These trucks really can't tow squat officially

Crunching numbers for shits and grins and almost weighed everything ... even with a lightweight trailer we're going to bust somewhere. Hitting the scales fully laden in about 3 weeks to see where we end up and possible reconfigs.

 

I just assume that the numbers Toyota listed are just suggestions.

Kind of like the, "should not consume with alcohol"... Followed by the "winking eye" on the pill bottle.

 

Correct, not worried about it unless I bust 4150 on drive axle or steering axle gets really light. Don't see it as truck levels out nicely attached to trailer and camper always tracks straight as a arrow except high crosswinds.

 

I drag a half ton towable 5th wheel rv 2x/year for 900 miles.

I'm 400# over weight on my pin. My air bags level things out perfectly.

The rv brakes do all the stopping. even in the mountains I have had no worries about stopping issues.

I'm pretty sure Toyota knows we gonna exceed the hitch/bed capacity. Why else would they have included adjustable headlights?

The tuck just purrs in 4S. My last trip netted me 9.6mpg average for the entire 900 miles. 65-68mph is the sweet spot.

 

No doubt these trucks are capable ... just like to know where we stand incase of an unfortunate accident and lawyers start playing "stump the dummy" with your rigs configuration

 

I'm not too worried. There a lot more retards running 2500 and 3500 trucks pulling 15+k Toy haulers at 85+
mph...and they doing it in Friday quitting time traffic.

 

Yup ... especially in the Las Vegas area aka Northern LA

https://youtu.be/8StG4fFWHqg?si=ngMK3RJ75MO5Dcye

 

My tundra has a 1300lb payload, friends ford maverick has a 1500lb payload, my chevy traverse workmobile has over 1600lbs payload. Tundra payloads are a joke. When you look at the Australian guys doing a GVM upgrades with only suspension changes, take it all with a grain of salt.

 

Hit the scales on the way out and not to pretty. Will reconfig prior to homebound by adding some items from truck to back of camper and hit scales again. Trying to avoid dicking around with a WDH.

 

Endless debates on this stuff on camper trailer towing forums. There are the "Toyota knows what's safe and that's where the numbers come from" purists, and there are the "Toyota knows you'll go over, so the numbers are just suggestions" crowd.

I'd say two things.

-Toyota knows what the components are rated for. Staying within those limits is the safest, and the components won't wear prematurely.

-And yes, you put a giant slide-in camper over your payload or tow a trailer over both payload and tow capacity and get in an accident, your insurance company will have no sympathy. They'll screw you.

But even considering all that, I think you're on the right track. I've driven vehicles that were not safe due to the load. You can tell. If you can stop safely, swerve safely, hit the gas when needed and actually have something happen, you're likely good. You can tell when you're overloaded and unsafe. But any towing/hauling, especially over Toyota's limits, will wear things out faster. Wheel bearings, brakes and suspension especially. You're not going to snap axles or anything unless you're going way, way over capacity. Depending on how you drive, maybe u-joints could go out sooner.

I towed a 3,000lb trailer with a 98 Tacoma for about 10 years, and put a lot of towing miles on it. I think it had about 300lb tongue weight, plus a lot of tools and gear in the bed, a fiberglass topper and often a 70lb canoe on top. When I sold the truck, with 330,000 miles, it still had the original clutch, u-joints, transmission, rear diff axles etc. The one problem I had was a wheel bearing going out, and I have no doubt that was because of the weight I hauled, regularly a hundred or so pounds over payload. It was the one and only time my Tacoma ever left me stranded on the side of the road, having to call a tow truck. So...there can be consequences. But drive the truck nice, accelerate and brake slowly and gently, except in emergencies, watch the weight distribution, try to keep close to payload and towing limits, and things'll be fine.

 

4800 pound car. I have retrieved cars from Idaho, Oregon and So Cal among others and driven right, they pull just fine. I am not pulling D9's or anything, any fullsize would struggle with that kind of weight

 

Mr.Lifer, what is that spaceship?! Cars of the past were wild!

 

1959 Pontiac Bonneville all 222 inches of her!

 

I kinda wish we still had our 1st gen Tacoma to use as a support truck.
Nonetheless, moved Firewood and Coolers to back of camper on the way home and made small gains. Still didn't remove unnecessary gear from camper forward cargo bay but that's less then around 80lbs.

 

Here’s my cat scale slip with my GD 2800BH hooked up. 32’ total length, truck weighs 6560ish on its own, and the trailer when hooked up as it sat at the time was 6880. Not fully loaded as if going on a trip. This is with a weighsafe WDH, and before I set up the bars it was showing 850# tongue weight. It’s a much larger trailer, but the numbers look even a hair better than yours without a WDH. You can see how the WDH really transfers the weight from the tongue to the front truck axle and the trailer axles looking at the big picture.

 

Eh that's always the reason people list...always without any evidence or examples.

 

True. Not sure I've seen an actual example, it's just something I read. Knowing insurance companies and how they'll try to get out of paying based on any technicality, it makes sense. But that doesn't mean it actually happens.

 

Lordy that's a beautiful Pontiac! They just don't make em like they used too. I kind of miss the older Pontiac brand at large, especially the Trans Am. I bet Burt Reynolds is saying the same.

 

PLEASE do not enter Florida if you think the Tundra can not tow your trailer

We drove up 75 towards Wildwood this past week and the "Sno-Bird" express was in full swing..

An Acura SUV with a trailer your size moving along at 75 mph without a thought...definite "South Carolina Squatting" ..

Ford Maverick had a smaller camper in tow but he was doing the "Squiggles" , again at 70 mph plus

Only one were impressed with was a Dodge dually diesel pulling a single axle camper like it was not even there; they were "Dancing" in and out of

traffic BUT this is Florida..

My point; Trust your skills and your truck to get you from point A to point B safely....

 

I'm sure we all have stories. I once saw a first generation Tacoma pulling a 28' Airstream with a whole bunch of crap on the roof, and a load of crap in the back of the truck. Can't imagine what that was like, but I got past them real fast.

 

Thank you! I have a 73 Firebird too that is a slug by my standards but handles amazing for a 52 year old car. I DO miss the Pontiac brand for sure.

 

https://youtube.com/shorts/AQqbSxWkTGg?feature=shared

 

Drive it like you stole it comes to mind..................

 

Almost there within documented max parameters ... Bud Light kicking in the full blown OCD retard mode today.
Shifting things out of the truck and into the camper is helping, but I'm sure I'm going to bust weight somewhere.
Excel spreadsheet with auto sum helps with figuring out weight distribution. Still need to add a few fields after weighing.

 

Finally Figured out the best balance for long hauls ... It's about the best it's going to get. Only busted payload for the truck by 80lbs and drained hot water tank in trailer to shed 50.4 lbs.

 

Be curious to see if you notice a difference towing with everything evenly dispersed or just loaded up like regular and hitting the road like 90% do.

 

Hard to tell because it always tows nicely, however there was one time I sensed some understeer in sharper turns when I was configured heavy on rear axle.

 

My math could be off, but you’re 260# over GVWR?

 

I was at the time ... only 80 over with reconfig