Anyone towing a travel trailer with the new 3rd Generation Tundra?

I have a 2017 SR5 TRD DC 2WD and recently purchased a new travel trailer and I am quite impressed with the way my ‘17 tows as this is the first time towing anything this heavy. Our new travel trailer has a dry weight of 5200 lbs. I have been considering in purchasing a new 3rd Generation Tundra and trading in my ‘17 however I want to know others opinions on here if the V6 Twin Turbo motor on the new generation are worth it, also how the truck handles with the added weight. Any and all suggestions, opinions are welcome. On a side note I want to upgrade to a 4WD as the wife and I will be traveling more this year with our travel trailer. Happy New Year!

 

My boat isn't quite as heavy as your TT but I hardly know it's back there. First time I mashed the throttle to pass on a two lane road I couldn't believe how fast it went from 55 to 80. I've got the air bags and AVS. Couldn't be happier with the overall performance.

 

Thanks for your reply, are your air bags after market or are they factory installed?

 

I haven’t read a single person that has towed with the 2nd gen 5.7 say it was better than the 3.4TT 3rd gen. Pretty much glowing reviews all around as a tow rig. Some have complained of rear end sag, but that’s easy to work with. WDH, factory air suspension etc.

 

My 2022 tows WAY better than my 2012. My boat is 5200 LBS and I don't even know it's back there. Air bags are a must so go aftermarket or order a truck with the " Advanced Pack"

 

Towed a buddies Toy Hauler about 5k miles in October when his 2017 F250 6.7 diesel ate its high pressure fuel pump one day into the two week trip. My truck is a 23' TRD Pro which is of course the IforceMax (hybrid). Perhaps pushing payload capacity a bit, but the 5k empty, 8k loaded trailer was really not an issue pulling all day every day for days on end over the Rockies and at 75mph on interstate to get there and up and down the mountains finding places to ride the two 500 lb adventure bikes loaded in the trailer. Used a weight distributing hitch as the sag on the TRD Pro fox suspension is way worse than the normal suspension, but would have used the WD hitch regardless as it really, really helps. Even with the F250 it makes a huge difference.

I used to pull my racecar on an open trailer with my 5.7 tundra and I am not kidding when I say the 3rd gen pulls this parachute of a heavy ass tall offroad suspension (tall) camper better than my 5.7 pulled a 5k lbs open car trailer. Much more low end torque and instead of pulling in 4th gear at 3k rpm, the truck in tow + mode will regularly pull hills at 2k-2200 rpm. Never had any issue with power but definitely not quite a stable as the F250 in high winds (but still not an issue) and brakes and downshift logic not quite as good coming down huge mountains as the F250 with diesel exhaust brake. Not an issue just comparison as we took the F250 on the same trip a few months earlier. F250 got 8-9 mpg by the way. The TRD Pro unhooked is WAY more offroad capable than the F250 and we had fun playing in the snow and some 4x4 trails when not riding the motorcycles.

Payload is the weak spot. I might have been a tad close to my max with probably 1000 lbs of tongue weight and toolbox, cooler and fuel in the bed, etc. Got 8-9 mpg depending on speed and hills and regularly had to stop at 220-250 miles for another 30 gal of fuel, but that is about all my bladder can last anyway. My buddy is a die hard HD diesel guy and he couldn't stop talking about how the 3.4 turbo hybrid towed damn near as effortlessly as a 7/8 scale diesel.

 

Factory.

 

I tow a small camper maybe 2000lbs but with my tacoma the motor would downshift and be in high rpms to pull hills. Pretty annoying. Just did a trip with the tundra and on the hills the turbo gauge climbs while the engine stays pretty quiet with only small rpm increases. Really happy with the way it manages. If I needed to pass or really increase speed it did what it needed to do without screaming like my tacoma would.

 

Have towed our camp trailer over Eisenhower a few times. Truck crushes it, can go right up it at 75mph. Can’t compare to the 5.7, but really the TT is effortless power. It’s very easy to go much faster than you ought to pulling a trailer. Only criticism would be the coils in the rear as opposed to leafs I don’t feel like is as good at supporting a load, so WDH is a must.

 

I cant wait to tow the toy hauler this 2024. Had to cancel vac 2023 due to spouse getting sick so didn't have a chance to test the new plat. I can say this my 2012 sr5 dc was more stable vs the 2018 f150 but the v6 was a good puller. So I expect the 2023 Plat to be more stable and pull like a horse!

 

this ^

I don’t tow heavy but for what I do tow , the 3rd gen is hands down better, especially with the auto load leveling rear . The 10 speed holds you right in the sweet spot as well and you drove at lower rpm’s than the 5.7 6 speed combo I had before

also feels much more stable , likely due to the frame being stiffer and 8” wider in the rear

Toyota knocked it out of the park for towing improvements

I’d advise anyone who tows to get the oem airbag auto load load leveling rear , it’s great , also nice that it lowers to make hooking up easier

 

I have a 9000lbs TT but had closed it up for the cold weather set in, before pulling the travel trailer with my new 2023 Capstone (ntw, do not have factory airbags.)

I have hauled my Jeep Wrangler and my 5500 SeaRay on trailer and both were smooth and felt steady from a stand still thru all driving.

I had a 2015 Tundra Platinum, new, and that compared so far to the 2023 Capstone are showing the new Hybrid Max engine having substantial push and pull.

Next Spring I will find out about how it does with the TT. By then, I will have the after market air bag suspension.

Gas use is the same, if not worse than the prior 5.7L I had.

 

you’ll be blown away at how much better it is, especially since I think you had the advanced package like me

And while I’m not a huge mpg guy, it was much better as well, but I did for some reason have one of the just pig 5.7 models, I could never get past 15 no matter what I did empty

 

I tow my 30' TT with my 2023 Tundra Limited with little effort. Passing ford's and chevy's going uphill on the interstate is like running a hot knife thru butter. Great POWER.

 

Looks great man,nice and level...

 

Adjust your hitch. The equalizer bars should be level with the frame of the trailer. Makes for a better ride

 

I was always had 8 mpg the Ford was up too 11mpg.

 

We are towing wth our 22 Limited. 4500 lbs Travel Trailer. The Tundra does a great job of this. Can't compare to the previous generations but I have seen some of them pulling rather larger trailers and they seem to do that well.

 

Are you sure they were trying? The F150s with the 3.5 EB are pretty quick because they're relatively light and have pretty good gearing options compared to most 1/2 tons.

 

'22 1794 with advanced package. Tow my ~7K# 31' trailer often. No concerns up hill or down. Average 9-10mpg as long as I keep it to around 65mph. Gets 8mpg running 65-70mph.

 

Have pulled our 34’ TT several times and am thoroughly impressed with the power and smoothness. Last truck was a Silverado with the 5.3 and this truck is WAY better at towing.

 

I pulled this 5800 lb trailer with a 2010 2wd SR5 DC for 3 years before I got my 22. I know others have said it before but the 3rd gen tows much better with the 3.5 TT and the 10 speed transmission. MPG is about the same towing, 9-12, in Colorado. I have been over all the passes in the state more than once and this truck handles all of them without any issues. And I love the factory auto level rear suspension.

 

4750lbs dry weight TT here. 1794 Hybrid tows this fully loaded with water, gear, generator, and lead "accessories".

12mpg, the truck tows like nothing is behind it. No effort at all! I think you'll enjoy the tow.

 

I tow a 5600lb Airstream w/a verified 800lb tongue weight (both dry).
Just replaced my F150 2017 EcoBoost with a 2024 Tundra CrewMax Ltd. I towed with my friend’s Tundra (image 1) before buying mine (image 2). It towed so nicely that I immediately bought new Bilstein 4600 shocks for my F150 to improve the ride. Tundra had plenty of power, smooth and level up to 70mph… towed for about 20 miles. Looking forward to hooking up to my truck in March!

 

As much as I have bitched about the issues with my truck (‘22 CM), the towing is hands down superior to the ‘18 CM that I owned previously. My TT is a bumper pull and is 6700 lbs dry. As previously stated, I have to watch my speed because it seems so effortless. The 5.7 would be pulling at 4K on the tach, and transmission hunting all through the mountains, or even slightly undulating hills.

 

Had a 2000 extended replaced a 4.7 2008 extended cab and replaced that with with a 2023 Sr crew.
My future Ex-Wife put 2 tons of cement in the 2008!

It made it home......

I would regularly put a ton of wood pellets in the 2008 and drive about 10 miles with it.
It would sag a bit and you could feel the weight as you drove.

I did the same with the 2000 a little and drove about 3 miles.

My 23 shows a heigher payload by a couple hundred pounds.
I put a ton of pellets in it.
It sagged more than the 2008 with 2 tons!

Other than that.........
As far as acceleration and braking, it felt like I had just a few hundred pounds in the back.
Got 20 miles to gallon with that in it on flat ground.

Not sure if I should be unhappy with the 23 payload or brag about the 2008 payload.
Going to buy a trailer or air bags.

 

I myself am having trouble reconciling the payload sticker with being able to tow anything meaningful.. With my family of 4 in the in my 22 SR5 TRD (1388 payload) and even only 50 lbs of stuff, it seems like I should only be towing ~600lbs of hitch/tongue weight -

Lots of posts here about towing 30-foot+ trailers and I just don’t see how the math lines up. It feels like the 11k+ towing capacity on my tundra can never be utilized unless I lose 150 pounds and drive by myself…

1388 (max payload)
Subtract 700 lbs (people and dog) leaves 688
We have a Toneau cover which is another 90

Leaving 598 of hitch/tongue weight for the trailer and weight distribution hitch. Seems like weak sauce :/

Hoping someone can also provide some guidance on where my math is wrong.

 

Here is a link to the Payload Thread.
https://www.tundras.com/threads/whats-your-payload.112683/

 

For those worried about towing and payload capacity, let me suggest this....

 

I tow a small toy hauler with no trouble. As others have mentioned, the twin turbo V6 has plenty of power, but the suspension is way too soft for regular hauling - lovely as a daily driver while unloaded, but needs help under any kind of load. I'll be adding air bags to help those rear coils. Anyone settle on a favorite aftermarket air bag kit yet? I've heard good things about Firestone Ride Rite, but their part number for the 22 Tundra says it's for leaf springs.