towing out West

Just let the engine do the braking down the grades. Enjoy the trip. I went west almost 60 years ago and never went back.

Stop worrying and have fun. Your truck will hardly know that little light trailer is behind it. I have the same truck and tow a 31' 7600lbs tt. I pulled several long 10+ percent grades this summer on a 2k mile trip without any issue. Put it in "tow" mode and put the shifter in manual 5th gear (s mode) which will lock out 6th gear and stop it from hunting. Don't be afraid to let it drop a gear or 2 and rev. Power has never been an issue.

The 5.7l comes equipped with a trans cooler and stock 4.30 rear gears for towing.

No problem with that rig....
But, make sure you circle up at night. We still get attacked by Indians out here in the West.

With that combo you'll be fine.

I live out west and towed a 5,000lb loaded TT for 10 years with a 2004 5.7L Durango. Traveled numerous mountain grades in AZ and CA. On the steepest grades I was down to 35mph. Not because of lack of power but because of keeping RPM's reasonable and not pushing it too hard.

The biggest issue is towing these grades in the summer when its hot out. The Durango came with a factory auxiliary radiator with fan that would turn on when engine got a bit hot. It quickly cooled temps back to normal. So depends on when and where you'll be towing. A good radiator and possibly transmission cooler is recommended.

You'll have no problems ..... Out here they tow your trailer with a Prius, so your Toyota should be up to the job.

WyoTraveler wrote:
You won't be able to tow with your Toyota out west. We use a team of horses to tow our RVs west of the Mississippi. :B

That reminds me of the time I went out for pizza in Canada. The waitress asked if we had pizza in Arizona. I told her no, when we are hungry we take some beef jerky out of our saddle bags.

Your rig will be fine.

But did you trade trailers recently?

You won't be able to tow with your Toyota out west. We use a team of horses to tow our RVs west of the Mississippi. :B

What are your concerns? Climbing mountains? Going down mountains? Dealing with the people in California?

We have to know what your concerns are to advise you.