Tundra Tundra camper compatibility

[826storm]

Hello All, I have what is probably a somewhat annoying question concerning camper weight and towing capacity. I have a pretty good feeling I'm ok but I'm no expert and I would really appreciate some insight from many of you that truly are experts. I have a 2015 5.7 Tundra Crewmax 4x4 with a towing capacity of 9800 lbs. I am strongly considering driving 5 hrs. away this weekend to purchase a 2015 Keystone Sprinter 299RET with a dry weight of 8153#s. From my understanding and math I think I'm good right? Any thoughts? Have I overlooked or misunderstood anything here? Thanks in advance for your help.

[goducks10]

camp-n-family wrote:

trailer_newbe wrote:
I tow the below trailer with my 2008 CrewMax with the factory tow package. I have installed the TRD sway bar, Bilstein shocks, and Firestone airbags. My truck has a tow rating of 10,400 lbs, with a hitch weight of 1,385. I tow ok, but obviously the trailer came long after the truck. With 55,000 miles on my truck, I’m going to use it. Salt River Canyon is next, should be fun?

Unless you have an aftermarket hitch, there is no Tundra that has a 1385lbs hitch rating. The 2nd gen Tundras (before the new SAE tow standards) had receivers rated for a max of 10 percent of the tow rating. The highest tow rating for those years was 10,500lb making the max rating 1050lbs.

Ruh Roh

[camp-n-family]

trailer_newbe wrote:
I tow the below trailer with my 2008 CrewMax with the factory tow package. I have installed the TRD sway bar, Bilstein shocks, and Firestone airbags. My truck has a tow rating of 10,400 lbs, with a hitch weight of 1,385. I tow ok, but obviously the trailer came long after the truck. With 55,000 miles on my truck, I’m going to use it. Salt River Canyon is next, should be fun?

Unless you have an aftermarket hitch, there is no Tundra that has a 1385lbs hitch rating. The 2nd gen Tundras (before the new SAE tow standards) had receivers rated for a max of 10 percent of the tow rating. The highest tow rating for those years was 10,500lb making the max rating 1050lbs.

[webwrangler]

kknowlton wrote:
As a Tundra owner, who has been towing with ours for 11 years now, I think that's a whole lotta trailer for that truck. If the spot you're towing it to was a half hour away on country roads, I'd say you'd be ok, but 5+ hours? I wouldn't do it. Our first TT that we pulled with this truck was a 34' with 7600 GVWR, and we usually loaded it to the max. The truck did ok, but both the truck and I are a LOT happier now with a trailer with 1000# lower GVWR. And the OP says the DRY weight of his TT is over 8000#? Too much trailer. JMHO, from experience.

X2. I also have a Tundra, and although I haven't come close to max weights towing with it, I have been drooling over new trailers and won't be getting anything over 7,000 GVWR.

[trailer_newbe]

I tow the below trailer with my 2008 CrewMax with the factory tow package. I have installed the TRD sway bar, Bilstein shocks, and Firestone airbags. My truck has a tow rating of 10,400 lbs, with a hitch weight of 1,385. I tow ok, but obviously the trailer came long after the truck. With 55,000 miles on my truck, I’m going to use it. Salt River Canyon is next, should be fun?

[Norm_n_Mary]

826storm, My wife and I own the same Tundra only 2012 we pull our 2015 Dutchman Aerolite 28' RLSS. We left last April (2017) from Florida and headed west thru Texas, Arizona, Nevada, Norther California, Oregon, Easter Washington, Idaho, Northern Montana, Colorado back home three months later and had no problem pulling or stopping. 12,000 miles. Our average speed was 55mph only because that was our prime MPG. We do use an weight distr. system.
Check out our rig pic.
Best Regards

[otrfun]

I've owned/towed with a '11 and '12 Tundra 5.7, cross-country a number of times. Payload ratings on these trucks vary somewhat---most are 1,300 to 1,500 lbs. Receiver is rated at approx. 1,050 - 1,100 lbs. 1,100 lbs. of tongue weight on our Tundras (along with 1,100 lb. WDH bars) would still drop the rear about 2.5". The axle housing was approx. 1/2 to 1" away from the rubber bump stop. Even while traveling over small road imperfections we could distinctly feel the axle housing hitting the bump stop.

Towed like a 1/2-ton truck. Over-engineered? Maybe in some areas, but not in terms of payload.

[2012Coleman]

Maybe the OP will hire Maury82 to tow it the 5+ hours home for him - with his overbuilt Tundra.

[Bobbo]

Maury82 wrote:
I could have sworn the OP said he just needed to drive 2 miles to drop the trailer off on his land, and 7 miles to put it away for storage, so how did you come up with this ready to camp, loaded up, wife and kids, dry weight is meaningless, etc.

He just needs to drop an empty trailer off a few miles.

No, the OP said he wanted to tow the trailer from 5 hours away.

[Maury82]

camp-n-family wrote:

camp-n-family wrote:
Sorry but it’s too much trailer for your truck. The tow rating is the last number you should be concerned with as you’ll far exceed several other ratings (payload, rawr, tire) first. Once that trailer is loaded and your passengers are on board you will probably exceed the tow rating too.

We towed my current trailer for 2 years with a crewmax Tundra. It’s 34’ long but only 6400lbs dry. Loaded we are 7600lbs with 950lbs tongue weight. Our Tundra had 1320lbs of payload, yours will be similar. Truck pulled fine but we were pushing it. On average 400lbs over payload and right at the axle ratings. We had upgraded E range tires, airbags, and use a $3k Hensley hitch. I loved that truck and it is overbuilt but what your thinking of towing will not be an enjoyable experience.

Things to consider;

-dry weights are useless, nobody pulls an empty trailer

- max hitch receiver rating is 1050lbs with a wd hitch. You will exceed this.

- You will exceed the payload rating with just the hitch weight and a driver in the truck
A couple hundred pound over won’t kill the truck but with a crewmax I assume you have a family? You will be way over.

- you will likely exceed the axle and tire ratings

- the tow rating is calculated assuming 150lbs for a driver and 1 passenger on board. Any weight above this added to the truck reduces your tow rating pound for pound. If you have a big family or plan on carrying anything in the truck bed you will exceed this too.

Will it tow it? Yes. Will it be a fun and comfortable experience? Not likely. Do I see a bigger truck in your future? Absolutely. Find a lighter trailer. Been there, done that.

Sorry, just re read your original post. I would tow it home empty without anybody else in the truck with a properly set hitch. I would also tow it 2 miles down the road twice a year without concern. If there is any chance you plan on travelling with the family with it my above post still applies.

I could have sworn the OP said he just needed to drive 2 miles to drop the trailer off on his land, and 7 miles to put it away for storage, so how did you come up with this ready to camp, loaded up, wife and kids, dry weight is meaningless, etc.

He just needs to drop an empty trailer off a few miles.

[Bobbo]

Maury82 wrote:
He said he is wanting to tow a 8,100lbs dry trailer two miles to one location, and seven miles to another location.

No. He said he wanted to tow it 5 hours from its location to his house.

826storm wrote:
I have a 2015 5.7 Tundra Crewmax 4x4 with a towing capacity of 9800 lbs. I am strongly considering driving 5 hrs. away this weekend to purchase a 2015 Keystone Sprinter 299RET with a dry weight of 8153#s.

Here is a previous response of mine in this thread. As you can see, even I told him it is OK to tow that trailer under certain conditions. I don't think it is OK for him to load the trailer up and tow it with that truck.

Bobbo wrote:
I agree with everyone else who says it is OK to pick it up and drive it home as long as there is absolutely zero added weight in either the truck or the trailer and you drive slowly. You can also take it to/from nearby storage under those same conditions.

There is no way I would load up the truck and trailer for camping and tow it with that truck. Anywhere.

This quote absolutely terrifies me when directed at someone who doesn't understand their truck or towing.

Maury82 wrote:
The Tundra is overbuilt and just like a 3/4 diesel, it can handle more than its ratings, so for that particular situation you should be fine...Tow it.

A newbie should never be told to just ignore the manufacturers recommendations. They may not understand which ratings can be safely ignored, or under what conditions.

[Maury82]

Bobbo wrote:

Maury82 wrote:
Taken out of context.

Not overbuilt as meaning like, or equal to a 3/4 diesal, but overbuilt just like a 3/4 is overbuilt.

The Tundra is overbuilt, and I know owners who abuse and over load them on a regular, have higher miles on them, but still have supreme reliability...overbuilt.

The Tundra may very well be over-built. I don't know as I have never owned or driven one. However, advising people who don't know what they are doing, and admit that they don't know what they are doing, to ignore manufacturer ratings is irresponsible, at best. The truck may very well be able to handle that trailer, but if it doesn't, your recommendation to JUST DO IT can lead to injuries or deaths. If someone is going to ignore manufacturer's ratings, they should do so from a position of knowledge, not from a stranger's assurance that it will be OK. It may be fine for you, as the knowledgeable person to tow that trailer, but it is dangerous for anyone else to just take a stranger's word that it is fine.

He said he is wanting to tow a 8,100lbs dry trailer two miles to one location, and seven miles to another location.

The Trailer is within the towing ratings of the tundra, and since he is just looking to drop the trailer off, there isn' a situation of needing capacities for nothing more than the dry weight of the trailer. If he is worried about extra weight, fill up your propane after you drop the trailer of, and I can carry a battery with three fingers.

The crewmax Limited V8 are the least capable V8 4X4 Tundras, and has atleast a 1,500lbs payload and a minimum 8,800lbs tow rating.

The truck can handle it, even if he can't.

[GrandpaKip]

Since you asked for advice, you must not be convinced your Tundra is up to the task. Well, for what it’s worth, you got advice both ways.
Why not either hire someone to tow it or rent a 2500 or 3500? That way, it should get home safely and you don’t find out the hard way that some folks here were right.

[Bobbo]

Maury82 wrote:
Taken out of context.

Not overbuilt as meaning like, or equal to a 3/4 diesal, but overbuilt just like a 3/4 is overbuilt.

The Tundra is overbuilt, and I know owners who abuse and over load them on a regular, have higher miles on them, but still have supreme reliability...overbuilt.

The Tundra may very well be over-built. I don't know as I have never owned or driven one. However, advising people who don't know what they are doing, and admit that they don't know what they are doing, to ignore manufacturer ratings is irresponsible, at best. The truck may very well be able to handle that trailer, but if it doesn't, your recommendation to JUST DO IT can lead to injuries or deaths. If someone is going to ignore manufacturer's ratings, they should do so from a position of knowledge, not from a stranger's assurance that it will be OK. It may be fine for you, as the knowledgeable person to tow that trailer, but it is dangerous for anyone else to just take a stranger's word that it is fine.

[kknowlton]

As a Tundra owner, who has been towing with ours for 11 years now, I think that's a whole lotta trailer for that truck. If the spot you're towing it to was a half hour away on country roads, I'd say you'd be ok, but 5+ hours? I wouldn't do it. Our first TT that we pulled with this truck was a 34' with 7600 GVWR, and we usually loaded it to the max. The truck did ok, but both the truck and I are a LOT happier now with a trailer with 1000# lower GVWR. And the OP says the DRY weight of his TT is over 8000#? Too much trailer. JMHO, from experience.