Towing with a 5th gen

[Thebeastlives]

I'm not sure if any of you tow anything of size but i found towing with my empty 20 ft trailer doable from Tucson to Los angeles but definitely not repeatable. The 5th gen has the power but controlling the trailer was the biggest issue. I definitely towed the trailer n utv back with the Tundra. Towing a 4000 lb load behind a 5th gen would be a nightmare. Not sure how anyone tows a camper through mountainous roads with a 6 cylinder 5th gen. I love the 5th gen on road trips but not towing unless it is a lite short trailer. Curious how others feel about towing with their runners?

 

[Double Dubya]

I towed a loaded 6x16 U-Haul 1000 miles, twice. They towed like a dream as far as stability goes. Kept the trans in 4s. I got 13 mpg doing that. I think I would have preferred a longer wheelbase vehicle with more power. I felt like I was working the 4Runner.

 

[Thebeastlives]

When you add weight that is closer to 5000 lbs then 3000 the 4 runner is a beast to handle. I think their 6th gen with hybrid drive train will tow much more like their lexus 470

 

[Nuke]

I have a 17.5 foot glass bass boat that weighs close to 2500 lbs with gear loaded. Although I've only towed it a handful of times locally with my '19 ORP, my '08 Sport with the 4.0 has logged a lot of highway as well as back road miles. Other than some steep mountainous roads, she was always in control and capable. She worked hard on steep hills and when conditions required quick acceleration but rarely was I disappointed, considering it's a 6 banger.

My '00 T4R had a 3.8 IIRC and even that towed that boat surprisingly well., FWIW.

 

[yota1976]

I used my 6x10 trailer all last weekend. Pulled great, no trouble at all. Not sure of the weight. I'd say probably between 2000 lbs and 3000 lbs, counting the trailer weight.

 

[Sky]

Haven't towed yet with my 19 TRDORP but I towed a 4,000lb 19 ft travel trailer all over the US with my FJ Cruiser with no problems.
I expect the 4Runner to be a little better doing the same. I'll find out soon.

 

[4FL]

I towed one of those large uhaul trailers, the two axle, biggest size, loaded with household goods when I moved. The 4r was great, but this was I-95 in Florida, other words, flat and straight as can be. But the handling, braking, etc, was fine.

But if I was going to tow a whole lot and upward 4000 or more, and lived in a mountain, hilly area or something, probably rather have something more beefier.

 

[kenwilliams0803]

Mine had a trailer brake on it when I bought it with 50k miles. That was a huge red flag to me but everything checked out so I bought it anyway. It's still a happy vehicle years later with 140k on it.

I always wonder what the heck the previous owner was towing with a 5th gen 4.0L to necessitate a brake though....

 

[ScoMey]

Mine had a trailer brake on it when I bought it with 50k miles. That was a huge red flag to me but everything checked out so I bought it anyway. It's still a happy vehicle years later with 140k on it.

I always wonder what the heck the previous owner was towing with a 5th gen 4.0L to necessitate a brake though....

Most states have a maximum allowable trailer weight w/o a trailer brake... the limit varies from state to state, but it's usually around 2000 pounds - anything above that requires a trailer brake. And it doesn't take much of a trailer, especially smaller pop-up's, "R-Pods", etc., to exceed 2K pounds. Suffice to say, the previous owner would not need to be dragging around some huge travel trailer to need a trailer brake control installed.

Rest assured, transmission failures in 5th Gen 4Runners are practically unheard of, and if the previous owner was using a trailer brake... there's likely to be less serious strain on the tow vehicle brakes.

Personally, I'd rather know the previous owner used a trailer brake... than to somehow find out they continuously pulled a heavy trailer without one.

 

[davem]

I tow my 6 x 10 V-nose bike trailer with an almost 900 Harley in it and with my airbags w/25lbs air she rides level and smooth. Been from Pa. to Kentucky and Tennessee a few times.

 

[chillfancy]

I towed a 4500# trailer that has at least 600# of water and supplies in it. It had centrifugal trailer brakes. I'm not saying it was a great idea but 5000# can definitely be done.

 

[MossJenks]

These threads are always just opinion pieces. For some people even noticing that there's a trailer behind is just intolerable and insist you need a full size dually to tow a motorcycle, while people in Europe tow large campers with tiny cars.

 

[Thebeastlives]

These threads are always just opinion pieces. For some people even noticing that there's a trailer behind is just intolerable and insist you need a full size dually to tow a motorcycle, while people in Europe tow large campers with tiny cars.

When I tow long distanced up hills and through the mtns i like to tow knowing that when it is windy, i need to pass, stop quickly or not have a 5000 lb trailer push my vehicle around . My trd 4 runner yes can tow my 20 ft trailer with my 2000 plus lb can max x3 but not well enough for me on road trips.

 

[gearguywb]

Towed a 6x12 utility trailer with a Kawasaki Teryx 4 seater from KC to South Dakota and back. 2,000 miles.

It did ok, not great. To be expected with a somewhat anemic 6 cylinder. Stayed in 4th gear (no choice). 65-70 mph and got 11.5 mpg.

 

[DaveSki]

Just tow smart. My 3000 pound boat tows with no problem. I keep the speed around 70 on the highway and use sport shift to select 4th gear instead of overdrive when cruising. Been on repeated trips over 4 hours, never an issue.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[patkelly4370]

Towed the 4'x8' utility trailer to the dump. 35 miles. I could see it. With either of our pickups we only can see it on curves.
Towed our large 2 horse trailer across the property and back (empty).

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[JLTD]

Towed a 6x12 Uhaul trailer, about 45-4800 pounds, from OH to CO about 2 years ago. As mentioned above, 4S and around 13 mpg all the way.

Forget about passing uphill, but there was plenty of power in any other situation. Trailer was loaded correctly so no issues with stability.

 

[Unretired]

Tow Report - TAB S Camper @ 2000 lbs

Loaded for a couple days off road and towed a small camper (or is it a big teardrop?).
- 15' long
- 7'8" high
- 6'8" wide
- tongue - about 200lbs
- overall - around 2000lbs

Virginia up to Pennsylvania mountains using 285 K02's this trip.
Gas mileage dropped from usual 16+ to 13+
No issues flat or smaller hills - maintained speed limit 60 to 70.
Didn't like overdrive - lots of shifting - trans temp quickly rose to 200
No issues in S4.

Really noticed the weight/power on bigger 10%-12% grade.
Speed dropped to 45-55 and trans climbed to 205-210.

Overall pleased with the performance of the 4Runner.
Note the trailer was fairly light and small - no wider than 4R and about the same height with loaded roof.
Don't think you'd have any issues with a camper like this.

 

[khalid74120021]

I have a question. I am planning move at the end of the year and have a 600 mile drive ahead of me.

I am planning to rent a Uhaul trailer, either a 5'x10' or 6'x12'. Just a one bedroom move, heaviest items a queen mattress, 77" OLED, 180 lbs weights, with everything else not weight much, just taking up space.

I'll probably be driving 65-70 mph+ the entire way since it's a straight road from NorCal to SoCal using highway 5 or 99.

So the consensus is to drive it in 4th gear the entire way instead of just putting it in D and let it adjust gears itself?

 

[Badlizard]

I towed this camper a handful of times last year (sold it this year). The trailer was 2900 empty, and I had less than 200 lb. of gear in it, so I was well below the 3500 gvwr of the trailer. It was always a chore to pull. Most of the issue was cross-wind, but it didn't handle it as well as I thought it should. I had an anti-sway weight distributing hitch, which didn't seem to help any. Always seemed underpowered and felt as though I was towing beyond the 5k rating even though I was far from it. I would definitely not be afraid to tow with it occasionally, but not on a regular basis as would be the case with a camper.