Tundra towing

[123me]

Hello,

Hoping someone with experience can help me understand how much I can safely tow a travel trailer with this Tundra: Thank You

2017 TOYOTA TUNDRA
5.7 litre * 4x2 * Tow package * 6 ½ ft bed * double cab

GVWR: 6,900lbs.
GAWR: Front 3,900 lbs with P275/65R18
Rear 4,100 lbs with P275/65R18

Curb weight: 5,170 lbs.
Towing Capacity: 10,100 lbs.
Payload: 1,730
Axle Ratio: 4.30
Weight of passengers: 700 lbs.

[tuffr2]

With all half ton trucks I do not recommrnd more than 6,500lbs. I towed a 5,500lb 2008 Gulfstream Streamlite 22SLB with a 2011 F-150 5.0 litre very comfortably with a Drawtite WD Hitch. The truck knew it was back there. MPG went from 20mpg to 10.5mpg.

It towed on the highway at the posted speed limit without any sway. The trailer was 26.5' long but did not have a areodynamic front.

I also towed my current 2013 Keystone Vantage 25RBS weighing 6,500lbs. with my friends 2005 Ram 1500 5.7 Hemi on back roads about 20 miles total. I felt that was about maxed out as far how it felt. It seemed the dog was wagging the tail a bit more than I liked. I did not try this combo on the highway at 70 mph.

[Dave Pelletier]

Originally Posted by tuffr2

With all half ton trucks I do not recommrnd more than 6,500lbs. I towed a 5,500lb 2008 Gulfstream Streamlite 22SLB with a 2011 F-150 5.0 litre very comfortably with a Drawtite WD Hitch. The truck knew it was back there. MPG went from 20mpg to 10.5mpg.

It towed on the highway at the posted speed limit without any sway. The trailer was 26.5' long but did not have a areodynamic front.

I also towed my current 2013 Keystone Vantage 25RBS weighing 6,500lbs. with my friends 2005 Ram 1500 5.7 Hemi on back roads about 20 miles total. I felt that was about maxed out as far how it felt. It seemed the dog was wagging the tail a bit more than I liked. I did not try this combo on the highway at 70 mph.

X2

Dave

[TXiceman]

Son-in-law had a Tundra with the 10,500# package and bout a 8500# GVWR bumper pull. He made one trip from the dealer to his home...30 miles, freeway and city streets ...he said it had the power, but felt like the tail was wagging the dog and he id not have good control. Next thing we saw was a picture of his new 3/4 ton Ford diesel. He said it did much better towing than the Tundra.

Ken

[tuffr2]

Correction - it is tail wagging the dog.

[chacoetaco]

Own a 2008 Crewmax, 4x4. Have towed our Jayco 25BHS about, oh, I guess, around 25,000 miles. Jayco dry sticker is 6,000 and change and just under 29ft in total length. Have always used a WDH.

I would not want to tow anything larger, heavier than this trailer. Yep, get pushed around a bit on the highway by big rigs and the wind.

Weighed the truck and trailer at a CAT scale and tongue weight was just at about 1000lbs. Maybe 100lbs of stuff in the bed. Was higher than I expected and using just about all of the trucks payload capacity. Not a best practice.

Do I feel unsafe towing? No. Tundra pulls the trailer just fine, plenty enough power, but limiting factor with 1/2 tons is payload. All that noted, if money were no object, I would tow this trailer with a 3/4 or 1 ton to minimize, as others noted, the "tail wagging the dog."

Always keep plenty of distance between me and vehicles in front and the odo at 60mph while on the highway.

[ttavasc]

After subtracting the 700 for occupant weight from the payload it doesn't leave much for hitch/tongue weight, especially if you need to carry any additional cargo in the truck. Payload is almost always what you run out of first in 1/2 tons.

I would recommend you load the Tundra up with full fuel and all passengers/cargo you intend to carry while towing and run it over a CAT scale. Take that weight and subtract it from the GVWR of the truck to see how much you have left for hitch/tongue weight. Ideally you want tongue weight to be in the 12-15% of loaded trailer weight so I think you'll find that like tuffr2 said - something maybe around 6K fully loaded, assuming you are OK running at close to 100% payload. Personally I would look for a trailer in the 5000-5500 GVWR range and around 25-26' overall length.

[Kimbrough2]

I have 4 friends that tried towing tt's weighing 6500ish dry.
x2 switched to 3/4 ton Dodge trucks with Hemi's.

x1 sold his tt after the first year partly because he felt uncomfortable towing and partly because he didn't use the tt enough. I believe the second reason was related to the first.

x1 that kept insisting that it towed fine. Keep in mind that he only towed up a grade once, the remainder of times he stayed on flat ground. Then started having problems with the engine around the 120,000 mile mark. He upgraded to a new 3/4 ton Cummins.

Just something to keep in mind. I have other friends that are seeing similar things with their newer Ford EcoBoosts. I am not saying that these trucks are overrated, just that I know several people who are finding out that they aren't living up to what they were sold as. I know I may draw fire from the Ford and Tundra police, but this is what I have seen in real life. So I recommend that you consider where you plan on towing before you come to your decision. If I did it all over again, I would stay closer to the 50% capacity mark because anywhere I go I am climbing 6500 feet to get out.

[Wildwoods22]

I towed a 2016 Wildwood X-lite 231RKXL (28' and 7400 lb GVWR) with my almost identical 2016 Tundra SR5 Double Cab 6.5' bed, 5.7 engine. My payload capacity was 200 lbs less than yours. I probably maxed out the rear axle but it had plenty of power to go faster than I wanted. That meant I had no problems passing when I needed to. Took southbound I-5 at the Grapevine at 55mph no problem.

I used an old WDH from my previous trailer with no sway control and never really was affected by big rigs. Some smaller box trucks created more "wake". Maybe the integrated brake and tow controller worked that well. My only complaint was that I couldn't set the gain high enough to lock up the trailer brakes.

Would it have towed better with a 3/4 or 1 ton? Definitely, but the Tundra was affordable at the time. It is a gas guzzler at 9 to 10 mpg towing.

[MikeRP]

With that axle ratio you can tow a big trailer. The 5.7 is strong. I had a beautiful white one, 2009 I think, it was my work truck.

Yeah I was spoiled.

I think you can get some timbrens or air bags to stiffen the rear on the truck. Also you could find some heavier rated tires and that will stiffen the feel also.

Just keep whatever trailer you buy within the truck specs. Also don’t use the whole gvwr of the trailer carrying around a bunch of stuff you never use.

Haul stuff you use. Keep the weight down.

Also tow at 65 max! Take your time. Speed is not your friend. I used to wonder why old farts towing campers were slow. Now that I am one I understand perfectly. If you are at 75 mph and get some sway going, well lookup some YouTube videos of crashes.

[tuffr2]

IMHO you need to be able to tow at the speed limit in the right hand lane. If the Semi's are doing 70mph you need to do 70mph or else you will have a parade of Semi's changing lanes to get around you passing you...that is not good.

My 4,800lb at the time 2008 Gulfstream Streamlite 22SLB was 1st towed with a 2006 Honda Ridgeline. I still remember bringing being pulled to the left as a semi passed then pushed to the right as they passed. Yes, I had to continually make steering corrections.

I remember the paper plates and plastic ware as I tried to keep the weight of the trailer down. When I got the F-150 then I switched to silverware and correl ware. The CCC of the Streamlite was just over 3,000lbs.

Agree speed is you enemy. The Ridgeline could easily tow the Streamlite at 35 to 45 mph on back roads. But trying to keep up with traffic at 70mph on the highway, the Ridgeline could not do that comfortably.

[myfirstford]

In 2007 I bought the same truck. Used it to tow a 8-8.5K, when fully loaded, 24 ft v nosed car hauler 6-7000 miles a year for 7 or 8 years. Never felt like the 5.7 lacked the power or brakes needed when used with a Tekonsha brake controller and 4 wheel electric trailer brakes. 6th gear was a rarity and little use or need for the tow mode switch. I never had a concern about the LT rated tires but I do like the 3rd set which are Michelins. I still have the truck but its no longer on the road 20+ weekends a year.

what worked for me.

1. Use a friction sway control bar.
2. Use a weight distribution hitch with a mounting point for the friction sway bar and adjustable ball height.
3. Use rear suspension air bags. Lower air pressure to 5 lbs for everyday use.
4. Replace the soft OEM rear shocks with quality aftermarket. I used Bilstein. These combined with the air bags reduce the up and down bounce movements of the truck rear.
5. Measure the mounting ball height on your trailer with it level or slightly up angled, just as you plan to travel.
6. Adjust the ball height on the unloaded truck to match the trailer ball height. Record for all future hookups
7. Hook up the trailer, use the weight distribution bars to raise the trailer ball height to within 1/2 to 1 inch of unloaded height. Add air (about 15-20 lbs) to raise the ball to final travel height recorded above.

Also, I found that the truck needs to set close to level when towing. It uses an "attitude" input to the transmission shift programing to account for up hill or down hill use. And at the risk of stirring up the armchair automotive engineers, I will tell you I got better mileage and performance by using premium grade fuel when towing. Enough to justify the additional cost. But my truck was from the time before FlexFuel and use of E10 fuel was widespread.

Good Luck, Your results may vary

[4thgenceli]

Originally Posted by tuffr2

IMHO you need to be able to tow at the speed limit in the right hand lane. If the Semi's are doing 70mph you need to do 70mph or else you will have a parade of Semi's changing lanes to get around you passing you...that is not good.

Can't agree more. Tow at least the speed limit (or 5 under) on the flat roads. Don't give a fudge what your uphill is as long as you're close to the speed limit towing on the flats.

Here in AZ you can get a ticket for impeding the flow of traffic. I can't remember how it goes, but if you're holding up a line of traffic you have to pull off and let the traffic past. There are no minimum speed limits here, but if you're holding up traffic there's a good chance the LEO will stop ya.

[tuffr2]

I think 'being an impedment to traffic' is written in most if not all state highway laws. I am sure I would be stopped if I was driving 35mph on a 70mph speed limit highway. Just seems sensible.

To me, going up hill I feel I should still keep up with the semi's as they slow down too.