How long is too long

I have a stock 2016 Trail Premium and want to pull a travel trailer.

I know the weight limitations (5,000 lbs) but I also want real world length limitations by people that have towed them.

I may have the power to tow it BUT do I have enough truck to control it?

I want to be in control not the trailer.

Is there length, height, width issues I should avoid?

I will be mainly on the hiways and biways - some off road but not worried about that!

I have a good handle on the weight I just want to make sure I don't have the tail wagging the dog!

 

Click bait!

 

I've heard that width can be more of an issue than length.. Wait, what?

I have never towed a travel trailer, but I'm sure some of this will come down to how often and how far you intend to tow it. You're not going to want to be in a hurry if you're towing 4-5K Lbs. You're going to want to drive slow, and keep it out of overdrive.

There might be a thread around here about what people tow with these things.

 

A rule of thumb is that you need a minimum of 120” wheel base to safely tow at the vehicles design weight limit. Is it law, no, but if you’ve ever tried it, it’s a pretty good rule of thumb. That’s the limiting factor on a 4 Runner. A Taco is a much better tow vehicle.

 

Thanks and I agree that the 4Runner would not be my first choice. I kick myself for selling my Ford F250 PowerStroke and buying the 4Runner - but at the time towing something wasn't even in the picture. I sold my Jeep and Truck to get a road worthy off road vehicle.

I am looking at trailers well below the 5K limit and as short and narrow as I can get. I hope to talk with people that have or are towing with the 4Runner so I can compare sizes and such.

 

Personally trailer length, in itself, would be further down the list of things I'm worried about. Trailer weight, GVWR, GCWR and tongue weight are what really matters. I would suspect with a longer trailer you will see more tongue weight which may be the limiting factor as far as length goes. A weight distribution hitch is highly recommended as well. Made a world of difference on my Tundra when I was towing near capacity which isn't that much more than the 4Runner at a whopping 6600 lbs.

 

Almost the same tow rating, but vastly different towing capability. That’s the point.

 

Agreed!

 

Thanks everyone I am looking at 15'5" or smaller and well under 5000 - more like 3500.

 

One thing to always keep in mind is that you have to factor in the weight of everything you put in the travel trailer. My understanding as well is that the "dry weight" they quote does not include any water in the holding tanks and not even the battery. Plus when you calculate the GCWR you have to account for everything in the tow vehicle including human weight. And lastly, as someone else said, get a good weight distributing hitch with sway control. The wind from some 18 wheelers will really test your nerve.

 

I towed my 19' and 15' Escape trailers with my FJ Cruiser (5000lb tow capacity) for 7 years with no issues and am now towing them both with my 2020 4Runner TRD OR (5000 lb tow capacity) and with no issues at all so far. I use a WD hitch and have trailer brakes and a brake controller. Absolutely no issues with sway or stopping. Tows very stable. The 4Runner is fine towing a properly chosen trailer!

 

Number of axles, net vs gross weight, tongue weight and trailer brakes are my concerns. I regularly tow a 5x10 (storage area) trailer with a dirtbike snd 4wheeler on it. Its a single axle 3500 gvwr trailer but im barely hitting 2200 including trailer weight. The runner tows thus easily but i would be cautious towing anywhere near the rated 5000lbs especially without trailer brakes. I can get past the mpg I get, but the 2020 4runner brakes are barely enough without a trailer. I don't think trailer length has any effect. Its all about trailer build quality, and tongue weight.

Bottom line, imo, the 4runner can tow toys around just fine. If you regularly tow anywhere near 5k there's vehicles more suitable, like a Tundra or LC. Even the taco is better but again taco/4R are toy haulers.

 

Nice looking trailers, Dave!