V6 Towing?

peter78

peter78

Super Moderator
I have read on this forum that if you get a weight-distributing hitch on a V6 you can tow 6700 pounds. When I go to the Toyota site they have 5,000 pounds towing with the V6 and no mention of the weight-distributing hitch.

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

I am considering a 2008 4Runner and I am planning on getting a bigger camper. Probably something weighing around 3,500 to 4,000 pounds. If you add extra weight, it will go over 5,000 pounds. So, the ability of the V6 towing 6,700 pounds is appealing to me.

Can someone steer me in the right direction, maybe a link to a web site where Toyota says you can tow more than 5,000 pounds with the V6. The sales person knows absolutely nothing about the 6,700 pound towing for the V6. By the way, I am planning on getting a SR5 2WD, thanks....
 
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peter78 said:
I have read on this forum that if you get a weight-distributing hitch on a V6 you can tow 6700 pounds. When I go to the Toyota site they have 5,000 pounds towing with the V6 and no mention of the weight-distributing hitch.

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

I am considering a 2008 4Runner and I am planning on getting a bigger camper. Probably something weighing around 3,500 to 4,000 pounds. If you add extra weight, it will go over 5,000 pounds. So, the ability of the V6 towing 6,700 pounds is appealing to me.

Can someone steer me in the right direction, maybe a link to a web site where Toyota says you can tow more than 5,000 pounds with the V6. The sales person knows absolutely nothing about the 6,700 pound towing for the V6. By the way, I am planning on getting a SR5 2WD, thanks....
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That is correct. 6,400 for 4WD, 6,700 for 2WD. They don't say that on thier website for fear of sales, but it say that in the owners manual. Currently I tow right at 5k and the V6 doesn't skip a beat, and seems to have plenty of power.
 
Re: Re: V6 Towing?

gizmopt2002 said:
That is correct. 6,400 for 4WD, 6,700 for 2WD. They don't say that on thier website for fear of sales, but it say that in the owners manual. Currently I tow right at 5k and the V6 doesn't skip a beat, and seems to have plenty of power.
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O.K., it is in the owners manual, good. Do you have a transmission cooler with your rig, to tow that much?
 
Re: Re: Re: V6 Towing?

peter78 said:
O.K., it is in the owners manual, good. Do you have a transmission cooler with your rig, to tow that much?
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Not at this moment, eventually yea, but we might end up selling the boat so I dunno.
 
Koz said:
I think it stipulates you need the WD hitch and a trans cooler.

Koz
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The trouble I am having with the idiot sales person is he had no idea what I am talking about. I need to look at the manual, get the info about a WD hitch and the transmission cooler and make the deal and have them install it before I pick it up.

The sales person, also corrected me and said the V6 does not have a timing chain, it has a timing belt that needs to be changed at 90,000 miles. Don't worry, I may not buy from him, I am just getting my ducks in a row, so I can hopefully make the deal go smoother.
 
Koz said:
I think it stipulates you need the WD hitch and a trans cooler.

Koz
Click to expand...

All it stipulates in my manual (2005) is a WD hitch. Doesn't say a thing about a trans cooler. I added one to my rig, even though I haven't bought my boat yet, for good measure. The trans cooler is very easy to install.
I don't know, but Hayden hitch made a good one for 4runners that required no drilling. I don't know if that hitch is still available. Of course "WD hitch" must mean adding a WD device to the hitch, right?
 
What are you upgrading to? Hybrid or small TT?

I have been thinking about upgrading my camper in the next year or so. My pop-up weighs just over 3,000 lb. dry and I have no problems towing with my '01 SR5, but I did add friction sway control to help.
 
TheBlueWave said:
All it stipulates in my manual (2005) is a WD hitch. Doesn't say a thing about a trans cooler. I added one to my rig, even though I haven't bought my boat yet, for good measure. The trans cooler is very easy to install.
I don't know, but Hayden hitch made a good one for 4runners that required no drilling. I don't know if that hitch is still available. Of course "WD hitch" must mean adding a WD device to the hitch, right?
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That is one of my concerns, I can't read it any where, so I don't know if you need a transmission cooler or really how much you can carry. When I go to the dealer, I will discretly read the manual.

As far as Toyota's weight-distributing hitch, from what I read in this forum I belive it is different than a weight distribution hitch. Toyota's weight distibuting hitch, as opposed to weight carrying hitch, can simply carry more weight, due to do the way it is attached. A weight distribution hitch is added to the hitch, making the trailer sway less. So, from what I have read, weight-distributing hitch and a weight distribution hitch are two different animals.


racedirt1 said:
What are you upgrading to? Hybrid or small TT?

I have been thinking about upgrading my camper in the next year or so. My pop-up weighs just over 3,000 lb. dry and I have no problems towing with my '01 SR5, but I did add friction sway control to help.
Click to expand...

I have looked at different rigs, one that caught my eye was a hybird, basically a travler trailer with tow pop out beds. The pop out beds, when you pull them out have steel and plastic sides instead of canvas sides. It was 19 feet with fake wood floors and weighed 3,900 pounds. The salesman said I could tow it with my 2001 4Runner, but I thought it would be a bit much.

I retire in 3 years and I plan on driving around the country. Who, knows what will be out then in trailers. I need another car now, so I am trying to balance getting something with decent mileage and something that might be able to handle my current needs and maybe future needs, (3 years). If I need a bigger car then and gas is not $10 a gallon, so be it. I get a bigger car. Right now, I am thinking keeping the current 4Runner, then maybe give it to my Son in 1 1/2 years. Then using a 2008 4Runner for towing and daily driving. My other option is simply to get the 4 cyl RAV4, then in a few years, see what develops.
 
I am very concerned with towing capacities. The last thing I want is to pull a trailer weighing more than my truck and get into trouble (crash).

I have an '04 SR5 4WD and my manual says some strange things. 1) it is clear that the weight limit for the V6 is 5000lb but it does say that the weight distributing hitch can cary more load. 2) it also says not to use a weight distributing hitch.

Can someone shed some light on this statement?
 
Peter78,

Toyota no longer prints that information in the manual. At least it wasn't in the 2007 manual. I sat at the dealership and looked through the entire manual.

Members here have posted scans (I have copies on my HD) of the manual where it states that maximum towing weight differs with the type of hitch installed. The manual did list an increased towing weight with the upgraded hitch on the V6. But it made no mention of adding a transmission cooler. (The scan I have is from page 315, but I don't know which year the manual is.)

Toyota claims that the transmission does not need a cooler for anything 5000 lbs and lower (which is why one is not offered on the V6). It is part of the tow package on the V8 (same transmission), since it has a higher tow rating with the tow package.

I don't think you'll get Toyota to state that the V6 can tow more with the upgraded hitch anymore. For some reason, they won't put that in writing anymore.
 
With the right hitch and a trans cooler you will have no problem towing 5,000lbs I tow about 4,800lbs when I tow my Jayco 19ft camper with my 06 V6 all summer long and the rig has no problems with that load.

Do you need the trans cooler??? I went back and forth with this question then I felt it would be better to be safe so I added one.

I was told by a guy at my stealership that also tows with a 4runner to keep it out of overdrive unless you are on the flats.
 
On page 386 of my 2008 4Runner Owner's Manual it states:

"CAUTION Do not exceed 72 km/h (45 mpg) or the posted towing speed limit, whichever is lower. Because instability (swaying) of a towing vehicle-trailer combination usually increases as the speed increases, exceeding 72 km/h (45 mpg) may cause loss of control."

We're all following this advisory, right???!!
 
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The V6 should be able to tow that weight with the proper hitch. The Tacoma with the same engine is rated for 6500lbs with the towing package, but it does include a transmission oil cooler, supplemental engine oil cooler and larger alternator.
 
4RunerFan said:
On page 386 of my 2008 4Runner Owner's Manual it states:

"CAUTION Do not exceed 72 km/h (45 mpg) or the posted towing speed limit, whichever is lower. Because instability (swaying) of a towing vehicle-trailer combination usually increases as the speed increases, exceeding 72 km/h (45 mpg) may cause loss of control."

We're all following this advisory, right???!!
Click to expand...

It would appear that warning pertains to people who tow without using sway control devices.
Without sway control, a passing tractor trailer, box truck or just cross winds can start a trailer swaying.

I use sway control on my enclosed car trailer.
Over the last few years the sway control system has kept my trailer ROCK STEADY under a number of different conditions.
There is absolutely no way I would tow a trailer like mine without sway control.
 
Towing camper with 4Runner

I have a 2008 V6 4L 4Runner and am about to buy a rv trailer, haven't fully decided yet. The tow capacity of my 4Runner is 5,000#. Can I easily tow a 4000# trailer without too much difficulty or will this be a chore for my vehicle? Should I look more towards a 3000# rv trailer? And my understanding is the tongue weight limit is 500#. Should I look towards a less tongue weight in the 350# range?
 
RonKor said:
I have a 2008 V6 4L 4Runner and am about to buy a rv trailer, haven't fully decided yet. The tow capacity of my 4Runner is 5,000#. Can I easily tow a 4000# trailer without too much difficulty or will this be a chore for my vehicle? Should I look more towards a 3000# rv trailer? And my understanding is the tongue weight limit is 500#. Should I look towards a less tongue weight in the 350# range?
Click to expand...

The thing to keep in mind is, if the camper is rated at 4000# dry weight it will be considerably heavier once you have all of your stuff in it. Plus, my understanding is the dry weight doesn't even include the battery, the propane tanks and possibly more. And if you happen to travel with a full fresh water tank as in going boondocking, that will add even more weight. A really good resource for researching this stuff is rv.net. There are guys on there that are really knowledgeable about towing weights and most are more than happy to share their knowledge with you.
 
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