Tundras were built for this!!

But where's the 4 door with the bed like the other one? I need somewhere to put my groceries man.

 

There's only 1 steadfast rule to towing you need to know; if the front wheels are lifted off the ground, you've got too much weight!

 

Another thread where people don't realize why tow ratings are made. They are not made for the typical day - they are made for the windy, rainy, 8% downhills. I'm sure on a typical day a Tundra could pull a 15k lb 5er, but through in something out of the ordinary and it would get hairy at best. Most of us have probably overloaded our Tundras, but many would have limited it to short trips where we can account for the weather - I know when I did my dirt haul trips I had just myself and the dirt, and I wouldn't want to go down any hills in the rain with that weight.

I've been working the last month on the major highway in Western Canada and it is scary how many people overload vehicles. Many you can see know they're overloaded and give lots of space, but there's quite a few who seem to be of the mind that 'if it fits in the vehicle, weight doesn't change how it handles'. And I'd surmise that Toyota drivers seem to be the worst with this mindset (not just Tundras, but Highlanders and Camry's are also really bad offenders).

 

I believe the point he was trying to make was trucks back then were toys compared to the 2nd Gen Tundra and they pulled massive loads, yes, even ones that exceeded the sticker.

 

Starting to understand the popularity of big, heavy hood ornaments.

 

The LC is obviously the most capable of the pics I posted. True, they are likely all diesel motors, but not the 6+ liter turbo behemoths we have here that are necessary to legally tow a small jetski. The other 2 I would question whether they have 1 ton axles, but I could be wrong. I wonder if their frames and brake systems have all been upgraded as well? They certainly appear to be much better suited for safely hauling heavy loads than a Tundra.

 

It seems to me the capability of our current trucks so vastly exceeds those of the vehicles I grew up with, yet their payload/working capacities have not kept up proportionally. Why?

I think it's more our society has changed. We didn't used to be so coddled, now we have warning stickers on EVERYTHING. Used to be, everyone expected to drive slower and be more cautious when they hooked up a trailer. Now we'd rather cut an inch off our pecker than give up 5mph on the highway while fully loaded. Granted, it helped that others on the road were generally more gracious and patient with slower moving traffic - we weren't in a rush to see if there were updates on FB or how many likes the new memes I posted have received in the last 20 minutes. Plus there wasn't as much traffic. The adventure of the Road Trip was just as, if not more, exciting than the destination. It was part of the trip. Now the road time is just a dreary, inconvenient chore that eats up precious hours from the vacation.

Damn, I'm getting old. I really think I had a point I was trying to make before I started rambling, but it's gone now. Oh well, I'll post it anyway.

 

OK, slight derail... can you educate me why his trailer tires kept failing? I get how the truck tire could fail, or was he overloading the trailer beyond its limits as well?

 

If we didn’t have an import tariff on those overseas trucks I would get one so I didn’t have to drive this behemoth. A nice 6cyl diesel with a 6k rear end would be perfect for me and the majority of folks.

I should clarify I’m. It opposed to using 1/2 tons as they are intended…like a truck. My headache is with things like this title or when someone says the tundra is comparable to a 3/4 or 1 ton. Because they are not in the same league

 

Obviously, that truck was severely overloaded. He also did not hook up any trailer brakes, and the trailer tires were near bald and under inflated.

The truck is an F350. And the boat he’s pulling—according to Nevada State Police—weighs 37,000 lbs. His F350 is rated for a GCWR of 21,000 lb, and with that, he was WELL IN EXCESS of not only his truck’s GCWR (ahem, the OP is over his GCWR by 2000 lb most likely ) the GCWR of 26,000 lb, which is the max GCWR you can pull without having a CDL. But the load itself is not the only reason his truck’s brakes overheated and failed. He did not hook the trailer up properly and had no trailer brakes.

“Required brakes missing on trailer.”

Someone on a different forum (post #64) identified the boat:


44’ Riva.
Dry weight is 29,000 LBS. 12’ beam.
Trailer of that size is most likely 8k lbs.

That size of a load (again, according to NSP), and no trailer brakes.

Furthermore, that intersection is the first stoplight after coming down from Lake Tahoe on a steady, several-mile-long grade. His brakes were melted way before he hit that intersection. He even had a chance to stop here:


He should have been in a semi truck, with a valid CDL, and with trailer brakes to drive that load.

Here is a list of the charges (source):

“Gonzalez is being charged with two felony counts of reckless driving resulting in death. He is also being charged with the following misdemeanor offenses: unsafe vehicle, obstruction of justice, failure to obey a traffic control device, failure to obey traffic light, inoperative/defective brakes, inspection/repair/maintenance, wheel fasteners loose or missing, required brakes missing on trailer, loose or unfastened tie-down, damaged vehicle structure and pressure points, no record of duty status, motor carrier permit required, no medical certificate, operating commercial vehicle without a commercial driver's license. Also, misdemeanor driver must be able to understand traffic signals, no fuel tax permit, IRO apportioned tagged/reg violation, no USDOT carrier named displayed and no commercial driver's license. He is being held at Carson City Jail with a $100,000 bondable bail.”​

To tie this back into this thread topic: There’s a lot of space between this fool in Nevada towing multiple tons over what his truck is rated for with no trailer brakes and no CDL, and the OP towing a load that realistically puts him 800-1000 lb over payload.

Given new info about the @FedExTrucker ’s rig, I would definitely never pull that trailer with a crewmax Tundra.

Lastly, I’m not saying investigative teams won’t weigh your private recreational vehicle rig. I’m just still looking for an example. This story is not the “proof” we’ve all been asking for.

 

I would not pull the load the OP is pulling in his truck. The following info is why.

2019 Tundra info from Let’s Tow That:

His tow rating is 9400 lb (4x2) or 8800 lb (4x4).

Also, the 2019 Tundra owner’s manual shows what the max GCWR is for truck + trailer given the factory installed options on the truck. If you look at your door jamb, the 2nd sticker (not the one that shows your payload rating) will have a truck code that is given based on your options. Here are the GCWRs for Crewmaxes with their various codes in the 2019 manual:

@FedExTrucker ’s Limited Crewmax definitely has the large fuel tank. Probably has the towing package. I’m guess it’s also 4x4. His GCWR is probably in the low- to mid- 15,000s. His trailer’s gross is 9,995 lb, and his truck’s gross is 7,000-7,200 lb. I’m guess it’s 7,200 lb because that’s what my Crewmax is as well.

Not only are we at least 200 lb over on payload with a pin weight of 1500 lb before anyone or any gear goes into the truck, we’re also at least 1500 lb over our GCWR.

I don’t lose any sleep being 200 or 500 lb over my truck’s GVWR, but pulling a trailer that puts me 800lb over payload and 1500 lb over GCWR is out of the question.

 

I think the payload hasn't kept up because features have been added as fast as the GVWRs have gone up. No one would be able to sell a single cab long bed 1 ton with a bench seat and manual locks and windows and expect to make a profit any more.

 

If I use helium in my tires will that increase my payload?

 

The 2nd gen Tundra is just a heavy, old school, steel body, v8 truck with some nicely overbuilt drivetrain components. The flip side is that it eats up most of its own GVWR. There are real downsides to what I love about my truck, for sure.

If they had changed to an all aluminum body at the mid-gen refresh in 2014, that could have put what, 500 lb more distance?, between curb weight and gross weight.

 

But what would it have done to stability when hauling and towing? I don't think any of the HD trucks use aluminum to save weight, do they?

 

No, tires will want to levitate, hence putting more pressure on the leaf springs.

 

Only the rear tires. Need to maintain steering control.

 

Thanks. This kind of priceless expert feedback is why I'm a member on this forum.

 

Thanks for the facts on that towing disaster... I was very interested after it was initially posted. I inspect my tires and brakes before every trip and I use what I've used throughout my 27 years of trucking... The Smith System Defensive Driving Course... I would recommend that to anybody, professional driver or not. It's gotten me 4 millions miles of accident free trucking. I give all the credit to God though because in spite of the precautions I take there have been many, many close calls with plenty of cars cutting me off in my 80,000 pound rig. God gets the glory man!

 

I would like for you to use these 2 work sheets and report your results back to this thread. Where do you live? I will keep an eye out for you, so I can avoid being anywhere neer you. Thanks for thinking of others.

 

I suspect you'll get the same response to this that @ColoradoTJ got to his request for a picture of OP's payload sticker.

 

Never towed before? I've decided to take my advice from you... Hahahahahahahaha!!!!

 

Ford did use the aluminum cab on the Super Dutys but they took that weight savings of 5-600 lbs in the cab and put in 400 lbs back into the frame and other chassis parts to increase strength and durability.

 

The pic from last night... Awesome sky color. Almost looks fake except for the grass invading my limestone driveway... Lol

 

I don't think you're far off, manufacturers have to be more cautious than before. If there's any reason to put blame on the manufacturer in an accident they will end up having to pay settlements - and Toyota is at the extreme end of having to be conservative. And with the lack of regulations on claiming GVWR ratings the numbers mean very little when comparing brand to brand, or generation to generation.