Elkmont owners - can you answer some questions?

We've put many miles in our 2009 Tacoma 4x4 Double Cab with the 6500# tow package and our Elkmont 24. It has served us well.

The max tongue weight should be listed on your hitch. Ours says 650#.

I do not use any sway control because the Tacoma has enough wheelbase, and the Elkmont 24 puts around 620# on the hitch. This is quite high, over 15% of our loaded trailer weight. If you look at the trailer, you'll see that the wheels are set pretty far back. That's why the high tongue weight.

This high a tongue weight helps get rid of any potential sway. But it created another one for us. We also wanted to carry 2 kayaks, bicycles and other junk in the truck. So we added a cap and all this stuff only to discover that with the trailer hitched up, we exceeded the Tacoma's GVWR by 350-600#. And a WDH is absolutely necessary as otherwise the rear GAWR would be badly exceed as well.

IOW, while the Tacoma with tow package is spec'ed to haul a 6500# trailer, it has *only* a half-ton (1151#) payload. Once you subtract 620# tongue weight, there's only 531# left for you, passengers, and any gear.

The Tacoma tows the trailer weight well, but it is only a V6 gasser with relatively low torque at highway speeds and rpms. As a result, on the flats or slightly rolling highways, you will get shifting from 5th to 4th or to an intermediate unlocked Torque Converter state. All this is normal. The engine and transmission handle it well. But over long trips, depending upon the terrain, you may find this frequent shifting a bit tiring.


We recently decided to upgrade to full-size pickup primarily because of the GVWR problem.