Towing Capacity

Alright guys and gals. Ive got a 2011 Tacoma and am looking at travel trailers and I've found a steal on one. The only problem is it's a 28 footer and has a dry weight of 4700". Will mainly be short trips with no mountains to climb. The truck is stock but I will be putting a trailer braking system on. Thanks.

 

Go for it.

 

I tow a 24' that weighs 4810 dry. It does fine other than loving some gas. I usually tow mine about 250 miles when we go camping.

Tow weight on Taco's is 6500 lbs with the factory V6 tow package. If someone just added a hitch on the back then it's 3500 lbs.

 

V-6 or 4 cylinder?

 

I don't really see a question in the OP. If you have the v6 w/ tow package, you can tow up to 6500lbs. As someone else said, you're truck will be very thirsty with that weight behind it. The brake controller will absolutely help (though not with gas mileage).

Keep in mind that the 4700# dry weight doesn't include anything that you put inside the trailer. If you add water, food, plates, matress, etc., that weight is going to creep up quickly.

 

Sounds like a reason for a new truck to me.

Wet weight is what matters, as well as an equalizing hitch, trailer brakes and your ability to travel when there are no cross or head winds. That a lot of trailer dimensionally, not just weight wise.

And if your Tacoma isn't a v6 with the OE tow package, nada.

 

Too much trailer.

The problem is your payload, not towing capacity. Check the drivers door jamb for 2 numbers. One is GVWR. That is the maximum weight rating of the truck and any contents, passengers, modifications, and trailer tongue weight. The other number is payload. When your truck rolled off the assembly line it was weighed. That weight was subtracted from GVWR to determine payload. Every truck is a bit different, but about 1200 lbs is typical for Tacomas.

To determine your TRUE payload you need to actually take it somewhere and have it weighed. Subtract that number from GVWR. That is how much weight your suspension can LEGALLY carry.

By the time you load a 4700 lb trailer you'll be pulling 6000 lbs. The tongue weight will be about 800 lbs. With a tongue weight over 500 lbs you are required to use a Weight Distribution Hitch which adds another 100 lbs. You'll have 900 lbs on the tongue. You'll just have to look up the numbers for YOUR truck, actually weigh it and do the math. But my payload is 1200 lbs. I have a 180 lb cap on the truck. I weigh 220, my wife 140 and there is about 100 lbs of tools and other gear that stays in the truck all the time. If I were pulling that trailer with MY truck I'd be 340 lbs overweight before I even added any other cargo to the truck.

You don't tell us anything about your truck either. A regular cab is lighter and has more payload than a DC. A 4X4 truck is about 150 lbs heavier and payload is reduced by about that much. All of those things come into play. But at BEST you're pushing things right to the limit. I wouldn't pull that trailer with my Tacoma. If the trailer were about 4500-5000 lbs loaded I would. But that is as much as I want behind a Tacoma. The truck will PULL the trailer. The problem is that the tail is going to be wagging the dog going down the road and you're most likely going to overload the suspension.

 

get a real truck, like a 3/4 ton. I mean yeah you could pull that with your taco but its not going to like it. plus once you start adding stuff like gear, people, etc your truck is going to be dogging it.

 

I would rethink it or buy a truck for towing. You will jack knife that really quick if your in a hill area. The brakes on the Tacoma aren’t good enough also.

I have a 32ft enclosed trailer that I haul 2 race cars in and use a dodge 2500.

 

that trailer will be a steal until you will want to buy a new truck.

 

27ft, 4600 lbs empty, i pack light so the trailer is around 5-5300lbs loaded. Never fill the tanks. weight distribution system, larger trans cooler, brake controller is legally required, ultraguage to monitor temps....no issues here. fuel economy anywhere from 8-13mpg. Also full aftermarket suspension with dakar leafs, factory leafs are junk so id recommend bags if you're staying stock. Here's a good thread with info https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-tacoma-towing-bible.4031/

 

Youre in that weight range where some dont mind towing it, some do. Without hard data i am guessing 70/30 no/yes, maybe 60/40. My father had a similar trailer with a full size truck and got whipped around still.

I suppose it comes down to your comfort level and only your actual experience will tell you. I'm in the no camp.

 

Too much trailer. That is full size territory. I still dont know how someone can be comfortable pulling something that large with our trucks.

 

NO. Just NO.

It's too much. I tow a 3000 lb boat and it's definately noticable. 4700lbs dry - Yes the truck CAN do it but SHOULD you? It's not safe for you, the truck or anyone else on the road around you.

 

There lies the sketchy part. If anyone wants to kill themselves, fine, but it sucks when they take someone else out in the crash.

Even though some people are towing that big of a trailer with an undersized truck, if someone has to ask, "Is this trailer to big for my truck?", they don't have enough towing experience to safely navigate with a sketchy load.

 

The TV brakes have nothing to do with a jack knife situation.

 

I hesitated to weigh in here but agree with what @ColoradoTJ posted. You are within the acceptable weight for a Tacoma with the tow package but that's a lot of trailer in terms of length.

I tow a 23ft Jayco X213 that has a dry weight of 4,500 lbs and usually sits between 5,000 and 5,500 loaded with a 600lb tongue weight. I'm in the mountains and wouldn't want anything heavier. I towed this setup with the stock suspension and it was okay but I'm running Dakars and Fox coilovers now and it feels better. I was able to set the weight distribution hitch so the truck sat nice and level with both suspension setups (no airbags on my truck).


In addition to the longer trailer being blown around more, you are limited in places you can take it (many of the campgrounds around here are 24ft max).
The Jayco X213 is nice because it has a rear slide with a king bed so it has the floor space of a much longer trailer when you're set up.




The towing forum has a lot more info that'll help with your trailer decision.