Towing on unpaved roads?

I have a 2022 Limited and we're going to be going camping again with our trailer, a Micro Minnie FLX (22.5' long, dry weight 4300lbs) but this time we'll be up some Bureau of Land Management or Forest Service roads. They aren't super treacherous by any means but some spots can be a little muddy or sandy.

I assumed that I could just put it into 4WD, but the manual doesn't say anything about towing while in 4WD. Will putting it in 4WD change anything as far as the current tow/haul mode goes? I thought about MTS but it says that MTS will be disabled under certain conditions, one of those being "When “TOW HAUL” mode and “TOW+” mode is selected while the front-wheel drive control switch is in “4H”"

I didn't see anything useful or really current in search results and YouTube was full of marketing videos and video bloggers, but they were all on pavement. I have not been able to test this out on my own and wanted to ask before trying it and finding out something the hard way.

 

Good day fellow medic,
I have towed a similarly sized trailer on many BLM and Forest roads in 4H with both my 2017 and now the 2022 with no issues. Because of the much lower speeds on these types of roads and the conditions you mentioned like mud, snow, sand, etc. I would put it in 4H, turn off the tow/haul button, and use the "S2" mode on the shifter to never leave 2nd gear. Whether or not that is the right thing to do or not I have no clue but I can tell you it has done me well every hunting and camping season for years...

 

If you’re slow rolling on dirt and need more than RWD, I’d strongly consider 4 lo to give you the mechanical advantage and keep everything much cooler.

several posts about second gens overheating the transmission doing slow speed climbs in 4hi - forward and reverse.

 

Don't have our 2023 1794 quite yet, but, having towed a lot in my lifetime, I would say leave it in 4H and monitor RPM. Let the truck "talk" to you by monitoring RPM and sound and feel. If it's bogging down, then force a downshift. This can be a bit tedious on the driver at first, but you'll get used to and it will come naturally after you get the feel of your truck and trailer combo. Oh, I've never heard of anyone damaging the front transfer case or CVT by keeping it in 4 WD while under load. Heck, isn't that what the front wheel drive is all about? IMHO.

 

I was with you for the first part - but what does this mean? Never heard of a CVT on any 4x4 truck or SUV.

 

You got me, I meant Constant Velocity Joint, not CVT. And I might have the term transfer case used a bit incorrectly too. Is that just for front/back power distribution? What's the up-front bit called? That's what happens when a 60+ something "old" guy types too fast

 

CV axle makes a ton more sense as does front diff. All good.

 

You're speaking of front differential. Transfer case just changes overall gear ratio.

 

Follow up from our trip - Tundra did great on the winding roads and was just fine on the forest service roads too. We were way farther down the road than the other campsites but it was no problem at all. The weekend was uneventful and we had a great time. At least with our setup, the Tundra is towing great. No problems getting up to freeway speed at all and it handles nicely.

We did bump it into 4H due to some wet sandy patches and it remained in Tow/Haul mode with no issues, in case anybody else sees this and is curious how that works.

can't wait until next time.

 

Yeah 4Hi is fine. I have used 4Lo a few times trying to get into some really gnarly spots in both my Lexus GX and F150. My trailer has belly dragged a few times and almost lost my sewer line. This picture doesnt really do a great job of showing the situation, but I had to be super careful with my line to keep the trailer off of rocks. My trailer is about the same size and weight as yours. 24' total length and 4250 lbs empty, but not nearly as much clearance.

 

Also, random question, I see the FLX's come with a 3000 watt inverter. What size cable to do they run from the battery to the inverter? I put a 3000 watt inverter in my trailer and debated for a while and ended up with 2/0 ga. I figured it would be drawing 250-260 amps at 3000 Watts on 12V batteries. Is the battery in your trailer 12V or 24V?

Edit, NVM, it looks like its 12V.

 

https://www.tundras.com/threads/transmission-over-heat-temp-warning-display.72879/

https://www.tundras.com/threads/transmission-temp-light-while-off-roading.90830/

https://www.tundras.com/threads/transmission-fears-sadly-confirmed.93602/

https://www.tundras.com/threads/2022-transmission-high-temp-alarm.112726/

 

^ all using 4Hi.

 

If you are in a situation towing where you actually need 4Hi, then I feel like you should really be in 4Lo. You are asking the truck to move potentially 2-3x isnt normal unloaded weight, with 4 additional tires adding resistance, in a situation where 2 wheels can't get you through then I dont think you should be relying on engine torque and the torque converter to get you through.

 

I think that’s what I said in post 3.

 

yeah, you did. I agree.

You know what would be sweet for this situation? Unlocked full-time 4Lo. To bad Toyota doesnt have an t-cases like that.

 

Agreed - and that’s why we have a LandCruiser and GX respectively. #torsenlife

 

I tow a goose neck trailer daily on unpaved surfaces on dirt roads or cow paths to my pastures. The only times I use 4x4 is if I’m not going forward. Snow and/or mud slows me down. Dry non-paved surfaces or ruts don’t require me to use 4x4.