Towing with 4Runner.... Again

[024RunnerSE]

Because I live in California, I will tell you guys that the 4Runner proved to be extremely capable at 55mph, even when I was keeping up with most of the traffic doing a crazy 55mph! The whole time I was doing the LEGAL speeds of 55mph, my passenger was giggling with astonishment at how well planted the 4Runner was! I can tell you at 55mph, the 4Runner is one hell of an ANT. It can really move over double its weight.



Top Gear Clip - Taking it to 55mph (S19E02 Western USA Road Trip) - YouTube


Can you catch my drift?

VIDEO

 

[mikebontoft]

sounds like the 5vz is pretty good. I suppose one factor I didn't think of is the height of my uphill trip was about 6200 ft above sea level. Either way it's only about 3500 lbs since I forgot to factor in the trailer weight.

Silly 3vz. oh well, it did the job. I wouldn't try what you did though. Got about the same mileage too lol.

 

[JWaldz]

These pics would look great here >> http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/86479-things-haul-your-4runner.html

 

[02SE]

When you own one of these and have been driving it for several years with over 1.5 million safe hauling miles through the gnarliest weather conditions, you've got room to talk about towing.

You should visit when Speed Week is being held on the Bonneville Salt Flats, in August.

 

[024RunnerSE]

Yeah, I'm going to need a lot of tape to seal off all the gaps to run the rig on the flats haha.

 

[twitchee2]

i used to tow about 2-2.5klb of (jetskis + gear + household goods) + 800 lbs in the back of the 4runner going to and from school 4-5 times a year. Ventura to Chico, 490 miles one way and up and over tejon pass in I5. lifted with 31's i got the job done going up the grapevine. it would hold 55 in 3rd gear without issues. it never sounded like it was happy but it always got the job done. I have sense got myself a duramax tow a toy hauler with it.

 

[blizz86]

i used to tow about 2-2.5klb of (jetskis + gear + household goods) + 800 lbs in the back of the 4runner going to and from school 4-5 times a year. Ventura to Chico, 490 miles one way and up and over tejon pass in I5. lifted with 31's i got the job done going up the grapevine. it would hold 55 in 3rd gear without issues. it never sounded like it was happy but it always got the job done. I have sense got myself a duramax tow a toy hauler with it.

An aside: lucky you went to school in Chico? I have a friend from there and her house is on lake almanor: beautiful scenery out there

 

[white_n_slow]

I'll see your tow, raise you 1000 pounds, and lower you 65hp.

 

[02SE]

Yeah, I'm going to need a lot of tape to seal off all the gaps to run the rig on the flats haha.

I was thinking you might find it cool to spectate at Speed Week, versus the photo of the Salt Flats, from the rest area. But running a tractor isn't unheard of either, on the Salt Flats.

Here's a video of the late Carl Heap, in his "Phoenix" LSR tractor.

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/57i8OU1m4rk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

A link to the website that talks about the 'Phoenix". http://www.ugofadini.com/phoenixmodel.html


A static pic.

 

[4Runner4TW]

So how many of you tow for a living?

I didn't tow for a living, but in high school I worked for a RV company that specialized in park models. They are 12' wide, 36' long and just under 15' tall. The driver and I would go all around New England to deliver them to the customers at the camp grounds. I was never able to drive them on the roads, but once we hit the camp grounds, he would let me drive while I followed his commands and directs to get them into the camp sites. It was actually easier to do it this way then to have him drive while I told him where to have the trailer and what not. I credit a lot to that job with how I drive and checking mirrors, tires, spacing, etc. A lot of respect for you and others who tow for a living.

 

[OffRoadGuy]

The 5VZ did an awesome job but the A340F's really TALL 1st gear is annoying but didn't have any problems. 5spd guys will enjoy quick starts from the added lower and closer gear ratios of the R150F. As you can see from the map below, this is where I drove. Across town? more like across a few counties and mountain passes. Where it's circled in red, you have grades that go from 5-7% and the 4Runner pulled them without breaking a sweat. Come down them, the 5VZ, even at 280,000 miles, proved to have very strong engine braking. You got to hand it to Hino who designed the 5VZ. They really know they're stuff. And the whole entertaining thing about this is I averaged 13.66mpg.

I'm glad to hear that you're a professional truck driver and know about weight distribution. A lot of people have the tendency to be gun ho. They don't know how to use low gearing for braking. But saying your truck did great and safe might be an over statement because for people who follows their owners manual to the letter. They have whats called the MAXIMUM TOWING CAPACITY and lets say God forbid that you got into an accident. Do you think your insurance will cover your claim even though it wasn't your fault? I'd say the odds are 99% that they will reject your claim once they find out that you're over the MTC. Still safe and smart?

Hook line and sinker? I would go on talking about wear and tear on engine and trans. but I think I've said enough.

I'm not a hater, Im glad you got your truck home safely. I agree with you, 3rd Gen 4runner is an awesome truck when used with a bit of excitement and a bit of common sense.

 

[024RunnerSE]

So I exceeded the MAXIMUM towing capacity by 600lbs. Ok, lets remove the tool box, the axle and other engine parts, the spare tire that were in the towed vehicle and throw them in the towing vehicle. Ill be below the 5,000 lb MAXIMUM towing limit. Funny thing is none of you pointed out that I only exceeded it by 600lbs.

As for wear and tear, my 4Runner has probably towed near its max capacity more than all the 3rd gens in this forum combined. The fact that normal oil changes shows reliability goes a long way. My 4Runner wants you guys that are scared of your own shadows to prove how heavy use hurt its reliability? Because I just took this picture a few minutes ago on my way dropping the kids off at school where it preformed as smooth and silently mechanically, and it's confused. Now it thinks its a horse, not a 4Runner.

 

[024RunnerSE]

And yes, I got AWD engaged on a beautifully sunny day in California on dry pavement. It's called keeping everything lubed up for when the time 4WD is needed, it'll engage and work flawlessly. You guys that don't get much time to explore the excellent capability of a 4Runner a lot should practice this. It'll cut down on the "WTF My 4WD no worky" threads.

 

[Kung]

Some of us guys who don't get much time to explore the excellent capability of a 4Runner DO in fact practice this.

We're not all argumentative here. Some of us are simply busier'n crap. LOL

 

[paddlenbike]

Do you have any tips on how to properly load balance a trailer? I tend to watch the sag on the rear coils but I'm sure there's a much better way.

 

[024RunnerSE]

The cheap ghetto way of doing it is taking a cheap bathroom scale and a block of wood enough to fit in between the bottom of the hitch and scale. This will make sure you don't excede your tongue weight. Reason you don't want to excede your tongue weight is because you dont want your steer tires to come off the ground for obvious reasons. Overloading the back of the trailer will cause it to sway at higher speeds which makes it extremely dangerous to tow so don't ever do that. If you ever decide to buy a trailer or even rent one for long distance travel, alway get a trailer with a tandem axle setup due to its simplicity to load and stability.

If you ever plan on towing heavy loads, always try to get a trailer equipped with brakes. Trailer brakes help wonders with towing. Your towing vehicle has it's own weight to cope with, having to cope with double its weight makes it that much more painful to it's braking system. And another thing on that braking system, why are you hauling or towing with your 4Runner if your 4Runner's brakes aren't serviced? Drum brakes are horrible, so make sure they're adjusted prior to putting excess loads in general. Then again, its always good to have adjusted brakes on your rig empty or loaded.

 

[T4R2014]

Cool. I saw a 3rd Gen towing another 3rd Gen a few months back. That guy definitely didn't distribute the weight correctly since the front wheels looked like they were about to hop off the ground at a green light.

Good to see people using their 3rd Gens to tow what they were rated for instead of recommending a domestic. Just curious, I figure you're using stock brake calipers, what rotors and pads do you use? Do you adjust the rear drums often? From what I understand the warping is caused by rear brakes going out of adjustment. I believe this is true since my brakes did not immediately warp off the dealer lot.