pulling small trailer,,, can transmission handle it

R

rockwind1

New member
what are some opinions on this,, any kind of "known" things about burning up transmission? i've heard the tranny is fairly bullet proof but not sure about towing something,, i will have to say,,going up any type of grade,, i can really feel and the 4runner is a fairly gutless toilet in the first place but any tpe of grade and the cruise control will have to keep the rpms up around 3500 to do 65 mph.

the trailer i occassionally pull is a small enclosed utility trailer,,, like you would see a landscaper pull,, title says dry weight is about 2500 which i think is high,,i put my atv in it which is right at 800 lbs, so plus other stuff,,,i would say the total weight is around 3400lbs

does anyone have a lot experience with 4runners,, like years,,,,what is long term affect of towing a smaller trailer? thanks
 
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S mode is your friend here; locking out 5th is the first move to make.

It's not a heavier load but rather all the shifting that wears out a transmission, so drive to minimize shifts and to not make the shifts under load if possible.

I towed a ~5000lb trailer from OH to CO a couple years back with no issues. Yes, it took awhile to accelerate to highway speeds and I let off the gas at each shift to minimize stress. 4000rpm on the highway was the norm most of the trip and the engine oil analysis came out fine. Haven't touched the trans fluid yet though; that is coming up soon.
 
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I towed a 5000 lb UHaul from AL to CO last week. I was nervous about it as it was my first time towing anything in my life.

I asked a bunch of guys on the FB groups and plenty of guys have done it and multiple guys tow 4000-5500 lbs regularly.

Just like he said above, throw it into S to avoid going into 5th gear. I believe if it goes into 5th it can allow OD to activate which is bad. Don't know anything about it but thats what I was told so I avoided it.

She definitely doesn't have the power so going up the mountains into CO she sttrruugggggllleedd but made it fine.
 
I've towed a 5x8 utility trailer loaded with stuff from Phoenix to Flagstaff many times. This route has long 6% grades and locations with strong cross winds where I have felt a wind sail effect (so be wary with your enclosed trailer). Read the section on towing in your owners manual, in particular the list of Cautions. Pay attention to weight distribution and do not use cruise control while towing. Practice stopping on an empty street to get a feel for increased stopping distance. Downshift on steep grades. I didn't use Sport mode (the towing section makes no mention of using sport mode while towing in my owners manual). I think using Sport Mode is a good recommendation as you are more heavily loaded than I was. Frequent towing requires shorter maintenance intervals.
 
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I pulled an enclosed utility trailer across the country and over the continental divide when I had about 11k miles on the odo; it ended up being about a ton above the tow rating. Sitting at 270k miles now.
 
Pulled a utility trailer with a 4 seat Kawasaki Teryx from KC to W. South Dakota and back. No worries. The 4runner is not fast but it will get the job done.
 
ForwardFlight said:
I towed a 5000 lb UHaul from AL to CO last week. I was nervous about it as it was my first time towing anything in my life.

I asked a bunch of guys on the FB groups and plenty of guys have done it and multiple guys tow 4000-5500 lbs regularly.

Just like he said above, throw it into S to avoid going into 5th gear. I believe if it goes into 5th it can allow OD to activate which is bad. Don't know anything about it but thats what I was told so I avoided it.

She definitely doesn't have the power so going up the mountains into CO she sttrruugggggllleedd but made it fine.
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Good to know. I have pulled a pop up trailer for many years that weighed around 3,000 lbs. with various Jeeps but nothing with the 4Runner yet. In a couple of weeks I'm towing a U Haul car trailer with a 1948 Willys from NY to NC. It will weigh around 4,500 lbs so I was wondering about this. I towed the exact same combo with my '05 Grand Cherokee with a 4.7 V8 and it was fine. I should be OK and I will keep it in S4 for sure. Thanks.
 
DougR said:
I've towed a 5x8 utility trailer loaded with stuff from Phoenix to Flagstaff many times. This route has long 6% grades and locations with strong cross winds where I have felt a wind sail effect (so be wary with your enclosed trailer). Read the section on towing in your owners manual, in particular the list of Cautions. Pay attention to weight distribution and do not use cruise control while towing. Practice stopping on an empty street to get a feel for increased stopping distance. Downshift on steep grades. I didn't use Sport mode (the towing section makes no mention of using sport mode while towing in my owners manual). I think using Sport Mode is a good recommendation as you are more heavily loaded than I was. Frequent towing requires shorter maintenance intervals.
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FYI it's not "Sport" but rather "Select" mode...no changes to shift patterns except the number indicates the highest gear the transmission will go to.

Locking out 5th keeps the transmission from shifting in & out of overdrive a million times.
 
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yup keep it out of overdrive. higher rpms pushes fluids thru the cooler to keep the tranny fluid temps down. like you said, its gutless, but it'll be gutless forever. I wouldn't be worried.
 
Fwiw, I looked it up.

"The SAE J2807 test procedures are designed to level the playing field in trailer tow ratings for all vehicles model year 2013 or later."

______________

"and the 4runner is a fairly gutless toilet in the first place"

Sure buddy, whatever you say. Sheesh.
 
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Blue 4ever Runner said:
Good to know. I have pulled a pop up trailer for many years that weighed around 3,000 lbs. with various Jeeps but nothing with the 4Runner yet. In a couple of weeks I'm towing a U Haul car trailer with a 1948 Willys from NY to NC. It will weigh around 4,500 lbs so I was wondering about this. I towed the exact same combo with my '05 Grand Cherokee with a 4.7 V8 and it was fine. I should be OK and I will keep it in S4 for sure. Thanks.
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I’m towing a small-ish camper with axle weight of just under 4,000 lbs with WDH and EBC. I would not tow anything over 3,000 lbs without brakes.

Transmission temps go up to 210F even staying out of OD (4th gear tops, sometimes downshift). I’m adding a Derale transmission cooler soon.
 
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I've hauled my LL travel trailer all over the place with no problems. It weighs in a 2000 pounds but the 4R still dogs on the hills but I'm in no hurry. On flats no problem with 75mph. I run a tranny cooler and when towing I use Mobil 1 0-30 per extreme use recommendation. I also have Airlift 1000 installed to keep it level.

106556662_10217779804234262_1246189027493685818_o.jpg
 
As far as the transmission goes, I would bet that the 5000-pound rating that Toyota puts on the 4Runner is conservative. 5000 pounds is likely what the vehicle can tow consistently (if not quickly). And you're well under the rating for that transmission.
 
thennen said:
As far as the transmission goes, I would bet that the 5000-pound rating that Toyota puts on the 4Runner is conservative. 5000 pounds is likely what the vehicle can tow consistently (if not quickly). And you're well under the rating for that transmission.
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So I researched a good portion when I was hunting for a trailer and I came across a couple pieces of info that conveniently I cannot find now. Anyway one person said there’s a version of a Tacoma that has the 4.0L and same transmission and its rating is like 6,000 lbs or something. The only noticeable difference for that particular model Tacoma (I want to say it’s a TRD package of some kind) is an OEM auxiliary transmission cooler in series with radiator cooler. The theory here being that the fluid temperature and overall system cooling has more of an affect on tow capacity that the mechanical aspect.

The second thing I found was the theory of testing for a tow capacity is an extreme test: uphill starts and stops, high ambient temperature etc. It’s unlikely they test it under ideal circumstances. But I can’t verify. I’m speculating based on how R&D should work.

The final thing I’ve concluded about any weight rating for anything from a winch to a truck to a screw is that the ratings always have a good portion of leeway built into the number. So it’s not like at 5,000 lbs and a bee lands on the roof and the truck explodes. Rule of thumb from what I understand is a 10-20% safety margine. So they load it up, have it explode or fail at 5,500 or 6,000 lbs, then dial back the max to incorporate a safety buffer.

That all being said, having a properly set up weight distribution hitch and properly set up brake controller makes for a very comfortable drive where all the truck has to do is pull. I’ve set up a lot of hitches on puny vehicles and the hitches and brakes are what make the unit usable.
 
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4Reak Show said:
So I researched a good portion when I was hunting for a trailer and I came across a couple pieces of info that conveniently I cannot find now. Anyway one person said there’s a version of a Tacoma that has the 4.0L and same transmission and its rating is like 6,000 lbs or something. The only noticeable difference for that particular model Tacoma (I want to say it’s a TRD package of some kind) is an OEM auxiliary transmission cooler in series with radiator cooler. The theory here being that the fluid temperature and overall system cooling has more of an affect on tow capacity that the mechanical aspect.

The second thing I found was the theory of testing for a tow capacity is an extreme test: uphill starts and stops, high ambient temperature etc. It’s unlikely they test it under ideal circumstances. But I can’t verify. I’m speculating based on how R&D should work.

The final thing I’ve concluded about any weight rating for anything from a winch to a truck to a screw is that the ratings always have a good portion of leeway built into the number. So it’s not like at 5,000 lbs and a bee lands on the roof and the truck explodes. Rule of thumb from what I understand is a 10-20% safety margine. So they load it up, have it explode or fail at 5,500 or 6,000 lbs, then dial back the max to incorporate a safety buffer.

That all being said, having a properly set up weight distribution hitch and properly set up brake controller makes for a very comfortable drive where all the truck has to do is pull. I’ve set up a lot of hitches on puny vehicles and the hitches and brakes are what make the unit usable.
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I'm with you on these theories.
 
4Reak Show said:
So I researched a good portion when I was hunting for a trailer and I came across a couple pieces of info that conveniently I cannot find now. Anyway one person said there’s a version of a Tacoma that has the 4.0L and same transmission and its rating is like 6,000 lbs or something. The only noticeable difference for that particular model Tacoma (I want to say it’s a TRD package of some kind) is an OEM auxiliary transmission cooler in series with radiator cooler. The theory here being that the fluid temperature and overall system cooling has more of an affect on tow capacity that the mechanical aspect.

The second thing I found was the theory of testing for a tow capacity is an extreme test: uphill starts and stops, high ambient temperature etc. It’s unlikely they test it under ideal circumstances. But I can’t verify. I’m speculating based on how R&D should work.

The final thing I’ve concluded about any weight rating for anything from a winch to a truck to a screw is that the ratings always have a good portion of leeway built into the number. So it’s not like at 5,000 lbs and a bee lands on the roof and the truck explodes. Rule of thumb from what I understand is a 10-20% safety margine. So they load it up, have it explode or fail at 5,500 or 6,000 lbs, then dial back the max to incorporate a safety buffer.

That all being said, having a properly set up weight distribution hitch and properly set up brake controller makes for a very comfortable drive where all the truck has to do is pull. I’ve set up a lot of hitches on puny vehicles and the hitches and brakes are what make the unit usable.
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Tow ratings are based on axle weight. The 4runner is heavier than Tacoma so the tow rating goes down to compensate for the overall weight. It has nothing to do with motor and transmission

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk
 
gainman said:
Tow ratings are based on axle weight. The 4runner is heavier than Tacoma so the tow rating goes down to compensate for the overall weight. It has nothing to do with motor and transmission

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk
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That makes sense. And again, I didn’t research too much into that aspect. That being said, somebody somewhere had mentioned it was only that one version of the Tacoma that had the higher tow rating and also had a trans cooler. So it may have just been a coincidence.

Edit: I just looked into that theory a bit and it turns out the Tacoma is lighter, but it’s gross combined weight rating is about the same as 4Runner. Meaning that indeed the axle can only handle so much combined weight. Have the Tacoma weighing less means the trailer can be heavier.

At any rate, I’m sure we all can agree that less than maximum weight for towing is a great idea regardless of theories.
 
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johnbt said:
Fwiw, I looked it up.

"The SAE J2807 test procedures are designed to level the playing field in trailer tow ratings for all vehicles model year 2013 or later."

______________

"and the 4runner is a fairly gutless toilet in the first place"

Sure buddy, whatever you say. Sheesh.
Click to expand...

This part of the test is near me. http://www.trucktrend.com/how-to/towing/1502-sae-j2807-tow-tests-the-standard/ It is very steep and the outside temp must be at least 100 degrees (c0mm0n here).
 
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