Towing with your 4Runner?

D

dano

New member
Ok guys, I need some advice from those who pull a travel trailer with their 4Runner. I currently pull a Jayco Jay Feather 18d with my '10 Tundra, 2wd, 4.6L.
Piece of cake towing and stopping. I have the Equalizer wdh/sway hitch and Tekosha P3 brake controller.
I have been thinking of trading my Tundra for a new or slightly used 4Runner. Will it tow my double axle Jayco with no drama? Dry weight 3850#, loaded 4800# est. tongue weight 400#. Our favorite state park is 40 miles from home. We tow the camper there and back probably 4-6 times a summer. We're in Ohio so the terrain is flat. We never camp out of state due to elderly mothers who depend on us.
I previously had an FJ and the soft suspension, no tranny cooler and short wheel base made towing the Jayco a not so pleasant experience.
Can the 4Runner handle it? I need your honest opinions!
 
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Here is my opinion if you want it. With that big of a trailer at 4800lbs loaded I would keep the Tundra or trade for a 5.7 4x4 Tundra. The 4Runner is rated to tow 5000lbs but I error towards the side of safety and would not push it. In fact I would never tow above 80% of the max tow rating. That's just me and YMMV.
 
WallyT4R said:
Here is my opinion if you want it. With that big of a trailer at 4800lbs loaded I would keep the Tundra or trade for a 5.7 4x4 Tundra. The 4Runner is rated to tow 5000lbs but I error towards the side of safety and would not push it. In fact I would never tow above 80% of the max tow rating. That's just me and YMMV.
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My 4.6L 2wd tows it fine. 8900# tow rating. But yeah, I'm thinking of just keeping it. Towing that amount with a T4R sounds a little iffy.
 
philsey said:
Hopefully you have a computer, and can Google search. Use the technique described here:

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-g...ner-owner-need-help-searching-start-here.html

... and search the 5th Gen forum. You'll find much on towing as it's been discussed lots.
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I've done quite a bit of looking on the internet but found nothing real definitive. Some advise against towing over 3,000# but then there is stories out there of people dragging 5,000# campers all over the mountains and across country with 3 kids and a dog.
 
You can tow that trailer with a 4Runner, especially since you obviously have towing experience. Even a Highlander is rated to tow 5000#.

That said, I'd bet you will hate it coming from a V8 Tundra. Also, I don't know you or your skills, but most people suck at estimating weights. Take it to a truck stop and pay a few bucks to use their scale.

Finally, just because it's rated for that trailer doesn't mean you'll want to pull it all the time. For regular towing I'd personally stick to the rule-of-thumb of 80% of max rating. So for one or two trips a year over flat roads, sure go with a 4Runner pulling 5000# or even slightly more if you have towing experience. But if you're planning on towing this thing a couple of times a month either go someplace to get an accurate weight (to make sure you're well under 5000#) or get something that can do the job right.
 
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dano said:
I've done quite a bit of looking on the internet but found nothing real definitive. Some advise against towing over 3,000# but then there is stories out there of people dragging 5,000# campers all over the mountains and across country with 3 kids and a dog.
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Did you do what I suggested and Google search the 5th Gen section? Because this exact topic has been discussed to death.

Definitive? There is only ONE THING definitive, and that is Toyota's tow rating. It's the internet, everything else is opinion. Some guys go 80%, some guys go 125% - all swear it's fine.

Do what I suggested. Every answer you want is already there - just pick the one you like.
 
dano said:
Dry weight 3850#, loaded 4800# est. tongue weight 400#.
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You sure of that TW? But even at 400#, stock, repeat "stock", a 4R will not be AT ALL happy with that TW, let alone plus gear plus people.... no siree.

You're gonna need shocks, bags, WDH, and electric brake controller.

How big is the family? Sequoia maybe?
 
The one thing in towing threads on all forums that is always overlooked is expectations.

Some will report a great towing experience if their maxed out rig makes it to the campground unscathed even if it could only do 30mph on the hills. Others expect nothing less than the feeling of a 2500lb boat trailer behind a 3/4 diesel pickup.

In my case the 4Runner replaced a GMC 2500 Sierra with the 6.6L Duramax so this is what my expectations are based on. I tow a single PWC on an aluminum trailer so about 1500lbs no frontal area to create drag and the 4Runner tows it nicely, a 5000lb travel trailer with a large frontal area in the mountains would not be a pleasant experience IMHO, will it tow it Yes will it like it No.
 
You have to factor in not only how much your vehicle can tow but also the factor of towing safety.

The 4runner can certainly pull that

The question is can you do it safely?

It comes down to a factor of the driving conditions, the skills of the driver that are around safety, and the exposure to unsafe drivers that might compromise your ability to brake fast enough

If not trading vehicle I would invest in upgrades to insure your families safety
 
I just picked up a V8 4runner with less miles than my JK had. It has a 7000 tow rating, we bought a small travel trailer (2000lbs or so) and it tows it great. I do feel it but the truck runs right in the powerband and climbs hills easily. We bought it with the intent to tow an rv.
 
A few months ago I towed 4800 lbs net weight plus trailer, so probably 6-6500 lbs gross in an enclosed cargo trailer with my '06 V8. It was heavy but towed no problem. The headwind sapped my gas more than the loaded weight. I was towing empty into a headwind and got worse mileage than fully loaded in a tailwind. I think I got around 10 MPG into the headwind.
 
Good morning everyone, I'm going to bump this thread, only because I'm going to play stupid and ask a few questions.

I've never towed anything, ever. Except for a small utility trailer with a lawn mower on it.

I'm relocating (long distance) and I'll be towing a U-Haul 5x8 trailer. Nothing crazy. Just to make sure I don't damage my 4Runner, I figured I'd get the opinions of you fine people.

What do I do and how do I do it? I have a 2013 SR5 4WD. (Again, playing stupid here) Do I turn off Over-Drive? If so, HOW? I've read my owners manual, cover to cover and haven't found anything regarding it at all. Do I put it in "manual" mode and just truck on? I know I won't need 4WD or anything like that, but I don't want any over-heating issues, blown gaskets, etc.

I appreciate ANY input, because as a woman travelling 1900 miles, alone.. I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Thank you!
 
Incxgnito. said:
Good morning everyone, I'm going to bump this thread, only because I'm going to play stupid and ask a few questions.

I've never towed anything, ever. Except for a small utility trailer with a lawn mower on it.

I'm relocating (long distance) and I'll be towing a U-Haul 5x8 trailer. Nothing crazy. Just to make sure I don't damage my 4Runner, I figured I'd get the opinions of you fine people.

What do I do and how do I do it? I have a 2013 SR5 4WD. (Again, playing stupid here) Do I turn off Over-Drive? If so, HOW? I've read my owners manual, cover to cover and haven't found anything regarding it at all. Do I put it in "manual" mode and just truck on? I know I won't need 4WD or anything like that, but I don't want any over-heating issues, blown gaskets, etc.

I appreciate ANY input, because as a woman travelling 1900 miles, alone.. I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Thank you!
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You have the v6 or the v8? regardless I think you'll be fine. the 4.0 has plenty of power and the hitch is rated at 5k lbs. no need to run 4x4 or manual in a lower gear. sure it sounds like a long trip but unless you're hauling granite slabs through the mountains you'll be fine.
EDIT, sorry I didn't realize you said you had the 5th gen.
 
UrbanRunner651 said:
You have the v6 or the v8? regardless I think you'll be fine. the 4.0 has plenty of power and the hitch is rated at 5k lbs. no need to run 4x4 or manual in a lower gear. sure it sounds like a long trip but unless you're hauling granite slabs through the mountains you'll be fine.
EDIT, sorry I didn't realize you said you had the 5th gen.
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Thank you for responding so quick! I'm going to be towing a (smaller) sofa, a wingback chair, a steampunk era trunk and like 15 boxes (various sizes). Nothing too heavy. I would just rather ask, before I'm stuck in Arizona, in BFE. The hitch I have is 6000lbs rated, as well. I just didn't know about the whole over-drive thing and have always been told to turn it off. I just don't want to hurt my 4Runner, on a long haul like that. I love it too much.
 
Incxgnito. said:
Thank you for responding so quick! I'm going to be towing a (smaller) sofa, a wingback chair, a steampunk era trunk and like 15 boxes (various sizes). Nothing too heavy. I would just rather ask, before I'm stuck in Arizona, in BFE. The hitch I have is 6000lbs rated, as well. I just didn't know about the whole over-drive thing and have always been told to turn it off. I just don't want to hurt my 4Runner, on a long haul like that. I love it too much.
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some helping hands in case you find yourself in a pinch riding solo. safe travels.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/general-discussions/144914-im-stuck-need-help-toyota-4runner-contact-thread.html
 
Your 4Runner will be just fine towing that size of trailer, especially if U-Haul allows that size of trailer with your vehicle. U-Haul will not allow their trailers to be towed if it is over their 80% figures, so as to not damage their trailers or your vehicles.
Do not use the overdrive on the transmission, as it is designed for fuel economy and not for towing. The Toyota owners manual has a section in there on towing. Most automatic transmissions have a button to push to take it out of overdrive (a light will appear on the dashboard when it is out of OD), others use the selector to manually put the transmission into gear (example P, R, N, D, 4, 3, 2, 1) you will want to use the 4 when driving forward. Since you are towing in Cali the speed limit is only 55mph and the speeding ticket is very high when you do get pulled over (72mph pulling an empty trailer in a 65mph zone cost me $604).
The main thing to remember is to relax, drive smooth, make wider than usual turns, expect poor fuel mileage, your stopping distance will increase dramatically so increase the distance between you and the vehicle in front of you, watch your gauges on the dash and pull over if anything gets into the high temperature range.
If your trailer begins to sway back and forth drastically ease off the gas pedal and apply the brakes gradually until the swaying stops. If you can not do the speed limit without serious swaying (not from the wind) you have loaded your trailer wrong and need to re-arrange how it was loaded. Do not put all the weight in the front or back of the trailer try to load it evenly.

Btw, I was a transporter for the past 3 years and travelled over 500,000 miles in that amount of time with no transmission issues..
 
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