Tundra + Airstream: Initial Impressions

I also have a 2020 TRD Sport, sr5 upgrade, mine is the DC though. My TT is 27' 6600# tongue weight is 700# and I don't squat at all. I sit very even after setting my WDH. I measured this passed weekend before hooking up and after hooking up. I also use a Hensley arrow WDH. IMO they are worth every penny. The previous WDH i was using was a Reese Trunnion Style and with that WDH my truck would sag about 2". I know you are heavier, but it may me worth looking into a good WDH, Hensley Manufacturing. I don't want to change the OEM ride quality either, I like it just the way it is. So using air bags, or new suspension components is not what i want to do, they will change the ride quality for sure.

BTW, I have put this same trip on my list of travel places for next season. It looks unbelievably beautiful.

 

Rob,

Very well written review and you gave a lot of helpful detail. This kind of thread is exactly what a beginner like me wants to read when planning my eventual trailer pulling days.

Looks like fun and I can’t wait. Thank you for starting this conversation.
Eric

 

Where you monitoring your transmission temp? If yes do you mind sharing what you saw ?

 

Beautiful truck! Looks faster.

 

Nice setup, I hear you about the cheap towing mirrors from Amazon. It might be worth getting a second opinion on the weight distribution setup. In your picture of the tt hooked to the truck, it looks like the front of the tt is just a bit downhill. I have the same WDH there is a lot of adjustment to it. Take a few measurements of the height of your fenders front and rear before you hook up and again after. Make sure you are not lifting the front of the truck, this will cause very loose steering. And if the rear drops more than a few inches raise the ball up

 

Hensley is on our buy list - just need to save up the $2,500

Can't recommend Shenandoah park enough, we'll be heading back for a day trip in the fall to see the colors.

 

I wasn't monitoring the trans temp but all other gauges showed normal while towing.

Maybe a rookie question but....is there transmission temp sensor in the gauge cluster or is that something aftermarket that needs to be added?

 

You will need to use an odb2 reader and install fusion app on your phone to be able to monitor the temps

 

This might be the problem....we are running the 6k lbs hitch which came with our trailer purchase....might need to make a change up for future trips.

 

Here’s a link to the OBD unit I got, currently on Amazon for $13.

https://www.amazon.com/BCBYou-Scann...a-833720089189&psc=1&ref=&adgrpid=76842158285

The app I use use OBD Fusion. I paid the modest upgrade fee to open up things like trans temps. Well worth the money.

 

Cool. I'll have to check that out. Thanks!

 

Thanks for the links and the reply.

Totally understood, so this logic is also applied to the fuel weight, right? You don´t have to count fuel weight into the calcs.

Makes more sense now, thanks again.

 

Our favorite camping is fall camping. If you do go back can you post pictures. I would like to convince my wife to do this trip next year for a week in the fall

 

I've towed a 2003 International CCD the last eight years. It's 22ft, lighter and I've used a 2012 supercharged Tacoma and now my 2018 TRD Sport as the TV. We usually have about 5 camping trips each summer and fall, including one main 10-14 day trip. We've towed the trailer all over, including a stupid leg over Million Dollar Highway (550) between Silverton and Ouray during our tour of southwestern CO this July.

The Tundra gets over payload sometimes. It did sag more this year than last year's Yellowstone trip. I attribute that to bringing the fancy cornhole boards and overdoing it on the water and firewood that I couldn't use.

I've learned a lot from this forum, but there tends to be Tundra payload overreaction. The Tundra is a beast. A little sag while you're towing is OK. We are able to tow our Airstream now to places that would have killed the Taco. Granted, your trailer loaded down is heavier and longer, but others here seem to do it just fine with maybe a few adjustments. I wouldn't worry too much and your Tundra is pissed at you for only getting a B.

We're headed here on Friday. A group of trailers, a lot of beer, and some epic whiffle ball.

 

As i am getting more and more familiar with my new 2020 Tundra, i noticed a very cool feature. I think this feature was put their by the Factory because they expect anyone who tows with this truck to overload it. The feature i am talking about is the manual adjustable head lights. Holy Crap this is a great feature. If we overload out trucks either with payload and heavy trailer, we can at least adjust the head lights to point back down towards the road and not pointing upwards at the sky. Anyone notice this feature?

 

Great setup you have and sounds like you do some awesome trips. I'm not stressing about the payload, I have full confidence that the truck is overbuilt and can handle it. My bigger concern was the 2" squat, that makes me more nervous as it does impact the handling. Your trailer is ~1,500lbs lighter and has a ~200lbs less hitch weight but I bet you also have a better WDH setup. I think the WDH I'm using is under spec'd for my rig so fixing that will help a lot.

BTW - what tires are you running? KO2's?

 

I switched to KO2s right after I bought the Tundra. I had them on the Tacoma. Just remember to keep them rotated if you buy them.

Also, you should be shifting a lot in the hills. Get out of drive. S3 and S4 will help a ton.

 

Sweet - I had them on my 4th Gen T4R and loved them. Damnit - this place is just costing me $$$$, lol.

 

Given that the truck has 2" of rake, it seems to me that 2" of squat when you're at GVWR and GCWR is perfect.

 

Being that we have never camped out east, is this typical for campgrounds out there? I realize you paid for a premium site, what would the typical campsite run per night?

Being out west, and realizing we have far more opportunities than you folks out east, we mostly disperse camp, which costs nothing and, usually, there's no one else around, which is nice too. Just find a spot and setup camp.

More curious than anything else.

 

Nice looking rig and set up, robatumd.

I'm struggling to understand the math of calculating towing capacity. I understand what you said about exceeding payload specs, but what number did that leave you with for towing capacity after calculating payload?

 

Been towing a 28’ Airstream since 2015. Payload is 1325lbs (Weighed on my Sherline Scale). On my 2008 Crewmax. Airstream weighs 7K loaded for camping. Total combo is a little over 14,000lbs. Airstream tongue weight is 970lbs. I carry a family of four, Lab (72lbs), and three bikes on a front mounted hitch. You need to visit the CAT scales and try the three pass method to dial your hitch in. When your done, the Airstream will be level as measured off your A-frame near your propane tanks. I am within 100lbs of my rear axle rating. Axle ratings are the big numbers that you must stay within. That is a more important # than your payload, which you will be over. Not a deal breaker.
I use a Reese Straight Line Hitch and it transfers enough weight to the front axle of the Tundra & to the Airstream to drive like it is on rails. But this took some tinkering at the scales to dial things in. Time well spent IMO, as I likes to keep the family safe as we travel the country. I have over 30,000 miles towing this rig & been over the Rockies several times. Airstreams pull better than box trailers due to their design. They are made for long distance travel & have torsion axles that work rather well. The Tundra is a beast, but I realize I am pushing the envelope. Brakes could be better. Take your time & use your manual shift on downhills to save your brakes. You should be fine with your 25’ once you get it dialed in. That is almost the perfect combination, Tundra & 25’ Airstream (Silver Mistress). The equalizer bars are not really tapered & don’t flex much. That may prevent you from moving enough weight forward. Keep that in mind when shopping for a WDH, because you have to transfer a decent amount of weight forward to level the Tundra. Air bags will not solve your problem, you must dial in your hitch IMO. Do some research on that subject.
My mileage ranges from 9-11mpg depending on terrain. Currently have 177K on the Tundra and anxiously awaiting the 2022 Tundra if it ever comes...
Safe travels!

 

Towing capacity is fixed for your truck and has nothing to do with payload (other than the fact that your trailer tongue weight will exceed your payload long before you hit the towing capacity of your truck). There's a table in your owner's manual that tells you what your towing capacity is.

 

Thanks, Cpl.

I'm pretty new to the towing game and what seems blindingly obvious to some people is often rocket science to me. If the OP, or someone reading his original comment, can give me a number, or pretty close to it for his rig, I think it may be easier for me to work this backwards to understand how to calculate these things going forward in the future.

 

Great info here and glad to know that there are others out there pulling bigger rigs and seemingly having more success doing it than I am. I think the WDH needs to be upgraded and likely adjusted by someone who knows what they are doing. The fact that you are pulling a 3ft bigger trailer with more gear is comforting....although we've only had the 25 for a short while there is already talk in the household of going bigger....

I hear you on the '22 Tundra - I got sick of waiting so pulled the trigger on a '20 and will upgrade in '23 as long as the new Tundra isn't a 4-banger quad turbo hybrid, lol.

 

I think its pretty typical for a nice place with amenities near the only national park in the east. 50M people live within ~5 hours of Shenandoah so a lot of demand means higher prices.

 

That standard is for towing capacity, not for payload. GVWR always dictates your payload: