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Old 11-18-2004, 07:59 AM   #5
RockyMtnRay
TrailManor Master
 
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
Posts: 816
Default Greetings from another Tundra owner!

Quote:
Originally Posted by APerkins
Oh, and it's a 4.7L not a 4.3. Not like it makes THAT much of a difference. Towing capacity of a tundra is 7000, and my goal is to stay under half of that if at all possible. I don't want to strain my truck.
You will find the Tundra does very well as a tow vehicle for any TrailManor, particularly for towing near sea level. Your decision to stay around half of the factory's incredibly optimistic tow rating is quite wise. Reason: the factory tow rating is determined by subtracting the weight of a bare bones, no options, no gas, no cargo, no passengers truck from the Gross Combined Weight Rating (11,800 lbs). If you subtract the weight of typically optioned, loaded for camping 4X4 Tundra with passengers, gas, and cargo, the real tow rating is more like 6000 lbs. Similarly, TrailManor lists the empty, no options weight of their trailers. Add in typical options and a load of food, supplies, water, etc. and a 3023 will weigh more like 4500 to 4800 lbs. So your real world margin between GCWR limits and rig weight is actually only about 1200 to 1500 lbs...still plenty but not nearly as big as the so called ratings would have led you to believe.

I have an '03 Tundra Access Cab SR5 4X4 and bought it specifically to be the tow vehicle for my '02 27202SL TM. Stock, it did fairly well at my very high altitudes (from 6000 to 12000 feet above sea level)...revved up in 2nd gear I could readily stay with traffic even on 7% grades. However, I have done a few mods for even more power and less transmission shifting; specifically JBA exhaust headers, a Gibson muffler, and now a regearing to 4.30 gears...and it now will outperform just about any other truck (even a Dodge Hemi ) when I go into the mountains with my TM in tow.

Since it appears you do not have the factory towing package on yours, yes there are a few things you will need (but a heavy duty radiator is NOT needed (or even available)...the stock factory radiator provides plenty of engine cooling...and the engine also has a good engine oil cooler). Specifically:
  • An auxilliary transmission cooler. This is a mandatory item to insure good towing life with the '00 Tundra transmission. Get a "stacked plate" design; the best are the Tru Cool Brand. Do not buy the OEM Toyota one...it's too small and not particularly effective. My Tundra (with factory towing package) came equipped with the OEM cooler; I'm replacing it before the next towing season with a Tru Cool cooler (probably one with a fan).
  • 1000 lb Class III/IV hitch receiver. The OEM towing package hitch is good though pricey; any of the quality aftermarket hitches will work well. The factory hitch is sometimes available on eBay for a very good price.
  • Weight Distributing Hitch (WDH) with at least 750 lb or 1000 lb spring bars. The Tundra rear suspension was designed more for comfort than for heavy duty weight carrying. The hitch weight of a 3023 TM (around 550 to 600 lbs) will induce a great deal of rear sag/front lift if you do not use a WDH. A sway control device is not needed and not advised...if you use a WDH to insure the truck is level with the trailer attached, the Tundra has more than enough wheelbase and steering control to prevent sway from a naturally sway resistant trailer like a TrailManor.
  • Brake Controller and wiring for the brake controller and 12 V supply line to the trailer. Even though your truck did not have the factory towing package, it may very well have the taillight converter (turns 3 bulb system (brake and turn separate) into a 2 bulb system (brake and turn together) and all you will need is a connector to plug into it. If you become a paid member of the TundraSolutions Club, you can have access to wiring diagrams and a detailed "how to" in the club "Garage" section for installing a brake controller on your truck.
  • Towing mirrors. The Tundra is not truly a full size truck...it's about 5 inches narrower than Ford 150s, Dodge Rams, etc. You will therefore need supplemental towing mirrors...by far the best are those made by McKesh. Although rather pricey, McKesh mirrors have no vibration whatsoever and they work very well on the Tundra doors. Aftermarket replacement mirrors that electrically extend are not available for Tundras...this is a fairly low volume truck (~100K units per year) and not often used for heavy duty towing so the Aftermarket manufacturers have not produced many Tundra offerings.

When towing a sizable trailer like a TM with a Tundra it's extremely important to always do so with Overdrive turned OFF. The front planetary gearset (used when the transmission is in Overdrive) is a known weak area of the '00 - '02 Tundras.

Another item that greatly improves a Tundra's towing capability is to mount Light Truck (LT) series tires instead of Passenger (P) series tires. LT series tires have much stiffer sidewalls than P series tires...this greatly reduces the side-side sway of the rear of the truck when towing. If you are near time for tire replacement, I can heartily recommend using Michelin LTX M/S tires in the 265/75R16 size...these tires have excellent grip, excellent road manners when towing and extremely long life (at least 75 thousand miles).

BTW, I am the Towing Moderator at TundraSolutions as well as one of the moderators of both the Engine/DriveTrain and Handling/Suspension/Brakes forums on that website. There is a great deal of information available about improving your Tundra's performance and lifetime. Feel free to ask me any questions about using a Tundra as a tow vehicle.

As for modifying the trailer for boondock camping, I'm probably "Mr Boondocker" around here...90% of my camping is in no-hookups campgrounds. Accordingly I have equipped my TM with solar panels as well as dual 6V Golf cart batteries. Will be happy to answer any specific questions about how to optimize things for boondock camping.
__________________
Ray

I use my TM as a base camp for hiking, kayaking, mountain biking, and climbing Colorado's 14ers


The Trailer: 2002 TM Model 2720SL ( Mods: Solar Panels (170 Watts), Dual T-105 Batteries, Electric Tongue Jack, Side AC, Programmable Thermostat, Doran TP Monitor System)

The Tow Vehicle: 2003 Toyota Tundra V8 SR5 4X4 w/Tow Package (Towing & Performance Mods: JBA Headers, Gibson Muffler, 4.30 gears, Michelin LTX M/S Tires, Prodigy Brake Controller, Transmission Temperature Gauge)


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