Which first generation Tundra would you buy?

(Mods: please direct me to a source and delete this thread if the question has been asked before)

I bought an '03 4x4 Tundra about four years ago with all the recalls done, (frame, rust, etc.). I love this truck and have no regrets. I fitted her up with a new Meyer Plow. Now, I'm wanting to buy another first gen Tundra. But, which one?

The plan is to go south for a few months pulling a Scamp 5th wheel. The plow truck needs to stay north for somebody to plow in my absence.

Lately, I've come across some talk that points to better/stronger transmissions from '03 to '05. So, the question needs to be asked: "which first gen 4x4 is best for towing"?

Again, any direction or re-direct would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

Depends on your needs really. If you need 4 doors 04-06 is the way to go. If not, more power/lighter weight can be had with an 05-06 access cab. 03-04 have an upgraded planetary gear, but are still 4 speeds. 05-06 are 5 speeds. If I had a choice and didnt have kids I'd probably get an 05-06 4wd AC. It's just that lack of trans dipstick that bothers me.....

 

How heavy is that 5th wheel? I love my truck but I wouldn't want to tow anything extremely heavy with it, not for months on end.

If you already have an 03, I would get an 05-06 double cab with VVTI, better brakes, and the 5 speed auto.

 

** "Depends on your needs really. If you need 4 doors 04-06 is the way to go. If not, more power/lighter weight can be had with an 05-06 access cab. 03-04 have an upgraded planetary gear, but are still 4 speeds. 05-06 are 5 speeds. If I had a choice and didnt have kids I'd probably get an 05-06 4wd AC. It's just that lack of trans dipstick that bothers me....."

** "How heavy is that 5th wheel? I love my truck but I wouldn't want to tow anything extremely heavy with it, not for months on end.
If you already have an 03, I would get an 05-06 double cab with VVTI, better brakes, and the 5 speed auto."

bf4069m:

Hey, thanks.

That's an ear-full right there! Love this forum and that I didn't get, "Do some searches, Dummy."

I haven't confirmed the numbers yet but I don't imagine they've changed much for first gen Tundras. Here's the weight specs on the '03 4x4, access cab, 4.7:

2003 Tundra 4x2 4x4
GVW 6200 6200
Curb wt 4400 4758
Payload 1800 1475
Tow Cap 7100 6900
Tongue Wt 710 690
GCombinedRating 11,800 11,800

My needs are modest. I travel alone: no woman, no friends, no pets, no kids, no woman. Just me and all my warts that don't need further irrational commentary.

Having had experience with an '03 Tundra, I know that the access cab is spacious enough for me and some stuff. I don't need and don't wan't a 'crew cab': the 4-door access cab is great.

The more power and lighter weight of an 05-06 sounds appealing. Thanks again for that recommendation.

FristGenVol:

Thank you. I should've provided more detail.

The 5th wheel I'm looking for is a used Scamp. https://www.scamptrailers.com. They're arguably the lightest 5th wheel anywhere weighing about a ton dry with an 'advertised' pin weight of 400#.

It'll be just me and my 'stuff'. ColoradoTJ and I have discussed payload and weight distribution back-channel. I'm more comfortable now having sorted that out, i.e. most of my stuff needs to live in the trailer, not the truck to manage weight 'ratings'. How that weight will actually influence the truck is still a mystery so, I expect to have to make a few mods.

I had to look up VVTi - 'Variable Valve Timing intelligence'. That's apparently a big deal but is mostly mentioned in connection with the 5.7 (?) ... which I know nothing about except it translates to about 350 cid. VVTi was also built into the 4.7 as well.

Another nod to the 05-06. Thanks a lot.

 

Sounds like you've come to a decision! 05-06 AC with a v8. Let us know what you find.

 

Ya. That was quick, eh? LOL
I was looking around online in Arizona but don't see many 05/06 Tundras with an access cab: everything's crew-cab.
.....and the beat goes on....

 

Yeah, I think they're a bit rarer. Everything has moved to 4 door trucks now. Single cabs and ext cabs are hard to find now.

 

The 05/06 will get you a little tighter gear spread with the 5 speed auto. I think the overdrive and drive are the same or nearly the same as the 4 speed. You will also get to somewhere around 270hp instead of the 230hp (ish) of the pre vvti (04 and older) 4.7 v8s. The brakes are better as noted on the newer ones too.

 

245HP is the number for the non-VVT tundra 4.7L.

I personally wouldn't seek out an 05-06 Tundra specifically because the have a lot more emissions issues than the early models due to added things like smog pumps, the brake master cylinder issues, and the "sealed" transmissions. the a340F 4 speeds in the Tundras are solid enough. The planetary gear failure is stuff of legends. I haven't actually heard of someone coming across that. I tow frequently with my tundra, in OD no less, and I've had no issues. (235,000 on my old girl).

That being said, they're all better than you're standard F150, so you can't really go wrong. They later trucks did get a few more electronic gizmos too. stuff like true drive by wire throttle, and fancy VVTI, which brings the power from 245HP and 311 lb. Ft. of torque in the early trucks, to 270ish HP and 312Lb Ft. of torque in the later trucks. the 5 speed auto probably helps with towing due to the tighter shift pattern with the extra gear, but I can't speak to its reliability. Haven't heard many bad things about it.

 

You do have a point about the 4 speed being solid. If we were talking mad max wasteland style vehicle I'd pick the 4 speed because they seem to last forever. I also haven't heard much bad about the 5 speed though. As far as emmisions gizmos I don't know. I do know that my 06 tundra seems like a classic car compared to the 08 Titan it replaced. The Titan has more common issues, but was all around a much more modern vehicle. Not better or worse, just more modern. Interior, power, lighting, controls, etc.

 

I think my truck (and a few others on here) are testament to that. 317k miles on the factory 4 spd tranny. My dad had the truck before me and it was used as a work truck in general contracting. Lots of trailers and two gang boxes full of tools in the back. In DFW traffic. I haven't heard of a planetary gear failure (much less the mythical lbj failure) in my year on this forum. So yeah, dont fear the early first gens.

Edit: btw, he bought the truck brand new and used it for said work and a hunting truck for 275k before I got it.

 

This is something I don't hear a lot of people mention. I would go nuts with no dipstick and some tricky method required to change trans fluid. Plus when we are talking about +/- 15 year old vehicles it's scary not being able to examine the trans fluid to get a sense of condition.

 

Yep. I can do a drain and fill on my transmission in under 30 minutes. It annoys me that they ruined this will a "sealed" transmission. Even my wife's 2012 Rav4 still has a transmission dipstick.

 

I would say either a supercharged 4.7 from 03-04 or a vvti 4.7 from 05-06. With tow package.
Mods I would consider would be an auxiliary trans cooler and bigger brakes and/or trailer brakes, heavy duty leaf springs or air bags.

However I wouldn't put a 5th wheel on a first gen. Personally I don't think I'd even put a 5th wheel on anything less than a 2500

 

Yeah I hate that I can't easily check my trans. Other than that I love my set up

 

I have owned a 2002 AC TRD, a 2005 DC TRD and 2006 DC TRD....all 4x4. My 2005 had it's transmission (5sp) replaced right before I bought it (it had 99K miles on it when I bought it and had a 50K mile transmission swapped in at 97K miles). I don't know any details of that transmission failure though. I've loved all my Tundras. I'm partial to my AC though, because it was just the perfect size truck. Big enough to be comfortable for long trips, but not TOO big on light trails. It had plenty of power (I honestly can't tell the difference below 3K rpm between vvti and non-vvti and 95% of my truck's lives are spent below 3K rpm) and would tow that Scamp 5th wheel fine.

For those who are not familiar with Scamp 5th Wheels...they are not your typical 5th Wheel...they are relatively small and light weight...2-3K lbs depending on how it's outfitted.



Of course, you already have an AC so I assume you've towed that Scamp with it and were comfortable with it?

I would simply look for the best condition truck at a reasonable price and not worry too much about focusing on a specific feature (aside from 4x4). It's been over 13 years since these trucks were made, so the more you narrow what you are searching for, the harder it will be to find one in good condition. The one thing I would say and has been mentioned above...if you go with a 2003 or older Tundra, definitely upgrade to the newer better brakes. If you are towing, that is a must. Hell, even if you aren't, I think it's still a good idea and not that expensive. Good luck in your search...

 

Access Cab all the way no matter what year. Yes, I’m partial.

The 2002 A340f transmission has been extremely reliable with mucho towing/hauling and early years 4 wheeling. Engine is bullet proof. I’m at 166kmiles since new and the only problem I’ve had close to breaking down was a bad coil probs due to my lack of changing the spark plugs.

She is easy to work and just the right size. I’ll miss her when she goes due to having to go out into the new (too big) 1/2 ton truck market. Might as well get a F350.

 

@Professional Hand Model, appreciate you bringing back all these older threads today. Lot of good info I have missed before joining

As for the thread discussion....bought my 2004 9yrs ago not knowing crap about Tundras. I was a year away from retiring at the time and passed it on the way home from work. That 3Q3 Limited loaded to the gill had my name all over it. As of today, only because of the folks here, do I now know I got a good truck and a good year....go 1st Gen !

 

Sure thing bud. I finally got some time to go back and peruse what I missed during my late summer 3 month hiatus in the Himalayan Foothills. Learning to add a little transmission fluid was worth my mediation time and effort over there.

 

2005-2006 4.7 is the cream of the crop. They just feel so refined and smooth. I never understood why Toyota continued to use the 4 speed in the tundra until 2005.

 

My 2002 4wd 4.7L SR5 will tow a heavy load, and I can always turn the OD off to protect the planetary gear.

 

Plus, your regular cab has the extra payload capacity due to lighter weight. Right around 1800-1900lbs?

I’ve towed for years with O/D on except when hill climbing or heavy head winds. No problems.

 

O/d is fine. You just don’t want it hunting gears. That’s why most turn it off. I try to keep it on if I can. No I’ll effect on anything I’ve ever towed with