Towing a teardrop camper
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We just picked up a Geo Pro 19BH. Dry weight is 3200 approx. which is well within the 4Runnner range. However, the dry tongue weight is 425 lbs. You could easily be over the 500 limit for the 4Runner by the time you add two tanks of propane and dual batteries plus cargo. To solve this problem, we bought a Ford Ranger that is rated for 7500lbs tow weight and 750lbs tongue weight. So now we just use the 4Runner for off-roading 
. Also added a weight distribution hitch to the Ranger, yet you feel every Semi truck as it passes by.
. Also added a weight distribution hitch to the Ranger, yet you feel every Semi truck as it passes by.
4vector
New member
Thanks. I thought the Geo Pros I looked at yesterday were on the large side. Getting a second tow vehicle is financially out of the question for the foreseeable future so I've got to be careful. Everyone told me one of the selling points of the 4Runner was its ability to safely two small campers so I hope I won't be stuck with another popup.
Captain Spalding
Member
Hi 4vector. I have no experience towing or using a camper. May I ask why you are abandoning the pop-up format? It seems a good match for the 4Runner’s towing capabilities, and just generally ticks all the right boxes. It seems to me that a teardrop is a step down. No?
Jetboy
New member
I towed a custom built teardrop for a lot of miles behind my '15. Tows fine. Expect poor mpg. Teardrop shape trailers are not as aerodynamic as you might think. I think I was typically around 13-14mpg. I pulled that trailer everywhere from California to the edge of the great plains and all over the mountain west as far north as the Canadian border. I really loved it. But it ended up just being too small when kid #2 came along.
I can't totally explain why the airflow change helped, but I noticed a significant benefit over time in having a cargo box on the roof when pulling my teardrop. So I often would put the box on there even when it was empty for the aerodynamic change that returned a pretty consistent 1-2mpg benefit at highway speeds. YMMV.
Towing my Shadow Cruiser 193mbs (22 feet overall length, full size box, 4600lb dry weight, 5500lbs loaded and roughly 650lb tongue weight) - I would get around 10mpg. It also pulled that trailer okay, but needed higher rpms up any sort of pass. Often in 3rd or occasionally 2nd gear. I ended up with a full size truck for that trailer. The 4runner pulled it just fine. But the Tundra makes for a lot nicer experience pulling in the mountains. I towed it all the way to Alaska, so at that point it was worth compromising for a better tow vehicle. For local stuff though, 4Runner was fine. Just accept that it's going to be a bit slower.
If you have KDSS it really helps with vehicle stability. Also - I would highly recommend air helper springs. The firestone ones are worth the extra few dollars over the airlift version IMO. I actually had both at different times in my 4runner.
Good luck!
I can't totally explain why the airflow change helped, but I noticed a significant benefit over time in having a cargo box on the roof when pulling my teardrop. So I often would put the box on there even when it was empty for the aerodynamic change that returned a pretty consistent 1-2mpg benefit at highway speeds. YMMV.
Towing my Shadow Cruiser 193mbs (22 feet overall length, full size box, 4600lb dry weight, 5500lbs loaded and roughly 650lb tongue weight) - I would get around 10mpg. It also pulled that trailer okay, but needed higher rpms up any sort of pass. Often in 3rd or occasionally 2nd gear. I ended up with a full size truck for that trailer. The 4runner pulled it just fine. But the Tundra makes for a lot nicer experience pulling in the mountains. I towed it all the way to Alaska, so at that point it was worth compromising for a better tow vehicle. For local stuff though, 4Runner was fine. Just accept that it's going to be a bit slower.
If you have KDSS it really helps with vehicle stability. Also - I would highly recommend air helper springs. The firestone ones are worth the extra few dollars over the airlift version IMO. I actually had both at different times in my 4runner.
Good luck!
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I've towed both T@B and the smaller T@G rentals on trips in the Virginia and Pennsylvania mountains.
The T@G was a breeze and I really liked that little trailer.
The T@B was noticeable, but didn't strain the 4R if you towed smart - anticpated hills, thought about torque converter and watched trans temp (scangauge).
East coast mountain passes are significantly lower demand.
I wouldn't hesitate a minute to tow either again.
Separate issue - recommend you rent/test drive a T@B.
I think they are trying to do too much with too little room.
The model with the inside kitchen and bathroom are almost unusable unless you are small people.
That's why I preferred the T@G - bigger bed, bigger outside clamshell kitchen and no bathroom (campground toliet or BYO).
The T@G was a breeze and I really liked that little trailer.
The T@B was noticeable, but didn't strain the 4R if you towed smart - anticpated hills, thought about torque converter and watched trans temp (scangauge).
East coast mountain passes are significantly lower demand.
I wouldn't hesitate a minute to tow either again.
Separate issue - recommend you rent/test drive a T@B.
I think they are trying to do too much with too little room.
The model with the inside kitchen and bathroom are almost unusable unless you are small people.
That's why I preferred the T@G - bigger bed, bigger outside clamshell kitchen and no bathroom (campground toliet or BYO).
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4vector
New member
Hey that's a nice looking teardrop. And yeah, I certainly expect lower fuel efficiency, just like with the Pathfinder and popup. It's a given.
4vector
New member
It's just me, myself, and I so the T@B's kitchen and bathroom are fine. I especially wanted separate sleeping and dinette areas because I do a lot of computer work and will be remote working (for a grant in which I'm involved) for the next three years. I looked at the external kitchen models and didn't want to deal with using them in inclement weather. I think teardrops have come a long way since I last looked at them seriously.
4vector
New member
When I bought the popup in 2005 it was always my intention to eventually get a small travel trailer. At the time I wanted a camper to take to star parties (I'm an active amateur astronomer and was a physics/astro prof for 30 years). I was still driving a minivan (don't laugh), then a year later I got my Nissan Pathfinder (which I donated to NPR last week) and then in November of last year I got the 4Runner. The popup has sat unused for several years and has some water damage under the top. To my knowledge, everything still works properly. I've changed and I don't really want to deal with the setup and teardown of a popup. It has no bathroom, which I now consider essential. The tent will eventually wear out and I won't be able to get a replacement. I guess it mostly amounts to my priorities having changed. I don't need a full sized travel trailer and the teardrop form factor is appealing. I don't see it as a step up or down, mostly just in a different direction. (Oh, and if I could have anything I wanted I would have a HUGE tow vehicle and the largest fifth wheel trailer I can find. Think Montana or Escalade.)
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Robola Carola
New member
I've been towing this 2019 Teardrop NW Recon bought new and love it. It's has Timbren suspension and a Lock N Roll hitch which I love. Hauled it back from Salem Oregon spring 2019 and forgot it was there a few times and that was going through the mountains. If your driving a 4runner your not worried about gas. Hauled the trailer to Moab, and take it out every weekend we can into backwoods logging roads in NW Ontario.
The thing that sets the Teardrop NW trailers apart from all the rest is galley. If you like to cook, this kitchen works. I tell the misses who every designed it, liked to cook and new how to set it up to be done in a tight space. Here are the specs:
2019 Teardrop NW Recon
Trailer mass 750 kg
GVWR: 1588 kg
Gear
Roof top tent 63 kg
Kitchen pots pans 30 kg
Food water 40 kg
clothes + sleeping gear 10kg
Kitchen tent 5kg
Solar panel 12 kg
2 6v batteries 60 kg
Fuel + extras 20kg
Total load 240kg
Had a popup for years when the family was young and my Gen 4 SR5 pulled it no problem. The Gen 5 pulled it for a couple of years and was noticeably better at doing it.
The thing that sets the Teardrop NW trailers apart from all the rest is galley. If you like to cook, this kitchen works. I tell the misses who every designed it, liked to cook and new how to set it up to be done in a tight space. Here are the specs:
2019 Teardrop NW Recon
Trailer mass 750 kg
GVWR: 1588 kg
Gear
Roof top tent 63 kg
Kitchen pots pans 30 kg
Food water 40 kg
clothes + sleeping gear 10kg
Kitchen tent 5kg
Solar panel 12 kg
2 6v batteries 60 kg
Fuel + extras 20kg
Total load 240kg
Had a popup for years when the family was young and my Gen 4 SR5 pulled it no problem. The Gen 5 pulled it for a couple of years and was noticeably better at doing it.
Ripper238
Senior Member
Met a family with a T@B teardrop during my Covid camping year. They said the 4R towed it fine and liked it over all for the whole family.
ArthurKotb
Member
Mine isn't a teardrop trailer but my 2004 V8 is rated for 7,000 towing and 700 tongue weight. The weight distribution hitch (WDH) is the best way to move weight off the rear wheels and move it to the front axle and back onto the trailer. It also adds sway control which is needed for single axle trailers. I tow a 6500 lb. Airstream and it handles very well and stays level. My WDH is an Equalizer, sold by many trailer dealerships.
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YT-1300
Member
We brought home our TC Teardrop this spring and love it!!! About 1250lbs empty. Haven't had a chance to weight it fully loaded. I try to keep the tongue weight near 250 and it tows awesome! I get about 15mpg towing here in the upper Midwest. I keep an eye on trans and torque converter temps with an obd dongle and the torque app.
But it sounds like maybe you'd prefer an inside bathroom and kitchen, unfortunately it has neither. Galley kitchen and byo toilet.
Handmade in central Wisconsin.
tcteardrops.com
Question. What kind, size, and how do you transport your telescopes? We've got a beginner 4.5 tabletop dob from Orion I'd love to take with us on trips to darker places. Would I need to check collimation every time too?
Sent from my moto g(7) using Tapatalk
But it sounds like maybe you'd prefer an inside bathroom and kitchen, unfortunately it has neither. Galley kitchen and byo toilet.
Handmade in central Wisconsin.
tcteardrops.com
Question. What kind, size, and how do you transport your telescopes? We've got a beginner 4.5 tabletop dob from Orion I'd love to take with us on trips to darker places. Would I need to check collimation every time too?
Sent from my moto g(7) using Tapatalk
MidniteTRD
Member
we've been pulling a homebuilt 5x8 teardrop behind ours for about 4 years now, approx. 4500 miles total at this point if i had to guess. i've never weighed it, but figure its something around 1200lbs. it doesn't have trailer brakes and is probably around 200lb tongue weight. no issues at all, we just leave the trans in S4 and its hard to tell anything's back there on the highway. on flat ground we'll see about 17mpg.
funny you say that, every time we have the camper hooked up we inevitably have the cargo box too just to hold all our gear. i wonder if it would have the same effect for us if we took it off.
funny you say that, every time we have the camper hooked up we inevitably have the cargo box too just to hold all our gear. i wonder if it would have the same effect for us if we took it off.
4vector
New member
I love Airstreams. I wouldn't have thought a 4Runner could pull one.
4vector
New member
We brought home our TC Teardrop this spring and love it!!! About 1250lbs empty. Haven't had a chance to weight it fully loaded. I try to keep the tongue weight near 250 and it tows awesome! I get about 15mpg towing here in the upper Midwest. I keep an eye on trans and torque converter temps with an obd dongle and the torque app.
But it sounds like maybe you'd prefer an inside bathroom and kitchen, unfortunately it has neither. Galley kitchen and byo toilet.
Handmade in central Wisconsin.
tcteardrops.com
Question. What kind, size, and how do you transport your telescopes? We've got a beginner 4.5 tabletop dob from Orion I'd love to take with us on trips to darker places. Would I need to check collimation every time too?
Sent from my moto g(7) using Tapatalk
Nice teardrop rig!
As for telescopes, I have an 80mm Orion Aeon Apo that has been my main travel scope. It's on a camera tripod with encoders and an Argo Navis digital push-to setup. It's amazing. Last summer I got a 10" Sky Watcher goto Dob, but since I got that I've used and grown fond of the Unistellar eVscope 2 and plan to get an eQuinox 2 by the end of this summer. It will be my main travel scope. With a 4.5" Dob I wouldn't think collimation would need to be checked often so I think you're probably okay.
One of my reasons for getting the new camper is to travel to see next year's total solar eclipse. The central line for the 2017 total eclipse came through western North Carolina and I didn't have to travel very far to see it (I'm in NC).
ArthurKotb
Member
My 2004 V8 SE is rated for 7000 towing and 700 hitch weight. With a WD hitch I'm below that and the 23' trailer maxes out at 6500 lbs. I've been to VA just outside DC, central FL across to AL, LA, MS, TX and up to AR, TN and KY. I've gone from KY across the plains to OR then back across the north to MN, then back down to KY. It's a little slow over the mountains but handles extremely well; never had a problem with cross winds or heavy traffic. I love my T4R
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4vector
New member
My 2004 V8 SE is rated for 7000 towing and 700 hitch weight. With a WD hitch I'm below that and the 23' trailer maxes out at 6500 lbs. I've been to VA just outside DC, central FL across to AL, LA, MS, TX and up to AR, TN and KY. I've gone from KY across the plains to OR then back across the north to MN, then back down to KY. It's a little slow over the mountains but handles extremely well; never had a problem with cross winds or heavy traffic. I love my T4R
Sounds amazing! I hope to travel like that over the next few years.
We brought home our TC Teardrop this spring and love it!!! About 1250lbs empty. Haven't had a chance to weight it fully loaded. I try to keep the tongue weight near 250 and it tows awesome! I get about 15mpg towing here in the upper Midwest. I keep an eye on trans and torque converter temps with an obd dongle and the torque app.
But it sounds like maybe you'd prefer an inside bathroom and kitchen, unfortunately it has neither. Galley kitchen and byo toilet.
Handmade in central Wisconsin.
tcteardrops.com
Question. What kind, size, and how do you transport your telescopes? We've got a beginner 4.5 tabletop dob from Orion I'd love to take with us on trips to darker places. Would I need to check collimation every time too?
Sent from my moto g(7) using Tapatalk
Hey I have a 2023 ORP and a TCTEARDROP as well. We have an Oasis 5x10 so maybe 1250# wet. We love it! How have your transmission temps looked when towing it? Anything alarming? Do you tow in S4? Ever tow in 5th on flats?
When I used to tow with my v8 4th gen I always towed in 4th. I do the same with my 5th gen, but the manual doesn’t actually say “tow in 4th” like it did for the 4th gen. Thanks!
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