Towing experiences with your 5th Generation
- Thread starter dsir56
- Start date
I have towed our new rpod 182g about 300 miles now; this is my long winded experience so far.
3278 pounds loaded, give or take for water, 360-pound tongue weight........
No weight distribution, on my test drive:
This is one of the best reviews that I have read that would pertain to what I want to do. I like the weight range that you are talking about towing. I am looking for a trailer around that weight. I don' like trailers....HATE THEM.... but I do need one to go out for extended stays and long distances from home. I am assuming you are a Gen5 with a 4 liter engine? How do you think the setup would do in Arizona and Utah which can have 10 miles of continuous 12% grades and there is one hill that I found that was a 15% grade? Will the tranny in 1st or 2nd gear work well enough to minimize brake problems on the downhill? I am not one to worry about speed going up or down especially on switch back turns.
Any feedback would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance!
Richard
Last edited:
Donkey
New member
Sorry, just seeing this. Ive not had any problems with similar grades in the smokey mountains. My brakes went 72k miles. Good luck with whatever you decide...or have already decided.
AdventureMan
New member
If you are planning on pulling that much weight, plan on getting a trailer with electronic brakes and put a good brake controller in your 4Runner. You will be very glad you did. Most of the trucks are already wired for the controller, plus or minus an adapter cable.
It also helps to have some helper springs in the rear, either Airlift or Firestone air bags, or Timbren rubber springs. I have the Timbren Active Off-Roads because they are actually off-road bump stops which still help with rear loading, are "solid-state" (no connections or adjustments), and you can't feel them at all when the truck has no load on the rear...
Last edited:
Weight Distribution Hitch
I want to buy a weight distribution hitch for use with my 2018 4runner. However, the hitch manufacturer suggests that I confirm with Toyota that the 4runner and receiver assembly is ratedfor use with a WDH. The dealer has no knowledge and says to call Toyota Customer Service. Toyota Customer Service has no knowledge and says to talk to the dealer.
Has anyone confirmed the the 4runner is rated for a WDH???
I want to buy a weight distribution hitch for use with my 2018 4runner. However, the hitch manufacturer suggests that I confirm with Toyota that the 4runner and receiver assembly is ratedfor use with a WDH. The dealer has no knowledge and says to call Toyota Customer Service. Toyota Customer Service has no knowledge and says to talk to the dealer.
Has anyone confirmed the the 4runner is rated for a WDH???
sbronemann
New member
Just my .02....I pull my 6.5'x14 steel utility trailer(weighs about 1200 lbs) and my John Deere X738 with snow blade or the regular 54" deck. Tractor weighs about 1150 with deck or 1250 with weights and blade. So with trailer and all mowing stuff...probably about 2850 lbs. So there is little wind resistance compared to a travel trailer. If you are going in the mountains...you will hate the drive with 3000+ lbs and wind resistance. I absolutely love the 4Runner....except it's towing ability. I recently traded in my Mazda CX-5 for an F-150 with the 5.0 so I no longer tow with the 4Runner. Some people will disagree, but it is absolutely miserable to tow with in my opinion. WE obviously have no mountains here in the Midwest, but I couldn't imagine towing 3000+ lbs in the mountains. No thank you
e60ral
Banned
There is a letter from Toyota customer service somewhere in this thread that says it's okay
Edit: here http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?p=2728988
Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
Last edited:
1996_Valencia_Owen
Banned
As probably stated a few times, the poor towing is generally due to the soft rear springs and high travel of the suspension overall.
The engine/tranny itself are great for towing. Even though it's just a V6, 4 liters and almost 290 torque are pretty good in historical context.
It's the same prob with the Wrangler.
Most of the vehicles that tow better have a lot worse ride when NOT towing, or just a ton of weight over the back axle, which hurts MPG.
It's like:
-Towing
-MPG
-Ride quality
...Pick 2 of the 3 at most lol
The engine/tranny itself are great for towing. Even though it's just a V6, 4 liters and almost 290 torque are pretty good in historical context.
It's the same prob with the Wrangler.
Most of the vehicles that tow better have a lot worse ride when NOT towing, or just a ton of weight over the back axle, which hurts MPG.
It's like:
-Towing
-MPG
-Ride quality
...Pick 2 of the 3 at most lol
Wdh
I have sent numerous EMAILS to Toyota Customer Service asking whether or not I could use a WDH on my 2018 4runner. I finally get a response today saying I coould if I didn't exceed the 5000# tow weight capacity. The response is added below:
Subject
Weight Distribution Hitch
Discussion Thread
Response Via Email (Manda S.) 03/14/2018 11:31 AM
Dear Mr. Zahrly,
Thank you for contacting Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
We are sorry to learn we did not answer your question, and we apologize for any confusion caused with our reply to your original email.
We appreciate the opportunity to clarify that you may use a weight distributing hitch or a weight carrying hitch, as long as the towing capacity of 5000 pounds is not exceeded. There is not a rating regarding towing for this vehicle.
Your email has been documented at our National Headquarters. If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact us.
Sincerely,
Manda S.
Toyota Customer Experience Center
Customer By Web Form (Jack Zahrly) 03/13/2018 12:40 PM
My original question was submitted under reference number 180312-000303. Your response did not address my question about whether the 2018 4runner is rated for use with a weight distribution hitch installed on my trailer. I would appreciate an appropriate response about the capabilities of my 4runner.
I have sent numerous EMAILS to Toyota Customer Service asking whether or not I could use a WDH on my 2018 4runner. I finally get a response today saying I coould if I didn't exceed the 5000# tow weight capacity. The response is added below:
Subject
Weight Distribution Hitch
Discussion Thread
Response Via Email (Manda S.) 03/14/2018 11:31 AM
Dear Mr. Zahrly,
Thank you for contacting Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
We are sorry to learn we did not answer your question, and we apologize for any confusion caused with our reply to your original email.
We appreciate the opportunity to clarify that you may use a weight distributing hitch or a weight carrying hitch, as long as the towing capacity of 5000 pounds is not exceeded. There is not a rating regarding towing for this vehicle.
Your email has been documented at our National Headquarters. If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact us.
Sincerely,
Manda S.
Toyota Customer Experience Center
Customer By Web Form (Jack Zahrly) 03/13/2018 12:40 PM
My original question was submitted under reference number 180312-000303. Your response did not address my question about whether the 2018 4runner is rated for use with a weight distribution hitch installed on my trailer. I would appreciate an appropriate response about the capabilities of my 4runner.
I looked into this in depth when setting up my Gen5 to use the Equal-I-zer hitch. It’s fine, according to a conversation I had with Toyota about two years ago. There was concern about some of the earlier 4Runner versions having a weaker hitch system than now used.
When you think about it, the hitch MAY have to transfer a few hundred pounds from the back axle to the front, as well as to the trailer axles. The hitch is very stout, and can easily act as a lift point for the entire vehicle if needed. I don’t worry about the WD hitch.
I tow this around quite a bit.
This pic is with stock suspension but I'm going to swap out to some Dobinsons and Bilstein 5100s soon because it is slight negative rake now plus some other issues.
Disregard the ramp. I was just testing to see if I could swap out the trailer tires without a trailer jack.
This pic is with stock suspension but I'm going to swap out to some Dobinsons and Bilstein 5100s soon because it is slight negative rake now plus some other issues.
Disregard the ramp. I was just testing to see if I could swap out the trailer tires without a trailer jack.
teotwaki
Senior Member
Electric trailer brakes are awesome and really save wear and tear on the 4Runner's brakes. Trailer brakes are a benefit both on and off road. I use a Tekonsha Prodigy P2 proportional controller
https://www.amazon.com/Tekonsha-90885-Prodigy-Electronic-Control/dp/B002YIACG8
Cable that plugs right into the 4Runner.
https://www.amazon.com/Tekonsha-304...rd_wg=1E4ZS&psc=1&refRID=HYN8G108TC9JDQHQFW1P
There is a white plastic factory connector just above the driver's side kick panel.
This is my offroad trailer on my (sold) '05 4Runner.
https://www.amazon.com/Tekonsha-90885-Prodigy-Electronic-Control/dp/B002YIACG8
Cable that plugs right into the 4Runner.
https://www.amazon.com/Tekonsha-304...rd_wg=1E4ZS&psc=1&refRID=HYN8G108TC9JDQHQFW1P
There is a white plastic factory connector just above the driver's side kick panel.
This is my offroad trailer on my (sold) '05 4Runner.
I have been towing a 1800# Carson dual axle car trailer with a 2800# track car and another 400# of stuff several times a year in Southern California. We have a lot of heat and mountain passes. I also have a Tekonsha P3 brake controller. No airbags, no weight distributing hitch and no transmission cooler.
I have a 2016 Limited 4WD and I don't notice the squat in some of these pictures, maybe the XREAS helps? I simply pull the car on until the rear end starts to squat a little and strap it down.
I have not had any issues other than the lack of power is annoying. I can still pull 50 mph over Tejon pass, but the temperature at the transmission torque converted gets up to 250 degrees F and 200 in the pan when it kicks down into 3rd. On the flat it pulls 65-70 in 4th/5th easily enough and temps are in normal range. I am going to change the transmission oil at 60k per the manual and send off for analysis. I am thinking about a transmission cooler.
Brakes work great on the downhill grade. I do downshift to 3rd sometimes on downhills when I am lazy, but usually just use the brakes in 10 mph increments (when truck gets to 60, use brakes to get down to 50) to avoid overheating. I have not experienced any brake fade or overheating.
My next vehicle I might look at a truck, but I am going to drive this for the next 5-10 years.
I have a 2016 Limited 4WD and I don't notice the squat in some of these pictures, maybe the XREAS helps? I simply pull the car on until the rear end starts to squat a little and strap it down.
I have not had any issues other than the lack of power is annoying. I can still pull 50 mph over Tejon pass, but the temperature at the transmission torque converted gets up to 250 degrees F and 200 in the pan when it kicks down into 3rd. On the flat it pulls 65-70 in 4th/5th easily enough and temps are in normal range. I am going to change the transmission oil at 60k per the manual and send off for analysis. I am thinking about a transmission cooler.
Brakes work great on the downhill grade. I do downshift to 3rd sometimes on downhills when I am lazy, but usually just use the brakes in 10 mph increments (when truck gets to 60, use brakes to get down to 50) to avoid overheating. I have not experienced any brake fade or overheating.
My next vehicle I might look at a truck, but I am going to drive this for the next 5-10 years.
Sorry but I heartily disagree. The soft rear suspension is pretty easy to overcome with some airbags and WDH, but the power and tranny is a joke. Who wants to tow at 4k+ RPM where all the power is? And the tranny is geared for economy, shifting typically at what, 2.5k-3k RPM? I don't even like the tranny under normal driving w/o a trailer, lol, and never mind the torque converter won't lock for cooling outside of 4th or 5th gear. I find the platform barely adequate and constantly frustrating pulling about 3500#, but I live at elevation and tow in the mountains.
essay writing
do homework online
<a href=" https://essaywritingservicex.com ">writing essay website</a>
<a href="https://essaywritingservicex.com">psychology essays</a>
do homework online
<a href=" https://essaywritingservicex.com ">writing essay website</a>
<a href="https://essaywritingservicex.com">psychology essays</a>
Have pulled our rPod in a few times with our T4R, I just find it very underpowered once you hit highway speed with all the wind resistance. I also have a tuned cummins so makes way more sense just to use that
That your house? One amazing view, do not know if could get use to such a thing, lol.
I agree. The engine is barely adequate for towing purposes. Even throwing on several hundred lbs of modifications (bumpers, winches, racks, armor), this 4.0l v6 is just not the type of engine that does well when loaded down. You can of course regear for heavier weights/towing, which I'm sure some owners have done, but you're still dealing with an engine/transmission combo that is neither efficient nor well-tuned to towing heavy loads.
The underlying platform is very well built IMHO, and easily set up for towing or offroad purposes. Toyota just needs to find a better engine to put into it.
1996_Valencia_Owen
Banned
Is there some evidence that 4K rpm is a terrible rpm to touch now and then in the mountains while towing? Literally billions of miles on Toyota car and truck engines would disagree...
Also, I don't know how much you expect a 4,700 lb SUV to actually be able to tow? I can't think of many cars that can tow more that aren't significantly heavier themselves.
Last, you can manually shift on grades with the 5th gen transmission, so not sure what eco mode has to do with it.
