Family wanting a trailer

I have read a whole bunch of threads and I can't figure out the answer to my question.

Part of the reason why I got a Tacoma was because it says that it can tow up to 6400 lb. There are a lot of nice bunkhouse trailers that are around 3,000 or 3,500 lb and I thought well these would be perfect I can get one of these trailers and take my family camping. After doing research to the effect of finding out that hitch weight eats into the cargo capacity of the towing vehicle and looking at the sticker on inside the driver door of my Tacoma which says that it only has a cargo capacity of a thousand pounds, I can't even tow 3,000 lb since that would take 300 lb into my cargo capacity. My husband, my two kids - one of which is a special needs adult - and two dogs along with myself and my accessories puts me at around 900 pounds. That gives me a thousand pounds to work with since 10% of that is about 100 lb which would be my hitch weight roughly. Even if I switched out my current Diamondback cover for a regular cap so that my dogs would be able to be in the back, with my eco-flow AC of course, while driving, I'm still way over cargo capacity with pretty much every trailer on the market even if it's well within the towing range of a Tacoma. Am I stuck with just tiny pop-ups? Or am I not understanding hitch weight and its effect on cargo weight correctly?

 

You have it figured out.

Many people tow and haul over the limits.

Luckily, the Tacoma has a great resale value if you chose to get a truck better suited for your needs.

 

There are many threads on TW about this topic. I bought a toy hauler with a WDH and the Tacoma pulls everything just fine. Just get single-digit MPG though... I suppose after crunching all the numbers I might be *slightly* over the specified limits, but it drives fine, it stops fine (get a good brake controller such as Redarc), and there is hardly any sag in the rear without air bags. It just depends on where you are going and how much stuff you carry. It's a truck, use it like one.

EDIT: link to my trailer added: https://www.coachmenrvsource.com/sp...ess-blast-toy-hauler-floorplan-17blse-tr59208

 

I tow a 20-ft long Jayco (GVWR 3500#) and have a heavy weight distribution hitch on it, along with a Deaver add a leaf to my rear OEM springs and also use airbags (mainly due to carrying heavy cargo without the trailer), and a few other accessories on it as well. It works well and tows fine but needs to use higher RPMs at highway speeds and gets around 11 mpg doing that. One thing is true- you will all be cramped in the little cab, even if it’s a crew cab like mine. Try it out by renting one first. Also, have you seen the Towing Bible here?

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-tacoma-towing-bible.4031/

Your family will really enjoy being able to go camping, its great you’re doing that! Good luck and come back here if you have any questions!

 

For my 2023 TRD Sport DCSB 4x4, I went with Venture Sonic Lite SL169VUD camper and Fastway e2 weight-distribution hitch. For the weight-distribution hitch, I got the 800lb tongue weight version because it was same price as 600lb version, but 600lb one would probably be fine. Used a Redarc Tow-Pro Liberty brake controller. I put links below. I also monitored torque converter status (i.e., locked or not) and transmission temps using OBD Fusion app on my iPhone and bluetooth OBD connector. This was all with my truck in mostly stock configuration, but with TRD skid plate, cat cover skid plate, side step bars, and front brush guard (now replaced with proper front bumper) installed. I recently added lift with new suspension, larger tires, rear Sumo Springs, OTT tune, etc., but haven't tried pulling trailer yet with new mods.

My first long trip with my truck, and the trailer's first real trip, was from Michigan to Reno, NV, and back, with stops on the way back at Devil's Tower, Mt. Rushmore, Badlands, etc. Kids also made me go to Fairplay, CO, to the South Park-related town (high up in CO). About 5,000 miles total. No significant issues towing the trailer, even through mountains, etc. You definitely know the trailer is there, but I didn't really have any "oh-shit" moments or difficulty pulling. Yes, gas mileage gets killed and I probably averaged around 11 - 12 mpg. Sometimes as low as 10 mpg, but surprisingly my best mileage was going through the mountains. Used "S" mode the whole time towing, and didn't really need to activate ECT button (but would have if gear shifts seemed too soon).

My trailer dry weight is stated as 3450 lbs, but probably a bit more due to options. Truck carried me and two teenage daughters (probably +500 lbs total), and around +400 lbs of stuff in the bed. Truck mods at time of towing probably were around +150 lbs, mostly towards the front. The trailer itself was loaded with around +300 lbs of stuff and some of the driving time I had water in the tanks (maybe +250 lbs). Weight adds up fast! I think the weight-distributing hitch is critical, and I only noticed a couple inches of drop max in rear height with camper connected. Improved bump stops (e.g., Sumo Springs) and heavier leaf springs should help, but I didn't really have any issues with truck in stock configuration.

Let me know if you have any specific questions, and I'll try to answer.

https://www.rvguide.com/specs/venture/travel-trailer/2022/sonic-lite/sl169vud.html#!
https://www.etrailer.com/Weight-Distribution-Hitch/Fastway/FA92-00-0800.html
https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Brake-Controller/Redarc/RED52VR.html

 

You are understanding it correctly. If you want to tow in limits then yes, you are stuck with small ones. The truck is rated for that towing, but that is MAX tow rating. Logically speaking a max tow rating is going to utilize the majority/all of the payload aside from whatever they set aside for a driver. An empty truck will be able to tow more than a loaded truck, if you are staying within specs.

Also, don't go off the advertised max tow ratings of brochures and salesmen. Those are always the max tow rating of the model, not necessarily the trim. For example, a 2WD access cab will have a higher tow capability than a 4x4 double cab. This is pretty universal across all trucks and every manufacturer only advertises the max tow rating of the model, and that number is always for the smallest cab, 2WD, most stripped down version of the truck.


You're going to get lots of "i've been towing over the limit for X year/Y miles and it's totally fine" type of comments or advice. People tend to not think it's a problem until there is a failure. Google image search "dodge ram breaks frame" and you will get this picture.



The guy bought a 3500 diesel dually and then put a camper in the bed that was just below the max payload rating that is advertised. What he didn't understand was that his crew cab luxury version of the truck did not have that max rating. He was over the payload by something like 50%, if I remember correctly, and he had not problems at all for 20K miles. This just illustrates that "it's been fine for years/miles" doesn't mean that it isn't causing damage.

Being able to drag a trailer doesn't mean it "tows fine" because the payload/tow ratings are based on weigh more than just what the suspension can support. It's the transmission and engine's ability to cool, the vehicle's ability to brake in emergency situations, the stability in adverse conditions, etc. Adding springs or airbags so it doesn't sag doesn't change the rating and the limits of the vehicle.

 

This!
don't go by max. Realistically, you want to be loaded about 75% of max. Myself and many, would choose to be more in the 50% range for comfort and longevity.
Another thing to consider; the drag a tall TT can create, and there is A LOT of it on some taller/wider models.
Lastly; where are you going? flat roads 20-40 miles away, is a lot different than a 2-4k mile trip through the mountains.

 

Trade it in on an F150 (or similar). These trucks are horrible at towing. Even at half the max rating, a 3,000lb trailer (especially a camper that is 9' tall, and has a ton of drag) will make for a miserable experience. The complete lack of torque, the cargo capacity handicap, the single digit fuel mileage etc. will limit where you are comfortably willing to take your family, especially if you are looking for longer adventures into the mountains.

 

I'm most impressed you have room for 4 people, 2 dogs, all their stuff in a Tacoma. Or do the dogs ride in the bed?

You're solidly into full size territory based on payload. But since you don't have a trailer yet, decide what you really want before upgrading vehicles, so you're not stuck in this situation again.

Before that even, get some camping trips under your belt with a rental camper or something (you can take two vehicles so you can safely tow with the Tacoma), to make sure you even like it before shelling out 10s of thousands of dollars.

 

Yep. If this was me, I'd be looking at a 2nd gen Tundra or F150, with the optional larger fuel tanks.

Low 300 mile range is annoying enough on long trips in the Taco/4R, being lucky to get 200 miles per tank would flat out suck.

 

Agree on the tank range. It seemed like I was stopping to fill-up all the time when towing cross-country. Luckily, my daughters usually had to use the bathroom anyway... It especially sucked with the trailer at busy gas stations or those with limited "open area," where you have to get to an available pump and still have room to navigate in/out of the lot (like with any truck/trailer combo). Definitely took a bit of pre-planning when selecting a pump to use. If I towed the camper routinely, definitely would have considered a different truck. As it is, I just try to stay aware of the limitations the few times I tow (and still probably push the envelop a bit). For me, it's worth it to have the Tacoma.

 

I had a pop-up before. It was about the same weight as my current Sonic Lite camper. I like the full "hard" camper immensely more, and it has bathroom, etc. Don't miss setting up and taking down the pop-up in the rain. The added length took getting used to, but I haven't really had any issues with the height (wind instability, etc.) other than bumping the height limit sign at a McDonald's drive through (I'm a dumb-ass and it was my first time towing it before measuring the actual height).

 

bahahaha every time i see trucks doing the worm i laugh

 

Another topic to focus on that most ignore….Insurance. Your vehicles insurance will not cover if you exceed GVWR(in case of incident/accident), they will drop you if they find out you were above legal/rated limits(big $$$ out of pocket, and legal liability).

I would reserve the tacoma to only towing trailers under 3k(seadoo/dirtbikes/popup), the factory brakes/leafs/gearing/xmsn/hp band are not up-to-par for towing without extensive upgrades(allows for passengers too). Airbags/WDH do help, but ask yourself “should i really be using a WDH on a 1/4ton truck w/ drum brakes?” Prob not IMO.
Remember, you have to pack all camp gear/food/h2o and people into the weight equation, it all ads up quickly.

The $ spent to make a tacoma tow correctly with a 3k+ trailer would be better spent on a vehicle with more HP and payload capacity, such as a Tundra or similar. Safety should be #1, make it home for the next trip.

 

Big stronk trucks purpose built for towing always will tow better and leave you with less pucker factor and headache at the end of the day than midsize trucks.

 

Not necessarily true. What will happen is that if you are over the ratings you can be found liable, and your insurance will have to pay, even if you are not necessarily at fault. The purpose of your insurance is to cover your liability so they'll pay, but you're likely going to get a rate hike or dumped after.

 

As @50Buck said, that isn't necessarily true.

Negligence is still covered by insurance, such as if a driver is drunk and gets in an accident. The accident is still covered, but the driver will surely be kicked off insurance after the payouts.

Normally it takes malice or purpose to not get covered, like if you decided to ram another driver in a fit of road rage or if you were angry with a restaurant and drove through their front door. If it's legitimately an ACCIDENT, as in you didn't plan on wrecking your vehicle and needing to use your insurance, insurance normally covers. I'm saying normally, as I'm sure there are occasions that insurance can wiesel out, but most of the time, if it's an ACCIDENT, even with negligence, insurance covers.


I'm not a lawyer, and stuff varies state by state, but I've done a lot of online research so I could weigh this risk myself. I'm running heavy, so this was very important to me. Do your own research, and you will surely see the same thing. And as someone who runs stupid heavy, I would suggest getting a bigger truck. I plan to go from my Tacoma to an F450 next year, lol, so I can put all these payload worries behind me. Until then, I'll keep it at or below the speed limit and leaving lots of following distance.

 

The Malice(for insurance reasons) is towing above GVWR(owner/operator is responsible for load and its legality). Insurance will weasel out of coverage if given the opportunity, i have seen it first hand(luckily wasn’t my equipment or truck, although buddy was stuck with 35k bill). Whether you “can” or “cannot” is up to you, as DOT/highway patrol do not enforce much anymore, i personally do not exceed the ratings bc i know the risk it places on those who share the road with us.

I know there’s different rules in different states, but why push the limits of the vehicles safety? Even with upgraded suspension/ gears/ airbags/ brakes/ leafs, I don’t see how many people on this forum tow such large trailers with this small of a truck.

 

This will probably get me some grief, but Tacomas are not a “tow vehicle “, small stuff fine, once in a great while fine. 5000# trailer across the US, N F W, not for me.

 

Was your buddy running commercial or private party? Not saying it didn't happen, just for continued research purposes.