Tundra towing capacity overstated?

Finally traded in my 2010 F150 for a 2019 Tundra TRD. I have towed with several different vehicles including the F150, F250, Excursion and so on. We hooked up the 24' travel trailer and loaded up the family to head to Flagstaff AZ with the "new Tundra". Let's just say it's probably getting traded in. Tows horrible, rear was squatting down like I had 1000 pounds in the bed. It didn't feel stable at all, I have the proper hitch set up with sway bars and know how to set them up. It felt like the tail was wagging the dog. I don't think this is a capable truck, the Ford towed the same trailer with no issues, no sway, no sag and got 4 MPG more per gallon. I think the Tundra towing capacity is over stated by Toyota. I wonder if anyone has done real word testing and put a Ford, Chevy, Dodge and Toyota thru the same paces with the same trailer. I am extremely disappointed in this truck. Oddly, on I 17 coming back from Flagstaff their were two accidents ( common occurrence if you know this road) one was an FJ cruiser towing a side by side that flipped over, the other was, guess what, a Tundra towing a travel trailer collided with a Tractor trailer. Probably a coincidence or driver neglect but the more I observe these Tundras towing most of them are squatting down and running 55 in the right lane. I guess I could look at suspension upgrades and so on but I didn't expect to have to modify an almost new truck to tow within it's alleged limits. If you are considering a truck for towing I would go Ford, Chevy or Dodge. Toyota is reliable and known for that but it's not much more then a grocery getter in my opinion. There are plenty of truck options that are more capable. Sorry Toyota, I have always been a big fan of the cars but this Tundra is a huge disappointment.

 

That's one long paragraph of complaining for a first post.

Go ahead, trade it in.

 

I tow heavy things often (tractors and such) with my Tundra and don't have any issues...possible because I'm used to it. However...my Wife has a 2017 Ram crew cab Laramie with the hemi, and it tows better, no doubt. That said, I don't care for her Ram and love my Tundra, so I wouldn't tell her that!

 

Do you have a TRD Pro?

 

Somebody call a WAAAAAAmbulance!

 

Welcome from Chandler AZ.

What's the weight of the trailer? You might want to give some actual details about what you're pulling and how you're hooking it up before you get blasted for making a spam post for your first one...

 

I have no issues pulling a 20' full steel deck trailer with a 3600+ lb Camaro, 4 passengers, luggage and a tent.

****Are you sure you have Tundra?
Your profile says 2019 Tacoma!

 

I'd welcome you from NY but it looks like you are leaving so......Goodbye from NY.

 

I guess I came across as whining and complaining, just disappointed with my purchase for towing. I love it as an everyday driver so didn't mean to be so negative...

The trailer is a 24' Kodiak. I have a weight distributing hitch, the new style one. In the truck, 2 adults, 2 kids and some misc gear, not loaded down. Trailer only packed for a weekend, holding tanks empty.

From the specs:
Hitch Weight 452 lbs
Dry Weight 3980 lbs
Cargo Weight 1520 lbs

 

Yes there are things that tow better and get better mileage particularly the diesel trucks. This truck isn't a diesel, it doesn't weight as much as a diesel, doesn't cost as much, doesn't ride as bad, can race through baja 1000 without breaking down, actually beat the SVT ford raptor in this race before. That being said it will tow what its rated to tow without fuss. There are guys on here who modded their truck enough to tow on occasion 17k. They were running bags, supercharger, large tranny cooler, weight distributing hitch etc... You'll find that tundras are part time 3/4 ton truck when you really need it to be. But most here don't tow that much and like I said stick to your tow rating and you'll be fine. These truck are well documented to last even while towing max payload, so long as you follow the recommended maintenance schedule.

 

Hitch weight seems heavy for most 1/2 tucks, especially if loading more stuff. I would trink Air Bags at minimum would be recommended.

 

Have you tried the tow haul mode button? I find pickup to be vastly improved while towing. Can't comment much on your sway, that would depend on how you weight down your trailer front to rear or if there were strong crosswind that day and what not. I've towed well over the recommended tongue weight before and actually compressed the overload spring but the truck handled it fine.

 

I have to be honest...I find this hard to believe. I'm not at all saying you're lying, but I literally did the same thing you did, except with a 2013 F150 5.0L for a 2020 CrewMax.

Granted, all I've 'towed' so far is my 16' trailer, but with the F150, it had to downshift at least twice on even minor uphill grades. The Tundra had to downshift once, and that was only because it was a fairly steep uphill grade with about a 20mph headwind. The F150 was also a lot more prone to being 'wagged' by the trailer.

From a power perspective you flat out can't convince me the Tundra is less capable than my 2013 F150 was. 20 more HP (385 vs 365); 16 more ft-lb of torque (401 vs 385); the 5.0 makes its power higher in the band whereas the 5.7L makes its power down lower; and 4.30 gears vs. 3.31 gears. There is NO WAY the Tundra is less powerful than my 5.0L was. And this isn't even considering tow/haul mode. On the F150 it 'raised the shift points' and the like. It's supposed to do that on the Tundra, but all I know is that it changes things SO much that I find it difficult to ease away from a stop without roasting the tires.

I *will* say that I notice a difference between how the leaf springs are mounted on the F150 vs. the Tundra, and *maybe* that's why it squats a bit more. For that the solution is easy - install some bags, or some new leaf springs.

 

You might be suffering from the higher altitude, turbo engine perform much better at higher altitude. They suffer less from power loss. This is where adding a supercharger for towing makes sense.

 

As almost everyone here knows, the payload capacity bites you before your max towing will.
Throw some airbags on it for a few hundred bucks and enjoy your truck not breaking down on you.
Let's see a picture of the setup @Starrholdings

 

No complaints towing here. Truck feels much more stable and capable than my wife’s Yukon XL Denali. I’m towing around 6,500 lbs with wife, three kids, and gear through the mountains and the truck does not skip a beat.

stock TRD suspension
After 6112 at 1.9”, 5160 and Coachbuilder +2 shackle.

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UcIAseIogBU

 

Old heavy boat about 6-7k loaded up. Tows it nearly effortlessly.

 

https://youtu.be/kzfND5fcpB4

Guess they don't make the Tundra's like they use to.

 

This is clearly a late april fools joke. My trucks lifted and I frequently tow and nothing you said makes sense. To me its clearly user error. I dare you to post pics of your setup

 

I love towing my 6000 lb dry 26 foot TT
Tows like a dream. Plenty of power. Total weight around 7000 whithout passengers or gear on the truck.

weight distribution. Hitch has to be set different of your squatting. They are adjustable. There’s no way that much weight should let the truck squat that much. Factory rake
Is about 3” so if your below that then something wrong.
Did you use tow haul mode?

 

Could also be the trailer suspension.

 

Exactly what @ColoradoTJ said, let’s help get you figured out. I tow my 24ft 1987 camper around. Took it up to Glacier last fall with it fully loaded out for the weekend with food, drinks, propane, full water tank the works, 4 adults, a dog, generator, and firewood and the truck was sitting perfectly level. Didn’t take it to the scale but I would estimate I was around the 6500-6700 lbs mark between the trailer and the gear in the bed, not to mention 4 adults. Towed just fine. Please post pictures of your setup. Chances are your hitch needs adjustment.

 

If the rear end of your truck is squatting like you have 1k pounds in the bed this is the first indication your weight distribution hitch is not set up correctly.

Any mfg’s truck will squat with improper trailer setup. Post some photos of your setup, close up to the hitch and overall, people here who are more knowledgeable can help you set it up to work properly. Your truck should have no problem with the trailer you have.

 

Regarding towing airbags:

I need to read about it but is it basically changing the suspension system? What's the typical cost and reliability? I hate to get a flat let alone a flat suspension ... lol