Towing Trailer with a 4Runner

Minnie1801 wrote:
I tow a 3,500 lb travel trailer with a 2016 4Runner. My setup results in a tongue weight of just over 400 pounds, and I use an Equalizer 4 point WDH. Loaded, my rig weighs about 4,200 pounds.
I previously towed the same trailer with a 2012 Tacoma which has the same engine but higher towing capacity (6,500 pounds) because the truck weighs less than the SUV.

My input:

1. You'll want more power at times, but the 4Runner will pull a trailer that meets the specs of the manufacturer, i.e. 5,000 pounds maximum.

2. The factory installed hitch is adequate for the job and will handle a WDH just fine.

(There is much speculation about hitches being "weak" and "bolted on", etc, but I discount this because:
A. I've looked at it. It's made with as heavy a gauge of metal as any aftermarket hitch I've ever seen;
B.The amount of weight being distributed from front to rear is on a magnitude of 250 pounds at the very most, assuming you max out the 500 pound rated maximum hitch weight of the 4Runner and assume that you need to shift half of that to the front (very unlikely);
C. The hitch is strong enough to support the lifting of the entire rear of the vehicle using a jack. This means that this so-called "weak" hitch is adequate to support at least 2,000 without deforming.)
D. Note that ALL aftermarket hitches are "bolted on".

3. The 4Runner is supplied with factory wiring and a harness for a brake controller. I use a Prodigy P3 with very good results.

4. I also installed a ScanGauge device that allows me to keep track of the temperature of the transmission fluid. If it ever gets really hot (not yet) I'll consider an aftermarket Trans oil cooler.

Your gas mileage will drop to about 10-12 MPG.

Good luck with your decision. For me, the 4Runner works fine. My trailer is a Winnebago Minnie 1801FB.

Greg

Not to make trouble, but, Greg - have you actually weighed the tongue? If your trailer is 4200 lb loaded, I would guess the tongue is more in the range of 600 lb. Do you have a pair of propane tanks on the tongue? A battery or two? When I was using my 4runner for towing a rig that weighed 4300 lb loaded my tongue weight was about 650 lb. When you put that 650 lb on the 4Runner, that cuts into your payload. We found that with only two people (driver and one passenger), and NO GEAR IN THE SUV, we were over on the payload rating. Just because of the tongue weight and the two passengers. So with the weight-distribution no no, the overload on the payload, the short wheelbase, we decided it just wasn't an adequate tow vehicle. It towed great, as far as I could perceive it, but mathematically it was beyond its limits.

-Speak