Towing Limit on flat land

How much do you think my 2022 Tundra can tow safely on flat land (think FL only). Unfortunately the Tundra isn't offered in Europe for those ratings and here is why that is related...

As an example the Jeep Wrangler JK, like my 2014 can tow 3500lb rated in USA but same V6 engine and powertrain in Europe gets a 5k rating. That is 42% higher. What I have read is it's because of maintaining speed up the grades of the Rocky mountains when it comes to USA ratings are lower.

So if someone were going to use a Tundra on the flat land in FL only, with an RV trailer, can one reasonably be safe slightly above the 12k tow limit towards 13-14k (17,140 would be 42% higher as a reference).


Europe vs USA Ratings discussion link https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com...it mostly comes down,limited to about 60 mph.

 

+ In many parts of Europe you need a different license to tow over 8k lbs or have a combined weight over a certain amount.
+ speed is restricted with trailers
+ Europe has just as many hills as North America does
+ For vehicles that are available in both countries, max tow weight might be higher, but tongue weight isn’t always higher.

 

And to directly answer your question, European standards aren’t relevant. Towing 14k on a highway with a Tundra isn’t a good idea. Across a campground it’s ok, but not on the highway.

 

Even a well equipped Tundra probably shouldn't exceed about 8500 max. Even then, not regularly or in the form of a giant sail.

 

Wtf is up with people on this website constantly asking about overloading their truck? Is this a thing I’m not aware of? Every week I’m seeing a thread asking about overloading their truck and is it safe. Don’t overload your truck. Do your research before buying a truck. If your going to be towing more than your truck can handle on a regular basis (could be once a month), buy a bigger truck. It’s not rocket science.

 

I think that, in general, the European speed limits are not as fast and the roads less insane than they are here. i was over in the Netherlands last August when they are all on “holiday” and I couldn’t believe some of the cars I saw pulling travel trailers. VW station wagons and Citroens and stuff. Most of them were fwd. granted, they weren’t these massive travel trailer we have, but still they were behind cars you’d never see towing anything more than maybe a harbor freight trailer here.


I had a jeep liberty CRD and it was the same as you JK. Here it was rated for 5000 lbs and there it was 6600 lbs or something. One time i towed 2.5 tons of wood pellet with it on a steel car trailer and even on slow 2 lane country roads it was scary

 

Maybe those were the weird European metric pounds.

 

Yikes the thought of towing over 8,000lbs with my Tundra is very troubling. And that absolutely requires weight distributing hitch and anti sway set up. I have towed many trailers over the years and 8000lbs in stiff cross winds or emergency maneuvers is a real handful IF you know what you are doing. If you don’t, your crash will be on youtube for a long time. Minimally you will need to change your shorts. Ignore the marketing idiots that keep pushing the tow ratings up on half ton pickups and buy a 3/4 or 1 ton truck to pull the kind of weight you are talking about.

 

They do have the Alps. Last I checked, those are a pretty impressive mountain range.

 

Sums it up perfectly. Well done.

 

Ummmm, NO... Not even close.

Doesn't matter if you're uphill, downhill. or flat... Europe, US, or Kathmandu, you still need to be able to stop.

There's no loopholes in towing.

 

Just don't expect flat land if you are near Clermont or Tallahassee!

 

What is heavier 10,000 pounds of feathers or 10,000 pounds of Steele?

 

When towing? Likely feathers as the less dense feathers would require a much larger trailer to be able to hold them all.

 

Weight, speed and frontal surface area. Pick two.

 

Agreed, the speed would be the one I wouldn't be excessive on in the scenerio.

Was asking the question in general because 1-2k of weight can be a large increase in space inside and comfort, given the flat roads here overall. The biggest hills down I95 towards Miami are the landfills 100-200ft high.

 

The point is that the ratings are for ALL situations. Only driving in flatlands doesn't mean your truck can tow more. It just means it might not have to work as hard to tow the same load.

As @SD Surfer said, no loopholes.

 

Your question was about "safely" towing it. I applaud you for asking the questions first, not just buying way too much trailer and then rolling the dice (with other peoples lives) Plenty of people do just that.

Here's the deal...

"Towing It", even a trailer that's a bit too big... that's the easy part.

Trust me when I tell you that there absolutely WILL BE... not might be, there WILL BE a situation where some idiot who doesn't know or care that you have 3 or 4 tons hooked to your bumper will pull into that "safe following distance you're keeping between you and the car in front of you, and then stand on his brakes 'cuz he almost missed his exit but he can't get over till the car next to you goes by him. You need to be able to stand on your brakes too, and if you have a ton more space and comfort behind you than you should, that nice flat road is gonna' be littered with the wreckage of your truck, your nice comfy trailer, and the idiot who caused the whole thing.

There will also be a moment when you have a wall of brake lights appear in front of you out of nowhere. We were leaving for a camping trip on a stretch of freeway I know VERY well, coming out of a gradual righthand bend and suddenly there's brakelights and tire smoke up ahead... A stalled car sitting at a dead stop in the center of 5 or 6 lanes of mid-day full speed freeway traffic.
If I make an emergency lane change it would have to be to my left, but because of the bend I can't see to confirm clearance in my drivers side mirror, and as I'm slowing other drivers are changing lanes to go around me at speed... I have to stop. (I'm glad it was with the big 'ol brakes in my '19 Tundra and not the '00 I had before it)
If I were way over limits it woulda' been real ugly, real fast.
We were able to continue on our way and have a very enjoyable and relaxing time in the desert. (After I changed my shorts)

Or when you get hit by that one micro burst of side wind on a clear calm day that wiggles the whole rig. Yes, that happened to me in Ridgecrest... Cruisin' along coming home from a great boondocking trip in Mammoth Lakes. Wasn't windy at all, flat straight road, all relaxed, one hand on the wheel, good music playing, and wifey reading a book, then "WHOOMP!!"
Random gust form the side wiggled the truck and trailer BIG TIME!

Fortunately, all the times I practiced grabbing the trailer brake controller had aparrently ingrained it subconcious into muscle memory 'cuz without even thinking I grabbed trailer brakes only and (I think) I gassed it.
(When in doubt, throttle out!) It straightened me right out, my wife even looked up and said "WTF was that?!"
Then we continued on our way. (after I changed my shorts)

If I'd been grossly overloaded that little wiggle could've very easily become sway, and when the tail starts waggin' the dog it usually ends your nice little camping trip very badly.

My long-winded point is that this kinda' stuff happens, and it will happen to you flat road or not. Having a well matched combo is the difference between handling it and continuing on your way and having a great vacation, or tow trucks, ambulances, insurance claims, or worse.

We want you to be able to enjoy those trips for years to come

Besides, you don't really need a giant trailer to have spacious comfort!

 

I would say that is my question, can flat situations not be a concern for a little more weight, since the 12k for a double cab rating is for all situations and I'm avoiding most of those situations.

 

Sure, what could possibly go wrong on flat ground?

You know, unless you have a blowout, or you get hit by the bow wake of a passing semi, or one of a hundred other things happens.








Can you just post if you're gonna' be anywhere near southern CA please?

 

No. The limit doesn't go up because it's not determined by just the driving conditions. It accounts for the frame, suspension, cooling, braking, crash, etc. so it applies in ALL situations including the best case scenarios. Also, you will almost NEVER get a max tow capacity travel trailer to fit within the payload limits of most trucks. Ignore the advertising brochure numbers. If you want to tow a camper at/over 10K pounds you'll have a way better time of it in an HD gasser than any half ton.

 

If only I got 65 MPG on the freeway....

 

I can’t get 65 MPG free falling from an airplane.

 

Yeah, they're hard to find 'cuz they usually end up in a ditch somewhere.

 

We are having this discussion around RVs, trailers, etc. as we consider part-timing in sunnier climes for at least part of our gray/gloomy MT Winters.

Love my Tundra but it's not up to task for towing big/heavy stuff, especially over hill and dale like we'd be facing to tow down to AZ or NM. As for the biggest trailer it could safely tow AND be comfortable enough (i.e. lots of space) for 2 of us and our 3 cats ... my mind immediately jumps to the fact that we're gonna need a big trailer w/slides and a better towing rig with stout frame, big brakes, more HP/torque, etc. if we want to preserve our sanity and stay safe on the road.

Pains me to think I'd be parting with my 100% reliable and long ago paid-off truck to step into the unknown realm of diesel, DEF, injectors, and all the other potential pitfalls of giving up a gasser.

 

Buy a 3/4 ton gasser. Or delete the diesel.