Toyota Tacoma Owners: What do you haul?

go to http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/towing/ for the best information.

I'll weigh in with some comments about what I refer to as "the brother" to the Tacoma. And that is, my Frontier. Most all of the sizes and specs are very comparable between the Taco and the Frontier.

Mine is a '06, 4.0L V6 crewcab, 4WD six speed manual.
I pull a funfinder 189FDS ( and also a two horse bumper pull ). My funfinder weighs just under 4000 ready to camp, although with all the water tanks dry.

Nissan also specs just over 6,000 pound tow capacity, but as others have said, before you hit the limit of 6000 lbs of travel trailer, these trucks will bump up against their GVWR and/or rear axle rating.
However, at the comfortable weight of just under 4000 pound camper, I am, as hitched, right at 500 pounds under my trucks rear axle rating. So it's a good match, in my opinion.

I have pulled from the gulf coast ( sea level ) to over 13,000 feet in Colorado, Wyoming, and have been all around New Mexico, Arizona, and from Ohio to Wisconsin. It's a good match. At 2800 to 3000 engine RPM, I can pull most hills I encounter, in fourth gear ( that puts me at about 55 to 59 mph ). On steep grades in the mountains, I can still outrun 18 wheelers up the hills, so I call the power "good", and generally just slow down some and hang out in the right lane with the slower traffic. I'm in no hurry anyway.

To the OP, PM me if you would care to discuss any of this further.

Haul or tow? They'll TOW a lot more than they'll haul for sure.

If you start with a dry weight under 3500 pounds and do not expect to drive at 65mph up a mountain (or any hill for that matter), then the Tacoma will do fine. Engine (assuming 4.0L) will hum along at 2500-ish on flat ground and sing at 4000-6000rpm up hills. That's how it is designed, but many people don't like it.

If you want to tow 6000 pounds dry at 65mph in top trans gear/1800rpm, um, you'll be dissapointed.

I don't drive one but start with payload. What is the payload of the truck and who and what will be in the truck. Include the weight if the hitch. What is left is your tough weight. What ever that number is will equal a trailer less than your towing weight most likely. On the trailers it is tongue wait and loaded weight that you are interested.

RV salesman understand this but want to make the sale, truck salesman don't understand at all.