Towing a 6x12 Trailer 500+ Miles

I’m helping my parents move from OH to NC this weekend and I’ll be towing a trailer with the Tacoma. The truck is a 2009 TRD Sport with factory tow package, a 3” lift and 285/70/17 inch tires. I’ve got TSB rear leaf springs with an Icon AAL and I kept the overload leaf. The trailer is 6’ x 12’ and the sticker says it weighs 1600 pounds empty. If I had to guess, they’ll be loading it with around 1000 pounds but seeing as I’ve never towed anything bigger than a U-Haul tow behind, I’m a bit anxious about towing 2500+ pounds this far.

Other than keeping the truck in 4th gear for the most part (I can probably get away with overdrive through the flat parts of Ohio but will definitely need 4th and likely 3rd or even 2nd in the mountains), any other advice or tips for a roughly 500 mile trip? All of my previous towing experience has been local and with much less weight so I want to make sure I’m mentally prepared for the trip. Any and all advice or tips are appreciated. Thanks!

 

Since you don’t have trailer breaks make sure to take it easy and leave extra space. It’s hard, but try and keep the load balanced, you want just enough tung wait to not let the trailer wag. But not so much that the truck is taking the brunt of it

 

I think you got the right mind set & ditto on the brakes comment above. It's also nice if the trailer/hitch set up has a good weight distribution hitch. That makes a huge difference and you might be able to get one from uhaul if it's a rental scenario. I have 2013 TRD Sport, w/ tow package and pulled an enclosed 12' trailer w/ close to 4500# in it from PA to CA a few years back. I had trailer brakes and the aforementioned weight distribution hitch to help, but if you just take it easy I think you will be just fine w/ this weight and distance. I would not want to do what I did again but my Taco survived.

 

just helped a friend load a trailer for a trip. yosemite to North Carolina. he called and told me it was exactly 2992 miles. (or something)

his was a uhaul trailer 8x12? it felt huge!! it had that janky trailer brake system that uses the mass pushing on the tongue. i kid you not. i moved every single thing into that trailer solo. he's 70+ old, and i was happy to do it. i kept asking, "you sure you want to take this?". there was a small safe, boxes of coins, guns. i filled that thing up pretty tight, and at the end we pushed a big cement pig (lawn ornament) 200lbs? into it and two upholstered chairs. i bet his trailer was 5000 lbs.

he said his truck towed fine!! no issues at all. he got 12mpg. not bad since he crossed the continental divide. but his truck is stock height and stuff. your bigger tires are gonna hurt.

 

A weight distribution hitch wound be nice but probable not available with the drop needed.

 

You’ll be fine. Just be sure to load the trailer to get the weigh distributed so it isn’t too tongue or tail heavy.

I’ve towed a 7x14 thousands of miles at this point and the truck has never had an issue.

 

Oh, I’m well aware the tires are gonna hurt my gas mileage... I’m lucky to get 16-17 mpgs on the highway without towing. I fully expect to get 10-12 if I’m lucky.

And yes, weight distribution and making sure the trailer is level are my two biggest concerns right now. Other than that, I’ll definitely be taking it easy. I don’t care if I get dirty looks or honked at, I’m not doing anything stupid with a trailer of this size behind my truck.

 

Its been said before and I'll say it again. Load and patience. Make sure your hitch drop is right so the trailer sits level. More weight in front of the trailer axle than rear and give yourself room to stop! I have a first gen standard cab with 3RZ and I regularly tow a 6x8 box trailer with a dirtbike in it. No problems. I also tow this a lot...

 

You probably already know this, but use a drop hitch to keep the trailer level while towing.

 

yea. my unscientific reasoning also tells me the lift and tires reduce your towing capacity. my friends tow a giant ocean fishing boat (they share the boat). both have equal duramax trucks. one is lifted. the stock one tows everything way better. the long drop hitch puts extra (moument) lever on the back of the truck..you feel the boat more with the taller truck. less power and you feel the load back there.

i think you'll be perfectly fine tho..smooth and steady wins the race.

 

Last year I pulled a very loaded 6x12 uhaul from Huntsville Alabama to Leadville Colorado (10,000 ft elevation) and had no problems. I have the same aal. I'll reiterate leaving plenty of space between what's ahead of you, especially going downhill. Fuel economy was awful so I stopped tracking it.

 

If it’s an enclosed trailer it might feel heavier than it actually is because of the wind drag. I regularly tow my 6x12 single axle trailer (no trailer brakes) with my little tractor in it (total close to 3500lbs) and it’s no issue. Only thing to watch if you’ve never towed a trailer that big, it will be wider than your truck so you have to get used to driving in the dead center of the lane. Doesn’t take much to touch the lines on narrower streets with a wide trailer

 

Well, I made it. The trailer definitely weighed in on the heavy side and the ridiculous rain and wind we drove through was stressful. But overall, it was an uneventful drive and the truck did great. Backing it into the driveway was an adventure though...

 

Well done!

 

Glad you made it with no issues