Can my 4Runner tow this thing?

[drodvold]

Yeah, towing a boat (of moderate size) isn't much of a challenge. A typical boat and trailer weighs considerably less than the tow vehicle, and is reasonably aerodynamic. My camper, with a dry weight of 4300 pounds, weighs in at about 5500 pounds when ready for camping. That includes water in the tank, food in the fridge, full gas bottles, and my wife's toiletry bag. And it has all the aerodynamic elegance of a phone booth.

That puts it about 1000 pounds heavier than my 4Runner, so it doesn't take much of a cross-wind to get the tail wagging the dog. If you ever studied differential equations, you get what is called a forced, damped oscillation. It is the same effect that caused the Tacoma Narrows Bridge to fall into Puget Sound in 1940. The Hensley uses an articulating hitch to provide a dynamic link between the tow vehicle and the trailer. It is pretty hard to explain how it works, but the first time I saw one in action, it pretty much blew my mind. It changes the geometry of the connection between the tow vehicle and trailer so that it seems to be at the rear axle rather than the rear bumper. This provide dynamic stability similar to a fifth wheel trailer, which connects right over the rear axle.

The hints that I posted probably sound pretty complicated, but I've hooked up enough times that I don't even consciously think about them anymore. Leaving the campground last weekend, it took about 5 minutes to get everything hooked up and ready to go. If my wife helps, it usually takes about 10 minutes...

 

[gizmopt2002]

Nice buy juneau92! Compliments the 4Runner well. As far as the wiring is concerned, I had the same situation with our boat. For one it was a 5-way flat plug. (I know, weird), plus even if I got an adapter, but the cord was still too short. I went to Wal-Mart, yes I used to go there alot, terrible place lol, Picked up a 4 ft extension, sliced the wires, then connected them all together, then got a 7-pole male plug, and now I have a complete system. it offers alot of slack, often times I need to stuff it back in. Heres what I recommend, if you don't feel like cutting wires and such, you can get a really nice extension/adapter(if needed) from overtons.


EDIT: I was browsing the new Overton's mag, and they dont have that extension anymore, only 5 - 5 and 7 -5.

 

[Blabel4runner]

Thanks for the tips on the cords guys. When I bought the McKesh mirrors they hounded... and I mean hounded me on getting the Hensley Arrow. They even sent me a big packet with a video after I said I wasn't interested. I'm assuming however, that I'll be fine without the Hensley hitch. The tongue weights are heavier on a toy hauler than a typical TT and my hauler length is only 16ft. I bought a sway control that should hopefully do just fine. Originally I thought the Hensley hitch was about double the cost of a standard load distribution but it's 3K!! Holy crap!

The trailer place recommended I weigh the tongue of the trailer, which I did Before I bought the trailer. It weighed 580lbs with a quad stuffed in the front of the hauler using a rented scale. I figured that would give me a reasonable estimate of what the tongue weight would be with it loaded. The hauler came with 1000 pound bars and the trailer place recommended that I buy 750 pound bars so I would have less chance of overloading the 700 pound tongue weight capavity and do potential damage to the vehicle.

Thanks for the tips. I hope to get it completely set up next weekend, then take it for a test drive through the mountains to completely dial it in. We have a pretty long trip (mileage wise) planned for our first outing. Can't wait.

I'm sure I'll be on here with more questions, then I'll post a writeup of our long trip up to the mountains at the end of this month.

 

[juneau92]

You'll be fine without the Hensley, it would almost be overkill for a 16ft trailer. Where the Hensley comes in is where a much larger trailer is suseptable to sway, caused by wind and passing semis, uneven road, potholes, etc. Though a competent towing vehicle for it's size, the 4Runner has a relatively short wheelbase at 110 inches. My new trailer is 27 feet long, and that's just the box. So, with this combination, sway is an issue that must be dealt with.

Yes, the Hensley is expensive. I look at it as a safety device for myself and family, and the approx 65K I've invested in my 4Runner and trailer. Cheap insurance, and I don't have to white knucle it every time a semi passes us at 70mph.

 

[juneau92]

Good news! I got under the trailer last evening to see about putting in my new cable, and I found that the way the cable was routed wasn't the most efficient. So, I removed one of the routing fasteners from the cable, and now has a straighter shot to the back of the 4Runner, and is long enough! Yes!

I have to take the cable I bought at Camping World back now.

 

[Blabel4runner]

Thanks for the tips on the cords guys. When I bought the McKesh mirrors they hounded... and I mean hounded me on getting the Hensley Arrow. They even sent me a big packet with a video after I said I wasn't interested. I'm assuming however, that I'll be fine without the Hensley hitch. The tongue weights are heavier on a toy hauler than a typical TT and my hauler length is only 16ft. I bought a sway control that should hopefully do just fine. Originally I thought the Hensley hitch was about double the cost of a standard load distribution but it's 3K!! Holy crap!

The trailer place recommended I weigh the tongue of the trailer, which I did Before I bought the trailer. It weighed 580lbs with a quad stuffed in the front of the hauler using a rented scale. I figured that would give me a reasonable estimate of what the tongue weight would be with it loaded. The hauler came with 1000 pound bars and the trailer place recommended that I buy 750 pound bars so I would have less chance of overloading the 700 pound tongue weight capavity and do potential damage to the vehicle.

Thanks for the tips. I hope to get it completely set up next weekend, then take it for a test drive through the mountains to completely dial it in. We have a pretty long trip (mileage wise) planned for our first outing. Can't wait.

I'm sure I'll be on here with more questions, then I'll post a writeup of our long trip up to the mountains at the end of this month.

Yes with that size trailer I think it would be worth it!

 

[Blabel4runner]

Well, I got my rig all set up today. It tows pretty darn well. I filled it with 55 gallons of water but other than that it was empty. I was able to hold 55-60mph through the tough parts of our local mountains so power is not a problem. I didn't get any sway but I could definitely feel the trailer back there. Stopping is no problem, in fact I had to lighten the setttings on the brake controller twice. THe McKesh mirrors are awesome. They are a must have for safety in my opinion. The convex mirrors are a must as well. So the 4runner should work great for 2-3 years until we can get a better tow vehicle. Dry weight is 4400 pounds btw. Here are a couple of pics:

 

[charlier180]

Well, I got my rig all set up today. It tows pretty darn well. I filled it with 55 gallons of water but other than that it was empty. I was able to hold 55-60mph through the tough parts of our local mountains so power is not a problem. I didn't get any sway but I could definitely feel the trailer back there. Stopping is no problem, in fact I had to lighten the setttings on the brake controller twice. THe McKesh mirrors are awesome. They are a must have for safety in my opinion. The convex mirrors are a must as well. So the 4runner should work great for 2-3 years until we can get a better tow vehicle. Dry weight is 4400 pounds btw. Here are a couple of pics:

Nice rig setup!

You may want to reconsider and buy a sway control setup even though you think you might not need it.
Heavy cross winds (30-40+ mph), single or tandem tractor trailers and even large box trucks may cause sway issues for your setup.

I have had a sway control setup on my 4Runner and 20ft enclosed car hauler since I purchased the trailer.
I cannot tell you how many times I have driven in heavy cross winds and felt nothing.
There was one time when I did not have the sway control set properly which I will not forget.
Let's just say that 5-10 miles had a few white knuckle moments until I got to a spot where I could pull off and adjust the sway control setup.

I too love my McKesh Mirrors. They beat the pants off of the cheaper, clip on mirrors when your trailer is wide (102").
The combination of the McKesh Mirrors and the 4Runner mirrors helps to cut way down on blind spots.

 

[Blabel4runner]

I guess I forgot to mention, I have a single bar friction control. So far it is on the setting that came out of the factory. I will adjust if need be.

 

[drodvold]

We took the 4Runner and 4300 lb Trail-Lite (dry weight) out for the first "real" mountain trip last weekend. We hit two high Colorado passes - Wilkerson (9,507 ft) and Monarch (11,312 ft). Wilkerson wasn't much of a challenge, as the approach from the east side is pretty gradual. Monarch required dropping down to 2nd gear for a few miles, which at the 45 MPH speed limit was close to 4000 RPM.

Compared to our old Tahoe (5.7 liter, 4-speed auto), the performance was pretty much identical. In the Tahoe, we also had to use 2nd gear, though at 45 MPH it was about 500 RPM lower. The pushrod Chevy wasn't as comfortable at high RPMs as the DOHC in the 4Runner, though.

The most pleasant surprise is that we averaged just over 12 MPG over the 500 mile round trip. The Tahoe was always between 9 and 10 MPG with the same trailer in tow. This helped make up for the 4Runner's smaller gas tank, but I still wish it held another 5-10 gallons. The Hensley worked its usual magic, and the lashup tracked like it was on rails, even on the twisty parts of Monarch pass.

 

[juneau92]

drodvold,

I found out that if the back seats are down, and the rear hatch is open, that I can see both the Hensley receiver and the drop bar (I use a 2" dropbar in raised position). Makes it real easy to hook up the Hensley hitch. First time, everytime. Just thought you'd like to know. Take care now.