Van and TT, or light truck and TH?

[TacoMan13]

Wife and I have been considering a small TH to get our sportbikes to other parts of the country; but the more I research and shop, the more concerned I am about overloading/overworking my Toyota Tacoma.
I'm not really in a position to replace my truck AND get a TH, but have considered the option of a used heavyweight van and TT combo to keep the bikes protected plus have living space in a lighter trailer.
The ultra light TH's I'm finding that will accommodate my Tacoma's limits are costly little bastards, and I would be at about the same expense in buying a used van/TT setup.
Fuel cost guesstimations appear to be about the same ( around 8mpg ) with a 3/4ton+ gas van and light TT as it would to load up a TH behind my Toyota ( considering mpg avg research on TH/Tacoma ), so those are similar boats there as well. There would be the added expense of insuring/maintaining the van to consider, but still wouldn't be THAT much more costly especially since it would only get moderate use.

Am I just being paranoid in assuming my Taco is less capable than it truly is? It's an '08 DC TRDSport 4x4 with OEM tow pkg, tongue wt is about 650 max and max tow is 6500#.
I've been on TacomaWorld forums for a while, and from what I read there most guys are upgrading the transmission coolers and brakes to better suit them for towing and I suppose I could take this route as well, but I'm more of a play-it-safe fella and want my truck to last as it's my DD....but I've also got bad habits of overcooking idea's, so let me know if/where my thought pattern is failing
Our budget is in the $18-20k range to purchase either setup, so I guess it comes down to which way should I go? Which way would YOU go? New TH and beef up my current truck, or used cargo van and TT?
Thanx in advance

[Hokie_Camper]

TacoMan13 wrote:
Guys on the Tacoma forum are tugging up to 24' haulers, but cant say it's a safe way to do it. I plan on an aluminum 18-20' that will weigh in about max of 5500 loaded.

I spend a lot of time on the road driving and I agree that what people say on the internet and what they do aren't the same. By that I mean I see very few Toyotas towing and it's rare to see one towing a toy hauler.

I have an F-150 with the HD tow package. With my options I'm good for 9,000 lbs and while I have tons of power I wouldn't want to be towing that much on a regular basis. So not to insult your truck, but you're really pushing it if you get real close to your limits.

[docnascar]

I would not go by what others have towed on the internet. What you can safely tow is limited to a few factors. Payload capacity, GCVW, and Towing capacity are some of the important ones.

http://media.toyota.ca/pr/tci/en/toyota/document/08tacoma_spec_e.pdf

owners manual
towing recommendations


Check the numbers for your vehicle and do the math. You will find that a safe tow number will be under the max towing rating.

[TacoMan13]

camperdave wrote:
You can look in my .sig and see what I chose. :B My van is set up for day trips and solo overnighting with motorcycles, the trailer comes too when the family joins me.

I thought about a toyhauler, but realistically most of my riding is solo and I don't really need the RV stuff (a porta-potti and coleman stove in the back of the van do me just fine!). And at least half of my camping is with the family and no motorcycles, so the TH just didn't make sense compared to a van (which I admittedly already owned) and TT combo.

Thanx for the input! Since the wife and I both do trackdays, we need space and payload enough for both of us so the truck/TH or TT/van would be best. Our bikes weigh in about 900lbs together and wet, so the van would need to be at least a 3/4 ton or more to hold the load and tug a TT

[TacoMan13]

Guys on the Tacoma forum are tugging up to 24' haulers, but cant say it's a safe way to do it. I plan on an aluminum 18-20' that will weigh in about max of 5500 loaded.

[camperdave]

You can look in my .sig and see what I chose. :B My van is set up for day trips and solo overnighting with motorcycles, the trailer comes too when the family joins me.

I thought about a toyhauler, but realistically most of my riding is solo and I don't really need the RV stuff (a porta-potti and coleman stove in the back of the van do me just fine!). And at least half of my camping is with the family and no motorcycles, so the TH just didn't make sense compared to a van (which I admittedly already owned) and TT combo.

[pappcam]

What kind of toy hauler can a Tacoma pull?

[TacoMan13]

Really think either scenario is a wash since both ways would hit budget, but after thoughts do eventually put more cost on my wallet with the additional vehicle ( van ) maintenance/insurance. Guess all in all, I'll most likely put some upgrades on my Tacoma and spend the extra on an aluminum TH. I'd rather spend more on a newer/nicer TH that I plan to keep for a decade vs buying a used van and travel trailer that would likely nickel-n-dime me the whole time.....not to mention I hate working on vans since the powerplants are smashed under a 20" hood 😄