Towing

[jwkilgore]

What 1engineer said. I've only towed a few times in my 5th gen, and they've mostly been lighter trailers. But I've been pulling trailers my whole life (my dad was a truck driver, and this was an absolutely required skill for his kids to learn), and I know my 4R can easily handle a loaded U-Haul trailer. The gross trailer weight for a loaded 6x12 U-Haul box is 4,400lbs, and the 4R is rated for 5,000lbs.

You won't have the power to zipping along at 80mph going up mountains or around curves, but you'll be able to pull it at reasonable speeds. I believe the official U-Haul speed limit is 50mph anyway.


Some tips:
- Practice backing up in an empty parking lot. Everything is reversed (turn left to go right), doubly so because you have to steer by mirror. Practice so you'll know what to do before you get jackknifed and jammed up in a gas station or hotel parking lot.
- Your center mirror becomes useless, and you now have a huge blind spot. Learn to use your side mirrors properly.
- Tie everything down in the trailer. Load shifting is the primary cause of single vehicle trailer accidents. Do not rely on gravity to keep everything in place.
- You need three locks: a pin lock to lock your hitch to the receiver, a padlock to lock the trailer to the ball (or a padlock on a chain), and a padlock for the rear of the trailer. Even better is to back the trailer into a parking space in a way they can't move the trailer without moving the truck, or chain the trailer to an immovable object like you would a bicycle.
- The 5th gen 4R has huge brakes, but you still need lots of extra room for stopping. The trailer will come with surge brakes, but those things can be finicky and even fail at the wrong time. Do not tailgate, and brake early for curves!

 

[DesertCanyons]

moving with a trailer

... I might be moving from Roseburg, OR to St. Louis, MO for a promotion.... I think I'll need a 6x12 Uhaul to get me and the dog.

I'm planning on going up through Bend, OR to the smaller part of the Rockies through Idaho, Wyoming, and stopping in Denver to visit friends before hitting the plains. How bad is hauling a 6x12 trailer with a 5th Gen 4runner, mine is a 2015 Trail. I've hauled before but it's always been with military vehicles that are meant to do heavy heavy hauling.

You've gotten good replies here today.

Edit: get spot mirrors for your side mirrors. It will help a lot with lane changing and watching the traffic on both sides. I use 3" round mirrors and they work great on the 4Runner. Order on Amazon or pick them up from a local auto parts store.

1engineer said to use sport mode "S" in drive on the trans shifter. That takes the T4R out of overdrive and sets the highest gear at 4th. It won't shift into overdrive. If you find yourself going downhill at freeway speeds shift back into "D" drive to reduce your RPM. Keep your speed down though. With lots of weight in overdrive it's easy to get going too fast and going downhill makes it harder to stop. "S" mode also helps you avoid riding the brakes constantly when driving downhill on winding roads.

Definitely tie down your load well. If you've hauled gear for the military you may/should know this already. Make sure the lines follow the shortest distance from tie down point to tie down point, otherwise the lines will become slack as the load shifts, shakes and moves. Check your lines again after a few miles or as often as practical and every time you stop.

Yes, practice backing up with an empty trailer because you will have to do it eventually, somewhere. Again, if you've already pulled trailers with big trucks for the military you may know how already.

The speed limit for cars with trailers is 55 mph in CA. It's the same speed trucks must follow so watch for road signs as this max speed varies from state to state. Trucks and cars with trailers must use the right lanes on freeways. On highways with two lanes each way you must stay in the right lane except for passing.

Don't try to race up hills. Save your engine and conserve fuel by going slow and selecting the right gear in "S" mode for the grade. Your RPM should be around 1200 to 2000 RPM max for most situations. I follow this rule for daily driving too. At 80 mph my RPM may be a bit over 2000 RPM, but you won't be driving 80 mph with a trailer.

Good luck with the promotion. Be safe and have fun with the move.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

I'll just ditto what 3wbdriver stated.

Let me preface with I have never towed a trailer with a 4Runner, but I did with a 70's FJ40 that was a work truck and that thing with its short wheelbase pulling a long trailer - it got squirrelly and started shaking that truck around like a rag doll.

Your first reaction might be to hit the brakes which is absolutely the worst thing you can do. Just let off the throttle and let the trailer settle down.

I doubt with the longer wheelbase of the T4R and 12' trailer you'll have any issues unless you do something crazy, just be mentally prepared for it in case you do.

Are you heading out from MCRD?

 

[flyrv9]

The only thing I can add is depending on what trailer you get, it may be wider than your truck. Pretty common for trailer wheels and fenders to stick out past the normal track of a vehicle. If so, you need to remember that when parking next to something or passing things in close quarters - like gas pumps.

 

[Ezlife45]

Backing up comment

Something someone told me,

When backing up, try grabbing the bottom of the steering wheel. Then roll the steering wheel in the direction you want the trailer to go in.

Oh and unless they don't help you much I think it's a law in many states to make certain the safety chains are crossed before attaching to the receiver hitch.

 

[brockvond]

Minor, common sense thing, but you'll want to check air pressure in your tires and I'd suggest they be inflated to their higher load carrying capacity, given the specific tires you're running.

 

[jwkilgore]

I've hauled before but it's always been with military vehicles that are meant to do heavy heavy hauling.

Oops, I missed this part. Sorry, ignore the trailering advice. Yes, the 4Runner can haul any U-Haul box trailer. :thumb3: