View Single Post
Old 02-07-2006, 09:03 AM   #10
Bill
Site Team
 
Bill's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: The mountains of Scottsdale, AZ, and the beaches of Maine
Posts: 10,088
Default

I won't speak to the V-6 Tacoma vs V-8 Tundra issue - I'll let Ray handle that one, along with anyone who has a Tacoma.

As I recall, Yellowstone is not a hard park, towing-wise. Grades and altitudes are moderate. Nothing like the high Sierras or the Rockies further west.

The lift kit is one of several options that do not appear in the brochure. I didn't have it on my first TM and never really missed it. I do have it on my second. If you stay on paved or improved gravel roads, it is not a big deal. It's biggest utility seems to be in reducing the scraping of the rear bumper as you go over drainage swales at gas station exits, etc, and for that alone I guess it is worth it. There doesn't seem to be a down side, and at the factory they told me they routinely put lifts on all units that will be delivered in the west.

The thing on the back of your tow vehicle is not a hitch, it is a hitch RECEIVER. The hitch is the heavy steel thing that you will slide into it. The receiver must be rated Class III/Class IV. The way you can tell is simply to look at the square opening. If the opening is about 1" on a side, then you have a Class II, which won't work. If the opening is about 2" on a side, then you have at least Class III, and now you need to look in your owner's manual to find the weight capacity of the hitch receiver.

The hitch itself - the part that plugs into the hitch receiver - can be either weight-bearing or weight-distributing, and of course you want the latter. It is heavy - think 40 or 50 pounds of steel.

Hope this helps.

Bill
__________________
2020 2720QS (aka 2720SL)
2014 Ford F-150 4WD 5.0L
Bill's Tech Stuff album
Bill is offline   Reply With Quote