Towing - I am ignorant

I bought a 2022 4Runner Limited yesterday specifically to tow my side-by-side. 2018 Outback sure wasn’t going to do it. Did I make a big mistake? Can’t undo it now…

My towing experience is limited to small sailboats decades ago and pulling a custom trailer with a cord of firewood in it with a 3/4 ton pickup truck. A 5,000 pound towing capacity sounded like plenty for a 2,000 pound Can-Am Defender plus trailer. I was very explicit about what I needed with salesman but …

The manual says unbraked gross trailer weight (TWR) is only 1,655 lbs. so brakes are required. My wood trailer setup had an adjustment for the trailer brakes - had to change it a LOT depending on whether the trailer was loaded or not. There’s a wiring harness for trailer brakes in the glove box, but do I need trailer brake adjustment too? (Won’t be pulling trailer unloaded much if at all)

Manual also says I need a “sway control device” for over 2,000 lbs. TWR which I obviously will exceed. Searching internet without knowing exactly what I’m looking for is pretty useless. Would this be a modification to the vehicle/suspension? A different kind of hitch? Additional attachment point(s) between hitch and trailer?

Finally manual says dual axle trailer “recommended” for over 3,000 lb. Gross trailer weight. I can stay under that with an aluminum trailer (7x14) but not by much. I do know that a single axle trailer is easier to maneuver. Recommendations?

Forgive me for my ignorance!

 

You probably need a trailer brake controller. An anti-sway device is something you attach to the receiver itself. Based on your weight, you are tickling dual axle.

 

Aside from having the right equipment, you'll want to tow in S4 and keep your speed at or below 65 MPH as recommended in the manual. You and your 4Runner will be much happier this way!

 

Thanks! A search here made the S4/65 mph points loud and clear.

 

Brake controller: YES!
Weight distribution hitch/anti sway: YES! https://www.etrailer.com/dept-pg-Weight_Distribution_Hitch-sf-WD_With_Sway_Control.aspx

Keep the 4Runner light (payload) and put the extra weight (luggage) on the trailer over the axles if possible. Make sure your trailer tires are in good shape and maxed on PSI.

 

^^^ excellent advice

 

Thank you! I had looked at that product but didn’t understand it earlier. Now that I’ve read the explanation, it makes perfect sense.

For future idiots like me, scroll down on this page for the explanation:
https://www.etrailer.com/Weight-Distribution-Hitch/Blue-Ox/BLU36FR.html

Related to this, I’m seriously considering a 7x12 single axle trailer. Won’t be able to put tracks on the Can-Am Defender but the more I think through that, the more the cost/benefit starts looking ugly. We do get snow here, but I’m only 3 miles from the ocean and it’s rarely over a foot deep. I could easily buy a snowmobile for the cost of tracks plus longer 2-axle trailer. (Tracks require longer trailer and weigh more than wheels & tires.). Also, I can get a 12’x81” aluminum trailer but 14’ is really hard to find now.

 

https://www.thehitchmaninc.com/7-x-14-holmes-commercial-landscape-5k-single-axle-w-brakes-uxug|3Ye.html

Just look for a trailer with brakes.

 

What do the laws in your state require? We tow our 1400# Rhino on a 12 ft. trailer with no trl. brakes(how it came new) have only 1 issue, that was a nail in a trl. tire. I've put thousands of miles on a bunch of hunting/ice fishing trips, S4 gear... that's the ticket. If your on level or slight down grade, you could switch over to 'D' for a minute, then back as needed. And for the anti-sway "device", if your 'tongue weight' is right, it won't sway. I've had the sway pulling a trl., do not like it, it was all tongue weight related. Also a drop hitch might help pull the trl. level, I use a 4" drop. Hope all works out for you.

 

If the vehicle owner’s manual says I need anti-sway then I am going to get it. Same for brakes.

 

Air bags in the rear to level out ride.

 

I have no idea what the consensus is on this forum but I wouldn’t bag a 4Runner. I would spend the time to over spring it a little and upgrade the shocks before air bags.

I have air bags on my dually and I’m replacing them with timbrens instead.

Anyone here have experience with these on a 4Runner?
https://www.etrailer.com/susp-2018_Toyota_4Runner.htm?furl=-pm-Timbren&Redirect=8

 

Thanks to everyone for your input and suggestions.

I am having a hard time finding a 7x12 single axle trailer with brakes. Ordering anything these days is a crap shoot, so I’m sticking with in stock or on the way. Have found a couple steel 7x14 dual axle trailers, but I don’t need the extra 2 feet and a second axle adds a fair amount of weight. Also it looks like aluminum isn’t going to happen - prices are skyrocketing and supplies are really limited.

I did think about being able to transport my small farm tractor (2001 John Deere 990) once or twice a year to get serviced. It would fit on 7x14; however, it weights 3,175 and I don’t think that even includes the JD 430 loader. Too much weight for 4Runner.

 

Thanks to everyone for comments and advice!

I ended up getting lucky on the trailer. Stumbled onto a 6-1/2 x 14’ aluminum trailer from Mission that someone had ordered then couldn’t pay for. I am VERY happy that I got a dual axle trailer. It is very stable and easy to back up.

I ended up getting a Redarc Tow-Pro Elite proportional brake controller. Install was fairly easy even for a neophyte (thanks to YouTube). Everything is hidden except the control knob. Works very well.

Advice to use S4 and stay at or below 65 mph is right on the money.

EDIT: apparently I was wrong saying the following - This is the only incorrect advice here. You should put as much weight as possible in the tow vehicle, keeping trailer weight low. You should not increase the trailer weight relative to the tow vehicle weight.

I did not get the anti-sway gizmo and have not had any problems with sway.

 

Does your trailer have brakes?

As someone who regularly tows a 15,000+ lb 43’ fifth wheel and hauls a 4,000 lb slide in truck camper. I can promise you towing the fifth wheel Vs hauling the truck camper the truck handles better when towing vs maxing out the payload capacity of my Duramax dually. Obviously there are other differences, most notably height of truck camper and location of weight relative to the ground but if I had an empty trailer vs an empty 4Runner. I’m putting the weight on the trailer 100% of the time.

Why do you disagree?

 

I have to agree with @coryanderson here. The more weight you put in the tow vehicle, the more sag you're going to have. I would personally rather put the extra weight in the trailer, unless I did not have trailer brakes.

 

Yes my trailer has brakes and I am extremely glad that I got them.

I did a lot of research on trailers and towing. I found multiple internet experts who said it was important to put weight in the tow vehicle rather than the trailer. (And yes “internet expert” is intended to have some irony implied.) It made sense to me that you would want to have a higher percentage of the total weight in the tow vehicle with the trailer weight being a lower percentage of the total load. However, I can see where you could get to a point where sag in the tow vehicle was a bigger problem.

Again from “experts”, weight distribution on the trailer makes a big difference too. More weight centered over the dual axles should be fine in my case as far as I know, but adding weight to either end might be “bad”. For example, I put both the trailer and UTV spare tires in the back of my truck for a long haul (4 hours). I will have to try putting them in the UTV bed instead and see how the whole thing handles then. I didn’t bottom out the rears shocks with the spares in the truck but the hitch was an inch or 2 closer to the ground.

 

My understanding is that you want to keep more weight in front of the trailer axle(s), but not necessarily all the way in front. A trailer that is tongue light will be more likely to sway.

If adding weight to the tow vehicle, it's probably ideal if you can keep it in front of the rear axle. But, that's not always practical.

 

Is this weight distribution hitch compatible with the stock 4Runner hitch?

 

You don't need max psi on the tires. How the vehicles come from the factory, with the recommended psi, is rated to support the full tow rating of the vehicle. So 32psi (factory rating) is enough. Aftermarket wheels/tires/suspension technically change this, and usually can be assumed for the worse.

You don't want to go over your max vehicle payload. Add tongue weight and luggage, people, etc. For your purposes, I would say you can add 15% of the trailer and sxs weight to the vehicle's payload.

I pull a cubic yard of rock around sometimes, probably around 3k lbs with trailer. I might not use a brake controller, and I just don't go stupid fast. 4runner pulls it fine, but I wouldn't really want to hit that 5k max rating. I try to keep my weight centered over my axle if possible. If the vehicle is sagging a lot, I might try to move it back some. That probably means I am pulling max capacity or more though.

States generally have laws when trailer brakes are required, typically denoted as a certain weight requirement.

So, you don't need a trailer brake until your state requires it. You don't need anything for sway, assuming you don't load the trailer like an idiot. But, more safety is never a bad thing. If this becomes a regular activity, you would probably want this stuff to make your life easier. You might even want air bags or stiffer coils.

A 4runner isn't the best towing vehicle obviously. Mass moves mass, and a 4runner just doesn't have it among other things.

 

Not sure which post you're referring to, but I did see one recommending maximum pressure in the trailer tires, which is generally recommended.

 

The vehicle tires, I didn't say trailer. Look at the sticker in the door jam.

 

Right. But, nobody said to max out the PSI on the vehicle tires, so I was wondering where your comment came from.

 

You're being goofy lol, I wasn't referencing anyone. Mans said he doesn't know about towing, I figured if he glanced at the tire and saw the max load rating, he might figure he would need to max out the psi to need that

 

Ok, I was just overthinking.

I'd like to think that people would know better than to go by the tire's max inflation. Unfortunately, I also know that some people still do, so I can understand why you would point it out. I even read once where someone was running 80 PSI in LT/E tires!

Sorry for the misunderstanding.

 

I remember when I had a Jeep Liberty and towed a fully stocked small trailer from U Haul from AZ to NH. When I first started out the car started swaying. I pulled over and called U haul. They said keep speed 55 or under. Did the trick.

Kevin

 

Another thing that can cause sway is having too much weight in the back of the trailer, making the tongue too light.

 

I tow my boat she's about 3500 with trailer. don't have any issues