Tow it with a 2024 1794 Hybrid ??

New to a Tundra and it's been a while since I've lived the half ton life. Experienced in hauling trailers of all kinds. Just want to get thoughts on possible RV trailer set ups and specs to confirm if I'm crazy to be looking at a trailer this heavy for a half ton. Are air bags needed, etc....

I've seen videos of people towing 10,000lbs without any issues so it does seem doable if you are correctly set up and use common sense.

TOW Vehicle: 2024 1794 Hybrid
Trailer: Looking at an Ember 24MSL or similar.
Trailer Specs: UVW6865 / GVW 9995
Gear: 4 people, Labrador, basic camping gear ( stove, bikes, etc. ) not sure on weight but not a heavy bed load.
Terrain etc: We only tow approx 5 to 10 times per year max. Terrain is highway with minimal mountain passes but still a few here and there.
Tow Speed: 65 to 70mph approx

 

It will pull it very easily , but……

Going to run out of payload and be way over

 

That was my thought too. Looking for a solid newer bunkhouse. Any recommendations within weight limits?

 

Looking at the Ember 24MSL, I’m seeing a GVW of 8495 with an unloaded vehicle weight around around 7000 lbs and tongue of 860 lbs.

I’d have no qualms with towing that trailer. Throw your bikes on a rear bumper mounted rack and all your gear in the trailer if you are concerned about payload. A good WD hitch would be very helpful; airbags could also be helpful but not exactly necessary. I like the ability to add spring force and level out a tow vehicle, so I run bags. But I tow often. Any coil spring 1/2 ton will inherently see more suspension sag than a leaf sprung truck; variable rate coils help but I think the 1794 comes with linear rate coils. So airbags are up to you.

 

Following. I got a 24 Limited with the tow package, rv trailer is 7700 fully loaded. Sags quite a bit without the wd hitch, so I got air bags. Anybody use air bags and the factory sway control alone? How was it?

 

I can say a weight distribution hitch is a must.

 

I can’t speak for the 3rd Gen platform, but most of my trailers won’t accommodate a WD hitch, nor do some of the roads I drive. For example, WD hitches don’t accommodate more than 10 or 15 degrees of incline between the tow vehicle and trailer without creating a tremendous bending force on the tongue and hitch. I’ve never had an issue pulling those weights with airbags alone and a properly loaded trailer. I’m not saying I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone, but it is a feasible route.

WD hitches are a blessing and a curse: they relieve stress on some components while introducing more stress to other components. They are great at redistributing weight back to the front tires (when setup correctly) but reduce mobility. The TV suspension is going to bear most of the tongue weight either way, so it’s not so much of a rear suspension aid as it often made out to be. It also gets conflated with sway control as the two are often combined in to one hitch, but aren’t mutually inclusive.

IMO, the biggest issue of not using a WD hitch is the soft rear suspensions of 1/2 ton trucks that can create a handling issue. You run out of useable suspension and sag the rear of the truck, putting it out of balance. Towing a trailer dead drop is just fine up to a certain weight - typically 500 lbs tongue weight; it’s not that the suspension can’t handle additional weight (in the bed or on the hitch) but that it throws the balance off when the vehicle rake is removed. IME, a stouter suspension will keep the vehicle level or raked, handle abrupt inputs and maneuvers safely, and properly transfer weight to the front tires when braking. A sagged out suspension can cause the rear to squat more when braking, removing more weight from the front end.

Now that I’m off that soapbox, I occasionally pull a heavy enclosed trailer that is very tongue heavy (as big as my camp trailer, weighs several thousand pounds more when loaded, and like I said - very tongue heavy). I air up the bags until it’s leveled out and drive. I had an occasional minimal sway above 70 MPH until I aired up my rear tires a little more, but that was due more to an unavoidable front heavy loading scenario.

Last time I pulled it, I stole my WD brackets from my travel trailer and made them work on the enclosed trailer. They had to be setup in the least optimal range recommended by the MFG, but still barely in spec. The setup was only able to restore about 3/8” of front axle weight (~250 lbs according to spring rates) and maybe 1/2” less sag at the rear with a fairly aggressive setup. I still needed to air up the bags to within 5 or so PSI of not using the WD hitch.

Towing, the trailer did have a little less bob to it, and a little less sway. It felt more stable - but only marginally so. I don’t usually see much bounce or sway, and rarely any porpoising. Improved, yes, but not night and day.

Two days later I pulled my 7x16 enclosed at about 7k lbs as a dead drop. It pulled about the same or better than the heavier trailer with the WD hitch, but with Less air in the bags. Weight well distributed but still 15% or so on the tongue.

My point is, if you can use a WD hitch, it helps and is usually the recommended route. I don’t recommend going against the MFG’s recommendations for using one. But once you exceed that 500lb tongue weight, your truck isn’t going to collapse and implode, your trailer isn’t going play whack-a-mile with every car and object on the road with you, and you aren’t going to die an ignominious death. (Well, those could still happen if you try to make it happen, but the likelihood is very very very small). Trailer loading, vehicle setup, and driver attentiveness are paramount to a good towing experience for all.

 

My big question is how well do airbags work with the Toyota factory anti-sway. Like you said, if you're on a flat road a wd hitch is good, but adding some random pitch might overstress it.

(And yes, some people get anti-sway and wd confused)

 

I don’t see how air bags would do anything but help the factory anti-sway. Just plumb them bags on independent lines instead of tee’d together.

BTW, don’t think that my comments were directed at you or anybody in particular - just speaking generally.

 

I agree with you on all this, especially on plumbing the bags independently. I think unless you're going to drive solely on flat roads, there is a question of if air bags and the factory anti-sway system is a better solution.

 

So let's get back to it. Factory, as is with a WDH. How heavy of a camp trailer would you comfortably tow with this truck? I've seen videos of people towing equipment trailers at 10k lbs without issues.

 

@ELOV8D1 - I drive a 2018 so it's not a direct comparison but we were also looking at the Ember 24. It's a heavy, beautifully made trailer and we were so very close to buying it. It was the tongue weight that eventually made the decision. I asked the dealer to weigh the tongue of the actual unit with a battery and propane tanks (empty nose storage though). I can't remember the actual number but it was quite a bit higher than the posted weight.

We ended up getting a Surveyor Legend 260BHLE. Lighter, lower cost and checked all of the boxes for our family. It's still at the high end of the range for a Tundra, but it tows well connected with a Blue Ox WDH. Your 2024 would do even better than my 2018.