Advice for towing a new TT with a 2004 4-door Tundra

Gillkid wrote:
I really appreciate all this info. Is my concern here a lack of power or a compromise in safety? The lack of power doesn't concern me too much. 90% of my camping will be within 90 miles of my home. Hardly any hills to worry about. That being said, my wife and two kids will be riding with me and I have zero desire putting there lives in jeopardy.

I dont know that its necessarily a safety issue. I guess anyone could argue that being one pound over any weight number could be a safety risk. I am more speaking from experience when I had a similar setup as yours and just didn't like the way it handled due to lack of power. I say if you are set on this combo, try it out with the realization that a bigger truck may be in your future if this is something you truly enjoy.

I will go out on a limb and say if you keep it as light as possible, and dont care about taking your time on the hills you will be fine. Is it ideal? no. But I think it would work

Gillkid wrote:
So help me understand something that confuses me with all of this. If my truck is rated to pull 6800#s, why can't I tow 6800#s? I doubt Toyota would put out a rating that would compromise a customers safety.

Truck manufacturers use several factors, such as frame, brakes, power train, wheels, and tires, to determine a tow rating. They also use some of the same factors to determine a GVWR and payload rating. In most travel trailer cases, you will exceed payload and GVWR on the truck, before you reach the unrealistic tow rating.

Your Tundra probably could tow, a 6900 lb flatbed trailer, if the trailer had a low hitch weight (tripple axle) and it's own brakes.

Travel trailers are a different animal. They create a lot of wind resistance, and, put a lot of hitch weight on the truck.

Another weak link, may be your tires. Quite possible, you have "P" rated tires, which are designed for passenger comfort, not heavy towing. Passenger tires will have more sidewall flex than an "LT" type tire.

Since the truck left the factory (a few years / owners ago), anything that has been added or subtracted, affected the payload, pound for pound.

I've been there with a Toyota Tundra. RV salesman said "no problem", this trailer is within your tow rating. Checking the door post sticker, all the numbers looked to be borderline, or under by a few pounds. What I hadn't considered was the fiberglass bed cap, I had added. That bed cap weighed 200 lbs and put me over GVWR, before I put a thermos of coffee in the back seat. It wasn't a pleasant tow.

Best way to find your available payload is to weigh the truck (with full fuel and driver) and subtract that from it's GVWR. That will be the weight you have to work with, for passengers, truck cargo, WD hitch, and trailer hitch weight.

I really appreciate all this info. Is my concern here a lack of power or a compromise in safety? The lack of power doesn't concern me too much. 90% of my camping will be within 90 miles of my home. Hardly any hills to worry about. That being said, my wife and two kids will be riding with me and I have zero desire putting there lives in jeopardy.

Spa is largely correct, but as someone that has done things outside the published envelope for most of his life, the published towing limits are important, but not the end-all. Payload is Payload and that is true, but towing capacity (as I used to rate it for two different OEs) is more about driveline warranty. That is why you can't bolt on an improvement.

A load equalizing hitch (WDH)is a requirement for any trailer that is of any size relative to the tow vehicle. As to whether you need the sway control or not, that is a tough call, since you give no particulars in the TT. My advise? If you can afford it, buy the sway control now and you will not regret it.

Then there is GCVW. That can be a stopper as many states will cite for exceeding that. Read that off the door tag - Today. Get the Tundra loaded with fuel kids and dogs weighed - Today. On your way home from picking up the trailer, get it weighed. (See a running theme here??) After you get the rig loaded for your first excursion, get it weighed. You have just spent ~50$ that could save your life. (See a running theme here?? Do I need a BTDT??) Then, take the new rig into a BIG EMPTY parking lot and try to put it in a parking slot. Lots of campgrounds have few or limited pull though spaces. Unless you have a lot of towing experience, this is something you should schedule. If you can have DW as a observer, have your had signals or radios organised before you start.

Can you exceed any of these numbers and survive? Yes, but you have to be certain that the brain is engaged before you even hook up....
The way that is guaranteed to get you hurt is to push things you can't control like weather and traffic. Remember, If you get behind, Slow Down.

Do Not plan you first excursion into the Smokies. head for the beach or somewhere else that is flat.

If the truck has a 7 wire RV connector, it is most likely wired for a brake controller. You may have to ask a Toyota dealer where to find the cab end of the harness. On your first stop, if you can tell the trailer is back there, the controller isn't set right.

Much of my towing was three ton racing sloops that stood 11' over the road, but my travel trailers were worse.

Safe Travels

Matt

Depending on options your payload on the truck will be anywhere from 1100 to 1580 from what I can find. It looks like the only trailer on Heartlands website with a 4900 lb dry weight was TR sle 25. The hitch weight empty was 500lbs with NOTHING on it. So once you add propane tanks, batteries, hitch equipment and also that appears to be where your front storage is, you will be pretty heavy. Your payload will be gone before you ever put anything in the bed of the truck assuming you would put something in it. The max loaded weight of the trailer is above your max towing capacity. Some things to consider. That will be alot/too much trailer for that truck. You have to remember too that year was before Toyota came out with the 5.7. I think they still had 4.7 which is a good engine but lacks the power of the newer 5.7.

The towing capacity is fixed...meaning yes you can add things to increase PAYLOAD...but you can not increase towing capacity. Towing capacity is all about tow weight...handling and stopping. IMHO...with 30 years and over 250,000 miles experience of rv towing...that is too much trailer for that truck. Keep in mind the tow weight rating is done using a flat trailer loaded with sheet steel NOT a big box with lots of wind drag and side area. I would bet if you do it you will hate every minute of time towing.

So the GVWR for the TT is 6900#s. I'll have to check the TVs payload capacity. That's definitely something I hadn't considered.

So help me understand something that confuses me with all of this. If my truck is rated to pull 6800#s, why can't I tow 6800#s? I doubt Toyota would put out a rating that would compromise a customers safety.

I hadn't considered a WD hitch, but will definitely have that added along with the sway bar and brake controller, if we decide to pull the trigger on this TT.

Only think I'd say is that NOBODY tows a completely empty trailer so empty weight (dry weight) is a meaningless number. The trailers GVWR and tongue weight are two weights you need to consider. Fully loaded tongue weight can be as much as 15% of the GVWR so be sure that fits with your trucks rating.
Good luck / Skip

That's a lot of trailer for that truck. I would suggest you look for something smaller. You will need to know if you have the towing package, including the transmission cooler. A WDH will be necessary.

BTW, if you do some reading and searching on the forum you will find out how others have experienced towing a TT with these smaller trucks. It's no fun and a lot of stress on the owner and the truck pulling that big frontal surface at highway speeds.

Hi Gillkid - I see this is your very first post, so welcome to the forum! You'll get lots of different opinions here, so you have to weigh the posts with some caution.

There are two primary things to consider when matching a tow vehicle (TV) to a travel trailer (TT).

1. Towing Capacity - Most manufacturers list towing capacity of a vehicle. To be safe, you're fully loaded TT should not weigh more than the towing capacity of the TV.

2. Payload Capacity - TVs also list the payload capacity. Usually you can find the payload capacity on the tire placard that is in the door pilar of your TV. Let's say it's 1200 pounds. The payload you add to the vehicle consists of the weight of the passengers, cargo and hitch weight of the trailer. If the passengers weigh 500 pounds (combined), luggage and other cargo is 300, that leaves you 400 pounds for the hitch weight.

Happy trails to you.

Jim - Tucson

You should not exceed the towing or payload capacity of your TV in order to be safe.