Toyota Tundra as a TV???

Traded my tundra in on a Chevy 2500 gasser in May. Though I love the stability of the 3/4 ton over the 1/2 I miss everything else about my Tundra. Had more power, better trans and overall better performance. My trailers probably 8500lbs but I like loading up the bed as well. Only reason we went to a bigger truck was we were over on payload and wanted to stay legal incase something ever happens.

If Toyota ever builds a 3/4 or 1 ton I'll be first in line to buy it.

Alright......thanks for the info......just starting to get serious about traveling with a trailer and have been doing a lot of research....cant wait to get rollin!!!!

roundthebend wrote:
My new setup is a 2011 toyota maxcab with the tow package which is rated to pull 9,000lbs and the 31 ft keystone outback that i am pulling has a 7,427 lb shipping weight and a 9,000 lb GVW rating. 785 lb hitch weight.
Have not pulled it 10 feet yet.....what can i expect? I know i am pushing the limits but is it a reasonable set up? All input welcome:)

I tow about the same weight as you, but 35 ft. Expect about 9-10 mpg. You're at the upper limit of the Tundra but lots of folks on the Forest River forum towing the same Windjammer as mine with Tundras. Seems to work fine.

That 785 hitch weight is dry. I'll guess it'll be closer to 1000 lbs loaded. Figure another 50+ lbs for a WDH you are now at 1050 lbs. I'm guessing your available payload is around 1400 lbs in a crewmax (assume that's what you meant by maxcab). You are going to be pushing, if not over, your payload/GVWR.

If you don't mind the possibility that you might be over you GVWR, you should be fine. The engine has gobs of power. With a quality WDH and sway control you should be able to handle a 31 foot RV... but that is pretty long for a half ton truck.

You probably have some spongy P rated tires on your Tundra. You might look into upgrading to LT tires for less lateral movement while towing. My Tundra has E rated tires from the factory. They are very solid and don't give me any feelings of sway while towing.

My new setup is a 2011 toyota maxcab with the tow package which is rated to pull 9,000lbs and the 31 ft keystone outback that i am pulling has a 7,427 lb shipping weight and a 9,000 lb GVW rating. 785 lb hitch weight.
Have not pulled it 10 feet yet.....what can i expect? I know i am pushing the limits but is it a reasonable set up? All input welcome:)

I have a 2013 Tundra DC rated at 9,500 lbs tow capacity and pull a 7,600 lb 32 foot TT. Truck has 14K miles and fully 6K of that is towing. Just returned from 4,400 mile trip to Utah.

The Tundra has done everything we asked it to do, at over all 9.1 MPG average towing which I don't think is bad for a gasser. True, we didn't pass many diesels going up the side of a mountain, but we never dropped below 55 MPH nor above 4K RPM.

Yes the 26 gallon gas tank is too small for towing, but as you get older you will find the tank and bladder capacities start to match up with each other.

PS - Last time I looked it up, Tundra was the second-most US-manufactured truck behind Ford.

But have to agree with almost everyone that commented - the payload capacity of the truck is very small for something this strong.

bowler1 wrote:
Yeah...my original intent was to compare the Tundra to other 1/2 tons...not 3/4 tons. A half ton is sufficient for my needs.

From reading around here any given day I'd say the Tundra is the most well liked 1/2 ton.... followed closely by the F150.

fwiw, you didn't specify in your OP that you were only looking at 1/2 tons. You just asked about the Tundra as a tow vehicle. The pissing match that followed is about as predictable as a turd falling to floor of an outhouse if you've read more than 3 posts on this board.

Yeah...my original intent was to compare the Tundra to other 1/2 tons...not 3/4 tons. A half ton is sufficient for my needs.

FWIW, this can apply to all 1/2 ton PU's. If you're towing a lot, move up to a heavier duty truck. Rumors abound concerning the Tundra - larger gas tank, bigger payload, diesel, etc. Boy, all that stuff and reliability!!

e-light wrote:

handye9 wrote:
Not a Tundra hater here either. Used to have one, but, as mentioned above, they run out of payload, long before they get close to their advertised tow capacity.

Great truck, as long as you pay attention to all (GVWR, payload, hitch, and tow) ratings.

Where people get into trouble is, they see the tow capacity ads on television, and don't realize they can't load a half ton of people and cargo in the truck, and still pull that advertized weight.

Yup this is it...used to have one...loved it. Great truck, just not enough payload for my family, gear and TT. Strong motor with plenty of power, excellent transmission, great truck. Stay within your ratings and it should serve you well.

x2! To be redundant -- former Tundra owner myself, great truck, loved it, but just not enough payload.