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TT Towing

Discussion in 'Towing & Hauling' started by joegib1980, Jun 10, 2020.

  1. Jun 10, 2020 at 10:31 AM
    #1
    joegib1980

    joegib1980 [OP] New Member

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    I have a 2018 Tundra Double Cab SR5 4.6L. I know, I know, real men drive 5.7L. It doesn't have the towing package, but I will be adding a brake controller and the Anderson No-sway WDH. I believe I have the 3.52 gear ratio. Towing capacity is 6800 lbs. Tongue weight 680 lbs. Payload is 1600 lbs. My truck doesn't have Tow-Haul, but I can pop it over into "S" and keep it 5th.

    I plan on buying a 2018 Grey Wolf 26DJSE. Dry weight is 4,208 lbs. Cargo capacity is 2,978 lbs. GVWR is 7,574 lbs. Hitch weight is 574 lbs. I don't plan on loading almost 3,000 lbs of cargo, and my intention is to keep the total towing weight to 6,000 lbs. I don't ever plan on boon docking, so the only time I'll have anything in the grey or black tanks is when I take the truck to the dump station.

    Only thing I've towed is a 3,000 lb popup with surge brakes. My question is does this sound doable or reasonable? I don't want to tow right at the limits. But I am still under the advertised capacity, if I keep it at 6,000 lbs. Am I missing anything?
     
  2. Jun 10, 2020 at 10:52 AM
    #2
    Tracy Perry

    Tracy Perry New Member

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    Odds are you will be near your maximum hitch weight once your battery and propane tanks are added onto the trailer. Dry weight does not include them and that usually is around 100lbs by themselves.
    Once you add anything else into the trailer, it will push you over the limit.
     
    runCMD likes this.
  3. Jun 10, 2020 at 10:55 AM
    #3
    joegib1980

    joegib1980 [OP] New Member

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    Thanks for the info. I hadn't thought about that. So does the WDH do anything to the tongue weight?
     
  4. Jun 10, 2020 at 11:02 AM
    #4
    Tracy Perry

    Tracy Perry New Member

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    It can help distribute some of it to the front axels and the trailer axels. You need to be using a WD hitch for anything over 500lbs TW anyway.
    My point was don't get stuck on what they give as the dry weight as that is before anything is put onto/into the trailer and to just be aware of that. It can be a rather "interesting" time to get the WD hitch properly set up if you don't know what you are doing.
     
  5. Jun 10, 2020 at 11:05 AM
    #5
    joegib1980

    joegib1980 [OP] New Member

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    Gotcha. Thanks again!
     
  6. Jun 10, 2020 at 11:23 AM
    #6
    Windsor

    Windsor New Member

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    Ill chime in on the No-Sway hitch. Make sure you take the time to set it up correctly. DO NOT rely on the dealer to do it right.
    I use one on my cargo conversion and my folks use one on their Airstream. When setup properly, they are great. If you have an older model (chain plate with a welded ring), contact Anderson about getting it replaced with the current version. They replaced 3 for me free of charge, even though one was purchased used at a pawn shop.
    If you dont have it yet, I suggest purchasing directly from Anderson.
     
    joegib1980[OP] likes this.
  7. Jun 10, 2020 at 4:42 PM
    #7
    JohnLakeman

    JohnLakeman Burning Internet Daylight

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    One thing your 4.6L is missing is a transmission fluid cooler.

    You'll want to get one of the OBD based transmission fluid temperature monitoring setups to determine your ATF temperature while towing.There are several brands depending on what kind of cell phone you have to read it with, and threads are here for the searching. If the ATF temperature is constantly near or exceeding 240 degrees on long tows, the transmission fluid is going to degrade quickly imo.

    For the weight you'll be towing, my assumption would be that I would need the cooler. Toyota parts (transmission thermostat, steel fluid lines, rubber coupling hoses) can be purchased from @Roman to retrofit a high quality aftermarket air-to-fluid exhanger to the 4.6L. A thread resurfaced recently that covered this exact subject.
     
    Tracy Perry likes this.
  8. Jun 10, 2020 at 9:33 PM
    #8
    Vizsla

    Vizsla ☠️☠️☠️

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    @joegib1980 not a bad idea to watch trans temps with OBD monitor, but only watch pan temps, not torque converter where most see “high temps”. Transmission fluid is time at temp, and doubt you see 240 in the pan(fine for Toyota WS fluid), so caveat emptor. Toyota has a very aggressive transmission protection, most of the advice you get here is from people that don’t know that. Transmissions aren’t a Tundra problem, but you can make it one by listening to the bs on here.
     
    T-Rex266 and joegib1980[OP] like this.
  9. Jun 11, 2020 at 6:31 AM
    #9
    joegib1980

    joegib1980 [OP] New Member

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    @Vizsla@JohnLakeman Thank you for the input. It can be very confusing to see all the different opinions. All of them have merit and warrant consideration.

    I am a relative newbie when it comes to towing, especially anything more than 3,000 lbs. If a truck's published towing capacity is 6,800, shouldn't that mean that I can tow 6,800 lbs as the truck is currently set up? That might be a naive question. But it just seems shady if Toyota is advertising 6,800 lbs, but it's with a caveat that you need a tranny cooler, etc. I understand the need for brake controller. That's a given.
     
    Vizsla likes this.
  10. Jun 11, 2020 at 6:39 AM
    #10
    joegib1980

    joegib1980 [OP] New Member

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    I just remembered, I did tow a Ford Fusion on a Uhaul car hauler about 300 miles. Fusion was ~3,300 and trailer is ~2,200, so 5,500 lbs total. I didn't have any trouble on the trip. Truck pulled it just fine.
     
  11. Jun 11, 2020 at 2:03 PM
    #11
    JohnLakeman

    JohnLakeman Burning Internet Daylight

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    That would be a question to take up with your dealer, but his predictable response will question your desire to tow that heavy without a tow package. If you talk with them, please report their reaction. :notsure:

    Keep in mind Toyota has issued no "caveat"; unless, it's implied in the fact the 4.6L does not come with the tow package. But, lack of a tow package won't keep our 4.6L from being used reliably as "tow vehicles" if the inherent limitations are addressed. I had an '86, "What's a 'tow package'?", 4Runner to which I added a trailer brake controller and seven pin harness/receptacle, and it towed like a champ...but only for 30+ years and 180K miles. I didn't worry about cooling transmission fluid because it had the 5 speed manual, and gear oil coolers had never been used then. But, ATF degradation from heat is something to be considered with the 4.6L.

    So, to be clear, I never offered an "opinion" that you needed to retrofit an ATF cooler. You asked what you were missing and I told you. I did suggest that you should monitor your transmission fluid temperatures to determine if you need to retrofit a cooler. (Ostrich mentality does not work on automatic transmissions). There is still surprisingly little data available yet for cooler-less trucks. I told you how that retrofit could be done if you desired.

    My opinion was, that if I was towing near the published limits of my 4.6L as you are, my assumption would be that I would need the cooler. After all, if Toyota thought an ATF cooler was needed on the 4.6L before, why would that be different now? If anyone is going to need a ATF cooler with the 4.6L, then it will be needed near the tow limit.

    But...If you need something to push you toward the "not-needed opinion", then think about this: IF you decide to add an ATF cooler, and you later have a transmission problem during the warranty period, Toyota could use the presence of the retrofitted exchanger as an excuse to void your warranty. :eek: OTOH, they could otherwise blame any transmission failure on heavy limit towing, and subsequent fluid degradation, without the tow package (abuse). :(

    You have what is called a "dilemma". You choose.
     
    Last edited: Jun 11, 2020
  12. Jun 11, 2020 at 2:42 PM
    #12
    joegib1980

    joegib1980 [OP] New Member

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    @JohnLakeman Just so you know, I wasn't the one questioning your suggestion/opinion. I'm taking it all into account and weighing the risks/benefits.
     
  13. Jun 12, 2020 at 5:12 AM
    #13
    joegib1980

    joegib1980 [OP] New Member

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    Thank you sir..I really value the input.
     
  14. Jun 12, 2020 at 6:12 AM
    #14
    huntertn

    huntertn New Member

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    I see these kinda questions come up a lot. I was sitting here wondering if it might not be a good idea to try and rent a camper of about the same size and pull it around for a day. Get an app for your phone and a Bluetooth obd2 dongle to measure the transmission temp. That would give you a better idea of what you are getting into - towing wise.

    You could probably get a deal on the rental if it was a nonpeak time. Not sure how that stuff is right now with this virus thing.

    Just throwing it out. Not sure if it is a good idea or not.
     
  15. Jun 12, 2020 at 7:04 AM
    #15
    joegib1980

    joegib1980 [OP] New Member

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    That’s a good idea..I’m actually buying the camper from my dad, so it would be easy to borrow it and drive it around.
     
  16. Jun 12, 2020 at 7:32 AM
    #16
    Melikeymy beer

    Melikeymy beer No cooler for you!

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    I'm not familiar with the 4.6L, but for the 5.7L the manual recomends limiting to S4 when towing.
     
  17. Aug 29, 2020 at 12:45 PM
    #17
    joegib1980

    joegib1980 [OP] New Member

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    Just an update. Pulled my TT on a 500 mile round trip, got into some decent hills. Trailer weighs in at 5300. Got weight distribution dialed in. Truck pulled like a champ. Kept it in S4 the entire trip. Maintained between 60-65. Got 9.5 mpg. Trans temps held steady at 210-212. No cooler. Very proud of my 4.6.
     

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