New Toy Hauler! Need Some Recommendations

It is bouncy because that trailer is too much for the truck.....tail wagging the dog. Hope you don't hurt yourself or anyone else out there on the road.

 

I'll repeat myself one it doesn't wag around like a dogs tail at all and two it doesn't bounce all the time it was the road I was on, oh and no one is getting hurt

 

Maybe it's because the trailer was empty? Maybe it didn't have enough tongue weight? Maybe OP was driving too fast for the conditions? Maybe it will behave just fine when full of camping gear and a couple dirt bikes? Who knows.

The answer doesn't always need to be "Better buy an F250" Sheesh.

OP, make a few mods if you wish, start with the tires and work from there. But make sure you post your trailer in this thread and also take a look at some of the others. You're not alone, tons of people tow similar rigs and are doing fine:
https://www.tundras.com/threads/what-do-you-tow-with-your-tundra.238/

 

To confirm what the OP is likely experiencing....It bounces because of the design / wheelbase of the Tundra and the concrete sections of highway we have here in Colorado. My Crewmax did it stock with no load, does it with passengers, does it fully loaded, does it with 300lbs of gears + topper and no passengers, still does it with 6112 / 5160 / CB Shackles, 17" wheels, 34" tires, and pool noodles smooshed around the spare (haven't actually done the last one honestly, but my spare is locked in place as its a full size). Also, i've never towed a trailer with the Tundra...

It is the roads. Everyone calm down about the bounce. Yes, it's a big trailer, but i'll back up the OP that the roads here make our trucks "bob", "bounce", or "Bed Bounce" as you travel down certain sections of roads.

 

I-80 across Nebraska, before being redone, was notorious for this. Tundra or 4Runner....it was miserable, 2-3 hours of constant bouncing. I used to take two excedrin before we got to that stretch to try and ward off the impending headache.

 

I experienced it just before Des Moines and as I was leaving the city it was terrible and then we had the ice to worry about. The ice between Walcott and Des Moines was terrible I've never seen that many cars/trucks/semis rolled over into the ditch before and I've driven through there many times before.

 

Some concrete highway sections with the expansion joints are notorious for the bounce. Spokane to Pullman had a section before it was repaved that if your truck was wrong it would almost make you sick (brothers t100).

Definitely get an E rated tire! I'm happy with my KO2s in all conditions including LOTS of winter driving. 25k miles, good wear. Little loud. But I only tow my little boat. YMMV.

 

Yep; where I live there's about an 8 mile section of roads that does it; and on I-40 outside of Memphis, there's a section that is *SO* bad that my head will hit the headliner (WITH seatbelt on) if I drive over 60MPH.

 

Get that camper washed ASAP, or your new camper wont look new come spring.

 

I got a 24' V-nose car hauler several years ago for racing sport bikes. I picked it up with my Tundra in the snow on a Saturday.
I traded the Tundra for a Chevy 2500HD the next weekend and I never hauled it in the snow again.

 

Verdict one- tundra will pull it just fine.

verdict two- tundra owner/driver and trailer owner is not stupid and knows what he is doing.

verdict three- trailer is good to be towed by the tundra with the proper modifications (tires, possible suspension, etc).

I can agree that if a truck needs mods to pull a trailer safely then you shouldn’t pull the trailer. However, I will reiterate, there is a fine line. My first Gen sags like crazy when hooked to any trailer. I got airbags because (to me) they are better than any leaf spring upgrade. Granted, the empty ride sucks with any air in the bags, but it enables the truck to do what it needs to do. OP will be just fine. No tail wagging the dog. Truck was built for these loads. OP isn’t doing anything wrong here.

also-

no fords replacing the tundra this time...

 

I guess payload ratings are just optional suggestions?

 

We could go on and on couldn’t we! He said it was within specs. I’m gonna take his word for it. If he was one pound over payload it would be illegal right? But I’m pretty sure the truck wouldn’t have any adverse effects at one pound over versus at exact max payload. Truck will easily and safely pull and handle the trailer.

 

You are not wrong. I also see why others have expressed concern for this trailer being towed behind a Tundra. If the OP has accurately and carefully taken into account every LB that goes into his rig in passengers, gear, modifications, etc and it checks out then this trailer is great for him/ them and i wish them the best with this trailer and hope it serves his family well.

Regardless i wish them success with this.

Ego check for me: My parents 2012 Sienna (LE AWD) has a higher payload capacity than my beefed up Tundra. Stay humble and stay informed.

 

Yeah that’s my only issue. Lots of cars and SUV’s have a higher payload. But at the same time, @AZBoatHauler is right! There is a legal limit we have to follow. Boat hauler I apologize if what I said was disrespectful! Didn’t mean it that way at all.

common sense if anything I guess.

 

No apology necessary. I’ve made some short drives over payload so I certainly understand the truck is capable of going over capacity without falling to pieces.

The whole reason I ended up with a Tundra was due to buying a boat at the top of my last vehicles (GX470) capabilities. On paper, the numbers worked but the vehicle was too strained for the drive to be enjoyable. Safety issues aside, white knuckle driving sucks which is how this whole thread started.

ETA if I didn’t have to go over 3 mountain passes to get to the lake the GX would have been fine.

 

If that is the advertised spec hitch weight, that's before propane tanks and battery are installed on the front of the A-Frame, increasing it by quite a bit.

 

There's more to pulling a a trailer than just the weight. Do some research on side load. With a trailer that is 33 feet long you are going to find that is unstable with any kind of decent cross-wind.
And that bouncing you feel.... it could be just the roadway. I have travelled some that the expansion joints were spaced just right to cause that.
I know this will probably offend you, but I'd hate to be on the same road traveling as you when you are pulling that thing fully loaded. It's an accident waiting on a place to happen.

 

nice trailer man my wife wants that same model but im not sure if my tundra will pull it how does the truck do when your pulling it?

 

Thank you I think it pulls it just fine just make sure to get a WTD hitch and consider maybe adding airbags out back.

 

These are all great suggestions. Airbags are amazing for the regular truck uses. However with no load they are tough because you have to have air in them to keep from damaging. I think they are one of the best upgrades you can make to a truck, as long as you can handle the slightly worse ride.

 

What WD hitch are you using and what are the spring bars rated at? If the spring bars are not strong enough it will cause bouncing.

 

I'm using a Husky WD with 1200 LB spring bars and the the friction pads for the anti sway

 

That's where I'm kind of stuck I don't know how the truck will ride after installing them. I planning on doing the Bilstein 5100's set at the top level with either bags or possibly an add a leaf of some sort in the rear. Waiting on my yearly bonus to come in at the end of the month to place my order

 

Interested in knowing what your loaded tongue weight is. I saw that the empty tongue weight is 785 pounds. Once you add your battery and propane tanks (assume 30 pound tanks which is standard with that size trailer) that is up to around 950'ish before you have anything loaded. On my SR5 CC (1163 pounds payload) that leaves around 213 pounds available for payload/additional tongue weight. Once the wife and the dogs load in I'm at -237 pounds payload, and that's before I even loaded the trailer.

<edited 03/17> To correct actual door sticker and get the calculator after the numbers instead of the 58 year old brain that isn't as good at it.

 

I believe their site states that 758 is loaded tongue rate, I also confirmed this with the dealership that I purchased it from. I am thinking of buying a scale to measure the tongue weight out of curiosity.

 

Tongue weights (especially on a spec sheet) are almost always empty tongue weight. Both my Winnebago's were, and two of the prior three trailers were the same (one Greywolf, one Prowler, one Scamp - which gave a weight range, with the upper range including the tank/battery). You had to add the propane tank and battery weights to get a rough baseline (without going to a scale) and then need to use a scale to get the loaded TW. It is a "trick" that most manufacturers use, and most dealers won't tell you that's pre-tanks/battery as they want to make a sell and if a buyer finds out that the tongue weight is almost at their payload before being loaded with anything it can scare off a sale.
That's why I asked what your loaded tongue weight actually is. There is a method using a bathroom scale and a 2x4 to get a good approximation without having to go to scales to get it. I've been towing bumper pull RV's since 1994 so got kind of familiar with the "tricks of the trade" and the games that dealers/manufacturers use. Most trailers do not ship with batteries. They ship "naked" and the batteries are supplied by the dealer. Sometimes the propane tanks are included by the manufacturer, but even if they are, you have 25-28 pounds empty tank weight that is included in the TW and then you have to add another 27-30 pounds for each full tank (this weight is NOT included in the spec's TW). So you have a net of 54 additional pounds of payload so you would be up to around 70 pounds spare payload in my example.

Back in my early towing days I didn't really have to worry much about the tongue weight as I was driving a Ford F-250 PowerStroke so had plenty of payload. Now with the Tundra I have to be VERY careful, especially since it is the lowest payload of its class.

This is the current outfit, and is as big as I feel safe pulling with the Tundra. Still debating upgrading to a 3/4 ton, but haven't decided on which manufacturer yet and am also waiting to see the spec's on the 2022 Tundra (which I don't expect a much better increase over what the current other 1/2 tons have).

 

I'm thinking that your spring bars are not heavy enough. The spring bars should stop any bounce you have in the truck. You mentioned a tongue weigh of 758lbs but I'm thinking that's the empty weight. Toy haulers have by nature a very heavy tongue weight compared to other trailers of the same size.

 

He's running 1200lb spring bars... and if it's the Husky TS Centerline that he has, those are a 800-1200lb bars (the same that I use on my Tundra).

 

It shouldn't bounce if the bars are adequate.