Towing

[RacerDude]

Hi there,

Just thought this might be of interest to some out there -- we don't see many pics of people towing with their rigs.

I'm a printer by trade, and occasionally we have enough product from one certain customer to make it worth our while to deliver to a city about 7 hours away rather than shipping it. So....the trailer (about 1500 lbs. empty) has 5500 lbs. of product in it for a total weight of about 7000 lbs., the rated max for this vehicle. I have towed 4-5000 lbs. before, but this was the largest load I've had. It handled it just fine, was able to cruise comfortably at 65-68 mph on level ground - it had the power to go a little faster, but I didn't want to push the envelope. There were a couple of 3-4 mile mountain pulls that I had to pull in 2nd gear at 40-45 mph. The outdoor temps were 50-60 degrees, so nothing very extreme. The coolant needle never budged, and the transmission warning light did not come on. If I do this very much I would want to get an actual transmission temp gauge. Gas mileage average loaded was 7.9 and empty was 11.9 for an overall trip average of 9.5 for 900 miles.

I am so pleased with this rig, it fits our family so perfectly with it's off-road capabilities for geocaching and exploring, size for the four of us, gas mileage when not towing (in my book 14-16 is pretty good for a V8 with this capabilty) and the power to tow 7000 lbs.

RacerDude

 

[Atomic 4Runner]

Level Towing

Your truck looks like it's sitting quite level. Do you know about how much tongue weight you had with the trailer loaded? Do you have the Air Suspenion Leveling Option?

I don't anticipate towing 7k lbs., but it's nice to know it is capable of doing that without any serious strain on the vehicle.

Nice looking truck. I have an 06 V-8 Limited 4X4 on order, sure anxious to get it.

 

[RacerDude]

I really don't have any idea what the tongue weight was. I don't have the air leveling. If you look closely at the hitch, you can see the equalizer bars are pulled up pretty tight, that really helps with the tow vehicle ride height, as well as the handling.

Sounds like you're getting a nice one also, I really like the led's on the 06's. Sorry you've had to wait for it so long, more patience than I would have I'm afraid.

RD

 

[Bluto]

3000 lb boat. 1000 lb trailer. On it's way to get an engine. Engine, console, gas tank, gear, another 1000 lbs. The ball was mounted on the wrong side for the V8. I have since added a ball to my hitch on the correct side.

 

[Koz]

It's great to know that the 4Runner is capable of towing its max tow rating safely. I would love to see how the auto leveling rear air bags would handle that weight. Next time you have to deliver to NJ, give a shout!

Koz

 

[wilsoncwil]

Thanks RacerDude, this was some really good information and glad you posted this! I was about to get a trailer of that size to haul my band equipment, we currently use a Ryder moving truck. We play everywhere up and down the west coast and I am somewhat concerned that the V8 will not be able to easily pull a 5,000 lbs trailer over the I-5 Siskiyou mountain range at the OR/CA border. This stretch of I-5 has 7 degree upgrades for miles and sometimes it gets pretty hot in the summer. With you having to put the truck in 2nd gear has me kind of concerned, I don't want to be that slow ass in the right lane with my emergency blinkers on. I guess I'll wait for the new 5.7L Tundra before I get the trailer.

 

[Koz]

Thanks RacerDude, this was some really good information and glad you posted this! I was about to get a trailer of that size to haul my band equipment, we currently use a Ryder moving truck. We play everywhere up and down the west coast and I am somewhat concerned that the V8 will not be able to easily pull a 5,000 lbs trailer over the I-5 Siskiyou mountain range at the OR/CA border. This stretch of I-5 has 7 degree upgrades for miles and sometimes it gets pretty hot in the summer. With you having to put the truck in 2nd gear has me kind of concerned, I don't want to be that slow ass in the right lane with my emergency blinkers on. I guess I'll wait for the new 5.7L Tundra before I get the trailer.

There is a BIG difference between towing 5K and 7K pounds. Also RacerDude is using the non-VVT-i V8 which has 35 HP LESS. 5K lbs will be no problem for the VVT-i V8 and i dought you will experience the 2nd gear uphills with less weight and more power.

Koz

 

[wilsoncwil]

There is a BIG difference between towing 5K and 7K pounds. Also RacerDude is using the non-VVT-i V8 which has 35 HP LESS. 5K lbs will be no problem for the VVT-i V8 and i dought you will experience the 2nd gear uphills with less weight and more power.

Koz

Hmmm, I'm still a little skeptical.... I still want to hear others who have towed heavy loads over long mountain passes.

 

[Falls]

3000 lb boat. 1000 lb trailer. On it's way to get an engine. Engine, console, gas tank, gear, another 1000 lbs. The ball was mounted on the wrong side for the V8. I have since added a ball to my hitch on the correct side.

Not to be stupid but what do you mean by the ball is on the wrong side for the V8 ? I've been pulling trailer's for year's and never heard such a statement,so many new thing's to learn with having a Yota.

 

[Koz]

Not to be stupid but what do you mean by the ball is on the wrong side for the V8 ? I've been pulling trailer's for year's and never heard such a statement,so many new thing's to learn with having a Yota.

There is an offset (1 or 2 inches, which drops the ball height) on the adapter that the ball is attached to. Depending on which side of the adapter you insert the ball, determines whether it's set up for a V8 or a V6. If I remember correctly the V8 lowers the ball height.

Koz

 

[Bluto]

Not to be stupid but what do you mean by the ball is on the wrong side for the V8 ? I've been pulling trailer's for year's and never heard such a statement,so many new thing's to learn with having a Yota.

The ball can be mounted on either side of the hitch/ballmount. The orange car attached to the Toyota ballmount showed the V8 in the high position. So this hitch flipped = high position. Koz, I'll check the card, but I think V8 is high.

 

[Koz]

The ball can be mounted on either side of the hitch/ballmount. The orange car attached to the Toyota ballmount showed the V8 in the high position. So this hitch flipped = high position. Koz, I'll check the card, but I think V8 is high.

I stand corrected. :bonk:

Koz

 

[Falls]

What the heck is the diff. ? I've alway's adj. up or down to keep the trailer in the correct position.

Just checked my card, V8 = high pos.

 

[Koz]

What the heck is the diff. ? I've alway's adj. up or down to keep the trailer in the correct position.

Just checked my card, V8 = high pos.

I ASSumed it was to lower the ball because of the hitch design differences.

Koz

 

[LV4R]

I have pulled this the past weekend and I had no problems whatsoever. I have the v6 and I put the trans in 4 for flat and shift to 3 for hills and I have plenty of power to pull this load which was approx 6000 pounds with 2 quads, water and gear. Extremely happy that even the v6 can pull a large load with no problems!!

 

[RacerDude]

Thanks LV4R for posting that -- I just signed the papers yesterday for a 2006 25' Frontier trailer with a dry weight of 5380 lbs. Knowing that even the V6 is capable of these loads is good news, the V8 shouldn't be a problem.

RD

 

[Atomic 4Runner]

Gas Mileage towing that load?

That's a nice looking rig and quite impressive towing ability. Any idea what kind of gas mileage you get when towing your rig? Also, did you see any increase engine temp? Thanks!

 

[LV4R]

Gas mileage was around 8 mpg and ZERO increase in engine temp. The temp when I was towing it yesterday was 94 here in Vegas and had no effect.

 

[Koz]

Thanks LV4R for posting that -- I just signed the papers yesterday for a 2006 25' Frontier trailer with a dry weight of 5380 lbs. Knowing that even the V6 is capable of these loads is good news, the V8 shouldn't be a problem.

RD

When you add up the total weight, you will be near max tow rating. Also with the short wheelbase and a 25' trailer you may need a sway/weight distribution system.

Koz

 

[cenewc]

Gettin' my boat ready to take it up to the lake for the summer, and this was the first time towing something with my new 4Runner!! The V8 pulled my '63 Chris Craft like it was nothing. So much better than the POS Mercedes ML430 I used to have.