Picking up a 19 foot deck boat that I would guess weighs around 4000lbs total with trailer, and only vehicle I have is my 07 v8 4runner. I know the 4runner should be able to tow it but being a 15 year old vehicle I wanted to see if there is anything I should check before I tow? I have kept up on the maintenance and currently has 121k miles on it. I was going to check the brakes to make sure they are still good
Towing 4k boat with 4runner
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Seymore Butts
New member
Change the ATF often. This is going be very hard on the transmission.
Bluesky 07
Senior Member
Respectfully, the first thing you have to do is determine what it truly weighs. That's the only way to judge your vehicle's suitability. V8s have a higher rating than V6s so that's good.
If you plan to tow often, in hot weather, and/or in hilly terrain, you might consider an external transmission cooler. My build thread has some info on my cooler install though I'm unsure whether the transmission line setup is the same on the V8 4Runner.
You can look in section 3 of your owners manual. Which hitch do you have on the vehicle? Weight carrying or weight distributing? One will allow you a 500 lbs tongue weight, the other one will allow 700 lbs.
So you need a very precise weight of that 19 ft boat, or you might put some serious wear and tear on that Runner and ruin it.
So you need a very precise weight of that 19 ft boat, or you might put some serious wear and tear on that Runner and ruin it.
Drcoffee
Senior Member
I tow my Rinker 21’ IO with my V6 2007 Tr4 and I added a tranny cooler to help with heat. I also swapped ATF with Amsoil synthetic to better handle heat on those hot days. My 21’ boat is 3,200 Lbs. Google your boat specs. Its out there somewhere. Get a good hitch and ball. Make sure its rated @ 5,000# or better. I had a cheapie 5,000 hitch and bent it while launching the boat. Spend some money on safety items. Your trailer should have brakes at that weight. Make sure they work and also change your brakes on the truck. I have the sport which has bigger brakes from the factory. If you dont, consider upgrading the caliper and rotors. Think about a new radiator if you still have the original. Its cheap and easy to do at $100. Lastly, drive in 4th gear. This keep the heat down in the tranny. The V8 is a great power plant for towing. Enjoy, summer is almost here
That V8 should have a weight distribution hitch and an external transmission cooler already but you should double check. Add some airbags in the back if you are squatting with your load.
I have an 06 v8 SE with 290k on it that I have towed my boat (4000lbs) 1-2 a week since 240k without much issue. No modification done here beside fluid change. I will say the boat trailer doesn't have brakes and the truck stops it fine but I did get some warping on the rotors. Switched out to PowerStop recently so we will see how they do.
I have an 06 v8 SE with 290k on it that I have towed my boat (4000lbs) 1-2 a week since 240k without much issue. No modification done here beside fluid change. I will say the boat trailer doesn't have brakes and the truck stops it fine but I did get some warping on the rotors. Switched out to PowerStop recently so we will see how they do.
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AuSeeker
Elite Member
Just an FYI, many people confuse the heavy duty "V8" hitch with being a WDH (Weight Distributing Hitch) it is not, a WDH is not what is bolted to the vehicle it is device between the hitch that is bolted to the vehicle and the trailer tongue, it's purpose is too transfer some of the weight at the rear of the vehicle through the frame of the vehicle to the front of the vehicle thusly leveling the vehicle.
Please people do your research before assuming something that isn't so, I know the T4R owner's manual refers to a "Weight Distributing Hitch" for towing the maximum payload, but as I mentioned above it's not the "heavy duty hitch" that is bolted to the frame on the V8 T4Rs, I know the name WDH is deceiving and many thinks it's the hitch Toyota put on the V8 models but it's simply not so, do a web search for "Weight Distributing Hitch" and it will show what one actually is and how it works!!! .
I am familiar with a wdh hitch as I use to have a camper that i towed with a ram1500. Sold both the camper and truck last year due the silly prices people where willing to pay for them, but to answer the question my 4runner does have heavy duty hitch(the one below the bumper). Currently I am sitting at 122k on my 4runner and have kept up on the maintenance. Only negative is I have the famous manifold crack so it will probably sound horrible towing this boat home
BrownRunner
New member
We have a 21ft ski boat, its almost at the tow limit weight of the v6 4runner my wife has, I know the factory under rates capabilities but by how much I'm not sure. I would rather not chance it. The transmission would probably be the weakest point.
Drcoffee
Senior Member
And trailer bearings.
Just a side note on pulling a boat. As I prepare for this season, I am looking to buy new trailer tires. My curr trailer tires are cheapie 6 ply nylon C rated maxed out load capacity and that scares me. I am going to upgrade to goodyear endurance D rated tires, 8 ply with steel belts. Losing a tire on a single axle trailer carrying 3,400 pounds at 50mph would not be fun. Check your trailer tire too.
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I tow a Stamas Clearwater 24' with my V8.
Added external trans cooler with fan and PWM controller from Hayden. Should be able to find the details in my post history.
Added airbags in the rear as well. Next up is a Weight Distributing Hitch. It does okay currently. Luckily, the boat is used for tailgating at University of South Carolina football games, so I don't go much faster than 40 as it sits.
black4vcobra
New member
I tow my 21' bowrider around a dozen times a year. Only the initial and final trips are more than 5 miles. I figure boat/trailer/stuff is about 4500 lbs.
My '06 V8 does fine with it and I generally just leave it in 4th while towing. Sometimes on long uphill grades the transmission wants to downshift to 3rd and spin 4500+ rpm but if I plan ahead and gain a bit of steam before the hill I can avoid that.
The trailer does have surge brakes. I wouldn't want to have that much of a load without trailer brakes.
My '06 V8 does fine with it and I generally just leave it in 4th while towing. Sometimes on long uphill grades the transmission wants to downshift to 3rd and spin 4500+ rpm but if I plan ahead and gain a bit of steam before the hill I can avoid that.
The trailer does have surge brakes. I wouldn't want to have that much of a load without trailer brakes.
Made the hour and half trip back home with no issues. Majority of the time I just kept it in 4th gear with a few times going down to 3rd just so I could pass people. Kept the speed on the interest between 60-70. I did notice if I went over 75 I would get a little more sway but nothing crazy
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I towed a race car on a dual axle trailer all over the US with the V6 version and the early 4 speed automatic. 4200lbs all up with 485 on the tongue. My SR5 actually came with the bigger brakes as well.
Two biggest issues to me are a dual axle trailer for almost any weight over a utility trailer, brakes on all 4 wheels of the trailer, top of the line brake controller and a auxiliary transmission cooler. With that setup, I changed the transmission fluid every 25-30K miles even though never got a overheat light and the fluid was never burnt when I did change it. I used a WDH branded as u-haul (they installed it rather nicely) but think it is actually a Reese. Kept max speed around 60mph and in any kind of terrain, locked it into 3rd gear (4th for the later transmissions). I no longer have the race car or a trailer but the truck keeps going strong and since I have an actual transmission dipstick, now just check condition of the fluid and change it if I think it's called for.
Two biggest issues to me are a dual axle trailer for almost any weight over a utility trailer, brakes on all 4 wheels of the trailer, top of the line brake controller and a auxiliary transmission cooler. With that setup, I changed the transmission fluid every 25-30K miles even though never got a overheat light and the fluid was never burnt when I did change it. I used a WDH branded as u-haul (they installed it rather nicely) but think it is actually a Reese. Kept max speed around 60mph and in any kind of terrain, locked it into 3rd gear (4th for the later transmissions). I no longer have the race car or a trailer but the truck keeps going strong and since I have an actual transmission dipstick, now just check condition of the fluid and change it if I think it's called for.
