Towing questions

I got a 2015 tundra crewmax limited with 5.7. I’m looking at purchasing a new late model used travel trailer in the 25-30 foot range. I got my eyes on a Shadow cruiser 259 BH which is 30 feet long and a dry weight of about 6000 lbs. I understand and tow a bunch with my work vehicle so I’m no newbie to towing specifics. My questions are how does out trucks do with this type of weight as a stock truck? Anyone tow a similar trailer with a stock truck? I know it’s a little long for a trailer but I need the room to be comfortable camping. I’ve towed my boat which feels like nothing behind me and my old travel trailer which was around 4500 lbs loaded and it did fine obviously

 

Good weight distribution hitch w/adjustable anti-sway units are a must!!

A lot of good feedback on these Roadmaster active suspension units (I never ran them but trust the comments and feedback given here)

https://www.tundras.com/threads/roadmaster-active-suspension-review.103453/

Finally, brakes seem to be a weak point. I was warping rotors pretty easily, and I'm very easy on the truck w/towing (use a lot of S4/S3 to ease my way down or to keep downhill speeds in check)… But, I think you'll find upgrading rotors and pads will reduce that significantly!

Have fun!!

 

Yea I got a WD hitch no sway bars yet but an easy add to my set up. The trailer I like is about 700 lbs tongue weight which is a little concerning. I did buy my truck used and for some strange reason the stock hitch receiver was removed when I bought it so I had an aftermarket curt v5 hitch installed . It’s ratings are max tongue weight of 600 or 800 lbs if it has a WD hitch.

 

I'm sure you've read some of the other extensive threads in here regarding towing… Tongue weight and payload seem to be the biggest nemesis to our rigs. As you've said already you have towing knowledge so you're ahead of the game, but some folks don't understand the differences in dry weight vs gross weight, axle ratings, tongue weight, etc... and how that all changes once you load the trailer and the bed of your truck and can be significantly affected based on how you load up.

Watch the numbers, use your experience and common sense and you'll have a good experience w/it.

 

If anyone is towing a TT with similar size and weight please chime in or send some pictures

 

I tow a similar size travel trailer. I installed air bags a long while ago, but towed a 33' TT on a stock rig with zero issues. The air bags are great for my setup and needs, but aren't strictly necessary; I just feel that a level tow vehicle his a stable tow vehicle. A good WD hitch properly set up helps level it out just fine, though. I also pull a slightly shorter but same weight setup with our completely stock sequoia. Pulls like a champ. I use an Andersen WD hitch and add some air to the tires. If you are running the stock P275/65R18 tires, they allow for an extra 15 psi or so in the tires for "ride tuning". More pressure in that particular tire size doesn't add more weight capacity to the tire, but it firms up the sidewalls for a better towing experience.

As for brakes being a weak point on these rigs, I would respectfully disagree. I've only changed the front pads and rotors once and just did the rear pads for the second time at 175k miles. The rotors weren't warped, I just assumed they would be under minimum thickness if I had them turned. But honestly, I didn't even check.

I tow several different trailers with varying weights and carry about 5-800 lbs in the pretty much always. The stock brakes are strong. I once had the brakes go out on a loaded car hauler that I borrowed from a friend. I learned after the fact that the brake wire on the trailer had been cut but not severed completely, so it corroded. If you stopped slowly/normally, it would pass enough current to lightly engage the brakes, so after hitching up, an initial brake check indicated that everything was working. But once you stepped hard on the brakes or used them more continuously/often (like a downhill ascent), the brake controller started freaking out and the brakes quit working. Even with that happening, I never felt like I was in a white-knuckled situation including the 5-8% downhill grade.

 

Welcome from LA (Lower Alabama)!

 

I tow a 2022 Cruiser MGP 2500bh, box length is 25' overall length of 30 and right at 5900lbs dry.

Towed it home from the dealership just fine, but opted to install airbags to help get the squat out of the back. A few years back I leveled the front of the truck with 6112's, so if you are on factory suspension.....it miiiight be ok, but it was more squat than what i wanted to tow with.

After i put airbags on, its nice and level.

As far as brakes go, seems like its hit or miss. Some people get 80k+ miles out of their factory pads/rotors, i got about 25k before i had a wicked shimmy when braking. I opted for cryo treated rotors from Frozen Rotors and Hawk Green pads. It was a noticable difference in stopping power (not just towing, regular driving is much better).