Which Tundra to get?

@Onedsr ,

You’re absolutely good to go with any 1/2 ton you like and a 6,000lb trailer.

Don’t let all the technobabble about torque converter lock up vs un locked operations bother you. The transmission will take care of it automatically based on what you’re asking the truck to do under load. Just follow the recommendations in the manual for towing, and drive prudently within you and the trucks capabilities.

On the plus side the 2022 Tundra has some pretty nice towing assistance tech, and from what testing shows a pretty dialed in tow/haul and tow/haul + mode that maps out throttle and transmission shift logic.

 

You’re right, it does fully lock up in 4th. I had looked at the one Techstream file I had available but I pulled out some files from my hard drive archive and could see in those files that it was locking up in 4th while driving around at low speeds like 30-35 mph but it goes into flex lockup with any moderate acceleration and is in flex lockup when coasting/engine braking.

For reference, looks like the 3rd gen locks up from 2nd gear but had the same flex lockup behavior when coasting/engine braking.

 

@Onedsr
I’ll link you to my rundown of what I experienced towing my camper, which is about the size you want. IMO it is a little much for a tundra.
https://www.tundras.com/posts/2812674/

 

Bottom line is that whatever you choose to pull or pull it with should be within "specs" and "load capacities" of both the trailer and tow vehicle. Doesn't matter if you are pulling it 2 miles, 200 miles or 2,000 miles. Different risk, but how many of us would say drunk driving is an unacceptable risk regardless if you're driving 2 blocks or 20 miles. The cause of the risk is the same, but the potential for damage, serious injury and death are essentially the same. Google 'trailer or vehicles in tow accidents' and watch how quickly trailer sway or loss of control turns catastrophic and how the truck ceases to be able to control the trailer and the trailer ends up controlling the truck. (Tail wagging the dog).

Limits are limits; yes they may be conservative at times, but they are there for a reason. Understand that dry weight for your trailer means no gear, no water, no filled gray or black tanks, etc. A tongue weight, payload, GVWR, etc. all MUST factor your gear, your liquids, you and any passengers. It adds up quick. Realistically if you have a 6000lb dry weight trailer, you will be generally be hauling 8000lbs before you know it w/passengers and extras.

Also, folks don't generally talk about trailer length since it's not a factor in weight ratings. However, length of a trailer in relation to length of your truck matters (wheel base measurement or truck bed if you are running a 5th wheel). The longer the wheel base, the more stability you'll have w/a trailer. Also a shorter trailer gives you more room for error in turning and parking maneuvers.

You may already know all of this and may have already searched for all of this information; please know I am not trying to be condescending. I'm just trying to say that limits and ratings are there for a reason, so if you follow them, you'll be good. If you try to make an excuse or allow someone else to make the excuse for you to justify something out of specs/limits you are asking for potentially catastrophic results.

Now the good part. Tundra is a great truck and fully capable of safely towing boats and trailers as long as you stay within its limits. I think someone else may have already touched on this. But, when you go into the transaction (buying a truck) knowing that you intend on using it to tow, go trailer shopping first. Decide on the trailer, boat, etc. that fits your needs and comforts, and don't skimp on what you want or you'll regret downgrading your trailer every time you're out in it. Once you know what you want in a trailer, then select a tow rig capable of safely pulling the trailer. Try not to be at or near limits. If you are at 70-80% of limits instead of 95-100%, you have an increased margin of error to avoid or mitigate accidents, etc... You'll also sustain less wear and tear on your rig because you're not redlining the engine, suspension or brakes the entire time it's working.

Hybrid vs. Non: I'm not sure there is enough history right now for anyone to determine or predict reliability, etc. Again, look at specs, and look at all ratings not just horsepower and torque.

Last thought: Take a look at the following link. It's a diary basically of a couple that has been on the road (and at sea) since 2007. They talk about upgrading their tow rig during their growth, etc. They have a great amount of insight into positives and negatives of their experiences, and you may find that helpful. Plus they document and discuss campsite, places to dry dock, etc. throughout their travels; you may find some ideas in their of places to visit...

https://roadslesstraveled.us

Good luck on your search and have fun touring the US!!!!

 

Well to be fair, the pro suspension is really soft. It squats a bit just with the canopy, bed slide, and recovery bag. The bed of the truck is loaded with tool boxes and other things and the back seat is 2 bins full of tools and other stuff. She is squatting about an inch and half in that pic. Which I'm pretty happy with considering I was prob near max gvwr.

 

I am pretty sure he said that about using the GTDI in general, not just the Hybrid.

 

This same guy also wrote an article promoting towing an airsteam with a Chrysler 300.

 

I am pretty sure that, on a travel trailer, dry weight also does not include the batteries or propane tanks since they are not installed at the factory. Thats why the trailers always seem to have ridiculously low dry tongue weights. I am pretty sure my trailer tongue with 2x 40 lb propane tanks and two batteries was over 700 lbs on a 5500 GVWR trailer. Thats ~100lbs of propane and 90 lbs of batteries right on the tongue.

 

That seems totally reasonable.

 

Go to YouTube and watch the tfl truck video of the 2022 Tacoma towing an 8500 lb trailer on the Ike gauntlet. Seems to handle it pretty easily. I think you're fine at 8,500 lb. Only concern is going to be your tongue weight. That's 850 lb of tongue weight which still leaves a decent amount of cargo capacity

 

A travel trailer that weighs 8500 lbs will have a tongue weight of 1100 lbs or more.

TFL’s trailer was not a travel trailer, it was a flat bed with a truck on it. Way different. Its much shorter, its way less of a sail and it probably had a 10% tongue weight

 

Yes you're 100% right definitely not the same aerodynamic profile as a travel trailer but for weight it's a pretty good comparison.

I think if you use a weight distributing/anti sway hitch you should be good to go. You can take a lot of the weight off the tongue and put it on the front axle. Truck scales can tell you if you got it set up right.

Today's half tons would be called 3/4, 1 Tons 20 years ago

 

I never said it couldnt be done, I said it would be pushing it. The tundra is only rated for a ~1200 lb tongue weight.

 

Forget about the tongue weight, and gross trailer weight with an 8500lb travel trailer. No one disagrees that the Tundra engine/cooling package, transmission, frame, axles, and brakes can handle 8500lbs in tow, it’s the giant 38’ long tall and wide trailer that is going to make it less than ideal. Any 1/2 ton is going to be on the struggle bus controlling that behemoth in a cross wind, meeting semis on two lanes, passing semis on the interstate etc. Frankly that’s a task best left to a tow vehicle with a longer wheel base and another 1500-2000lbs of curb weight itself.

 

I'm with you on that. 38 ft would be too long but what you're describing is a fifth wheel. There's plenty of $8500 lb trailers in the 25 to 30 ft range.

 

We have a Jayco Jayflight 26BH with a gross vehicle weight rating of 7,000. We have made a couple of trips from Idaho to Mississippi and Texas (one of 5,250 miles and one of 4,775). Our 2015 Limited Crewmax has a tow rating of 9,800. There's just the wife and I and we don't have a lot of extra stuff. Our last CAT scale weigh-in was 5,680 trailer axles, 3,320 front truck axle and 3,440 rear axle. We use a weight distribution hitch with anti-sway and have had no problems. I monitor our transmission, engine oil and cooling system temperatures. The Tundra pulls it with no hic-ups. We averaged 8.8 mpg traveling at 65 mph. We haven't pulled over any real steep mountains, so I don't know how it would do on that. We have over 76,500 miles on the truck. I change the oil after every trip and have changed the transmission fluid once. We love our Tundra for towing our trailer. Anything heavier than a 7,000 lb. trailer would probably be too much for it.

 

That's a nice set up! You won't have any problems on steep grades; just MPG will take a serious hit! Have fun!

 

Fully loaded with gear and water, you are correct. That’s a realistic number, but I’m posting more to caution against buying an 8500lb dry weight travel trailer to be towed with a 1/2 ton. Jayco as an example makes them in that weight range and they’re all over 35’ long.

 

Looking around and talking to a dealer that was recommended to me, my champagne taste for a 2022 limited has to be reconciled with my beer budget. I also learned about the tech update for the android/display integration, I think it is called CarPlay that became standard in 2020. So I think at thus point I may be looking for a 2020 SR5 Crewmax with towpackage. One report I read about the 5.7l v8 engine used in Tundras and some other Toyotas, is that the water pump has a life of about 60,000 miles. Has this been an issue for anyone? How expensive is the repair?

 

My research for this used '19 Sequoia purchase I didn't see mention of horrible reoccurring failures like the water pump every 60k miles. The opposite, actually.

Your goal of fulltime RV life it's good you're researching your options. Beer budget, used prices are crazy inflated. You're experienced towing 4klbs behind an FJ Cruiser so 7klbs behind a Tundra/Sequoia seems to me you can deal with it. Beer budget for an upgraded tow vehicle and an upgraded RV can be difficult these days. I wish you the best of luck.

 

I put about 200,000 on my '08 while I was still living in Vegas (lots of long road trips and some towing w/the vehicle over the years); off the top of my head I remember replacing the water pump once (just over 100k), and it wasn't anything silly in terms of pricing. Sorry I don't remember the number, but in contrast I replaced my starter at about 225k (we were on vacation when it crapped out, so I used a dealer in the area I was in), and that cost about $1,200; which seemed high to me, but was apparently based on accessibility, etc..

The truck you are looking at is obviously 12 years newer, but I don't think they moved the location of the water pump or made it more difficult to get to.

So, anyhow, I'm just saying I wouldn't worry about that as a factor in my decision.

Good luck!