Toyota Tacoma, towing

[PPerez101]

How well does a Toyota Tacoma (crew cab) tow a 27/20 up and down hills?

[oldstick]

What year? And do you have the factory installed towing package? That will determine what the tow rating is for your truck. I have a 2007 Tacoma V6 crew cab with factory tow package and supposedly rated for 6400 lbs towing. I pull a 2003 TM 3023 which is probably slightly heavier than the 2720 but not that much heavier. I am not very comfortable taking it uphill into any kind of hill country, even the Appalachian foothills of north GA. Downhill and brakes are fine, but the uphill load makes me worry about the tranny load and temps.

I have done it a few times without problems, but I would be a lot more comfortable with something with a lot heavier towing capacity if I planned a lot of travel in hilly country.

[PPerez101]

Trying to figure-out what to buy, like the size of the Tacoma for every day use, but want be sure the truck can tow safely.
THANKS
Pete

[Michael-Rhonda]

We tow with a 2016 Tacoma TRD Off Road 4X4 double cab. It has the 3.5L V6 Atkinson Cycle with Dual VVT-i (and I really don't know what all that means!). It comes with the tow package - a must! With tow package it can handle 6,500 lb.

We live in the southern suburb of Denver, and tow our 2006 2720 into the Rockies on major roads and over some of the passes. I say that it goes over the passes, but it does not jump over them! We have had no problem getting there and back, but cannot do the speed limit on the steeper uphills (speed limits are 65-70 in thee hills). We just watch rpms. The Tacoma transmission shifts sooner than we think it should - kicks into a lower gear (and higher RPMs) fairly soon. This is intentional by Toyota, and they have a good reason - I just cannot remember what it is. Some have told us that an adjustment to the transmission can be made to over-ride this, but we are not interested in having adjustments to our transmission.

We really like the combo of the Tacoma and Trailmanor. The Tacoma has a very comfortable ride. Made a trip to Seattle from Denver in the autumn - averaged around 16-17. My wife has a pet care business, and we like the size of the Tacoma for the mix of camping and getting her around to her pet care business. Trust this helps!
Michael

[Bill]

How well does a Toyota Tacoma (crew cab) tow a 27/20 up and down hills?...Trying to figure-out what to buy, like the size of the Tacoma for every day use, but want be sure the truck can tow safely.
THANKS
Pete

Pete -

We understand why you are asking your questions. But as OldStick and I have both pointed out, your question can't be answered until you have decided whether or not the vehicle has a factory tow package, what size engine it has, what year, and so forth.

For example, a 2020 Tacoma can have a tow rating of anywhere from 3500 to 6800 pounds, depending on how you equip it. But a 5-year old Tacoma had a tow rating of only 3,300 to 3,500 lbs maximum. Since 3500 pounds is considered barely adequate, you could easily buy a truck that is unusable if you don't answer those questions. This will be especially true if you choose a truck based on mpg.

You also asked about a Highlander. For this vehicle, the 2015 tow ratings are between 1,500 pounds and 5,000 lbs. So if you simply buy a Highlander without answering these questions, you could end up with a very nice tow vehicle, or you could end up with one that will struggle and die on the road.

You can read discussions of these matters, and various other tow vehicles, by joining the forum and reading the discussions. But a simple question like "Is a Tacoma a good tow vehicle?" can't be answered.

Bill

[Michael-Rhonda]

A few more thoughts about pulling with a Tacoma - we use a weight distribution hitch. We camp for 3-5 nights at a time, and travel pretty light. When we can we get water at the sites - usually we are at National Forest campgrounds or State campgrounds. We rode heavier on our trip to Seattle, and the Tacoma did very well at speed limit, but the grades were not as steep. Michael

[jcwhit27]

I have a 2017 TRD sport 4x4 crew cab with tow package, and a 2001 2619 trailmanor. The tacoma pulls the trailer very well and rides well even with a load of camping gear. I have previously towed a much larger trailer through Missouri that came in 6000 lbs loaded. The tacoma handled it although big hit to MPG. With the trailmanor it is almost like there is nothing behind the truck until you hit a good bump :)

I will say that I trust the tacoma to tow more than some of the mid size SUVs that advertise towing at 3500 - 5000 lbs. Of course, as others have said it requires the correct towing equipment on the TV.

I would say anyone with a TM should not worry about a gen 3 tacoma, with tow package, towing your trailer.

[PPerez101]

Thank you all, looks like I'll be getting a new Tacoma.

[Frazermanor]

We are new owners of both the Tacoma and the 2720. We had a horrible time getting our 2720 up our driveway which has a 5% incline. The tow hitch and the battery rack scraped. We finally had to use a trailer hitch with a 6” lift. But of course we switched it back to actually tow. I am worried about gas stations being an issue.

[Wavery]

We are new owners of both the Tacoma and the 2720. We had a horrible time getting our 2720 up our driveway which has a 5% incline. The tow hitch and the battery rack scraped. We finally had to use a trailer hitch with a 6” lift. But of course we switched it back to actually tow. I am worried about gas stations being an issue.
Do you have a lift kit on the trailer? A 2.5" lift makes a big difference.