Newbie.. 4cyl for towing?

[ToyotanJeepGal]

Hi Guys!

I am a gal who appreciates QUALITY vehicles.. so I own a '79 Jeep CJ5 and am on my second 4Runner. Here's my dilemma!

I want to get a horse trailer and tow my medium-sized (900-1100lb) horse around. My current '96 4Runner is only a 2wd 4cyl, but there are not too many hills around my town. (Yeah, poop, I had an awesome 1990 4Runner v6, 4x4 but it needed so much tlc I sold it to someone who could work on it himself).

I really don't want to go buy yet another vehicle.. like a big Ford or Chevy truck just for towing my horse every other month or so. Is there any way I can tow with my fuel-efficient version of a 4Runner? Can it do it as-is/stock or are there upgrades I can consider?

Also: is the 4cyl 4Runner strong enough to tow around a 2700lb Jeep CJ5(assuming it is on a car trailer)?

THANKS GUYS!!!! I APPRECIATE YOUR HELP! (I've asked and asked Toyota guys and trailer guys and none can give me a straight answer).

~Sarah

 

[pat161]

Couple questions for you. Is the 4Runner a manual or auto tranny and what is the gear ratio, if you know, if not check the door sticker for your axle code, it should be something like A05A, and if it is you probably have a 4.56 ratio, which is good. First the official numbers, Toyota claims 3500 pounds with the 2.7, so technically the horse will be fine. If you figure the horse at 1000 lbs and a trailer at 1500 or so then you will be under 3k, so I think on relatively flat terrain you would be ok, but your truck will definitely be doggy. If you have an auto I would add a tranny cooler. I pulled an empty trailer with my 00 2.7 4wd runner that weighed around 1k, and I noticed it every single second, personally I would not have towed what you want to tow, but the truck will pull it. As for the Jeep, forget it, if the Jeep is 2700 alone with a car carrier you will be over the 3500 mark, which will be a bad idea. I would say 2500 tops and 3000-3500 only if you really have to and it's not that far. And don't feel to bad about selling the 90, the 3.0 and 2.7 have nearly identical power numbers, but the 3.0 does make power lower in the rpms, so I don't think the 3.0 would tow much better than the 2.7.

 

[ToyotanJeepGal]

Hey thanks for that info!! I keep forgetting to check out the axle code to get back to you on that. Sounds like I'm really pushing it to try to haul anything but yard trimmings with my 4cyl truck. Bummer! I'll have to think on this. I love my 4Runner, but don't want to put it through towing and risk breaking things or even the load I'm hauling! Always tough to have it both ways huh? Economy maintenance and fuel, vs. power and utility.

Much to ponder. I really appreciate your response. I did read it immediately, just hadn't posted a reply since I still didn't read the sticker yet.

Happy Mom's day to you and yours!
~Sarah

 

[charlier180]

Personally, if I were you, I would be more concerned about controlling the horse trailer when towing.

Weight wise you may be under the 4Runner's limits but don't forget your cargo has a mind of it's own.
An upset horse that weighs 1,000 lbs shifting around in a trailer may make the trailer a LOT more difficult to control than the same weight of cargo that is not shifting around.

You might want to find out if you can install sway control devices on the horse trailer and your 4Runner.
BTW, what type of trailer braking system comes on the horse trailers you are looking at?