06 Tundra first time towing advice.

This year I picked up my first truck. 06 double cab 4.7 4x4 limited fully loaded. My buddy's truck recently took a crap on him and he had to buy a cheap car to get by. He has a large camper on a site about 2 hours from home and is asking me to pull it from the site to his place. It weights 6000 lbs empty and has brakes on both axles. I know my truck is rated for somewhere between 6,800 and 7,100 pounds. So 6000 plus 2 200 lbs men plus say 500 lbs random odds and ends (overestimating for safety purposes.) which gets me to a rough 6900 pounds...right at the top end of what she is rated for. I understand the basics of towing but have yet to tow anything. What are some things I need to look at and be aware of towing something that big, that far? Any insight would be appreciated. Worse case scenario I let my buddy pull it but I figured gotta learn sometime.

 

I'd highly recommend not towing the max capacity of the truck on your first time, with a camper no less. I assume you have a brake controller? you'll need that. What's the tongue weight of the camper?

the 1st gen tundras are capable trucks, but camper pulling is not what they're designed for. is the camper completely empty? water tanks? sewer? what about all your buddy's stuff? that all adds up REALLY quickly.

 

I towed quite a bit with my 1st gen, and it does OK, but you definitely know that there's something behind you. That seems pretty heavy, and it will not be fun. If you do end up doing it, go slow and hope there are no hills. Lock out your overdrive.

As said above, brake controller is a must. Tonque weight is gonna nearly bottom out your rear, even with a distributing hitch. I towed a toy hauler about that heavy with it and it was not a fun experience.

Id recommend your buddy pony up a few bucks to rent a newer half ton or bigger for the day.

 

The camper is empty. My buddy just got done refurbishing it. I hadn't even thought about a brake controller. I do not believe I have one. The more I read online the more I'm leaning towards it not being a good idea to pull it. Maybe if I only had to pull it a short distance but a over 2 hour drive at damn near max capacity just doesn't sit right with me. Plus I highly doubt my buddy is going to foot the bill to install a brake controller in my truck to pull his camper once. I load my bed full of auto body parts for work and own nothing that requires a brake controller to haul so I have no use for one currently. Thank you for the insight.

 

I think that's a good decision. better to play it safe. It's not your buddy's truck that's on the line if things go south.

 

Tell buddy to rent a Uhaul. Problem solved.

 

My thoughts exactly. This baby has to last me a little while, last thing I need is to blow my tranny up. I'm telling him to rent a bigger truck.

 

Make sure your truck's brake is all good at 4 corners. Check for the hitch system rating. Also, after hooking up the camper to the truck, make sure the weight distribution is correct. And if the camper weight is near the max rating, it's safe when there's no uphill or downhill on the road. Just go slow. Here's the info on some towing tips: https://www.etrailer.com/faq-ballmount.aspx

 

Ideally you’d know the exact weight of the trailer from a weight scale. A rule of thumb is to only tow up to 75% of the trucks max capacity. She needs a bit of relief!

 

I'm glad this question got asked, I was wondering the same thing on the same truck. I was actually thinking of towing something that heavy, up a huge hill...for my first time towing with this truck. lol I think that would be a bad day.

 

I have an 02 Tundra 4.7 (rated at 7200lbs towing, hitch rated at 7.5k with weight dist) and was interested in buying a WolfPup 17RP mini toy hauler.

17RP: 3500lbs
yz450: 250
TTR110: 200
Grizzly 125: 400
Water 30gal\fueltanks ?: 500lbs
Gear\camping\random items: 500
Passengers in cab: 700


Weight (aggressive) @ 6100lbs with the above measurements. Does this seem to be a good WET\LOADED estimate?
if the above was correct, do you still think im pushing it?

 

I would tow 6100lbs with a first gen tundra no problem unless you're planning to tow through the mountains.

 

There is an a 10mi stretch of an incline on the highway\freeway. Are you saying this is doable? And you would advise against it if it the majority of the trip is going up a mountain, not a grade?

Apologies for my ignorance.. I just want to make sure I follow correctly.

 

A lot more going on here than simply weight. For example, tires (E rated), rear suspension (need air bags?), transmission cooler, oversized radiator, brake controller. You can do it, but make sure the whole system is ready for a big pull like that.

 

How much would I need to spend for a transmission cooler, larger radiator, air bags, etc? I’ve seen some brake controllers for < 200$.

Do you have any links on those suggestions? I will also do a search in hopes to find some suggestions on those items.