Towing with the 2005 V6 4Runner

[cmj685]

Haven't even bought the new 4Runner yet and here I am asking a couple towing questions...I'm not too excited about the purchase! Naaaaahhhh!
Hey, it struck me odd today: I was going to check Toyota's site to see what they said about towing with the 4runner in general (mostly curious about what they had to say), and specifically whether a weight distributing hitch is even available for the V6. But oddly....I couldn't find a word on the Toyota site about towing. No help, no specs, no information, no reference, no anything.... In fact, they don't even seem to have bothered with a "search" function on the website. That seems really strange to me. Ford has all kinds of information and help about towing on their site... What's up with that do you think? I mean, suppose I wanted to look up something as simple and fundamental as towing weights and hitch weights for my vehicle...does Toyota not even supply it?! Thanks for your input.

 

[khaug]

The towing capacity specs are posted on the Toyota USA web site, here:

http://www.toyotausa.com/vehicles/2005/4runner/specs.html

Open the "Capacities" tab at the top of the page the link takes you to.

Toyota used to publish a really excellent brochure on towing with Toyota vehicles. You might ask a sales rep if they still offer it. A sales rep could also tell you if a weight distributing hitch is available for the V6.

 

[DaveS]

I think the V8 comes with a weight distributing hitch as standard in the US - if you are pulling something heavy enough to need a weight distributing hitch you should perhaps consider the V8 - it has a much higher towing capacity than the V6.

 

[Solice]

I just recently purchased an '05 4Runner Sport Edition V6 and couldn't be happier. The V6 is rated at a 5,000lb tow limit. The V8 has a 6,500 limit. I have a 1,100 lb trailer with an 800 lb 4-wheeler that I often tow with it and can't complain at all. The only thing I notice is it drops the gas mileage a bit. I would say if you plan on towing anything more then 3,500 - 4,000 lbs go with the V8 though. I can definately tell the trailer is there but still have had no problems pulling it anywhere on any kind of terrain (pavement, rocky steep inclines, fairly deep mud, deep snow/slush, deep puddles...). The V6 can definately (in my opinion) handle it's own against the V8. A guy in an Explorer commented to me last weekend asking how I managed to pull a trailer up this one 1/2 mi stretch of fairly steep, very rocky trail. I told him that I don't drive an Explorer and pointed to my Runner. For heavier towing I would go with the V8 though (horse trailer, large camper, etc). No matter which you choose your getting one beast of a machine!

Hope this helps a little!

 

[HuntRunner]

Did they drop the tow capacity of the v8? My 03' tow capacity is 7,200 lbs. with the wd hitch.

 

[Solice]

Did they drop the tow capacity of the v8? My 03' tow capacity is 7,200 lbs. with the wd hitch.

Oops, sorry your right. The V8 is rated at 7,300 lbs (4wd) and 7,000 lbs (2wd). Thanks HuntRunner

 

[mjfrank]

Oops, sorry your right. The V8 is rated at 7,300 lbs (4wd) and 7,000 lbs (2wd). Thanks HuntRunner

The other way around, 7300 for 2wd, and 7000 for 4wd.

 

[MicaBlue03]

Weight-distributing hitch

As of late 2003 anyway, the weight-distributing hitch that came standard on the V8s would fit the V6s too. It just bolted to the frame in more locations (with holes & threads that were already installed; same as the V8) than the V6's standard weight-carrying hitch. Similar hitches were reportedly available as aftermarket items.

 

[JungleJim]

There is some confusion about what Toyota refers to as the WDH (weight distributing hitch) that comes on the V8, as compared to an actual WDH used with a trailer.

The V8 hitch is connected to the vehicle in more places, thus is "distributes" the weight more effectively than the hitch on the V6.

An actual WDH is a special connection between the vehicle and the trailer that uses physics to place more of the trailer weight on the front wheels of the tow vehicle.

If you have a V8, you would still need to purchase an actual WDH if you had too much sag in the back of the 4Runner.

You could also use a WDH with the V6 factory hitch.

 

[HardCharger]

Actually....I have a 2005 SE V6 4x2....and in the manual it states that if you have a V6 with the same hitch as the V8 (WDH), you can tow up to 6,700 pounds. That's only 600 pounds less than the 4x2 V8.

Not really much of a difference.

I am just having a hard time locating the hitch from the V8. And from looking at my frame, I don't think that the frame of my V6 has the holes in the same place as the frame of the V8. So I don't think that it will fit.

Don't really know for sure though. I am going to the dealership this weekend to snap a picture of the V8's frame so I can compare. If anyone has any pictures of the frame where the hitch mounts on a 2005 V8, please post them.

Thanks!

 

[Lone Ranger]

If you are seriously looking at towing near 6500-7000 lbs at all regularly, you should get something larger than the 4runner. I have a v8 Sport and a Suburban and tow 4-4500lbs. The Suburban it much better for towing. The 4Runner may pull the load, but you still have to control it and stop.

 

[Northof49]

If you are seriously looking at towing near 6500-7000 lbs at all regularly, you should get something larger than the 4runner. I have a v8 Sport and a Suburban and tow 4-4500lbs. The Suburban it much better for towing. The 4Runner may pull the load, but you still have to control it and stop.

I find my V8 Runner to be very capable/controlable with 4000-4500lbs in tow. The brakes will be more powerful than your Suburban's as well, so stopping it shouldn't be a problem either.

I agree that 6700 will stretch the V6 tho.....but ratings are ratings.

 

[HardCharger]

Actually, I hope not to have to get close to the 6,700 lbs limit. I own a 1969 Mustang and I plan to tow that around.

I have no clue what the actual weight of the car is but I believe it is somewhere the 3,000 to 3,500 lbs range.

I don't have the trailer yet but I have seen some that weigh about 1,100 to 1,200 lbs.

So I should be somewhere around 4,500 lbs hopefully.

I want to change the hitch because I would really hate to be at the upper end of the 5,000 lbs limit that the V6 hitch has.

Thanks for the input though.

 

[Koz]

If you are going to tow the rule of thumb is to have 10 to 12 percent of the trailer

 

[Solice]

Koz,
I don't mean to hijack the thread but you don't think I 'm over doing it with my V6 do you? I pull a 5x10 steel landscaping trailer with an 800 lb atv on top. I'm not sure exactly the weight of the trailer (no way is more then 1,100 lbs though) so I'll just say 1,100 lbs. I pull it maybe every other weekend or so (sometimes a little more) and on occasion travel about 3 hours with it. Think that's too much for the smaller V6? I don't think it should be and it handles it fine but I thought I'd get another opinion. Thanks!

 

[Northof49]

Koz,
I don't mean to hijack the thread but you don't think I 'm over doing it with my V6 do you? I pull a 5x10 steel landscaping trailer with an 800 lb atv on top. I'm not sure exactly the weight of the trailer (no way is more then 1,100 lbs though) so I'll just say 1,100 lbs. I pull it maybe every other weekend or so (sometimes a little more) and on occasion travel about 3 hours with it. Think that's too much for the smaller V6? I don't think it should be and it handles it fine but I thought I'd get another opinion. Thanks!

2,000lbs total should be child's play for the V6.....heck I used to pull 4,000lbs with the old 3.4L V6 from the 3rd gen. It wasn't fast, but it got you were you needed to go

 

[Solice]

Cool, I didn't think it would be a problem but I wanted some other opinions. Everyone I talked to with the V6 would usually say "Well I don't plan to tow with the V6 so I don't know". Thanks Northof49!

 

[Fro-Runner]

I just wished my '04 V-6 4Runner would have came with the 5 spd tranny instead of the 4 spd. Toyota owes me one on that ripoff!

 

[Lone Ranger]

I find my V8 Runner to be very capable/controlable with 4000-4500lbs in tow. The brakes will be more powerful than your Suburban's as well, so stopping it shouldn't be a problem either.

I agree that 6700 will stretch the V6 tho.....but ratings are ratings.

I agree that the 4Runner will tow 4-4500 lbs well. I imagine the 6 will do fine with that weight also except perhaps in mountains.

When people start talking about towing in the 6500-7000 lb range, however, someone who is considering a purchase (as opposed to someone already having the vehicle) ought to be looking at a bigger vehicle (not just the V-8 in the 4Runner) if they regularly will tow that much. The Suburban just controls the towed load much, much better.

I am curious as to why you say the 4Runner's brakes are more powerful than those of the Suburban. I haven't seen anything regarding their size or other specs. I am not saying they are not, I jsut haven't seen anything to tell. The 4Runner seems to stop better than the Suburban, but it also is 1500 lbs or so less.

 

[Hank]

I used my V6 LTD 4WD to tow ~4600lb (2000lb car transport trailer + 2600lb Civic) without a problem. BTW, those transport are actually quite heavy, I thought it was ~1000lb until I saw the label on it. So with a non-WD hitch capacity of 5000lb, I could only put a vehicle weighing less than 3000lb on the transport. I would recommend using a car dolly instead to greatly reduce the amount of weight to be towed behind your 4R. BTW, most heavy transports & trailers have brakes built-in so it won't over burden your 4R's brakes.