do you think a 2001 4Runner with 260,000km (160,000 miles) can make it on a 7-10 day 5000km (3,000 miles) trip? I'm going to take it in for maintenance and a check over before I go, getting anything obvious fixed, and everything is in fairly good shape as it is, as I've put quite a bit of money into it.

I'm also worried about trailer sizes. I'd like the 6x12 enclosed trailer with two axles, but I'm scared it would be too heavy for the Runner over that distance. The other option is a 5x8 enclosed with a single axle, but I'm worried it will feel less stable than the double axle trailer.

I'd like to just get a giant truck and tow the Runner, but the cost of that is greater than I can afford ($3000 plus double the gas of the Runner), plus we need seating for 4 people, and I'd have to do any maintenance on the Runner soon enough after arrival anyway even if I avoided that cost now.

I love my Runner, would love to drive it that far, as I'd be more comfortable in my dependable and trusty cockpit, but just worry it would be too much to ask of a 13-year-old vehicle.
 
Register to hide this ad
The trailers when empty are 900 and 1920 pounds respectively. The small one can take 1800 lbs of cargo, and the large one 2500 lbs. I'm taking as little as possible, so I'd guess we'd come in at 1500 lbs.

I guess that leaves towing about 2400 lbs with the small trailer, or about 3500 lbs with the large trailer.
 
Maritimer said:
The trailers when empty are 900 and 1920 pounds respectively. The small one can take 1800 lbs of cargo, and the large one 2500 lbs. I'm taking as little as possible, so I'd guess we'd come in at 1500 lbs.

I guess that leaves towing about 2400 lbs with the small trailer, or about 3500 lbs with the large trailer.
Click to expand...


I think you will be more than fine. I know lots of guys are apprehensive about towing but I have years of towing with a number of different trucks and trailers. The 4runner is Rated for 5000lbs, you are only going to about 3500, you also need to watch your GCVWR but at only 3420 I doubt you are going to have issues.

Tips to be prepared:

1. Make sure your coolant, trans fluid, and oil is fresh or at least not near the end of it's life.
2. Check belts hoses and make sure they are in good condition.
3. If you don't have an external trans cooler you should get one.
4. Make sure the trailer you are towing has good brakes (either elec or surge) if it has elec brakes you will need a brake controller. Elec is good because it's adjustable easily from the driver seat. Surge can usually be done on the trailer.
5. Make sure the trailer tires are in good shape and properly inflated, and make sure you have a spare trailer tire.
6. Make sure you have a good spare for your truck.
7. Make sure you have the proper jacks/tools to repair a flat on both the trailer AND the truck.
8. Make sure all the lights and signals work.
9. Make sure your hitch and ball are properly torqued.
10. Have a wheel chock in the event you need to park on a hill.
11. If you don't have any roadside assistance service consider it before your trip. And make sure it includes trailer assistance.
12. Make sure your truck brakes have enough life in them.


Other than that I'd say do it and don't sweat it. You aren't going to break any land speed records and you will feel that trailer behind you, especially up hill and in any wind. Keep it out of OD and use the PWR setting on the trans when you aren't on flat ground. That's my $.02.
 
I was just coming here to ask a similar question.
I'll be towing a dual axle 16-18 ft trailer about 2k miles.

I'm not too worried about my 4 runner as the weight shouldn't be over 3k pounds or so. The things I'm hauling aren't extremely heavy.

I do not have any towing upgrades to my 4 runner. I have however replaced the radiator last year, had transmission pan dropped and flushed and replaced with new fluid about 6 weeks ago.

Should it be okay with stock brakes? I'm driving from Louisiana to Lexington kentucky and back.

Edit: utility trailer is about 1400-1500 lbs. I'll be hauling many heavy duty dog kennels.
 
Last edited:
Jan I moved from Missouri to Idaho. (Pit stop in st george). And that's about 1600 miles.

I had that 5x8 packed full of stuff!!! It was so heavy. Young weight was around 150 lbs. climbing the mountains in Colorado sucked. I was just faster than the semis around 35-40 mph. Flat ground it was 65-70 mph. Cranking at 3000 rpm. I have the TBU and that helped with the smaller trailer but a 6x12 has surge brakes and double axles. So that's super nice.

Expect about 13 mpg towing. And don't trust your gas gauge. Carry at least another gal of fuel. I died on the side of the highway with the gauge showing 1/4 left. Managed to lump and coast 2 miles off the off ramp. Run a stop sign and into the gas station at snail speed.

Good luck. Truck will be fine. Plus us members are all over the country for help if needed. That's what the stuck thread is for in the general section.
 
Something I haven't seen added here is make sure your tongue weight is less than 400 lbs and if possible used a weight distribution hitch. Makes for a smoother and safer drive. Don't drive faster than the trailer tires are rated for or you're asking for a blow out. The rest has already been covered by everyone above.
 
Why is it going to take 7-10 days to go 3000 miles ? Truck will be fine for that I'd just make sure you have plenty of tools and fluids on board. And buy a AAA roadside card for $100 bucks
 
Arnezie said:
Why is it going to take 7-10 days to go 3000 miles ? Truck will be fine for that I'd just make sure you have plenty of tools and fluids on board. And buy a AAA roadside card for $100 bucks
Click to expand...

Was wondering that myself. We moved 1500 miles in two days, only doing 12-13 hours a day of driving.

Brakes and Tranny cooler would be high on my list of things to possibly do beforehand. The trans cooler is cheap and easy. Brakes are relatively easy but not as cheap, still could be done sub-$300 and well worth it if any hills are involved. Those uHaul type trailers don't have the best brake setups, surge if I recall, and they're sometimes neglected.

I wouldn't worry, but as mentioned, get the hitch height to where your tongue weight is lower, load heaviest stuff in trailer first so you're not squirrely in the ass-end, and be prepared to stay in 2nd/3rd most of the time if any hills (Drive is useless for the most part).
 
I have towed with a 6x10 before with about 700lbs in it. Not too bad, but make sure your brakes, including the e-brake, are up to snuff. If you have a tranny cooler, great. If not, get the fluid changed before you go.

And don't forget the belt dressing. For as many miles you plan to travel, get a big can of it.
 
I towed the larger trailer cross country with my tacoma years ago. I know it's a different vehicle but similar. I highly recommend the brake upgrade, because mine were never the same after that trip. If you don't do it beforehand you'll be sold on it afterward, so you may as well do it now.
 
vanion2 said:
Something I haven't seen added here is make sure your tongue weight is less than 400 lbs and if possible used a weight distribution hitch. Makes for a smoother and safer drive. Don't drive faster than the trailer tires are rated for or you're asking for a blow out. The rest has already been covered by everyone above.
Click to expand...

Why 400 lbs tongue weight? I have more than that from my bumper and recovery gear I always carry let alone when I tow my toys.
 
I've towed the uHaul 6x12 completely packed with heavy furniture and boxes from south Georgia to Chattanooga. I didn't have to climb or descend any mountains, yet I was still glad I had the 231mm Tundra Brake Upgrade. That is a must, in my opinion, especially going across country.

I would also find a way to monitor transmission temps, whether it's with a Scangauge or a smartphone app. You don't want to overheat your transmission.

Make sure the front end of the trailer has the heaviest stuff. I thought I had loaded the front end of the trailer heavier, but then we were trying to cram as much stuff into that trailer as we could, so I guess it got heavier in the back. It swayed if I went at all over 55mph. Kind of spooky the first time it happened.

Make sure your tires, especially your rear ones, are pumped up to the max rated pressure listed on the sidewall. You may be surprised at how fast your gas gauge drops while towing. I went from getting 21-22mpg on the highway, to 13-14mpg towing the 6x12.

It may be worth it to put air springs in the rear, especially if you have rear sag issues already. Part of my trip was on south Georgia country roads, and I scrapped pretty good crossing some railroad tracks. My T4R with the '99 tall coils sags in the rear, and obviously with a heavy trailer it just made it that much worse, as I was literally dragging ass the whole way. Airbags in the rear springs would have been nice to level things out.
 
As long as you run with o/d off these trucks can pull quite a bit acctually. We pulled the Bahia from Everglades city fl to Green bay WI ~2000 miles with my dads 98. It pulled great other than the gas milage, we only got about 13 MPG.


The only thing I can recommend though is if your truck isnt lifted get some OME 906 springs that is what he has in the 98 and they help a ton for towing and you can leave them in after because they only raise the back about an inch.

307905d1362029652-2012-ranger-bahia-220-bahia-main.jpg
 
Robb235 said:
I thought I had loaded the front end of the trailer heavier, but then we were trying to cram as much stuff into that trailer as we could, so I guess it got heavier in the back. It swayed if I went at all over 55mph. Kind of spooky the first time it happened.
Click to expand...

Happened to me moving from FL to CT as well. Put heavy stuff in front of trailer, but by time it was almost full we're stuffing everything we can in (clothes weigh a lot when compressed and shoved into every nook and cranny) and about the time we hit the DC beltway it's squirelly as all hell.
 
Robb235 said:
I've towed the uHaul 6x12 completely packed with heavy furniture and boxes from south Georgia to Chattanooga. I didn't have to climb or descend any mountains, yet I was still glad I had the 231mm Tundra Brake Upgrade. That is a must, in my opinion, especially going across country.

I would also find a way to monitor transmission temps, whether it's with a Scangauge or a smartphone app. You don't want to overheat your transmission.

Make sure the front end of the trailer has the heaviest stuff. I thought I had loaded the front end of the trailer heavier, but then we were trying to cram as much stuff into that trailer as we could, so I guess it got heavier in the back. It swayed if I went at all over 55mph. Kind of spooky the first time it happened.

Make sure your tires, especially your rear ones, are pumped up to the max rated pressure listed on the sidewall. You may be surprised at how fast your gas gauge drops while towing. I went from getting 21-22mpg on the highway, to 13-14mpg towing the 6x12.

It may be worth it to put air springs in the rear, especially if you have rear sag issues already. Part of my trip was on south Georgia country roads, and I scrapped pretty good crossing some railroad tracks. My T4R with the '99 tall coils sags in the rear, and obviously with a heavy trailer it just made it that much worse, as I was literally dragging ass the whole way. Airbags in the rear springs would have been nice to level things out.
Click to expand...

Do not do this!!
 
snivilous said:
Why 400 lbs tongue weight? I have more than that from my bumper and recovery gear I always carry let alone when I tow my toys.
Click to expand...
Sorry. That's supposed to be 500 lbs (I was thinking about my wife's Rav4 when I wrote 400 lbs). And why? Because that is what his hitch receiver will be most likely rated at. 5000 lbs load/500 lbs tongue weight. Anything more is gambling. YMMV but I tend to pay attention to weight ratings when it comes to towing. But that's just me. You are free to do as you wish.

My experience is with towing a 3000 lb pop up with a brake controller, WDH, and loading the heaviest weight evenly over the axles. This is the proper way to prevent swaying.

If you load the heaviest weight up front you are increasing the tongue weight and if you exceed your receiver's tongue weight rating you are risking it breaking. A WDH will balance the load over all axles of the vehicle and trailer but does not mean you can exceed the maximum tongue weight.

If you load the weight to the rear then you are definitely going to sway, strain your trailer axles and put lift on the rear of your 4Runner that you don't want as it shifts the weight to your front wheels. The heavier the load the worse it will be.

Load the heaviest weight over the axles and you keep the tongue weight down and help prevent sway.

Make sure the tires are aired at the MAXIMUM psi when cold. Under airing your trailer tires is the biggest cause for failure. They are designed to run at the max air pressure and make sure you don't exceed their rated speed limit as this will cause them to over heat, expand, and explode. YMMV but do the research and talk to people who haul professionally and you will see that this isn't a recommendation but a requirement for safe towing.

I would highly recommend getting a brake controller if you plan on towing anything for long distances. They aren't that expensive and significantly helps with braking as you can adjust the controller to basically neutral (as if you weren't towing) if your trailer has electronic brakes. I was able to wire up my wife's Rav4 in a couple of hours and not having 3000 lbs pushing against the Rav4's brakes was awesome. Well worth the cost of $80 I paid for a used brake controller and a new 7 plug wiring kit. Surge brakes can be jarring as they simply kick on at a certain point suddenly. A brake controller is the way to go.

If you are renting a trailer inspect the tires closely. If they show uneven tread wear refuse to use that trailer unless they replace the tires. Rental companies are only as good as the people that work there and you would be surprised at what they will try to get away with.

I could keep going on about towing all day long here but the bottom line is our 4Runners can pull 5000 lbs with a 500 lbs tongue weight as per Toyota specifications. How safely you want that to happen is up to you. There's lots of good advice in this thread but I would shy away from "I have been able to do xxxxx" when it exceeds the vehicles rated capacity. These 4Runners aren't getting younger and my life isn't worth the risk. I still got plenty of miles left in me and I plan on enjoying every single one of them. But again, that's just me.
 
2500 lbs won't require mods of any kind. That's half the tow rating. I tow 4,000 pounds regularly and the truck handles it well. I wouldn't want to tow right up to the rating on long distances, but I'm sure it would handle that fine too.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Members online

Total: 955 (members: 5, guests: 950)

Forum statistics

Threads
278,312
Messages
3,554,089
Members
248,016
Latest member
Advally Service

Share this page

Trending content

Back
Top