1. Welcome to Tundras.com!

    You are currently viewing as a guest! To get full-access, you need to register for a FREE account.

    As a registered member, you’ll be able to:
    • Participate in all Tundra discussion topics
    • Transfer over your build thread from a different forum to this one
    • Communicate privately with other Tundra owners from around the world
    • Post your own photos in our Members Gallery
    • Access all special features of the site

Towing Jeep on trailer Question

Discussion in 'General Tundra Discussion' started by zlaneb, Feb 22, 2021.

  1. Feb 22, 2021 at 2:20 PM
    #1
    zlaneb

    zlaneb [OP] New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 19, 2015
    Member:
    #1433
    Messages:
    405
    Gender:
    Male
    Austin, TX
    Howdy,
    I am renting a trailer to tow my son's jeep approximately 300 miles with my Tundra. The jeep and trail weight will be under 5000 pounds. I know the Tundra towing capacity is well beyond that if stock. I have Bilstein 6112s & 5100s on the truck, (set on the first setting from the top). Will these aftermarket shocks impact (impair) my towing capacity?

    Also, I've never towed a vehicle on a trailer, any hints, ideas, must-do's (outside of what is listed below) that you can recommend are greatly appreciated.

    Plan:
    Renting a Uhaul vehicle towing trailer (all wheels off the ground)
    I may have to invest in extra tie-downs because the jeep tires/wheels are 35in on 20 rims

    I don't know if a trailer brake is available for the trailer, if so, I will use information from the forum on how to get the breaking set.

    Do I need to change my tire pressure (I will be towing on the highway)?

    I plan on using the stock hitch that came with my Tundra, it is rated at 11K pounds, is this a good idea?

    What other safety precautions can I take, other than reducing speed?

    Thanks for any help you can provide!
    Zlaneb
     
  2. Feb 22, 2021 at 3:01 PM
    #2
    19crewmaxTRD

    19crewmaxTRD Tundra Enthusiast

    Joined:
    Sep 1, 2019
    Member:
    #35470
    Messages:
    395
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Seth
    Vehicle:
    2019 white tundra crewmax
    You’ll be fine, just take it slow till you get the hang of how the trailer effects the truck. As for your questions.

    the bilstein will probably make your towing experience better because of the stiffer/ more aggressive shocks. If you have bigger tires that will hurt in the power department but the 5.7 has plenty of power to turn 35s and pull 5000 lbs.

    uhaul trailer usually come with surge brakes. Which is a little clunky but works fine. As far as tie downs, when I tie down my land cruiser, I tie down each corner from the axle with axle straps. This prevents the vehicle suspension effecting the vehicle being strapped down. The problem with this is that it allows the vehicle body to sway around corners and bounce over bumps. So I usually run just a single strap to the frame on each side of the vehicle to keep the body from moving around to much. These straps always loses up during the ride so every time you stop give them a couple cranks.

    bumping up your tire pressure will definitely help, but it’s not necessary. With my e range tires I bump 10 psi at each corner (44->55psi) when towing my travel trailer.

    the stock tow hitch is fine.

    the biggest thing to think about when towing is the weight distribution on the trailer. You want to make sure you have enough tongue weight that the trailer handles and track straight/ doesn’t sway, but you don’t want so much tongue weight that you rear axle on the truck is overloaded. If you start towing and the trailer wants to sway a bit don’t be afraid to pull over and move the Jeep forward on the trailer, on the other side if you bottoming out over every bump don’t be afraid to back the Jeep up on the trailer a bit.
     
    Tierhog, zlaneb[OP], Sunnier and 2 others like this.
  3. Feb 23, 2021 at 9:12 AM
    #3
    Cpl_Punishment

    Cpl_Punishment Young men never die.

    Joined:
    Jan 24, 2019
    Member:
    #25048
    Messages:
    14,227
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Rosy
    Alberta, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2020 MGM SR5 CM 4X4
    Boost Auto mirrors, RSB, Leer Legend canopy, Line-X bed liner
    I know Toyota recommends a weight distributing hitch if your trailer is over 5000 lbs but if you're just below that and only doing this once, it may not be a worthwhile investment for you.

    I believed you'll want to bump the tire pressure up a bit but I'm not really sure how far (and it will depend on the tongue weight of the trailer).
     
  4. Feb 23, 2021 at 9:19 AM
    #4
    Tierhog

    Tierhog SIG-AHOLIC

    Joined:
    Feb 7, 2018
    Member:
    #12731
    Messages:
    1,200
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Steve
    Florida
    Vehicle:
    2016 Tundra Crewmax Limited 4WD
    Mostly stock/TRD accessories/Morimoto XBs
    Seth pretty much nailed it. I did use tow mode, however I was zig zagging through the hills from Monterey coast to the valley. Jeep has more tie down options than this plastic hot rod. You'll be fine

    20200614_174213.jpg
     
    19crewmaxTRD and BravoDeltaRomeo like this.
  5. Feb 23, 2021 at 10:55 AM
    #5
    ColoradoTJ

    ColoradoTJ Certified tow LEO Staff Member

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2016
    Member:
    #2766
    Messages:
    35,621
    Gender:
    Male
    Colorado
    Vehicle:
    LML 3500HD
    Calibrated Power 5 Tune pack, Allison 1000 tune, PPE deep trans pan, Cold/Hot CAC pipes, Banks CAI, PCV reroute, resonator delete, S&B 62 gal fuel tank, B&W GN hitch
    What kind of Jeep? Even the TJ wranglers were 3400 lbs at the lowest trim package, I6/manual.

    The U-Haul will be around 2210 lbs.

    Anyways, you will be fine with that weight without a LDH. Some good advice above in other posts.
     
  6. Feb 23, 2021 at 5:59 PM
    #6
    zlaneb

    zlaneb [OP] New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 19, 2015
    Member:
    #1433
    Messages:
    405
    Gender:
    Male
    Austin, TX
    THANK YOU SIR - I should have known not to trust my college aged son to provide the correct weight. I"m estimating with 35's on it it could be pushing 4800 pounds.
    Now I"m up to 7,000 pounds. Still within towing range, but i now really need to figure out if a ball pull makes sense anymore.
     
    ColoradoTJ[QUOTED] likes this.
  7. Feb 23, 2021 at 6:05 PM
    #7
    ColoradoTJ

    ColoradoTJ Certified tow LEO Staff Member

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2016
    Member:
    #2766
    Messages:
    35,621
    Gender:
    Male
    Colorado
    Vehicle:
    LML 3500HD
    Calibrated Power 5 Tune pack, Allison 1000 tune, PPE deep trans pan, Cold/Hot CAC pipes, Banks CAI, PCV reroute, resonator delete, S&B 62 gal fuel tank, B&W GN hitch
    So a few other things to consider. If he has oversized tires that have 3.5” backspacing (common with the Jeep’s), it might be to wide for the U-haul. Some of my buddies rented one and just drove over the fenders since they got the insurance with it. :D

    Unless it has a ton of armor on the Jeep, doubt it will weigh 4800 lbs.

    I tower with my 2012 CM tundra plenty of times without a LDH, but it’s hard to control tongue weight on a small trailer.
     
    zlaneb[QUOTED][OP] likes this.
  8. Feb 24, 2021 at 12:36 PM
    #8
    zlaneb

    zlaneb [OP] New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 19, 2015
    Member:
    #1433
    Messages:
    405
    Gender:
    Male
    Austin, TX
    Thanks everyone for the great information. I typically tow boats, mulch trailers, etc. Nothing this big.
     
  9. Mar 2, 2021 at 3:10 PM
    #9
    zlaneb

    zlaneb [OP] New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 19, 2015
    Member:
    #1433
    Messages:
    405
    Gender:
    Male
    Austin, TX
    Update - Thanks again for all the information. I rented the trailer in Corpus Christi, it was a U-haul vehicle trailer (all 4 tires of jeep off the ground). It was 2,100 pounds with dual axles. The tundra pulled it like a champ. No issues at all. I ran 65MPH on the open highways and slowed it down a tad when I hit the traffic on IH35 between San Antonio and Austin. I set my tire pressure to cold psi of 50 pounds. I would do it again in a heartbeat.
    Thanks again for all the information. IT helped ease my mind and prepare for the adventure.
     
    19crewmaxTRD and Leo's first like this.

Products Discussed in

To Top