7x29 enclosed v-nose trailer

It's a bit longer than I need, I could do with 23' overall, but I'm not finding any good deals on a shorter trailer. If I do a weight distribution hitch, air bags, and trailer brakes, could I pull this across the country with my '06 access cab, V6 TRD?

Everyone seems to ask about 12' and 14' trailers, worried about whether their taco can do it. I regularly tow, but I need a longer trailer. I've never seen anyone mention pulling a 4-sled enclosed trailer so I'm wondering if anyone has? I can't get exact spec for the trailer, but it is sub 2000 lbs as it is all aluminum . The cargo would be sub 4000 (probably closer to 2000), so by the book, under the tow limit. The Dealer tells me that 1/2 ton trucks are the perfect tow vehicles for this trailer, but that's not what I have.

To make the windage worse, I'd also have a dozen boats (canoes and kayaks) on the roof of my truck and the trailer during towing, but I'm factoring their weight into the total (each is under 40 lbs).

 

No. Not a weight problem. Just too big for a Tacoma.

 

What makes it too big? I've pulled open trailers that are 25', taller than this and with a gross weight of 3500lbs without any kind of sway, weight, or brake control with little difficulty, but everyone seems scared to pull big trailers and I'm not sure why. No one has put forward solid reasoning as to why which is what I'm looking for now.

 

You need at least a half ton, preferebly 3/4 or 1 ton. Our trucks are way to light weight to haul something this long. You will have a lot more sway from the trailer going down hills and in cross winds. Think of it as a sail behind your truck, one cross wind hard enough (and with our trucks being light weight it won't take much) it can easily blow you off the road. I personally wouldn't tow this size trailer with anything less than a 3/4 ton if your going all the way across country. I may be 19 but I have hauled many trailers (grew up on a farm).

 

Weight wise your fine but that thing will toss the taco around

 

It is the size, not the weight, that is the problem. That is alot of trailer to pull behind a Tacoma. Gas would be terrible. Drag will be crazy with something this size.

 

It's hard to tell proportions, but I've pulled this open trailer for several thousand miles and it is 30 feet long, holds 16 canoes and 11' tall when loaded on the top level . I once had 42 sea kayaks on this thing which killed my gas mileage , but wasn't scary to tow. I've definitely experienced crosswinds and bow wakes, but again nothing that ever scared me.

I can't imagine it's that much different from an enclosed trailer. Guess that's why I ask if anyone has done anything crazy and pulled such a trailer only to find out that the Tacoma does alright.

 

It is a ton different. Air can rush through the canoes easily, not with an enclosed trailer. I mean you are going to do what you want but I HIGHLY advised NOT to.

 

You pulled that trailer with a Tacoma? The picture looks like it's hooked up to a 2nd gen dodge ram.

I agree with all of the other posts, that the Tacoma just doesn't have the weight to safely pull such a large enclosed trailer. If the trailer starts to sway it'll want to pull the rear of the truck around and there isn't a lot of weight back there (in general terms compared to the forces from the trailer) to keep it planted.

Let me tell you a quick true story: A little over 5 years ago, my parents were traveling on I-495 in SE Mass and there was a newer chevy trailblazer pulling a travel trailer about 1/4 mile ahead. No one was near the trail blazer. The trailer started to sway a bit and then pulled the rear of the trail blazer around sending it off of the road. Both trailer and truck flipped. Driver (retired age man) was not wearing his seat belt and went out the back side window. Wife stayed in the truck but badly hurt. My parents stopped to help. Man died immediately, wife later died in hospital. Troopers, insurance and lawyer (grown kids got an attorney) interviewed my parents. It turns out this was a rented trailer. The truck was able to tow the weight but it was toward the max allowable. Evidently a gust of wind took them out. I'm sure the driver was confident he could pull the trailer fine but you need to have a bit of weight in the tow vehicle to keep the wheels planted when the trailer starts to pull it sideways.

 

vssman, you're right it is a dodge in the photo, which is why I pulled it often with my Tacoma. The damn shop truck kept breaking down.

I wish I could find clear-cut specs of what is okay to pull. If the truck ways this much, and has tongue weight of this, then the sail area of the trailer being X is okay to pull. Perhaps I can make do with an 18' enclosed trailer. There's a number of folks pulling larger travel trailers with Tacoma's and those definitely stand taller than a cargo trailer will.

 

It's our "opinion" that it's not a good idea. If it falls within Toyota's spec for towing then you should be ok. I see no overall length limit in the owner's manual. Just weights.

And they pulled the Space Shuttle with a Tundra.

 

Im not sure if its an "opinion" if you just use basic physics/common sense. The weight isn't much a problem but the length is. One good side gust of wind and the trailer is being blown in that direction, taking the taco off the road and seriously hurting if not killing people inside. But who knows maybe its just me

 

I'm not sure I would be comfortable pulling that with my Tundra. That is not gonna be fun to tug with the Tacoma.

After the weight of all the sleds and fuel, no way are you going to be hauling safe.

 

Here's why. This guy has a crew cab dually diesel monster and you have essentially a toy compared to it.



http://youtu.be/kwOqARlw1EI?t=40s

 

We get winds like this in Colorado often. Utah as well. We had 100 mph+ winds on Monday. All day. Melted all the snow and ice we've accumulated the week before.

I usually get worse gas mileage on the flats coming out of Colorado and into Utah on the way to Moab than I do in the mountains pulling several passes. All due to the cross winds.

I was pulling my Jeep home one year and got sand blasted by blowing sand in the cross winds. Visibility was approx. 100-200 ft.

 

This is what I towed from AZ to OR. Car was still together when towing. Set up with a WD hitch, friction sway control, air bags, and extra weight (2bay tool box) in the bed, there was wind that made me remember it was there.
Driving across town, sure the truck can tow a trailer as big as that if the weight is within specs and it has brakes. However, Tacomas don't have the weight in the ass end to prevent the tongue from levering the truck sideways.

 

It's not the length that's an issue. Same length flatbed, no problem excluding panic stops. It's surface area.

Anyone can hold a sheet of drywall, no issues. Put a 5mph wind in the equation and you start to have trouble. Put a 50mph wind in, and you have serious issues. Anything besides a direct headwind applies torque to the rear of the truck. Severe tailwinds can lighten your steering and worsen your braking performance.

Come to Wy after a wind storm and count the semi's laying on their side up and down the interstate. Those are heavy as all get out, towing heavy as all get out, and designed specifically for that job. The smart drivers are sitting at truck stops, the lucky dumb one's aren't dead.

Physics can be a bitch, basic physics knowledge (levers in this case) can help you stay out of trouble. Figuring a 7x23 sidewall has 161 sqft of space, or 23184 in^2, A wind that is pushing only 1/10 a psi of force = over 1 ton of force across the side of the trailer. No biggie. Except the sidewall is 7' tall, so you have that amount of force being applied to a lever 7 feet long. The end of that lever won't be receiving the full amount of force, but it doesn't have to. It just has to have enough to start the trailer moving. And once a trailer starts to lift, you get a longer lever from the wind pushing under you, less downforce as the wind is now creating lift, and the entire weight tilting over 1 point instead of 2 that are 7' away from each other. All put together (even though my math is relying on stuff I forgot a decade ago) and you have a bad day.

If the trailer doesn't lift but starts to push your rear end, you have all that leverage from the long trailer being applied directly to your hitch. Odds are once your rear end starts to move, it will keep doing so. A pass from a semi is all it takes to make that happen.

 

Lots of guys ask about if their taco can pull something on here, and the answer is usually the same to them, it can, but it isn't safe. Find a taco sized trailer op, that things too big

 

Why not get an 8' wide so you can get something closer to a 16' length?