lol wut?
That's what she said.
lol wut?
the drivers door jamb yellow sticker is the final say so, it trumps the owners manual.
Wow, these towing w/ a 5th gen threads are driving me crazy!!!! These are body on frame vehicles and are good for up to 5k. As stated before, rear suspension air bags and trailer brakes are a good idea. Also, tires that can be inflated to 44 psi or more when cold are a good idea too. I've seen a 5th gen tow a Bob Cat mini bull dozer before.
While I am personally guilty of pulling far over 5K across the continent with a 4runner, please don't do that again. Pulling more than 1000lb (arbitrary number, but somewhere around there), you NEED trailer brakes and a brake controller. Under ideal conditions, you'll have no problem stopping just about any trailer, but in an emergency, things are very different. The harder and faster you apply the brakes, the trailer applies increasing tongue weight to the vehicle, effectively lifting the main braking axle of the tow vehicle, reducing its traction and braking force.completely agree! I even once towed a grand cherokee on a dolly, which gave me approx. 5500 LBS, and obviously no trailer brakes, or anti-sway system. I knew the truck would do fine, because for god's sake, it's a TRUCK! not some car disguised in a SUV. Well, all in all, had lots of grades, going in and out of highways, and everything went fine (over 1H drive), you just have to be cautious and keep your distances. Power and braking was enough, and AT temps did stay in a safe range.
While I am personally guilty of pulling far over 5K across the continent with a 4runner, please don't do that again. Pulling more than 1000lb (arbitrary number, but somewhere around there), you NEED trailer brakes and a brake controller. Under ideal conditions, you'll have no problem stopping just about any trailer, but in an emergency, things are very different. The harder and faster you apply the brakes, the trailer applies increasing tongue weight to the vehicle, effectively lifting the main braking axle of the tow vehicle, reducing its traction and braking force.
The 4,700 value is the new SAE standards value
You are quite correct of course. But the spec sheet provided by Toyota to journalists says 4,700 is the SAE value. We're talking about 300 lbs., so I think you're fine w/5,000. One value may be taking into account two 150-lb. occupants while the other is not. It seems to me it's been 5,000 for over a decade, but when they adopted the SAE standards it dropped to 4,700. Go figure.If you look at the image of the manual page posted in this thread, you'll see that the manual says 5,000 lbs in accordance with the new SAE standard.
Towing is a lot more complex than some words written on a sticker, manual or an internet blog. Factor in terrain first, traffic conditions second and something you may have no control over, such as wind direction & wind speed.
Keeping the RPM's below 3,500 on a decent grade while towing 5,000 lbs. will net about 25 mph. That's ok unless everyone else around you is driving large & fast trucks like they do in Arizona. Throw in a 50 mph headwind while pulling a travel trailer and good luck maintaining 40 mph.
When someone tells you to buy the same rig they own, listen, they might be right. When they tell you to buy a different rig then they own, really pay attention, they probably know something you don't.
“No one should impose their own perception of fulfillment on anyone else.”
Do whatever you want or can afford.