Forum Discussion

RinconVTR's avatar
RinconVTR
Explorer
Jul 14, 2017

Sequoia towing at max for over 5,000 miles - comfortably

I posted the same write up in the Tundra forum but felt it belonged here as well as so many people ask about towing with their SUV.

2010 Toyota Sequoia Limited with 155,000 miles
ATF changed out every year, all other fluids kept fresh as well.
LT tires, Bilstien shocks all around, rear spring spacer.

2017 Grand Design 2800BH with shock kit and Hensley hitch. Gross weight fully loaded is 7100lbs with a tongue weight of 960lbs. Again that's fully loaded, with some amount of fresh water, and the Hensley hitch with 1400lbs bars.

Wisconsin to many parts of Cali and many stops in between.
6934 miles total
5,000++ miles towing, including towing to/from/thru Yosemeti, Rocky Mountain NP, Death Valley.
We were towing and pulling thru mountain hills at temps well over 100 multiple days, many days were around 115. Death Valley day was 121.

I'll be very frank, I could not tow this trailer without the Hensley (or Propride) design hitch. I used to tow a 24' trailer with the Sequoia (Honda Pilot too!) and did very well. But one day out of the blue I opted to try the Hensley and never went back. There is simply no comparison.

IMO, anyone feeling they need a bigger truck to tow their in weight spec travel trailer, try one of these hitches before you throw down on a bigger truck or dump your trailer! They have a 60 day trail period, you would only loose about $150 to ship the unit back if you found its not for you. Make no mistake, there will be things you hate about it, but you will absolutely love towing with it. Best of all...you get to keep your favorite 1/2 ton or SUV...and/or avoid buying a dedicated tow vehicle.

EDIT: Additional info;

- Rear camera on trailer is now a requirement for me.

- Brake controller is a Prodigy P2 with "boost option" set on B3.

- Tireminder TPMS (Caught a low tire one early morning, of which eventually required installing the spare and installing the loose spare I bought along. Booster installed, but still lost signal at random, only at speed)

- Levelmate Pro (Wasn't sold on this at first, now I love it)

- LT tire PSI. 65psi Front, 70psi Rear








Vegas baby...


Near the 12,000ft peak of Rocky Mtn NP...




EDITED to fix image sizing from IMGUR.
  • Thanks for the write-up. Would you be willing to provide some specifics/pics on your camera and display setup?
  • Nice looking set up and I agree on the rear view camera. If I didn't even double tow I would still want one. Toyota makes good stuff.
  • DownTheAvenue wrote:
    The only thing wrong with your setup is lack of towing mirrors. The Toyota is 79.9 inches wide at its widest point. Rearview side mirrors should look down the side of the trailer.


    On the contrary...I can see better and more than most.

    The side mirrors give me a great view of both sides and the REAR CAMERA on the trailer gives me more than you ever see with side mirrors. I mounted the display next to my GPS on the dash, I'll never tow a TT without a rear camera again!
  • The only thing wrong with your setup is lack of towing mirrors. The Toyota is 79.9 inches wide at its widest point. Rearview side mirrors should look down the side of the trailer.