So I never towed anything before in my life and my main reason for getting a 4runner was to put the hitch to some good use!
What I be Towing in the future:
Jet Skis (either friends or rent one)
UHaul Car Carrier
UHaul Cargo Trailers (I have a bunch of stuff from storage Id like to move back)
It seems that the most common problem people have with towing with the 4runner is the sagging and getting the proper trailer hitch tongue? Airbags is a must yes? What about the electrical? I have a LMTD 4Runner so is the electrical already been setup?
Is there anything else I might possible need? I'm a complete newb and I've been searching the forums but a lot of setups around here is people who tow more than 3 times a year. I would only do it occasionally so I dont think I need an a crazy setup.
:hiding:
you didnt say what year 4runner, I will assume 2011, I have an SR5 2011 I bought august 4th, on august 8th I hooked a u-haul cargo trailer and drove to Florida from maryland with about 1000lbs. I took it easy the first 200 miles or so and drove under the speed limit. I was traveling on a monday in light traffic on I-95 most of the way. It was the first time I had towed anything since 1998.
Best advice I can give is to stop periodically and check the hitch, do not tailgate and give yourself plenty of stopping room in front of you. Try to minimize lane changing, and dont go into places such as Resteraunt parking lots where there isnt room to manuver.
As far as what you need, there are 2 types of connectors, the flat and round, the 4 runner has both under the bumper on the left side. that location means you may need an extension cable to make the connection long enough. I also had some long zip ties to tie the cable to the hitch frame.
2" ball seems to be the most common. mine has a 2" drop.
there is one other thing, the drawbar fits kind of loose in the hitch receiver, this is normal, there are shim devices made to take up the slack so you dont hear a clunk when you are starting off, I just used some big washers to shim it.
that is all I can think of now. feel free to contact me with any questions.
EDIT: (UHAUL trailers do not have tongue jacks usually, those things with a little wheel that you crank to raise/lower the tongue) When renting a uhaul cargo trailer ex 4X8 if you back the trailer in and disconnect it before loading, make sure you have the tongue propped up on something so that you can re-connect it, I am not sure who would be absent minded enough to do this but sometimes people can be in a hurry, so they go ahead and load the trailer up with say 1000lbs of stuff then they go to pick up the tongue to re-connect it and the tongue weight is now 200+ lbs. You may have trouble lifting it. I don't know anyone who would be foolish enough to do this, but if it were to happen, you may want to run to Harbor Freight and Tools and purchase a 29 dollar tongue jack and install it (4 bolts) while you are using the uhaul and uninstall before you return it. That is what I would do if I ever found myself in such a predicament.
See photo below, I didn't have a sag problem, actually the 4 runner was almost a little too high. Now if you look real close you can almost see what appears to be a brand new tongue jack installed on that trailer, this is just a imperfection caused by the camera. Also, another tip if you look at the chains, the uhaul guy showed me, before connect the hooks, twist the chains around to take up the slack so they don't drag on the ground.
Havent seen my 4runner in 3 weeks, bought it august 4th, drove to florida then had to leave for work. barely had time to wash it before I parked it in the garage. One last piece of advice, for now. If you buy a trailer for yourself, make sure you buy a spare tire, usually people tow on the weekends, and getting a flat tire on a trailer replaced can be difficult to find, especially on the weekends. BTW, Uhaul doesnt include a spare tire when they rent you a trailer, so having that tongue jack so you can disconnect and go for help should the need arise will more than pay for itself.
