Towing with an Explorer, Highlander or 4Runner-experiences?

[coolmom42]

I am seriously considering a Lance 1475 TT, dry wt 2495, gross 3700. I want to tow with a SUV, and have a fondness for Toyotas. (Ford Explorer is also in the running.) A Highlander, 4Runner, or Explorer equipped with tow package has a tow rating of 5000 lb & hitch rating of 500.

I probably would never load a trailer to the max as I travel pretty light. My biggest concern with any of these vehicles is the weight distribution. The Highlander is on a uni-body type frame, the 4Runner is on a truck-type frame, and I'm not sure about the Explorer. There is a lot of skepticism out there regarding the use of a weight distribution system with the uni-body frame.

I did see several small trailers being towed with Highlanders on the Natchez Trace Parkway back in the spring. However, that's not exactly a demanding drive. My travels are more likely to be in East Tennessee, which has some steep climbs and long grades.

I will probably go with an Andersen hitch for WD & sway control.

Just wondering if anyone has any experience towing with any of these vehicles and what input you might have.

[Jebby14]

is there a reason for not considering the grossly superior grand Cherokee. (especially an older one) My WJ is by far best in class towing. The WK got even better.

[coolmom42]

rexlion wrote:
I put 140,000 miles of towing (for work and play) on my '08 Highlander. I sold it with 185K total on the odometer. By that time the transmission temp light would come on sometimes when climbing long grades at higher elevation (Rockies). I was happy with it up until then. Good power in most situations, although climbing while in a strong headwind would cause me to slow down to 38-40 mph and use a lower gear. I did have a 16'L x 7'W x 99"H KZ travel trailer for about 3 years, 2700 lbs total and about 375 lbs (loaded) on the hitch. And I used the Andersen hitch, mainly to reduce the humping over the expansion joints and to smooth out the ride; it was pretty nice to use compared to my old Equal-i-zer.

Now I have a '08 Lexus GX470 with 4.7L V8. The thing I like best about it is the air suspension, which stiffens the rear and keeps it level even with trailer attached.

The newer Explorers have the 3.5 L Ecoboost, which is a great towing engine.

[SpeakEasy]

Bumpyroad wrote:

SpeakEasy wrote:
. What I learned when I wanted to upgrade to a TT is that only about 15% of Highlanders have the towing package, and it is only with the towing package that they are rated for 5000 lb towing. That's why I got rid of it and got the 4Runner.



-Speak

don't know who you "learned" that from but I had no end to choices of highlanders with tow package. perhaps cause I was looking at the upscale product lines?
bumpy

Toyota dealer.

-Speak

[Bumpyroad]

SpeakEasy wrote:
. What I learned when I wanted to upgrade to a TT is that only about 15% of Highlanders have the towing package, and it is only with the towing package that they are rated for 5000 lb towing. That's why I got rid of it and got the 4Runner.



-Speak

don't know who you "learned" that from but I had no end to choices of highlanders with tow package. perhaps cause I was looking at the upscale product lines?
bumpy

[TrailerTravele1]

We towed a Lance 1685 for 12,000+ miles with a 2006 4 Runner with factory tow package. 4 Runner was great, our factory tow package included an integral frame hitch with the heavy duty transmission cooler. We added some things to make it safer. Here's the blog post I wrote summarizing our experiences: Towing a Travel Trailer with a 6 Cyl Toyota 4 Runner

[Gene_Ginny]

My 4Runner is a 2008 with the 4.7L V8 which is no longer offered. 😞 My 24ft trailer (GVWR 5500#) hits the scale at 5000# loaded minus the food. It has factory tow package with a frame mounted hitch. I have no trouble with the "hills" in Maine and New Hampshire. Acceleration onto the interstates while towing is good, much better than my former, company owned, 4 cylinder Tacoma could do empty and not towing anything. I think the short distance from the rear axle to the hitch ball makes up for the short wheelbase. I have no stability issues with my Dual Cam WD hitch. I would NOT tow my current trailer with the V6 but the V6 may be ok with something around 3500#.

[SpeakEasy]

I'm currently towing a 4200-or-so pound TT with a 2010 4Runner SR5 with the 4.0 liter, V6. It handles the job very well; no problems at all. So, your lighter weight trailer would be fine.

The Highlander may be a different story. There are a few different varieties of Highlanders out there, and their towing capacity ranges from 2000 lb to 5000 lb depending on the model. I owned a Highlander prior to the 4Runner and towed a popup weighing 2000 lb all over the USA. It did a great job. But I wouldn't even think of going with something over 3500 lb with it. It was also a V6, and mine was rated for 3500 lb, so my little popup was well within specs. What I learned when I wanted to upgrade to a TT is that only about 15% of Highlanders have the towing package, and it is only with the towing package that they are rated for 5000 lb towing. That's why I got rid of it and got the 4Runner.

As has been said, the overall payload is the most constraining limiting factor on these SUV's. You will be running into that limitation before you know it.

-Speak

[rexlion]

I put 140,000 miles of towing (for work and play) on my '08 Highlander. I sold it with 185K total on the odometer. By that time the transmission temp light would come on sometimes when climbing long grades at higher elevation (Rockies). I was happy with it up until then. Good power in most situations, although climbing while in a strong headwind would cause me to slow down to 38-40 mph and use a lower gear. I did have a 16'L x 7'W x 99"H KZ travel trailer for about 3 years, 2700 lbs total and about 375 lbs (loaded) on the hitch. And I used the Andersen hitch, mainly to reduce the humping over the expansion joints and to smooth out the ride; it was pretty nice to use compared to my old Equal-i-zer.

Now I have a '08 Lexus GX470 with 4.7L V8. The thing I like best about it is the air suspension, which stiffens the rear and keeps it level even with trailer attached.

[rekoj71]

I have an 2003 Explorer with the V8 so might be a little different than one you are looking at. It does have a frame and it tows pretty good. I tow about 4000lbs of utility trailer, and not very often so I don't have the WDH. I think though that you would prefer the WDH but keep in mind that any of the SUV's you mention have a short enough wheel base that you don't want to overload it or you could have handling issues if you have to brake it hard. I've partially jackknifed hitting the brakes quickly in a turn. Gave me a new respect for what that weight can do.

[bgum]

We towed a 19ft Airstream Bambi with our 2012 4Runner. Weight 3575 tongue 510 gross 4500. Max limit for 4Runner was 5000lbs. Plenty of power and decent gas mileage. We visit PF/Gatlinburg twice per year and never experienced towing power problems. Just be aware that the stock hitch on the 2012 was not rated for weight distribution. The only hitch (weight dist) at the time that would fit it was made for a Lexus

[coolmom42]

Bumpyroad wrote:
I towed my Ascend A17RD that weighed 3500 lbs. dry behind my 2011 Highlander with a Reese WDhitch. got 14 mpg. no issues.
bumpy

Good to know!

[Bumpyroad]

I towed my Ascend A17RD that weighed 3500 lbs. dry behind my 2011 Highlander with a Reese WDhitch. got 14 mpg. no issues.
bumpy

[JAC1982]

coolmom42 wrote:

JAC1982 wrote:
Also for the record, my best friend bought a 4Runner, and she absolutely hated it. She lives in the mountains and said it was a total dog going up the inclines...and that's without towing anything. So much so that she traded it back in a couple months later for a new model of her previous vehicle, a Lexus. I'd imagine a Highlander would be even worse.

You are the first person I've heard with that information. Will do a little more research into that factor.

Yeah I was surprised to hear that too as I was also considering a 4Runner. My in laws also had one that started having transmission problems when it was still under warranty, that's when they traded up to the Sequoia.

[coolmom42]

JAC1982 wrote:
I have a 2016 Explorer Sport with the tow package. I got it to upgrade from an Edge, specifically to pull an enclosed 7x14 utility trailer with a RZR side by side in it, around 3,400lbs total. It does just fine without a WDH, although we might consider one for longer trips (I just got the Explorer in July). Now, our trailer is not as long or as tall as the trailer you're looking at, so keep that in mind, you might have some issues with wind, etc, but I think you'd be OK.

I definitely would want the Andersen hitch. I've had experience with a Sequoia towing a larger trailer, about the same ratio, and would not do without a good WD/sway setup. Trailer length/height definitely matters.

[coolmom42]

camp-n-family wrote:
The 4Runner is a great vehicle, I've had two. The 4.0l is a bulletproof engine and will tow that weight well. The short wheelbase is a downside, as with most SUVs, but a quality hitch with built in sway should help.

The stock hitch on the T4R is only bolted to the crossmember and is not rated for use with a WD hitch. It can be done but you risk damage. You'll want to consider upgrading to a frame mounted one. Not sure what's out there for the newer generation T4Rs.

With a 500 lb hitch weight I expect it would be frame mounted. But one other thing to check.