Towing with a 5th gen

you won't have issues in terms of performance or accelerating/maintaining speed in my opinion. ive towed at/over my limit with my 4th gen and the problem was never getting going, always stopping. the trailers youre looking at almost certainly have electric brakes, and if you equip your 4runner with a brake controller you should be fine. I wouldnt worry too much about it since it is far inside the limit

 

Any WD hitch or extra sway control needed? Thomcanora

 

it can only help but i wouldnt say its necessary at that trailer and gross weight

 

Many thanks Ethan a good and helpful site. In August we are travelling appox. 5000 km to BC.

 

Towing an Rpod 177 maybe 3300 # loaded. Have added E2 WD hitch with 4 point sway control. Can't feel it back there and all rides as one. Zero sway at any time. Gas mileage is terrible. Tow at 55-60 mph. Even worse in mountains.

 

I have five trailers that I switch out for whatever job needs done, pickup truck bed, loging trailer, four wheeler trailer ,camper and boat.

 

I am looking for a pickup truck bed trailer you build it or buy it? I wanna go to a salvage yard and buy a old pickup in somewhat good shape and convert the bed to a trailer.

OP dont worry about weight to much get some weight distribution hitch and sway bar with trailer brakes you will be fine, i move a 8,000 lb trailer around all the time. I would not go that high, i have a tundra to tow it but i can move it from storage to a spot for hunting which is up and down hills.

 

ok guys question: when i tow. ill stay in manual all the way to 4th or i can keep it on D ? is a 16X8 heavy duty trailer.. for a rzr and atv

 

You are going to want to stay out of overdrive stresses to the drivetrain will eventually damage the transmission my 12 has an Overdrive override button that you can put the vehicle in Drive and it will not shift into overdrive I'm not sure if yours has that option

 

I built mine out of a Dodge bed and fiberglass cap, frame was an old camper with heavy duty cast u-shaped axle and Springs stripped to the floor. And ended up weighing 780# and I routinely Haul 2000# in it.

 

Nice that is what i plan to do, i am searching the yards to find one i good condition, preferably a yota bed that is not too badly damaged but most of the junk yards have totaled from rear end collisions

 

The wooden trailer abused for over 30 years

 

Best medium duty tow rig I ever had prior to the 2019 T4R.



I hope the T4R can at least come close. The 2016 Highlander was lacking in power compared to the 5.7 Hemi.

 

I've just done a couple of up-and-back trips to MT. from So. Cal. dragging a 6x10 enclosed trailer w/e-brakes. 99.8% of that drive is in S4. S5 was only good for long down hills and pretty much useless in the flats. Gas mileage was 11-15 loaded and 13-16 dead heading back. The weight of the loaded trailer was unknown both times, but suffice to say well under the limits. Air-Lift air bags are in my future though. It's not too much of a dog going uphills like Cajon Pass or Baker Grade, I can hold it between 40-50 mph. At Stateline it's back up to 70 mph, S4 in the flats all the way to MT. 80 mph is a bit too much for my tender ass tho.
I also drag around a home built "trash" trailer w/e-brakes. It rides on a Dexter 3 1/2", 3,500# axle. The wheel bolt pattern matches my built TJ, 5 on 5.5. The bed is a well abused and under loved '85 Toyota. It's literally had tons of rocks and logs loaded on it for Adopt-A-Trail (3N93, Holcomb Cr.) work and in need of a rebuild.
My next trip will be with my 14' car carrier. Hopefully I will have the air bags on before that trip. I don't tow it with the Jeep on it because it would be close to 7,000#.

 

This is an older post, but thought I'd ask anyway. What type of brake controller did you get for your 4-Runner? I have a 2010 Limited, 5k towing capacity as well and am also thinking of getting a travel trailer. Something small, 16 to 19 ft, within my towing capacity. I've been researching, and learning, since I'm new to towing, but am curious what you purchased and what others think on this topic.

Thanks..

 

I have this one. Plugs right into the factory wiring. Works great.

https://www.etrailer.com/multi-prod...868&HHYear=2016&HHMake=Toyota&HHModel=4Runner

 

That's actually the one at the top of my list... nice to know I'm on the right track! TY

 

One thing that is huge in controlling a trailer is how it’s loaded. The tongue weight (how much weight of the trailer is resting on the tow vehicle) needs to be 10% to 15%. If the trailer weighs 5000 lbs, the tongue weight should be 500lbs-750lbs. Too little (thinking you’re being nice to your runner) and the trailer will want to skate all over the place. Too much, and the trailer will shove the back of your runner all over the place. The further from the ideal tongue weight you get, the less effective any sway control becomes.

If you have the weight balanced properly and the tow vehicle sags in the back (less weight and therefore less traction on the front wheels), get an equalizer hitch. This will shift some of that proper tongue weight to the front wheels.

https://www.etrailer.com/faq-how-to-determine-trailer-tongue-weight.aspx

 

Reduced MPG while pulling a travel trailer is more about aerodynamics than weight. Rate of acceleration from a stop or pulling up a hill MPG is affected by weight. However, once the mass is rolling, wind resistance is the demon. Resistance increases by the square of the speed.

https://www.mpgforspeed.com/

Here’s an example of how much wind resistance increases with speed. While learning to drive an 18-wheeler, I was going down a long grade at 60mph, I had to repeatedly keep braking in order to maintain 60mph. My buddy who was teaching me (and was familiar with that road) told me to let it go up to 70. As I did, the wind resistance increased. As it hit about 67, it just sat there and I hardly had to touch the brakes the rest of the way down the hill.

 

I have a 22ft forest River fsx. Dry weight 3100 loaded max 3900.
Pulls the hills in Minnesota between 65-70 with typical no troubles. Gas mileage around 10 mpg for all my trips.
I have e2 wd hitch. Would pull cross country with this little engine that can

When I went shopping I bought on weight.

 

nice setup

 

What kind of extended mirrors are you planning?
And what brand of brake controller are you using?

 

where did you mount it? TIA

 

Is this your set up? You could use a WDH. When the vehicle sags like this, its not just sagging but lifting weight from the front tires. Due to this your front traction is severely impacted. The WDH hitch shifts the weight forward and keeps it from swaying.

I have 18 4R TRD OR and pull a Wolfpup BHS 16', dry weight 3000 (3200 with the rack on the back) full max capacity 3800. I also use the Equilizer Brand WDH 10K version (w/4 point sway control) . Works wonders. Pulling the trailer with 3 kids in the back and wife in the front and all of our gear was no problem up hills. Keep in mind that going up steep long summits does slow the 4Runner way down, this is really where the 4R hits the limit with around 3400 -3800 lbs. My max speed was 40 MPH and RPM between 4-5K, constantly shifting to maintain speed. Outside of that getting up to speed at 60-65+ is fine.

Your gas millage will suffer no matter a 4R or a truck. All relative to the weight you're pulling.

Check out this brake controller. No need to install it below the dash. Hide it anywhere and all you see is a small knob you can mount anywhere
https://www.etrailer.com/Brake-Controller/Redarc/331-EBRH-ACCV2.html

This is the WDH I got - Works amazing. I would invest in a good one like this one, since the 4R is not a truck, and shorter wheel base and 5K limit tow, you'll want a nice WDH to help you maintain control of the trailer through semi passes, wind gusts, if your trailer tires slip into the shoulder etc.. Its all about sway that will roll you.
https://www.etrailer.com/Weight-Distribution/Equal-i-zer/EQ37100ET.html

 

Get a hensly and pull any trailer, any weight with your 84 Caprice.

https://www.hensleymfg.com/hensley-hitch-video/