Towing larger trailers

Hi my name is Jimmy. I have a 2008 Tundra with the 5.7 engine. I have a 19 foot travel trailer I purchased. My Chevy with a 5.3 couldn't seem to pull it. That is when I got the Tundra. I'm thinking about a larger trailer or possibly a fifth wheel. Everyone told me I could pull this trailer with the Chevy. So I thought I would ask some actual owners to get their experience on larger trailers. Also if anyone is pulling a fifth wheel. Any knowledge would be appreciated.

 

Roughly how much does the trailer weigh?

 

I have no idea. Just curious what other people are towing. I've seen some pretty big bumper pulls behind Tundras. Wanted some idea about what is a realistic range. I want to pull through the mountains of Colorado.

 

I pull a 4K lb boat around like it's not even there.
Pulled a 25' toyhauler w my 97 Silverado. Only on flat terrain though. It was about 8k loaded.
Before you start pulling through mountains I'd find out how much it weighs. In your owners manual it'll tell you what your truck is rated to tow.

 

Yeah my Chevy would pull my trailer fine on flat ground and no wind. That's why I was wanting to hear from people that pull bigger trailers. I'll check the tow rating for sure. Thanks.

 

@ColoradoTJ is the encyclopedia of towing.

 

We have a Chevy 5.3 2500 at work, pulls an equipment trailer with skidsteer or mini-ex regularly. I would estimate towing weight between 9k-13k regularly. It is a regular cab, 6.5 bed. Not the ideal towing machine but it gets it done just fine. My rough estimate on a 19' travel trailer empty is 5k, give or take 1k (manufacturer, options, accessories...) . The Chevy should have had no issues on any terrain.

I'm looking at 20'-24' Toy Haulers right now. I plan to keep my loaded weight under 8k. I'm not worried about the Tundra pulling it.

 

2500's do not come with the 5.3. They come with a 6.0 which is a much more powerful engine.

 

We've got a 1500 and 2500 that look damn near identical, I assumed they were the same motor. They eat fuel the same. They both tow the same. I know for fact the 1500 is the 5.3. My bad, not a GM guy.

 

Payload rating on the Tundra will be the limiting factor. Payload is the tongue weight of the trailer, plus occupants of Tundra, plus anything else you put in the Tundra. My 2014 Crew Cab 4wd has a listed payload of approx. 1300lbs. My 20 foot travel trailer (loaded weight of 4500 lbs) has a tongue weight of about 550 lbs. This means that me, my wife, 3 kids, and their bikes and crap that we put in the bed of the truck must be less than 750 lbs. While the Tundra can tow a 9000 lb trailer, it will run out of payload capacity. A 9000 lb trailer will have a tongue weight of at least 900 lbs. So if you tow something that big, then you run out of payload capacity first.

 

I pull a 26' fifth wheel with a 5.7L Tundra. Trailer tongue weight is around 1100 lbs. and trailer dry weight around 6500 lbs. My payload is 1500 lbs.. I've towed this rig over many CO mountain passes with no issue however I would not tow a heavier fifth wheel than mine. The main focus is descending and learning proper gear selection and use of trailer brakes. Prior to the fiver I had a 1700 lb. truck camper. Use of air bags helps to keep rear closer to unloaded height and Load Range E tires provide much greater stability.

 

I have a 23' Rockwood Travel Trailer that I pull with my '10 Tundra 5.7 liter. The trailer weighs about 6000lbs dry and probably around 7000lbs when we fully load up. When we started we had a lot of sway but put on a sway bar and that fixed it. Overall the Tundra does a pretty good job but traveling with something that big and heavy does put a load on the truck. Getting about 7mph when towing so range is pretty short between fill ups. Thinking about getting a dodge/ford diesel. At most campgrounds those 2 trucks are the most popular and people swear by them.

 

I'm with Koebeljm, and tow a 23' Rockwood. Mine is "Roo" and weighs about 5500lbs when loaded with bikes and things also in the bed. As has been stated there are a million variables including the hitch weight and your setup.

We towed this same camper with a Buick Rainier, 5.3 V8, which is similar to the Chevy truck engine. It had the power, kinda. Could go through the mountains, but really didn't like it much. Had modified with a transmission cooler, truck tires, and heavier shocks. The worst was when a semi or larger vehicle passed....push/pull/push from the wash.

With the Tundra there is a world of difference. It tows well and, although you still know the camper is back there, there isn't the semi push/pull when they pass. Only a slight movement. MPG ranges to about 10 or 11 on the flat with a gentle throttle touch. The tow/haul button is great for getting rolling, but doesn't do much for mpg.

I would recommend as a TOTAL novice compared to many here...a WDH and sway control. My setup uses friction bars and with the proper adjustments (took about 2 hours...like I said I'm a novice) managed to get the front of the truck to remain nearly level and the rear to squat about an inch. The Pros are not really set for towing, but it works for camping 5 or so times a year.

Best of luck

 

2017 Tundra, with 5500lb 26 foot jayco. No issues over a local pass.

 

I tow a 24' enclosed car trailer and loaded with my Chevelle it's about 7k but is over 9' tall but with WDH and air bags(no needed yet but have them)....she gets it done.....

 

A lot of us tow stuff in here. We tow a 34-foot Forest River Ultra-Light Rockwood camper with our Tundra. (We call them Rocky and Bullwinkle) Rocky is around 6,000 pounds but I'm sure it's closer to 8,000 when we have all loaded up for camping.

The only mods I've done to my 2014 5.7L Tundra is replacing the stock mirrors with Toyota tow mirros and I put some Firestone airbags in the back which helps keep the truck level when the trailer is back there.

And I second that requirement to also have the anti-sway hitch system in Colorado. My RV dealer won't even sell a camper unless the buyer has them.

 

I tow a 22' Champion Bay that scaled at 4650 and 1/2 tank of gas. 1/2 tank is about 45 gallons. When I weighed I did not have it loaded up with tackle. Loaded with tackle and full tank it would be 5000 lbs. I pass people easily on 2 lane roads. TT will have a little more wind resistance. Problem with 5th wheel will be weight on bed. Look up your current trailer and anything looking to buy on NADA. They list weights. Typical hitch weight on boats is around 10%. I get about 1" of drop on rear. Would like to have a AAL but accessing stuff in bed is hard enough now. Might add a sway bar but so far no real need.

 

The 5.3 chevy is a great engine but absolutely sucks at towing they do not produce enough torque. Now the chevy 6.0 is very comparable to the Toyota 5.7 but the Toyota 5.7 combined with how Toyota has there transmissions and gearing the 5.7 will pull nicer then chevy all day every day.

 

I had some real good prices on Chevy's LTs with the 5.3. Would not touch the AFM engines with 10' pole. Plus a lot of people having problems with Chevy torque converters. Liked the features on Chevy. Especially the locker and color matching on front end and bumpers. Might have bought if I could have got bigger motor in LT.

 

Do you level with airbags first and then attach hitch bars or the other way around?
Thinking about airbags.

 

This is the system that I have on my 28' toyhauler, around 8,000lbs loaded.

https://www.equalizerhitch.com/how-equalizer-works

This takes care of load distribution and anti-sway in one package. Really easy to use and adjust.

Instead of airbags, I went with SumoSprings. I wanted something I could install and forget. I also didn't want to worry about failures with an airbag system when out on a trip. Whether it be a line, compressor, or bag failure, I just didn't want to have that possibility.

But really, with a properly setup LDH, airbags or SumoSprings shouldn't be doing a whole lot of the work. They're a good helping hand, they help during breaking, and with bumps that would load the rear suspension.

 

Which rating SumoSprings did you use and why? I'm considering them, had Air Bags on my 2016 band they were a pain, always adding air.

 

@HTGreen

SumoSpring SSR-610-47 Rated at 1500lbs.

The next highest are 2800lb, I just didn't think I had the need for that. The 1500lbs have proven to be enough for what I need. Maybe you'd want the 2800lbs if you didn't have a LDH or were just planning to carry heavy loads in the bed.

 

I pull a 3600lb car and the trailer weighs roughly 1850lbs. I cant even tell its back there, but 550hp helps out. My gas mileage is disgusting. But I didn't buy an econo car.

 

The air bags didn't replace the rear shocks so it stays level except when the trailer is attached. I keep them at 45 psi when not towing and around 90 when I'm towing. You can get the on-board air compressor and interior controller but they aren't cheap so I just had the installer mount the inflator valves on both sides of the rear license plate. (It's plastic so just a few small holes to secure them) I have a portable 12-volt air compressor that attaches to the truck that I use for both the camper tires and the Firestones. They really do make a big difference...doesn't sag a bit now.

 

45 psi unloaded? Seems a bit high, I don't even have them that high when I'm towing my trailer. I'm at 5 psi when not towing, anything more and it starts lifting the rear end up.

 

You're right...I was thinking "4-5" but typed 45...just enough to keep them from being flat.