towing a 4000lb car

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revlis240

New member
Hey guys,
I searched, and am a little confused. I know that my 08 v8 has the WD hitch, with the tow capacity of 7000lbs.

I looked and the only 2" balls i could find have a capacity of 6000lbs.

I plan to tow my track car (3960lbs). As i understand the trailer for the car weighs 2000 lbs.

This means that the total to be towed is ~6000lbs.

My questions are as follows:

1) Will my 6000lb ball handle it? or is that pushing it? Where do you get a 2" ball that can handle more?

2) A search revealed that even tho i have a WD Hitch...i might need more WD parts? Is this true or do i just connect the trailer straight to the ball?

3) Are trailer brakes needed? Do i get that controller that was recommended? Does that thing work with RF?

Thats all i can think of for now!

Thanks guys :)
Abe
 
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The 2008 V8 4Runner hitch is rated to tow a maximum of 7000 if a weight distribution system (like Hensley Arrow or Equalizer) is used. If you just hang a standard trailer (without weight distribution system) on your hitch, Toyota rates the 2008 4Runner to tow 2000 pounds. Check your owner's manual if you want to confirm. By itself the hitch on your truck is NOT a weight distributing hitch.

Toyota also requires trailer brakes on anything heavier than 1000 pounds.

Of course your 4Runner will tow a car just fine but if you get into an accident you could be found guilty of negligence for not following Toyota's towing recommendation.

There is an excellent article on towing in the current issue (April 2008) of Off-Road Adventures (www.oramagazine.com)

I hope this helps. Good luck.



revlis240 said:
Hey guys,
I searched, and am a little confused. I know that my 08 v8 has the WD hitch, with the tow capacity of 7000lbs.

I looked and the only 2" balls i could find have a capacity of 6000lbs.

I plan to tow my track car (3960lbs). As i understand the trailer for the car weighs 2000 lbs.

This means that the total to be towed is ~6000lbs.

My questions are as follows:

1) Will my 6000lb ball handle it? or is that pushing it? Where do you get a 2" ball that can handle more?

2) A search revealed that even tho i have a WD Hitch...i might need more WD parts? Is this true or do i just connect the trailer straight to the ball?

3) Are trailer brakes needed? Do i get that controller that was recommended? Does that thing work with RF?

Thats all i can think of for now!

Thanks guys :)
Abe
Click to expand...
 
revlis240 said:
so if i was to rent one of those uhaul car trailers...does it have the weight distributing thing on it?
Click to expand...


No, but they do have surge trailer brakes.

To answer your question where to get a high rated 2" ball:

I bought my 8000 pound rated ball at a proper RV / trailer store. The ball itself was about $25. I used the Toyota factory Class IV draw bar that came with the truck.
 
revlis240 said:
so for the uhaul trailer thing i need:

1) high rated 2" ball

2) WD thingy

Right?
Click to expand...


Yes, but here is the trick:
According to the article about towing, surge brakes do not work with most weight distribution systems.

I did tow a 1984 Ford Mustang covertible with my 4Runner on a UHAUL car trailer with surge brakes. It worked fine but there was a lot of sag in the rear end. So much sag that we ended up loading the Mustang backwards (opposite to UHAUL recommendation) to move the engine weight further back - that helped a lot.

Ideally you could rent a truck from uhaul to tow the trailer - that way it is all their equipment.

If you definitely have to use the 4Runner then just go for the Uhaul trailer but try to get the silver colored aluminum trailer. It is almost half the weight of the orange colored version which is mostly steel.
 
Re: Re: towing a 4000lb car

mtnracer said:
The 2008 V8 4Runner hitch is rated to tow a maximum of 7000 if a weight distribution system (like Hensley Arrow or Equalizer) is used. If you just hang a standard trailer (without weight distribution system) on your hitch, Toyota rates the 2008 4Runner to tow 2000 pounds. Check your owner's manual if you want to confirm. By itself the hitch on your truck is NOT a weight distributing hitch.

Toyota also requires trailer brakes on anything heavier than 1000 pounds.

Of course your 4Runner will tow a car just fine but if you get into an accident you could be found guilty of negligence for not following Toyota's towing recommendation.

There is an excellent article on towing in the current issue (April 2008) of Off-Road Adventures (www.oramagazine.com)

I hope this helps. Good luck.
Click to expand...

As far as I know, all V8 4 runners from 2003 and on come with weight distribution hitches.
http://www.toyota120.com/html/4runner.html

There no way in hell it has a 2000lbs towing capacity without any aftermarket products. That's just absurd.
 
Re: Re: Re: towing a 4000lb car

JosephD05 said:
As far as I know, all V8 4 runners from 2003 and on come with weight distribution hitches.
http://www.toyota120.com/html/4runner.html

There no way in hell it has a 2000lbs towing capacity without any aftermarket products. That's just absurd.
Click to expand...


An you would be wrong. Check your owner's manual.

Also, I did not say that it cannot be done. Many people have obviously towed cars and boats with their 4Runner. All I am saying is that Toyota rates the 4Runner to tow 2000 pounds without a weight distributing hitch and up to 7000 pounds with a WD hitch in use.

A weight distribution system is an add on from company's such as Hensley or Equalizer.

I also recommend you read the article in Off-Road Adventures.
 
Re: Re: towing a 4000lb car

mtnracer said:
If you just hang a standard trailer (without weight distribution system) on your hitch, Toyota rates the 2008 4Runner to tow 2000 pounds.
Click to expand...


Isn't it 5000 pounds without a WDH on a V8?

By comparison, the standard receiver on the V6 is rated a 5000 pounds and it's intended to be used as a weight carrying hitch without a WDH setup.
 
Pushing it with towing is never a good idea. Maybe the owners manual doesn't exactly state what mtnracer says, but a WD system, trailer brakes, and a brake controller are all good investments that offer peace of mind and last for a long time. Hooking on 5000 lbs with out trailer brakes at least is just crazy. If anything else, you will wear your brakes out much faster and significantly lengthen your stopping distances.

Just my $0.02.
 
Re: Re: towing a 4000lb car

mtnracer said:
The 2008 V8 4Runner hitch is rated to tow a maximum of 7000 if a weight distribution system (like Hensley Arrow or Equalizer) is used. If you just hang a standard trailer (without weight distribution system) on your hitch, Toyota rates the 2008 4Runner to tow 2000 pounds. Check your owner's manual if you want to confirm. By itself the hitch on your truck is NOT a weight distributing hitch.

Toyota also requires trailer brakes on anything heavier than 1000 pounds.

Of course your 4Runner will tow a car just fine but if you get into an accident you could be found guilty of negligence for not following Toyota's towing recommendation.

There is an excellent article on towing in the current issue (April 2008) of Off-Road Adventures (www.oramagazine.com)

I hope this helps. Good luck.
Click to expand...

I hope your 2000lbs was a typo... Thats wrong information.

Also Toyota doesn't require anything in terms of trailer brakes. Thats governed by local laws in different areas. I know where I live is very lax about having trailer brakes. I think you can tow up to 3000lbs without them in Florida. Not 100% sure.

First of all my mom's wimpy CRV with is rated to tow 2000lbs, with a 160 hp 4 cyl engine. The V6 4Runner which has a lower grade hitch (not sure but I think one is Class III the other is Class IV? I might be wrong though) than the V8 is rated at 5,000lbs. The FJ Cruiser is also rated at 5,000lbs, and even the Camry based Highlander is rated at 5,000lbs.

I have not seen the manual for the 2008, but the 2005 which I own does NOT give a specific capacity for towing with or without a weight distributing hitch. It says up to 7200/7000lbs (depending on 2 or 4WD) with a weight distributing hitch. Here is a link to the website, which is worded similarly http://www.toyota.com/4runner/specs.html . The reason they write it as such is because they want to cover their ass in a lawsuit in the case a trailer wags the dog and you lose control. Even though the V8 has the power to tow a 7000lb trailer, considering the 4Runner's wheelbase and GVWR (approx. 6000 lbs) its not wise to go up that heavy without the WD hitch.

As for the ball, its easy to find one. A trailer that heavy should have the larger 2 1/4" ball. I know the one I bought for use towing my car is rated at 10,000lbs.

To the first poster, please don't try to tow such a heavy load without a brake controler.
 
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Just to clarify: The V6 is rated to tow up to 5K lbs. The V8 is rated to tow up to 7300 lbs. The V6 uses a class III hitch (Toyota calls it a weight carrying hitch). The V8 uses a class IV hitch (Toyota calls it a weight distribution hitch). The class IV hitch does transfer weight to the front of the vehicle because it is attached to the ladder frame. The V8 towing pkg comes with a trans cooler otherwise you would have had to install one. You will need trailer brakes and a brake controller (I use and recommend the Prodigy). The wiring/connector is already installed and located by the kick panel under the Driver
 
97hb said:
Damn, what kind of track car do you have thats 3960lbs? Thats alot of weight.
Click to expand...

2009 Nissan GT-R!!

Not here yet though.

Someone explain this from the Uhaul trailer user guide:

"Weight distributing or sway control devices ARE NOT RECOMMENDED for towing U-Haul Auto Transport Trailers. Towing a properly loadedU-Haul Auto Transport Trailer does not require
these devices (see page 8). These devices may have an effect on vehicle braking and may restrict the operation of the coupling mechanism."


Abe
 
Weight distributing devices are not recommended most likely because it has surge brakes, hence the "effect on vehicle braking".

Note that surge brakes CANNOT use a brake controller, only electric can.

The 2,000 lbs. is a typo.

The V8 can tow up to 7,300# 2WD, 7000# 4WD. Taking into account that the hitch is NOT a weight carrying hitch (one that is only attached to the last crossmember, and not the sides & also has a brake controller (electric brakes ONLY), and you have a transmission cooler.

The V6 can tow up to 6400#, taking into account that you use the weight distribution hitch, a brake controller (if electric) and a transmission cooler.

the 5000# for the V6 is not exaggerated. I tow a deckboat that weighs in at just over 5000#, and the V6 does it without breaking a sweat, and can take it on highway speeds easily.

For the U-Haul trailer or any surge brake trailers, sway control or weight distributing attachments are not commended because it will decrease the effectiveness of the surge brakes.

Surge brakes use the mass of the trailer, pushing on a brake actuator. This causes the brake fluid to be pushed out and brake the wheels. Using disc brakes preferably, drums suck.
 
Re: Re: Re: towing a 4000lb car

KDCane said:
I hope your 2000lbs was a typo... Thats wrong information.

Also Toyota doesn't require anything in terms of trailer brakes. Thats governed by local laws in different areas. I know where I live is very lax about having trailer brakes. I think you can tow up to 3000lbs without them in Florida. Not 100% sure.

First of all my mom's wimpy CRV with is rated to tow 2000lbs, with a 160 hp 4 cyl engine. The V6 4Runner which has a lower grade hitch (not sure but I think one is Class III the other is Class IV? I might be wrong though) than the V8 is rated at 5,000lbs. The FJ Cruiser is also rated at 5,000lbs, and even the Camry based Highlander is rated at 5,000lbs.

I have not seen the manual for the 2008, but the 2005 which I own does NOT give a specific capacity for towing with or without a weight distributing hitch. It says up to 7200/7000lbs (depending on 2 or 4WD) with a weight distributing hitch. Here is a link to the website, which is worded similarly http://www.toyota.com/4runner/specs.html . The reason they write it as such is because they want to cover their ass in a lawsuit in the case a trailer wags the dog and you lose control. Even though the V8 has the power to tow a 7000lb trailer, considering the 4Runner's wheelbase and GVWR (approx. 6000 lbs) its not wise to go up that heavy without the WD hitch.

As for the ball, its easy to find one. A trailer that heavy should have the larger 2 1/4" ball. I know the one I bought for use towing my car is rated at 10,000lbs.

To the first poster, please don't try to tow such a heavy load without a brake controler.
Click to expand...

I am so tired of arguing about this crap. Everyone just read their owner's manual. On mine there is a sidebar (off color box) that states that a weight distributing device should be used for trailers over 2000 lbs and trailer brakes must be used for trailers over 1000 lbs. It also says that the maximum load is 7000 lbs.

Again, I am not saying the 4Runner cannot tow a car - I am just reciting the owners manual.

Abe: The reason why Uhaul does not recommend a WD device is because they usually prevent the built in surge brakes from operating properly. WD devices usually have to be used with electric brakes.

Let me also state again: I did tow my Mustang using a Uhaul trailer just fine. I am only pointing out Toyota's recommendations / requirements. In the end everyone makes their own choices.

Another thing I want to mention again for all the doubters: READ the April 2008 issue of Off-Road Adventures and their excellent towing article.
 
Hey thanks for your replies.

When you towed your mustang, you just went and used the silver uhaul trailer and thats it? no WD equipment, no electric brakes and such?

Abe
 
revlis240 said:
Hey thanks for your replies.

When you towed your mustang, you just went and used the silver uhaul trailer and thats it? no WD equipment, no electric brakes and such?

Abe
Click to expand...

I actually had the red steel one which is much heavier. Because of the extra weight we loaded the car backwards to move the weight of the engine over the axles. Try to get the silver trailer if you can.

I did not have a WD device (I was dragging ass bigtime) but the Uhaul trailer does come with surge brakes so that helps.

Have fun towing your new ride.
 
Koz,
Ive spent the last hour reading through the posts on the Air Lift 1000.

In your experience, using the uhaul trailer and my track car (combined ~5000-6000lbs), can i get the air bags, and be ok with NO OTHER ADDED equipment?

The uhauler has surge brakes as mentioned, so trailer brakes are not necessary, and i cant add sway control with the surge brakes.

So:

Buy air bags, tow my 6000 lbs and everything is good?

Abe

PS how are you measuring tongue weight? just guessing?
 
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