1. Welcome to Tundras.com!

    You are currently viewing as a guest! To get full-access, you need to register for a FREE account.

    As a registered member, you’ll be able to:
    • Participate in all Tundra discussion topics
    • Transfer over your build thread from a different forum to this one
    • Communicate privately with other Tundra owners from around the world
    • Post your own photos in our Members Gallery
    • Access all special features of the site

Know before you tow

Discussion in 'Towing & Hauling' started by T-Rex266, May 19, 2018.

  1. May 19, 2018 at 1:53 PM
    #31
    Black Wolf

    Black Wolf Bigfoot Hunter, Sasquatch too, but not Yeti

    Joined:
    Apr 20, 2014
    Member:
    #378
    Messages:
    40,012
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Matt
    Aurora CO
    Vehicle:
    2022 Nissan Frontier SV 4X4
    TuwaPro rack, Z1 Offroad stuff, NISMO suspension stuff, FlowmasterFX Extreme exhaust, AIS, OVS, J&L can, other goodies on the way
    :eek::dancingbacon:
     
  2. May 19, 2018 at 2:23 PM
    #32
    T500

    T500 # The Dark Side

    Joined:
    Feb 22, 2017
    Member:
    #6478
    Messages:
    7,469
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Alfie
    Neptune, NJ
    Vehicle:
    2020 Black
    I’m good with my ‘hands’

    :eek:
     
  3. May 19, 2018 at 2:25 PM
    #33
    landphil

    landphil Fish are food, not friends!

    Joined:
    Oct 9, 2016
    Member:
    #4814
    Messages:
    4,319
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Phil
    BC, Canada
    Vehicle:
    ‘08 TRD doublecab
    Why did you guys have to go make this thread sticky?
     
    joonbug likes this.
  4. May 19, 2018 at 2:52 PM
    #34
    ColoradoTJ

    ColoradoTJ Certified tow LEO Staff Member

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2016
    Member:
    #2766
    Messages:
    35,618
    Gender:
    Male
    Colorado
    Vehicle:
    LML 3500HD
    Calibrated Power 5 Tune pack, Allison 1000 tune, PPE deep trans pan, Cold/Hot CAC pipes, Banks CAI, PCV reroute, resonator delete, S&B 62 gal fuel tank, B&W GN hitch
    Have you ever used it?

    I’m not going to lie, it’s bad ass.

    I guess some of us remember/or forgot the days of no backup cameras, trailers you couldn’t scoot over with a tug, fun backing up and repositioning a few times.

    Back up assist has nothing to do with knowing how to tow, but just a really nice, useful tool for convenience. How else can vehicle manufacturers get away with charging 63000.00 for a half ton truck?
     
  5. May 19, 2018 at 4:38 PM
    #35
    4x4_Angel

    4x4_Angel Perfectly Imperfect Tomboy....TTC #132

    Joined:
    Jul 30, 2017
    Member:
    #8830
    Messages:
    24,213
    Gender:
    Female
    First Name:
    Bree
    Funky Town, Texas
    Vehicle:
    2014 SR5 CM Silver Sky
    ToyTec BOSS Lift, FRAC, 18" Fuel Pump wheels, Nitto Ridge Grapplers
    Why not?
     
    Nike21, ColoradoTJ and T-Rex266[OP] like this.
  6. May 19, 2018 at 5:56 PM
    #36
    Bappa

    Bappa Off the grid

    Joined:
    Mar 7, 2018
    Member:
    #13393
    Messages:
    310
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Bo
    Arizona
    Vehicle:
    2018 Tundra CrewMax
    Coil overs (3”) and 295 tires, ESP storage, grab bar; RCI skids; tinted windows; rear air bags
    Thanks for the video. I’ve towed small trailers but got a good tip about braking from this vid.
     
    Stomach Hands, Rickard and 4x4_Angel like this.
  7. May 19, 2018 at 6:35 PM
    #37
    T-Rex266

    T-Rex266 [OP] Elon approved Staff Member

    Joined:
    Jan 5, 2014
    Member:
    #6
    Messages:
    155,847
    Gender:
    Male
    ....um, education for noobs like me who have never towed :notsure:
     
    4x4_Angel likes this.
  8. May 19, 2018 at 7:34 PM
    #38
    landphil

    landphil Fish are food, not friends!

    Joined:
    Oct 9, 2016
    Member:
    #4814
    Messages:
    4,319
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Phil
    BC, Canada
    Vehicle:
    ‘08 TRD doublecab
    T-rex, I wasn’t refering to you making the thread A sticky. I support that idea completely.
     
    ColoradoTJ and T-Rex266[OP] like this.
  9. May 20, 2018 at 8:58 AM
    #39
    Juanjoolio007

    Juanjoolio007 New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 4, 2017
    Member:
    #6618
    Messages:
    2,085
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    George
    Oregon
    Vehicle:
    2019 Silver Sky Platinum Crew Max
    Bed Rug, Tonneau cover, Window visors, Console organizer, Weather Tech's
    So randomly I was reading through this thread yesterday. I then get a text from my SIL that says brothers in the hospital. They were at the dunes so I ask how bad. She says they think broken clavicle. Long story short we setup a plan to come get them Sunday morning. Three hours later I get a call he needs to get home they can’t make it through the night down there. We take off immediately for a 3.5 hr trip to the beach.
    By the time we get there the toy hauler is loaded and we hook up the truck. I do a quick walk around to make sure everything is closed, secured and ready to go. Talk to my brother about tool location and he mentioned he brought 2 spare trailer tires. We set the trailer brake control and get him and his wife in my wife’s Camry(agreed that was a more comfortable ride then his F350 with the 38ft trailer bouncing around) and we take his truck. About 15 minutes after we get out of the coastal mountains and back on I5 I’m scannin my mirrors and catch a puff of smoke from the trailer. By the time I hit the hazards and tell my wife to call them the tire blows. I was already merging off the highway. I get the tire changed decently fast for doing it on the side of the highway. And we were off again. Few hours later we got them home, trailer parked and then we headed home.

    Morals of the story:
    1. Always do a walk around of the truck and trailer.
    2. Know where tools and emergency equipment is and how to use it.
    3. Scan your mirrors way more frequently when towing.
    4. For the love of God if a vehicle is on the shoulder MOVE THE F OVER! It’s not fun sitting inches from the white line trying to work and watch for idiots that you know you probably don’t have time to move from because they are to dumb to know better.
     
    aperezsh, NewRider, joonbug and 2 others like this.
  10. May 25, 2018 at 10:22 PM
    #40
    Benstoy

    Benstoy New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 25, 2018
    Member:
    #13139
    Messages:
    59
    Gender:
    Male
    Vehicle:
    2008 Tundra Crew Max 4x4
    3/1 ready lift, added step bars, blue tooth, back up camera, assault roll up tonneau cover...has spray in liner, fender flares, leather
    What exactly happened in that original video? Wrong tow vehicle? Going too fast? Didn't let up on the throttle when the trailer started to whip? What are all the problems you see that contributed to that massive failure?
     
  11. May 25, 2018 at 10:51 PM
    #41
    chadh1972

    chadh1972 New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 11, 2018
    Member:
    #13499
    Messages:
    27
    Gender:
    Male
    Possibly weight placement inside the trailer (too much weight behind the axels).
     
  12. May 26, 2018 at 4:11 AM
    #42
    Berettafan

    Berettafan New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 21, 2017
    Member:
    #6461
    Messages:
    902
    Gender:
    Male
    Vehicle:
    2017 CM
    Tongue weight issue. Also braking when the trailer is doing that can make it worse.

    One trick is to manually activate the trailer brakes. Supposed to help pull it back in line with the tow vehicle.
     
    JoshuaA and 4x4_Angel like this.
  13. May 26, 2018 at 5:40 AM
    #43
    JoshuaA

    JoshuaA Canuck Member

    Joined:
    Dec 15, 2017
    Member:
    #11529
    Messages:
    2,710
    Southern Ontario
    Vehicle:
    Blaaack 2.5G
    Could be a combo, these things can still happen using a truck...

    1. Travel trailer not weight balanced, perhaps placement of storage behind the trailer axle and too light in the front of the trailer inside.
    2. Dry wt of trailer exceeding max towing capacity, so packed wt is definitely way over, breaking the GCWR rule.
    3. Exceeding max tongue wt, likely no WDH, no sway control, no rear suspension help like airbags and more leafs to prevent sag. Not only is the SUV nose high, it's probably bobbing up and down over bumps reducing steering control. In effect, neither TV or TT are level.
    4. Poorly setup or no brake controller, trailer's brakes are non-existent.
    5. Going too fast, high crosswinds. Try whipping by a transport without towing anything, you'll feel the sway from the air vacuum.

    A friend of mine sells RV's, he knows 2 people who toppled this year already, it's not uncommon.
     
  14. May 26, 2018 at 6:02 AM
    #44
    Woodguy65

    Woodguy65 New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2016
    Member:
    #4549
    Messages:
    181
    Gender:
    Male
    Know your payload as well, just saw this on FB, guy was talking about pulling his trailer as well. Now this is an accident waiting to happen, over payload, weight is WAY too high.

    IMG_5712.PNG.jpg
     
  15. May 26, 2018 at 6:20 AM
    #45
    Woodguy65

    Woodguy65 New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2016
    Member:
    #4549
    Messages:
    181
    Gender:
    Male
    Also know your tongue weight. I needed a new drop hitch for my Tundra, so I got this one. American made high quality, not cheap. This is extremely accurate way of finding out your tongue weight. A certified scale built into hitch, no more guessing. If your towing a trailer with a car, tractor, etc, it's amazing how many pounds you can take off or put on just by moving the vehicle a couple inches on the trailer.

    IMG_5714.jpg
    IMG_5715.jpg
    IMG_5713.jpg
     
    Mike59, Pundra, SnrDisregardo and 2 others like this.
  16. May 26, 2018 at 6:25 AM
    #46
    ColoradoTJ

    ColoradoTJ Certified tow LEO Staff Member

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2016
    Member:
    #2766
    Messages:
    35,618
    Gender:
    Male
    Colorado
    Vehicle:
    LML 3500HD
    Calibrated Power 5 Tune pack, Allison 1000 tune, PPE deep trans pan, Cold/Hot CAC pipes, Banks CAI, PCV reroute, resonator delete, S&B 62 gal fuel tank, B&W GN hitch
    I didn’t copy the post, 3/4 or 1 ton?
     
  17. May 26, 2018 at 6:48 AM
    #47
    Woodguy65

    Woodguy65 New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2016
    Member:
    #4549
    Messages:
    181
    Gender:
    Male
    They refer to it as half ton in comments section.
     
  18. May 26, 2018 at 7:06 AM
    #48
    ColoradoTJ

    ColoradoTJ Certified tow LEO Staff Member

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2016
    Member:
    #2766
    Messages:
    35,618
    Gender:
    Male
    Colorado
    Vehicle:
    LML 3500HD
    Calibrated Power 5 Tune pack, Allison 1000 tune, PPE deep trans pan, Cold/Hot CAC pipes, Banks CAI, PCV reroute, resonator delete, S&B 62 gal fuel tank, B&W GN hitch
    Not with 8 lugs....

    If it’s a 1 ton, definitely not over weight.
     
    mdavis likes this.
  19. Jul 12, 2018 at 10:54 AM
    #49
    MrAJ

    MrAJ Toyota Enthusiast

    Joined:
    May 22, 2018
    Member:
    #15532
    Messages:
    43
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    AJ
    Cathedral City, California
    Vehicle:
    2018 White Tundra TRD 4x4
    I think this is a great video for those who are not familiar with towing.
     
    Ike74[QUOTED] likes this.
  20. Jul 12, 2018 at 11:42 AM
    #50
    JH5370

    JH5370 Member

    Joined:
    Sep 14, 2016
    Member:
    #4539
    Messages:
    1,540
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Josh
    Eastern WA
    Vehicle:
    2017 White DC TRD PRO
    Great thread. I was lucky enough to work in a vineyard starting at age 14 and had the chance to tow all manner of things along with learn a lot of other skills. I could hook up, back up, and tow a trailer before I even had a license. But as others have said there will always be idiots. Like this guy who thought it was smart to weld a “hitch” to the crash bumper of his Minivan. :eek:

    E49550A3-2FE4-46D5-B7AC-77D863401E8D.jpg
     
    Jerry311SD likes this.
  21. Jul 12, 2018 at 12:17 PM
    #51
    NorthWoodsTundra

    NorthWoodsTundra Hehehe, you said 'member'...hehehe

    Joined:
    Jan 8, 2018
    Member:
    #12061
    Messages:
    137
    Gender:
    Male
    Vehicle:
    2021 GMC 3500 SRW Gasser
    Just purchased a new 33’ Jayco travel trailer yesterday. The dealer (in MI) said that he was required to run my DL to see if it was clear and valid. If there was any funny business on it then the sale was a no-go. So it sounds they are trying to limit the stupidity somewhat.

    For the record, the trailer is 6200 dry with a max gross of 7500. With a WDH it’s well within the limits of my CrewMax. I also plan on making a few trips to the Cat scales to get it loaded right.
     
    Ike74 likes this.
  22. Jul 12, 2018 at 12:22 PM
    #52
    Ike74

    Ike74 New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 29, 2018
    Member:
    #13989
    Messages:
    859
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Anthony
    Sugar Land, TX
    Vehicle:
    2020 Kia Forte
    The Libertarian in me hates the government oversight, the guy who drives on the road and has been in 2 not-my-fault accidents in three months in me wants a special license for people who tow trailers . . .
     
  23. Jul 12, 2018 at 12:28 PM
    #53
    NorthWoodsTundra

    NorthWoodsTundra Hehehe, you said 'member'...hehehe

    Joined:
    Jan 8, 2018
    Member:
    #12061
    Messages:
    137
    Gender:
    Male
    Vehicle:
    2021 GMC 3500 SRW Gasser
    Some towing humor.

     
  24. Jul 12, 2018 at 12:31 PM
    #54
    NorthWoodsTundra

    NorthWoodsTundra Hehehe, you said 'member'...hehehe

    Joined:
    Jan 8, 2018
    Member:
    #12061
    Messages:
    137
    Gender:
    Male
    Vehicle:
    2021 GMC 3500 SRW Gasser
    I feel the same and MI is such a nanny state. You can’t legislate common sense.
     
    GODZILLA and Ike74[QUOTED] like this.
  25. Jul 12, 2018 at 1:11 PM
    #55
    joonbug

    joonbug °°°°°°°°°°

    Joined:
    Oct 13, 2015
    Member:
    #1948
    Messages:
    16,674
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Joon
    NorCal - Dublin
    Vehicle:
    2020 Long Travel DC
    :rofl:
     
    NewImprovedRon likes this.
  26. Jul 16, 2018 at 8:55 AM
    #56
    Mark843

    Mark843 New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2018
    Member:
    #13415
    Messages:
    55
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Mark
    WNY
    Vehicle:
    2018 Barcelona Red Tundra SR5 with TRD offroad package
    Are there any decent tow calculators to use to help when getting everything prepped? I have towed a uhaul trailer across the country and across the northeast, but I had my dad help me get everything setup. I am not even sure the weight was distributed properly.

    I will be doing some towing soon and want to make sure everything calculated and is distributed properly. I was following the one video posted earlier. Is what is presented in that video all that is needed to calculate for towing?

    Is the weight and max load of trailers marked somewhere on the trailers? I will be towing my buddies tractor soon with his trailer, but not sure if the trailer has a data plate with the needed info for the calculations. The tractor should be easy to look up.

    I am also thinking about getting the weight safe hitch. I know it is a a lot of money, but it would help with towing unknown loads and getting the proper tongue weight. I just want to tow safely.
     
  27. Jul 16, 2018 at 12:12 PM
    #57
    Randy Morton

    Randy Morton Life takes its toll, please have exact change.

    Joined:
    May 15, 2016
    Member:
    #3378
    Messages:
    1,582
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Randy
    Deepinahearta, Texas
    Vehicle:
    2012 Tundra Double Cab, Beta Variant (I call it my Land Yacht)
    GlobalGuy likes this.
  28. Jan 23, 2019 at 7:15 PM
    #58
    adhesivo

    adhesivo New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 27, 2018
    Member:
    #22275
    Messages:
    17
    What's an easy way to check tongue weight once your trailer is loaded?
     
  29. Jan 23, 2019 at 7:26 PM
    #59
    ColoradoTJ

    ColoradoTJ Certified tow LEO Staff Member

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2016
    Member:
    #2766
    Messages:
    35,618
    Gender:
    Male
    Colorado
    Vehicle:
    LML 3500HD
    Calibrated Power 5 Tune pack, Allison 1000 tune, PPE deep trans pan, Cold/Hot CAC pipes, Banks CAI, PCV reroute, resonator delete, S&B 62 gal fuel tank, B&W GN hitch
    CAT scale or TW scale.
     
  30. Sep 1, 2019 at 11:37 PM
    #60
    Tony v

    Tony v Member

    Joined:
    Nov 19, 2017
    Member:
    #11068
    Messages:
    398
    Gender:
    Male
    SoCal
    Vehicle:
    2017 SR5 CrewMax
    That should work well at freeway speeds. That little wheel is good for 20ft
     

Products Discussed in

To Top