I inherited my father's Beautiful 30' Blackstone TT,I have pulled it maybe a dozen times with my paid for 2007 Tundra which seem's to pull and brake it just fine.But I get grilled all the time at Rv park's that I should get something bigger like a 3/4 ton truck to be safer on the roads.Which I cannot afford, I have WD bars, Anti-friction control sway bars and my trip's are usually under a 100 miles one way.So far so good but I am always wondering do they really know the difference or is it that's just the way they always have done it???My payload is over 2000,the TT is 7500 lbs dry with a tongue weight of 750.I rarely fill the 76 gallon water tank but when I do the Tundra climbs well and doesn't seem to hinder it at all.It is rated to be capable of pulling 10300 lbs,Heck it can pull a space shuttle LOL but seriously am I just foolish or is it a hazard waiting to happen ;)

Dude, if your cool with it than dont worry about what thers say, what the numbers add up to or how much water you carry. We scaled at 14,391 pounds this weekend, we hauled at 65 miles per hour with no complaints, all anyone could say at the lake was how much I must hav wished I had a dmax and all I could answer with was, why ?

Does it sway???. And of course you say it brakes well. IF it does NOT sway, and it brakes well. Seems to me to be OK. With a towing capacity of 10,300. The ONLY weight you would be over, would be the GVWR of the truck. Truth is. IF it tows well, and the truck handles it well. Don't tell the truck it can't. YOU are the only one you have to please.

As long as you have the anti-friction control sway bars you should be fine.

We chucked our F350 PSD and went to a Silverado 1500 and have NOT looked back. I am super satisfied with the ride and the way it pulls 10K out here in the west. I tell those that think you have to have an MDT to go buy one and keep their comments to themselves. My truck is within specs and that is what counts.

Your probably safer than other rigs on the road as long as you are set up correctly.

1/2 ton Tundra pulling 8200 lbs | Good Sam Community

chracatoa
Explorer
May 15, 2014
Story time: when I bought my TV I bought the exact same model and year of a friend's TV which said 9000lbs towing capacity in the owner's manual. After I bought it and read the manual it said 7000lbs. WTF? It turned out Toyota had implemented SAE J2807 in the middle of that model year. We actually had the manuals side by side and the model number was exactly the same. So it is the same TV but with the updated ratings.

Payload didn't change of course but I was an idiot and didn't know anything about it.

I can pull my ~7000 TT comfortable with the PP (and I can have ~10% TW while keeping a lot of weight on the wheels) but I still wish I had a 3/4 ton. The TV was very expensive and we can't replace it anytime soon. Also, my wife would kill me if I bought a pickup truck to replace her favorite car. So there's that.
brulaz
Explorer
May 15, 2014
fatboy66 wrote:

...
In the US, the NHTSA has manufacturer guidelines published in the Federal Register for determining GVWR.
...

Couldn't find those specifically, but did find stuff about stopping distance: load the truck up to GVWR and it must be able to stop in XXX ft from 60 mph, and so on.

So, ya, looks like there are DOT standards for determining GVWR out there somewhere. Thanks for that.

If anybody has a link to what specifically they test for and how, I would be interested.

And Canada would just follow the US DOT standards as our markets are so integrated.
fatboy66
Explorer
May 15, 2014
brulaz wrote:
fatboy66 wrote:

...
The tow rating means nothing since there is no standard for determining rating and all manufacturers calculate it differently. GVWR data is absolute. Same to be said for your TT. Vehicle mfgs. don't publish this data for the heck of it. They do it to keep you and your vehicles safe.

Actually there is an SAE standard for tow rating that Toyota uses, and I believe Ford will start using with their 2015s. Not sure about RAM or GM.

On the other hand, I don't know of any SAE standard for GVWR. Is there one? Looking at Ford's range of GVWRs for their F150s, I do wonder how they come up with them.

In the US, the NHTSA has manufacturer guidelines published in the Federal Register for determining GVWR. There is also an IRS guideline that is used for calculating GVWR to determine excise tax. In Canada, their NHTSA equivalent, Tranportation Canada or Transport Canada has something similar. Other countries have something similar as well.
APT
Explorer
May 15, 2014
The SAE J2807 does not address the most limiting RV towing point - payload. It also does not address typical driveability differences. It focuses on engine cooling, acceleration at wide open throttle, and braking. Cooling is important, but IMHO, not as much the others. Few people ever use WOT even towing. IMHO, the SAE towing spec provides little market value.
brulaz
Explorer
May 15, 2014
fatboy66 wrote:

...
The tow rating means nothing since there is no standard for determining rating and all manufacturers calculate it differently. GVWR data is absolute. Same to be said for your TT. Vehicle mfgs. don't publish this data for the heck of it. They do it to keep you and your vehicles safe.

Actually there is an SAE standard for tow rating that Toyota uses, and I believe Ford will start using with their 2015s. Not sure about RAM or GM.

On the other hand, I don't know of any SAE standard for GVWR. Is there one? Looking at Ford's range of GVWRs for their F150s, I do wonder how they come up with them.
fatboy66
Explorer
May 15, 2014
If someone tells you "as long as you're happy w/ it, don't worry about the numbers", run (don't walk) away. The numbers are the only thing that matters. You must meet the TV GVWR and GCVWR. Both are important and you should ideally not exceed 90% of either.

The tow rating means nothing since there is no standard for determining rating and all manufacturers calculate it differently. GVWR data is absolute. Same to be said for your TT. Vehicle mfgs. don't publish this data for the heck of it. They do it to keep you and your vehicles safe.
Ov3r_9000
Explorer
May 12, 2014
I have a 2013 Tundra Double Cab, standard bed 4x4 and I am pulling roughly 7300lbs. I honestly have nothing bad to say. Except when a 40 mph wind gust hits me broadside. I will say that there is no comparison to the amount of torque a 3/4 or 1 ton diesel can put out. A Tundra can pull 8200, but you have to have the right setup. The tow ratings drop depending on if you have the double cab vs. a crew cab. You go from 10,400 to 9500. If I had the budget for a ¾ ton, I would have gone that route.
Still_Searchin_
Explorer
May 07, 2014
I debated buying a 5.7L Tundra vs. a 3/4 ton pickup for my 7500# GVWR trailer below. I bot the 2500 and am under both the GVWR of the truck and its GAWR on the rear axle, but would have been over those ratings for the Tundra. Doesn't mean the Tundra wouldn't pull it, but being over those ratings means more wear & tear and less braking power than the engineers designed that truck for. FWIW!
MackinawMan
Explorer
May 06, 2014
FWIW I wasn't suggesting otherwise. I simply agree with jaycocreek that as long as it's in the safety ranges of the equipment then a person should go ahead if that's what they want to do.

There is a reason I tow with a 1 ton F350 diesel. I want to be way above the margins and have plenty of power/suspension to spare.

That's just me, to each their own.
waynec1957
Explorer
May 06, 2014
alkar wrote:
waynec1957 wrote:
For what it’s worth….

My camper is just a shade under 6,000 lbs. loaded and I used to pull it with a ½ ton Silverado, 5.3l motor, and a tow package using an Equalizer hitch. Over the weekend I got a chance to hook up with my ¾ ton Silverado, Duramax 6.6l I bought last fall. I pulled the camper about 60 miles Saturday and... <...

So in MY world and MY world only, pulling the same camper with a ½ ton and a ¾ ton…there was a HUGE difference.

That's just it, it's not your world only... There IS an enormous difference. I loved my wife's half-ton Ford -- preferred the softer suspension for driving in town too -- but there was no comparison between towing with that truck and towing with one of the shop Ford diesels or our 3500 Dodge cummins. It's a night and day difference. I have tremendous respect for the new Tundras too... But nobody really believes they tow like any of the diesel one-tons... Not even Toyota dealers. :-)

Yeah, that's kind of my point. I've read through a good portion of the threads discussing the weight limit issue and it's pretty much been discussed to death.

Can basically any 1/2 ton pull 10,000 lbs.? Sure. Can it be done safely and within the truck's limits? In a lot of cases...yes. Depends on a lot of factors. Will it be the same towing experience as doing it with a 3/4 ton gas or diesel? No, it won't.

Other than that, every individual has to decide what they can and can't do. For me, towing even 6,000 lbs. with a 1/2 ton any distance at all got to be more of a chore than I wanted to deal with. Plus we're moving up to a 35', 8,500 lb. dry TT and there's no way I'd pull it with my old truck... but, that's just me.