Towing 1200

[Viccap217]

Towing 1200 miles with 4RUNNER ?

Looking for your input and opinions ~

I am planning a fall trip from Delaware to Ft. Myers, FL. ...... about a 1200 mile trip. Thinking about towing my 18' single engine catamaran ( total weight from the scales - 2934 # ) with my 2003 4x4 , 6cyl, 4.0 liter Toyota 4Runner (which has extra tranny cooler). Towing capacity per Toyota is 5000 #. Trailer is single spring axle rated 3500 #.
Going to take it nice and easy..... Not planning to do more than 400 miles a day nor more than 55mph.........stop & check hubs & bearings with infrared temp gauge every 2 hours or so. Also will be taking 2 spare tires and a new spare hub just in case.

So, has anyone with a 6cyl 4Runner ever towed long distances ...and what were your experiences? I appreciate anyone who has trailered long distances who can relate their experiences and offer some first hand knowledge, suggestions, and advice. THANKS!

 

[007Tacoma]

Looking for your input and opinions ~

I am planning a fall trip from Delaware to Ft. Myers, FL. ...... about a 1200 mile trip. Thinking about towing my 18' single engine catamaran ( total weight from the scales - 2934 # ) with my 2003 4x4 , 6cyl, 4.0 liter Toyota 4Runner (which has extra tranny cooler). Towing capacity per Toyota is 5000 #. Trailer is single spring axle rated 3500 #.
Going to take it nice and easy..... Not planning to do more than 400 miles a day nor more than 55mph.........stop & check hubs & bearings with infrared temp gauge every 2 hours or so. Also will be taking 2 spare tires and a new spare hub just in case.

So, has anyone with a 6cyl 4Runner ever towed long distances ...and what were your experiences? I appreciate anyone who has trailered long distances who can relate their experiences and offer some first hand knowledge, suggestions, and advice. THANKS!

Short version - Yes, your 4Runner can handle that weight with ease.

Long version - I have a 2003 V6 4WD (4 speed transmission) with the towing package as well. We have about 180k on it, and have used it to tow up to 4800lbs (my poor old Volkswagen TDI and my double axle trailer) at 65 MPH for several hundreds of miles without issues. My parents use their 2005 V6 4WD (5 speed transmission) to tow their RV (4,200lb total loaded weight) every weekend for at least 300 to a max of 900 miles each way.

My advice: If your trailer has brakes, then get a good brake controller. Most trailers under 3,000lbs don't have electric brakes, but a boat trailer just might. This saves wear and tear on your 4Runner's brake system and helps decrease your stopping distance while also giving you more stability in braking. If your trailer doesn't have brakes, it might not be a bad thing to invest in.

To answer your question: the 4.0 V6 (1GR-FE) can handle the weight and load without issue. However, above 4,000lbs a heavy hill climb (read as "mountain passes") are not the easiest feat. That being said, we moved my wife from Colorado to Texas towing a double axle U-Haul trailer 1,100 miles 4 days after we bought our 4Runner with 118k on the clock. It handled the entire experience with flying colors.

 

[ebg18t]

You will be fine. Just make sure the surge brakes (most boat trailers) on the trailer are working properly. Oh and take your time.

 

[Runner27]

You should be ok. I drove my 4R from Philly to Cape Coral, FL last December but didn't tow anything. I drove straight for 20 hours non stop, except for restroom break and refueling. It was a long and brutal drive but the 4R performed like a champ.

 

[CAN-03runner]

My experience towing a 1st gen 4runner on a trailer, 6400# with a V8 but still applicable I think.

You're going to take temp readings of the hubs, but also take tire air pressure readings too. You'll probably want to fill up more air in your tires than usual. I get an increase of 3-4psi with driving. So be mindful of that. Don't start off at your MAX tire pressure. Check and add air as required, leaving room for additional psi increase with driving. I check it at every fillup. I also check oil level, hitch coupler, saftey chains and turn signals. The trailering fuse is a 30amp in mine. I carry a spare, cause I blew it once and had no trailer turn signals....at night...I didn;t realize until some lady was finger saluting me with and yelling I cut her off.

Uphill if you find it struggles, shift to 3rd. I drive mine if 4th and 3rd. If I encounter stop and go traffic and I'm stopped at the bottom of a climb I might even shift to 2nd. During the traffic climb it might not even shift out of 1st or might not even have shifted into 3rd but none the less I feel better controlling it.

Downhill, you can anticipate the decent. So you can let off the accelerator and shift into a lower gear 3rd-2nd and have engine compression help you rather than riding the brakes all the way down. You can anticipate the uphill climb too, so take a run for it, or shift down to get your RPM up.

Take it easy, and there will always be another exit further down if you miss one. Don't panic steer to make an exit you are about to miss. Lady GPS will "Recalculate"

 

[Viccap217]

My 2003 V6 , 4x4 Sport has the 4 speed Auto Transmission....Concerns?

And a BIG THANKS to each of you for your valuable input !