Toyota Highlander V6

Here is some more for you to consider. When a manufacturer says it has a tow rating of 5000 pounds, that is not the entire story. What is more important is the payload capacity of your TV. I have a tundra and can tow 9000 pounds but that really means nothing in my case. I have a payload limit of 1750 pounds. My trailer weighs about 6500 pounds going down the road. The tongue weight is about 950 pounds. Now consider me, the wife, a little fire wood, a generator and a few chairs and cocktail tables and I am right at my limit. An important number to figure out is the tongue weight of the trailer. This will sit on the ball and affect your payload number.

Another thing to think about is your Highlander has a unibody construction not a frame on build like the 4Runner has. You need to check in to find out if you can use a weight distributing hitch on the Highlander. Years ago,there was a good debate going on about this.

Installing a brake controller is pretty easy these days. My 4Runner and my Tundra has a connector under the dash. Get one that fits your Highlander and simply plug it in. Mounting the actual controller will be more of a challenge but connecting it to the TV is pretty simple.

I highly recommend a Prodigy 2 or Prodigy 3 proportional brake controller.

I put 140k towing miles on a 2008 Highlander. It had the factory tow prep package, which included extra cooling. Even so, as it aged the cooling ability declined (dirt buildup or corrosion or whatever) and the trans temp light would come on during long uphill grades. By then it had 185k on the odometer and since my wife was never happy with the seats, I sold it. But I still sort of miss it. I generally towed no more than 3k lbs (fairly low frontal area trailers also), up to about 62 mph, and I took it easier on the grades both up and down. I kept the 5 speed auto out of 5th gear, which (as coolmom42 mentions) will keep the tranny from frequent gear hunting and shifting; the unlocked torque converter which you get in that hunt between 4th & 5th will generate a ton of heat and that can damage the transmission.

Popups also present low frontal area for low wind resistance, so you should have no trouble at 65 mph. Hitch weight limit is 500 lbs and you will want to check your trailer's tongue weight when loaded for camping to make sure the LP, battery, and gear don't put it over that limit. (But you also want minimum 10% of total popup weight to be on the hitch, to avoid dangerous trailer sway.) If you're hauling a lot of weight (passengers and cargo) in the HL, you could run out of payload; find out what your max payload is and take it into consideration.

Thanks so far everyone! I'm soaking all this in.

One thing you should verify is if your vehicle has a built-in transmission cooler. That same drive train is in Siennas, Highlanders, and 4Runners. Talk to a parts department (or go there) and give them the VIN. For 2013 some of them had it standard and some did not. DO NOT talk to a sales person about this, they will run off the window sticker, which tells you nothing useful about the standard equipment.



The most important thing to protect your transmission is USE THE GEARSHIFT and don't hesitate to shift down and leave it there on an uphill (or downhill.) The worst thing for a transmission is to be shifting up and down. And if possible, avoid tough grades in hot weather.

You should also go downhill on a grade in the same gear (or lower) that you went up it, to avoid overheating brakes.


Definitely get the brake controller set up by a good shop, along with a weight distribution system and sway bar.

Fowleffect wrote:
I'm new as it gets to this. Haven't even purchased yet. I have a 2013 Toyota Highlander V6 rated at 5k tow weight. I'm currently looking at a tandem axle pop up between 3100 and 3700 lbs. I am set up to pull, with a hitch and lights. I need to get trailer brake hookup installed.

Thoughts on my rig pulling this weight? Should i look at aftermarket transmission cooler as well to preserve the vehicle/tranny?

Have a shop install the trailer brake kit and have them show you how it works, its easy after you know, yes on the tranny cooler and your towing weight is fine but what about camping gear, supplies, etc, you could easily go beyond 4000 lbs.

My wife owns a 2019 Highlander 6 cly, I would not go much beyond 4000 lbs towing on these Highlanders even though Toyota says 5000 lbs.

Loaded and wet your proposed trailer should be under the max weight. Your “rated weight” must also be at or under your Highlander’s payload max. What is it? Who and what will you be carrying in the Highlander? Tongue weight and hitch will use 500 to 600 pounds of that.

Fowler,

The single most important think to never forget to use is YOUR BRAIN. By engaging this at the start, many problems can be avoided. I have towed many things that I would never advise being towed with the equipment I had, I did have some problems and all but a very few were unforeseeable mechanical issues. Then, there were the times that I was almost gotten by some other driver's mistake. But, to do this successfully, don't follow the vehicle in front of you. Be following the vehicle three or four in front of you.

Setting up a trailer brake controller is not a "Push-Here-Dummy" exercise. They are adjustable. learn what that adjustment does. If you have a friend that can be a native guide, take the advantage.

I do not know this rig, but if you add a transmission cooler, that can only cost you money and you only have to buy it once. Without knowing where you are an what you expect to be doing, I cannot tell you how essential it will be. Everything that I towed with that had an automatic transmission also had a temperature gauge for that.

Matt

Your 7-way plug should take care of your brakes.