Towing with my tundra for first time

Question:
When I tow for the first time, is just hook up the trailer and plug in the bracket light and off I go
Or do I need to push any buttons or settings up front to activate the brake light connection?

thanks

 

I think the biggest one is to turn off the parking sensor auto brake thing

it looks like a car hitting a cone or something, otherwise when you back up it will hit the brakes, etc on you

and then tow mode or tow more + depending on your trailer weight. if you have trailer brakes you'll also need to set that up

I would read your manual , lots of good stuff in there

 

If this is your first time towing, you should also consider practizing backing up the trailer. Of the all things you need to do, that will be the most difficult.

 

and that will be really hard if you don't disable the auto brakes, LOL

 

This. A million times this.

 

Depends on what you are towing. A harbor freight cargo trailer will tow very different than a 9000 lb travel trailer

 

And, oddly, the shorter trailers are the hardest to back up. I can put my 8' wide 24' long travel trailer in some ridiculous places but the 4'x8' trailer I rented to bring home a sod cutter ended up being parked 10' from where I actually intended it. I just gave up.

 

To activate the lights, you only need to plug it in. There's no button to activate. But you should turn on your parking lights + your hazard lights and walk all the way around the trailer to make sure all lights are doing what they're supposed to do. Wiring on trailer lights are notoriously troublesome.

 

I suggest reading the many other posts on this.

Towing is a serious thing.

 

Go really slow the first time. The rear camera view of the bumper and hitch was a little weird to get used to. I ran the trailer tongue into the bumper my first time because small truck movements advance quickly on the screen. I guess it was good to get my first blemish out of the way

 

Read the stickies in the Towing and Hauling Thread on this forum.

 

for you new towers also

never underestimate the value of the outside gas pump dispenser at a larger station, lol

you get into those middle pumps at a larger station, it can get ugly, especially if its busy

 

Read the owners manual. When you plug it in, the truck detects the trailer if you connect the 7 pin connector. I had no problem with the parking support system braking the truck when hooking up either of my two trailers. Once the 7 pin connector is hooked up, the parking support system is disabled.

 

they must have updated the software for that then, before you had to hit the button that looked like a cone otherwise CF.

does it do it for a 4 pin as well automatically or just the 7 pin?

 

Only with the 7 pin.

 

lol , maybe they will adjust that on a upcoming patch

so if you tow with a 4 pin, remember to turn off the auto brake deal. Mental note

 

Thinking about it, I wonder if the truck couldn’t detect the trailer tongue or propane tanks. The radar sensor may be looking for a better return than comes off the angled tongue or plastic tank cover. I have a stealth front on my trailer.

 

My parking rear sensor turns itself off when the trailer is plugged in.

Setting up your trailer in the system is easy. Just follow along and have your details ready. That info gets saved so you don’t have to do it again.

You can set the gain on the brake controller and then test it by sliding the right lever to the left while moving forward slowly. The trailer brakes should activate and stop your combo. You can adjust this until your trailer slows comfortably.

 

I have had some trailers where it automatically turned itself off, and some where it didn't. I don't know what triggers it to shutoff or not.

 

This matters a lot!

Here’s the things I’d recommend but I’m no expert
- Read the manual as others have said
- Watch a few YouTube videos about towing and trailer leveling
- Use an adjustable hitch ball to help with trailer leveling
- Test trailer lights after plugging in (seems obvious but I see trailers everyday without working brake lights, mostly landscapers)

Truck side
- Start the truck and press the Tow Haul button
- Shift from drive to S4
- Drive around the block in S4 as a shake down test, recheck stuff
- Drive in S4 on local streets, between S4 and S5 on highway
- Stay about 65mph on highway

This may be overkill for a really lite trailer. Good luck

 

I did this with all my other Tundras to check lights. In the 22's there's an option for testing. It will flash each light in a certain order.

Once my cargo trailer is connected (7pin) it is disabled. I can't remember if it always done automatically or not. For some reason I think it would beep at me with my utility trailer (4pin) hooked up