2005 4Runner with V6 Engine

I towed a 20" ~3500 lb dry trailer with a Tacoma with the same engine. It worked but felt like I really was ragging it to get on the freeway, up hills, and in the wind. Cruised in 4th and shifted to 3rd on every little rise in the road and didn't sound nice doing it. Towing is so much more pleasant with my current truck even though its a lot bigger trailer. You might be able to deal with it for a year or two maybe, but its likely you won't enjoy it much.

I towed a 19' hybrid with an '03 V6. The tt weighed in at 3800lbs loaded. The 4Runner handled the weight fine but struggled with the frontal drag and headwinds. The problem was not in the power, the 4 speed trans wasn't suited well. Your '05 should have the 5 speed which would be better. I think you will find it still struggling with a 5000lbs tt. The TTs you are looking at will approach that weight.

I eventually upgraded to an '04 V8 which pulled the hybrid like it wasn't even there. I upgraded to a 26' bunk house at 5500lbs which it pulled well too. Sway did become a bit of an issue at that length though, even with my Hensley hitch.

I'd suggest you keep it under 21' and 4500lbs and you'll be quite happy. As the others said, you'll need to upgrade the receiver, the one on the V6 is not rated for use with a WD hitch. Curt makes a nice one that is bolt on in 10 minutes for about $150. The hardest part is getting the old one off without removing the bumper cover. Consider upgrading the tires if they are the stock type P rated ones. Side walls are too soft and lead to a squirrelly ride.

I live in Phoenix also, and have owned the same V6 4th Gen 4Runner you own. The poster who cautioned you on the hitch is correct -- that is a simple hitch simply bolted to the rear crossmember -- personally I would not tow anything heavier than a utility trailer with it, irregardless of what it is rated for. Crawl under and take a look at it and you will see what I mean. The V8 4Runner uses a proper frame hitch.

We sold that 4Runner and now own a 2008 4Runner with the 4.7L V8. And we tow almost exactly what you are contemplating -- a Rockwood 2109S -- 21' 8", Dry weight of 3624, GVWR of 4769. We drive up to the Mogollon Rim at 7700' for 4 day camping trips throughout the summer. I tell you that is the max weight I would tow with this vehicle, and I have the V8! If you try this with a V6 4Runner, you won't be happy and you will be trading in your 4Runner on something with a bigger engine in short order.

Also, if you put a Scan Gauge II on as I did, and program it to pull the trans temp, you won't be happy with the temps. Even with my V8, I didn't like the trans temps towing to the mountains. Mine came with an OEM trans cooler, albeit tiny (I believe that it also has a trans cooler inside the radiator). I changed the external trans cooler out for a larger trans cooler, and it lowered the temps quite a bit.

FWIW, my advice, based on where you live and what you told us you want to tow, don't do what you are contemplating. You won't be a happy camper.

I use a WDH with sway control and I experience no stability issues.

We towed a 19ft Airstream Bambi with a 2012 4Runner 6 cyl. The Bambi specs were hitch 550lbs unloaded 3823lbs loaded 4500lbs. Used sway control but no weight distribution OEM hitch. Lexus makes a hitch that will fit the 4Runner and WD can be used with it. Stability and power were fine with my setup. I now own a 23ft Airstream which I wouldn't want to pull with the 4Runner. I would limit the length to 21ft and 5000lbs gross weight.

4 runners when used as tow vehicles have stability issues. You will need to switch to "right size" LT tires or probably use a high end hitch like a Hensley or ProPride.

Are you sure you have a receiver on the vehicle capable of accepting a weight distributing hitch? Our 2004 V6 4Runner came with a hitch capable of pulling 5000#, but the receiver was only a small attachment bolted onto the rear frame member. Before towing, we purchased the receiver that normally is installed on the V8 4runner. That receiver bolts onto the rear frame member as well as both main frame rails. Verify that you have the proper receiver.

That being said, we only used the vehicle for 1 season with around 3000 miles of towing before getting a Sequoia. Our trailer was 4500# dry, 28' tongue to tail, and we only packed food, clothes, and water. We have a hensley arrow on the trailer. It would do fine on the highway as long as there were no hills of any kind. Going into the mountains of Colorado, we would always slow down to 35-30 in 2nd gear. One pass that topped out at 11000 feet had us under 15 in first. That was an interstate, so there were no sharp curves and only a 6% grade. The vehicle has gone another 100K since we used it to pull the trailer, so no real damage was done. I used to get 10-12 mpg pulling with it. Never see anywhere near that with the Sequoia, but I can pull the same hill at 55 in 3rd. Being in Phoenix, you will probably be using the AC which will also tax the engine. We never needed the AC in the Colorado mountains.

I would think that with the proper receiver, hitch and light packing, you CAN do it, but will probably be looking to replace it sooner than 3 years. Good luck.

If you remain legally within specs, it can be done, but I'm not sure you'd be happy towing a long box with a short wheelbase vehicle. I was towing a 30 foot trailer with a GMC Acadia, I was on the verge of going over the payload and trailer limits for my SUV and it wasn't a very comfortable experience.

Double check the owners manual, the 4Runner has (at least our 97 did) a restriction on the frontal sq ft of a trailer also....meaning that the tow rating is only valid for more aerodynamic loads like boat trailers, utility trailers, etc. An RV is a big box and the wind resistance is a big drag (no pun intended...)

We towed a large pop up, about 2000 lbs, with our 97 V-6 and I wouldn't want to tow much heavier...I saw a lot of second gear coming up the long hill on I-80 into NJ from the Delaware water gap.

Can it be done? Yes. Will you be happy with it? That's up to you. I have a GMC Canyon crew cab with an I5 and a Max tow of #5500. I was like you and didn't want to invest in a tow vehicle right now either. After tons of research and shopping we bought a Gulf Stream Vista Cruiser 19'. Dry weight was #2900. With a E2 WDH the truck does just fine. I have pulled up some pretty good grades so far and no problems. Now, would I rather have a V8? Yes. But, I'm happy to use what I have for now and it also gives me the ability to shop for a TV when I'm ready and not have to rush into it.

Hope this helps you.

You won't be a happy camper

You need eight cylinders. I know, I tried it before getting a new eight cylinder tow vehicle

Jack L